My Ultimate Travel Essentials

Happy (almost) Memorial Day weekend! It’s been a crazy few weeks over here with a work trip to Vietnam followed by an amazing press trip to Finland and Estonia, and now I’m heading to Lake Tahoe for the long weekend. Over the past few years I’ve definitely become a girl on the go with plenty of travel, both domestic and internationally, and with my fair share of packing lists and flights, I’ve picked up my own set of travel staples that are always in my suitcase. A look at my ultimate travel essentials:

Eyemask: Using an eye mask on long flights to help block out light has been a game changer for getting some solid sleep while in-flight. While there are plenty of luxe options out on the market, I’m notorious for losing eye masks on planes so I stock up on affordable options on Amazon and always keep one in my carry on in case there’s a chance to sneak in some zzz’s on the plane (also really helpful for when you’re traveling somewhere that doesn’t get much darkness during summer months, like Finland or Iceland!)
Long Flight Skincare Kit: I’ve gotten serious about my skincare routine while flying and have assembled a skincare stash specifically designed to keep my skin happy on long travel days. I love Garnier’s Micellar makeup remover wipes to remove any makeup, then focus on hydration with a stockpile of Sephora samples including Drunk Elephant’s Lala Retro moisturizer and my friend Elise’s amazing face oil from Paradox Beauty.
Apple Airpods: I don’t care how dorky these look, they’re the absolute best. I crossed over to Team Airpods last year when I was getting ready for my Thailand trip and they’ve been one of my favorite purchases of the year. It’s so nice to not have to worry about cords or waiting for Bluetooth to connect and the sound/audio quality is pretty great (so good for phone calls too!). Although I was worried about losing ’em, it hasn’t been an issue since you quickly get into the habit of putting them back in the charging case when not in use.
Mophie Portable Charger: Never not without a Mophie! I love these chargers for keeping my phone battery fully charged and always travel with 2 when I’m on a big international trip where I’m out and about for most of the day, using my phone often to navigate and research places to go. Having backup charging help is especially important when I’m traveling solo and having 2 Mophies with me helps ensure I’m able to use one while the other one has the time to get fully charged back at my hotel/apartment.
Amazon Kindle: I know, books are great, but as much as I love the feel and experience of a paperback book, it’s so much easier to travel with a Kindle. The Paperwhite is super small and lightweight so you’re able to stash it in your carry on without even noticing and have access to any book, anywhere while you’re on the go. I also love that the Kindle + the Kindle app for iPhone quickly sync to keep up with your reading progress so you can read absolutely anywhere – I read on my phone often when out in public while I’m traveling solo, then switch back over to the Kindle while I’m in-flight or in bed.
Cuyana Travel Case Set: After gifting these over and over again, I finally added them to my own Christmas list and fell in love after receiving them this past year from my sister. They’re the perfect combination of luxe and practical, with beautiful pebbled leather and a sleek monogrammed touch. I keep my long flight skincare kit in the smaller pouch and use the larger one for my makeup, using a Baggu pouch for my other toiletries to avoid damaging the leather in case of any leaky products.
Baggu Pouches: Speaking of Baggu pouches… I use these things for everything! This mesh pouch works really well for toiletries (and can be tossed in the washer when the inevitable leak happens) while I use the smallest pouch in this 3D pouch kit for my charging cords and electronics needs, and the larger option for keeping dirty laundry tucked away within my suitcase.
Everlane Cashmere Sweater: I basically dedicated an entire blog post to this sweater, but guys, it’s good! A little bit of cozy cashmere really helps me feel somewhat pulled together, even with long overnight international flights and I love being able to also rewear it throughout the trip as a general outfit option during chilly months (tip: wear a tee underneath so you can shed layers in case your plane is warm and help keep your cashmere fresh in between dry cleanings).
Lo & Son’s Backpack: This backpack was another awesome Christmas gift (thanks mom!) and is so roomy while still fitting underneath the plane seat to be carried on as your personal item. The interior pockets, including a padded laptop section, help keep items organized and front pocket is the perfect place to stash your wallet and passport so they’re easily accessible for going through security.
Allbirds Sneakers: I miiiiiight own 6 pairs of Allbirds and I have 0 regrets about it. They’re the most comfortable shoes ever, are easy to slip on and off (hello, security!) and do a fantastic job keeping your feet both warm and cool. I almost always wear a pair of Allbirds to fly both for comfort, style and practicality – the wool keeps ’em from ever getting smelly, even when worn without socks PLUS they’re machine washable.
Nalgene Travel Bottles: One of the best things I ever did was to stock up on Nalgene Travel Bottles and create labeled travel sized bottles of every product in my beauty routine so I never have to worry about forgetting to pack anything that I need and have a pouch ready to just drop in my suitcase when I’m getting ready to travel. I love Nalgene’s travel bottles because they’re absolutely leak proof and come in a really wide variety of shapes and sizes so you can find the right container for any product you’re looking to bring along with you.
Outlet Adapters: With the fun of international travel also comes the annoyance of needing outlet adapters to use any of your electronics while abroad. After traveling a few times with a limited amount of adapters and having to switch my devices out of the same outlet, I stocked up on adapters on Amazon and now have a handful of adapters for Europe, South America & Asia in my cord kit.
Travel Meds Kit: When prepping for Thailand I got a little paranoid about motion sickness and potential for an upset stomach while exploring the street food scene and assembled a kit of travel meds that now comes with me wherever I go and comes in handy on almost every trip. There’s the basics, like Advil and Bandaids, then more speciality needs like motion sickness strips, Benedryl, sleeping pills and anxiety meds, PLUS Pedialyte powder packs for everything from post-flight dehydration to a killer hangover after a night out. I have all pills tucked away in this organizer from The Container Store, plus my OLLY Probiotic Sticks + Pedialyte, bug spray and anti-itch stick stashed together in a pouch so everything’s easily accessible and in one place for packing.
Samsonite Carry On Suitcase: I always get a ton of questions about my suitcase when snapping my signature airport walk Instagram Story post and everyone seems to always be pleasantly surprised when I mention it’s a really affordable option from Samsonite. I’m in the carry on only club and have always been able to fit my Samsonite in the overhead bin, even on small planes, and can fit a ton in it by packing my clothes in the zippered half of the suitcase. It’s lightweight, really durable, and the textured exterior helps hide scratches so it holds up really well, even with heavy travel (after about 3 years of traveling with an older version I got the expansion zipper caught on itself and broke it trying to get it unstuck but definitely got my money’s worth and gladly replaced it with the same suitcase!)
Packing Cubes: Packing Cubes really come in handy when you’re backpacking to make the most of the space you have and keep things neatly organized so you’re able to easily grab whatever you need without having to make a mess of things. I was able to pack for nearly two weeks in Thailand in this backpack with the help of packing cubes which made it really easy for me to quickly unpack and repack while changing locations throughout the trip and not have to worry about lugging a suitcase around the busy streets of Southeast Asia.
Turkish Towel: After a few trips where I’ve needed a towel for one reason or another I started always adding a Turkish towel to my packing list because they’re lightweight and take up barely any room but can come in handy for a ton of different things throughout your travels. From beach days when you’re not staying at a resort with towels readily available to using as a picnic blanket for an impromptu glass of wine al fresco, they’re really nice to have on almost any trip.