I've traveled the better part of my life, ever since I was a college student who went to school over 1,000 miles from home (it was too far for a road trip home each time I wanted to visit, so air travel it was). That was already 15 years ago! I've racked up lots of frequent flyer miles since then, as I travel multiple times a year to visit family, to travel to work and to conferences, and from time to time, on vacation.
There's nothing that quite kills the holiday spirit, however, like jet lag, feeling tired or out of sorts, or simply arriving somewhere and realizing you don't have anything that you need to feel like a human. Over the years, I've perfected the art of packing just enough of the extras to make my trip more comfortable and feel more luxurious, without ever overpacking the carry on bag or going over the weight limit of the check in luggage. (After all, when I travel, I love to take an empty suitcase and come home with a little bit fuller one... there's nothing like shopping in a new place during a trip!)
This blog post is a little bit more about personal care and beauty essentials, and it's definitely oriented for those of you who are about to jump on a plane and are very limited on luggage space, but I've managed to throw in a few packing tips for a couple of other comfortable essentials, just for fun.
Here are some of the items that I always pack to make sure I remain happy and calm and have a few comforts of home with me no matter where I go.
Makeup wipes: While I am not a fan of the waste that makeup wipes create and therefore wash with a cleanser and a washcloth when at home, I always take a small pack of these with me while traveling. For one thing, I once attended a day-long event where I was photographed and therefore had put a ton of "stage" makeup on, and it took about 3 days for it to all come off because I hadn't thought to pack makeup remover. That's not happening again! In a pinch, after a 6-10 hour flight, makeup wipes are also a nice way to refresh your face, especially before reapplying makeup for the next leg of a journey.
Essential oils: I normally limit my essential oils to one (or two, if they are in very small bottles like a 1 oz perfume size), because the last thing you really want to think about when traveling is how to prevent your massive (and expensive) essential oil collection from spilling in your luggage. I like to travel with lavender essential oil because it is such a calming and relaxing scent and seems so versatile. If you are like me and have trouble sleeping in an unfamiliar place like a hotel room (and are aggravated by unfamiliar scent), having a calming essential oil with you, especially one that you love and that you use frequently at home, will lend your environment an instantly relaxing feel. Cut it with a carrier oil and apply it to your wrists like perfume, or mist a few drops on your sheets, and enjoy instant peace. (By the way, I've been tempted to buy a small essential oil diffuser to take with me on the road... has anyone ever tried one? I'd be curious to know if it's worth it!)
Argan oil: Speaking of carrier oils, a little luxury I always make sure I have on hand when traveling is a small bottle of Argan oil. It can be purchased in carry-on friendly sizes, or if you are like me and are a Sephora fiend, from time to time, the 100 point rewards are small Josie Maran argan oil sample sized bottles that are perfect for travel. Pure organic argan oil is great to take on the road because it's versatile: I use it on my face as a moisturizer, to help counterbalance the effects of plane travel. It can also be used on your hands and nails to soften your skin, and even at the ends of your hair to counteract frizz, or as a styling aid before using a hair straightener. I keep a small bottle that I purchased off of Amazon on hand for trips.
Sample perfumes, body washes, shampoos and conditioners (but not "travel sized" versions of these products!): If you are like me and may or may not buy too much makeup at stores like Sephora (or go a little crazy over holiday gift sets), you might have the ability to get free sample products like shampoos, conditioners, or body washes, either with orders, when inquiring about products in stores, or by exchanging points for gift sets. These sample sized items are always the ideal size to travel with. Not only are they usually well below the liquid and gel weight limit for carry-ons, they tend to last at least 7-10 days, more than enough time for a typical vacation or work trip. A word to the wise: if you are traveling for work or another really important event, it's best to only use sample items that you have already tried before (just in case your skin or hair decides to react strangely to that particular product). This is a great way to travel with products that you either know you already love or that you save as special treats to pamper yourself with on the road.
