Ahoj beautiful people! On this week’s travel post I thought I’d share my travel bag essentials as I arrived to the U.S. yesterday after a long journey and the few things I brought in my backpack made the trip a bit more pleasant :)

My fellow travelers will know that the essential items are personal and will vary depending on the trip’s duration/ destination, but I thought it would be nice to breakdown the categories of items I like to include for each trip. Whether you’re going for a weekend getaway or leaving for a 3 week jaunt through South America, these essential items should be enough in the event that your bag is lost, stolen, damaged, etc. (touch wood). 

So, getting started with the bag itself. It’s important that your carry-on companion have enough space and compartments for all of your things. I find a small backpack is enough for me for most trips (as I also always travel carry-on so the bigger/ heavier items go in the bag with wheels). If you’re a techie you may prefer something with an area for your computer/kindle/camera and a built in USB port to charge. If you’re not sure which bag is right for you, here’s a cool blog breaking down the best travel backpacks in their class. Once you’ve chosen your bag, it’s time to fill that baby up with some goodies.

Personally, I break my travel essentials down into four categories: life necessities, entertainment, beauty, and snacks. 

Life essentials:

1. Wallet

2. Passport (and tickets)

3. Reusable water bottle

4. Scarf (eye mark, pillow, blanket)

Entertainment: 

1. Book

2. Computer (and charger/ adapter)

3. Phone (charger/ converter)

4. Ideas/ goals journal (if you’re looking for some inspo for this one check out the fun goal setting post I wrote on it here)

5. Headphones

Beauty:

1. Lip balm

2. Face lotion

3. Toothbrush & toothpaste

4. Deodorant

5. Glasses & extra contacts

6. Any necessary meds

Snacks:

Fruit/ pita & hummus, boiled eggs, bar 

(something healthy & thought of in advance- airport food 

is too $$ and it’s not the best, it’s better to plan ahead :))

Last year, when flying back to the U.S., my bag got lost for 8 days and all I had was my small backpack- the one time I break my carry-on only rule :(. With 4 connecting flights and no bag in sight, these staples above helped me feel sane and fresh. I attribute the latter to the beauty category. If you’re a man reading, please don’t dismiss this. Having a few things in your bag that you can use to quickly freshen up (wash your face, brush your teeth and take a quick French shower) will do wonders for easing the discomfort that is often associated with long travel.

And that’s it! I’m really curious to know what some of your travel essentials are. Do you also go through a check list before leaving the house? Do you tend to bring the same items trip after trip? Let me know down below :)

Wishing you all a fabulous week and I’ll see you here next Tuesday for a fresh blog.

Xoxo,

Alexandra