I love to travel. These days it isn’t as quick or easy to take a vacation so when the opportunity comes up I take full advantage of the whole vacation. This summer I was fortunate to sneak two vacations in. It has been a few years since our last vacation so between the two I’ve come up with a new set of simple yet must-have items that made our vacations easier.
Some of these didn’t exist the last time I traveled and some are every day items that I would have never thought would make a difference. From saving a few dollars here and there to staying in touch with loved ones back home there are a few things that made a big difference.
Water Bottle
This wasn’t a huge help once we actually got to our destination but our travel to and from our destinations my water bottle was one of the best things I had. Obviously you can’t take a full water bottle through security but once you get through security water fountains are everywhere. My favorite was the water filling stations we found all over Chicago’s O’hare airport.
Once we got on the plane we were given a few drinks throughout our flight but there is only so many ways to keep a drink from spilling without drinking it very quickly. I loved having my water with me to drink whenever I needed it without having to pay $10 for a bottle of water once we got in the airport.
FaceTime/WhatsApp
I wasn’t sure if we would be able to use this while traveling in Europe but I was able to talk every day with my son & husband while we were 7 time zones away. It also helped me show them a quick view of everyone we were visiting. I had never traveled overseas without them before so it was great to show them that everything was okay while not having a huge cell phone bill.
Portable Charger
Probably the biggest change since the last time I went on vacation was the ability to charge my phone on the go.
The Jackery Mini Portable Charger
Kindle
I’ve gotten back into reading a lot this year and with my Kindle I was able to take all of my books I wanted to read with me without having to fill a suitcase with books was awesome. I managed to pull off reading a lot on our recent vacations and it was nice to have lots of options as I finished books.
Starburst Jelly Beans
In my mind, these technically qualify as an Easter candy but I’m kind of addicted to them. With both of our recent trips I’ve brought along a bag of jelly beans in my backpack as a quick pick me up. It is easy to sit and eat a whole bag but I was able to limit myself in the airport. In the end a quick handful of jelly beans was a lot cheaper than a bag of snacks at the airport.
What is your travel must-have?