Knowing what to pack in your suitcase can be a challenging task, especially if you don't travel often, haven't traveled in a while, and/or are traveling to a new place. Having traveled a lot, these are just a few of my suitcase must haves that come with me on each trip.
Toiletries
I'm sure we've all run into the issue of forgetting your toothbrush, not having enough shampoo, conditioner, or soap in hotel bathrooms, or arriving at your Airbnb to discover there are no toiletries.
For these very issues, I have a toiletries bag fully stocked with all my necessities. This bag has travel sized:
Soap
Shampoo
Conditioner
Mouthwash
Perfume
A hair brush
Sunscreen
Floss
A razor
Feminine hygiene products
A head band
Deodorant.
I don't carry a toothbrush or hand cream in this toiletries bag only because I always carry them in my purse, which is always with me whether I'm traveling or not.
Allergies & Dietary Restrictions
Traveling with allergies can present many difficulties when it comes to food. Going out to restaurants, ordering food, eating at hotel breakfast buffets, finding food in an airport, and eating on planes can all be near impossible tasks.
I am lactose and gluten intolerant, which is a large majority of the western diet, and I'm also vegetarian, so I don't eat fish or meat, just eggs and tofu.
I remember the hotel in Virginia had a breakfast buffet with all he things I can't eat.
I got really lucky with this particular trip however, in that they actually had an option for me, Udis gluten free chocolate and blueberry muffins. This is a rare occurrence though.
Out of all the hostels I stayed at in Germany, only one had gluten free bread. The rest of my meals had to be outsourced or it was going to be salads 24/7.
I've learned through all these struggles that you need a fail safe. My fail safe is my snack sack.
In my snack sack I have:
Trail mix (banana chips, nuts and seeds, and dried fruit)
Peanut butter
Salt
Tea
Instant coffee
Cough drops
The trail mix and peanut butter is for healthy snacking as well as protein intake (something I struggle with being vegetarian). The salt is because even though I can buy eggs when I'm traveling, I need at least some seasoning for them to taste good. Hotels and Airbnbs are not guaranteed to have seasonings, so I pack at least some salt with me.
You can however get hot water pretty much anywhere, so having instant coffee and tea with me guarantees I won't have to go without my caffeine fix and I don't have to pay inflated airport prices for it.
When I get sick, I always get a sore throat, so I pack cough drops (lemon honey ones specifically) as well as throat coat tea in case I get sick while traveling.
I have a smaller version of this snack sack in my toiletries bag. The smaller version also has tea, instant coffee, cough drops, and peanut butter. But instead of trail mix I have a vegan energy bar that has 15% of your daily dose of iron in just one bar (also struggle with iron intake).
Formal Attire
I have learned from far too many times that whether you think you'll need formal attire or not, it's better to have at least one formal outfit when you travel. You never know if you'll need to attend a business dinner or be asked on a date. It helps to be prepared.
Thankfully, since my formal attire is a simple dress and basic heels, it doesn't take up much room in my suitcase.
I recommend packing something simple yet elegant.
What do you always bring with you when you travel?
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