Another note: I usually don't travel with "travel sized" products or "travel" containers (like the empty ones you can buy in little kits at the drugstore) because they are often too large. For some reason, travel sized products and containers have way more product than you can use in a normal-length vacation or trip (they would probably hold enough for 3-4 weeks, honestly), so they will just take up space and weight in luggage and potentially spill or be unnecessarily frustrating at the end of a trip when you are repacking your bags and are trying to squeeze them back into your cosmetics case.
A piece of your normal bar of soap: You know how hotel soaps are all so... interesting? They either dry out your skin or have no scent, lather, or really anything to them? What I like to do is slice off a piece from the end of a fresh bar of my normal, every day soap with a sharp kitchen knife, put it in a small container or wrapper, and take it on a trip with me. It's so much better than hotel soaps in the shower, and the bonus is that it's not a liquid or gel, so no issues with carry-on luggage! If you have any left over at the end of your trip, it's not a whole bar, so it's not a great loss to leave it behind, which will help lighten your load on the way home.
Gemstone jewelry: I normally wear a few pieces of jewelry on a day to day basis, but it can be stressful to bring too many pieces when traveling (I am always so paranoid about losing something). I tend to either just travel with only the pieces I am wearing when I leave for the airport, or I throw in a few extra pieces that aren't too expensive but could easily help switch up my look throughout my trip. Semi-precious jewelry is a great solution. Necklaces made of quartz, amethyst or other stones that aren't too expensive or precious can provide ease of mind when traveling because they aren't typically too valuable (on the chance something is lost). At the same time, their colorful, gemmy qualities make sure that they are still eye-catching and they can add some variety to different outfits. I usually carry my extra jewelry in a small jewelry pouch, tucked into a zippered pocket in my travel backpack or in a cosmetics case.
Glass hot/cold water bottle: You might think that glass isn't desirable to travel with, but I bought a slim-profile travel water bottle from a tea shop a few years ago and have been traveling with it ever since. Although I wasn't sure I'd use it a lot when I first bought it, it has turned out that there are many occasions when I needed a travel mug that would work for both hot and cold liquids. Also, I am a tea fanatic, so I love that with the one I have, you can fill it with loose leaf tea in the bottom, it will steep the tea when hot water is added, and it's easy to clean when you are done. It is amazingly durable, too, so no worries about breakage. The only downside is that it is a little on the heavy side, but the pros have outweighed that con. I took it on my trip to South America (I filled the empty mug with tea leaves before leaving for the airport, then when I was on the plane later that night I asked a flight attendant for hot water and she happily filled it up for me - voila, a fresh mug full of my favorite tea from home!) I use it all of the time, taking it to yoga class, going to appointments, and of course, when traveling.
BlenderBottle: There's really nothing worse than having a travel delay, pushing your time of arrival way back beyond 1 or 2 mealtimes, or being on a long haul flight, waking up in the middle of the night long after dinner service is over and still hours before breakfast time, starving. I've learned the hard way to always travel with nutrient-dense, not-too-sugary and not-too-salty snacks. Since sugary and/or salty snacks are basically the only ones found in airports, packing a snack from home is the way to go. Although I used to travel with disposable sandwich bags (not very environmentally friendly and they left my food susceptible to squishing and sometimes odd flavors partway through my journey), I recently discovered this little device. It has a slim profile, it's lightweight, and a clever design that stacks up snacks but keeps them in separate compartments. Some of my favorite items to pack include granola from home, raw almonds, raw walnuts, dried fruit like dried cherries or apricots, and small fruit that doesn't need to be refrigerated but is also reasonably firm, like blueberries or grapes.
These are just a few of my essential personal items - all of which can fit on an airplane carry on bag! I hope they help you pack before a big trip, or give you some ideas as to how to make your travels more comfortable.
Note: no company or product sponsored this post. All affiliate links, if used in this post, are identified by an asterisk (*).
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