I recently went on a big trip overseas and I tried to take as many things as I could that would make my life easier for travel. However there were some hits and some misses. I’m going to tell you what I loved, what wasn’t so great, and what I wish I had packed. So if you are packing for an international trip, I’ll recommend the items that deserve a spot in your suitcase!
Start with the luggage! I usually try to pack carry-on only, but this was a 16-day trip, with stops in 3 countries: Hungary, Israel and Spain) and visiting two of my kids who are studying in Israel — so we needed a bigger suitcase to take. Carry-on just wasn’t going to cut it as we were going to be away for too long, plus we just had to bring too much stuff to bring to the kids. We took large suitcases, plus travel backpacks. These links are from Amazon Prime – and I highly recommend these products!
Sturdy Luggage
Make sure you have the sturdy suitcase whether it’s carry-on or for checked baggage. We’ve had the same large and medium checked bags that was bought from our wedding registry. Knowing those didn’t have much life left in them, we sent them with my middle kid when they went overseas in January. So my husband and I bought up two large hard shell suitcases and while they were big, they were ideal for us. We spent around $100 for each one and were happy with how they performed on their trip. We were prepared to spend more if we needed to. Here are some choices similar to what we had.
Amazon Basics 30″ Hardside Large Checked Luggage, Hardshell Suitcase With Wheels
DELSEY PARIS Helium Aero Hardside Expandable Luggage with Spinner Wheels, Brick Red, 29 Inch
Hanging Toiletry Bag and Silicone Bottles for Shampoo/Conditioner/Body Wash/Serums/Moisturizer
Using a hanging toiletry bag was a game changer! I hung it up in the bathroom on a hook and using the clear zipped pockets, I could get to anything I needed instantly. And yes, I get the larger size as I’m an overpacker.
I like the shampoo I use at home and bought some soft silicone bottles for my shampoo and conditioner. It’s a good thing that I did because in Israel I couldn’t find travel sizes of shampoo and conditioner. I had stuck an extra travel size shampoo in my toiletry bag and I had to dip into that. In the hotel in Israel, they had small bottles that we could use, but it was shampoo+conditioner+body wash and I’m not a 3-in-1 person. I like my shampoo, conditioner, and body wash separate, thank you very much! After all these years on this earth, I know what works for my hair and a 3-in-1 does not.
I also bought travel sizes of my favorite hair care items – which is the Color Wow Dream Coat Spray, Not Your Mother’s Curl Talk Set, and a travel sized hair spray.
Need to do Laundry?
Sink Suds to the rescue! I bought an 8-pack of Sink Suds from Amazon. The packets will wash around 3-5 items and they include a sink stopper. It made it so easy to do my laundry in the hotel room sink. Because you may not know where you can hang wet clothes in your hotel room, get a retractable travel clothesline.
Sink Suds with Drain Stopper (pack of 8)
Beach Vacay?
Microfiber towels are your friend. I picked up this 2 pack of Beach-sized Microfiber Towels and they were wonderful.
Make Up/Skincare Musts
You’re going to want to keep things compact, so get a travel sized makeup brush set (it’s genius), and your favorite skin care items in travel sizes.
I love all things CeraVe, so getting minis was a no brainer.
Travel Pillow
While I have a travel neck pillow, I chose to get a small roll up memory foam pillow for sleeping in hotel rooms. This one folds up small and was perfect when our pillow situation just didn’t work for me. What a neck saver!
Travel Backpack
This is the second travel backpack from Matein that I bought for myself (a mouse destroyed my first one). I love it. Tons of room and it’s so sturdy.
Reusable Water Bottle
I wanted a small water bottle that would fit at least 10 ounces and be lightweight. This one fit 11 ounces and fit into my Travelon Crossbody’s water bottle pocket. It’s stainless steel, insulated vacuum, leak proof and kept my water cold as I traveled.
Compact Mirror with LED Light
I got this cute small compact mirror with an LED Light for doing my eye makeup/eyebrow plucking maintenance. It has 1x/10x magnifying power, it’s rechargeable and still pretty small at 3.5in.
Tech Needs
I use a USB-C charger, but my husband and kids use lightning cables/USB 2.0. Sometimes when I travel I need a USB-C to USB 2.0 cable and sometimes I need USB-C to USB-C. Instead of carrying 25 cables around, this Multi USB Charging Adapter Cable Kit can convert your cable to what you need. It’s small and easily fit into my crossbody bag without adding weight. Genius.
Air Tags
This helped us find out luggage when our two big suitcases stayed in Zurich as we almost missed our connection to Budapest. Air Tags are a must and helped our piece of mind. I was able to call the Swiss Air office at the Budapest Airport and tell them that my luggage was in their office.
Power Banks
I always have at least 2-3 power banks on me. This is one of my favorites – Anker MagGo Power Bank, Qi2 Certified 15W Ultra-Fast MagSafe-Compatible Portable Charger, 10,000mAh Battery Pack with Smart Display & Foldable Stand, For iPhone 16/15/14/13.
Travel Adapters
If you are traveling overseas, then you need a universal travel adaptor. They can break pretty easily, so my advice is to have 2 with you. Get the kind that can have your cables to plug right into it so you can use the adaptor for something else, like your Cpap machine! I like this one – TESSAN Universal Travel Adapter, International Power Adapter 5.6A 28W 3 USB C 2 USB A Ports, Travel Worldwide Plug Adaptor, Outlet Wall Charger for Europe. I noticed that in Scandinavia, the travel adaptor was a little harder to get into the outlet, it was easier to use in Hungary, Israel and Spain.
Get Your Reading Time In
Sure, you can read on your iPhone, but when you’re traveling, a kindle is lightweight and great for getting those pages in. You’ll need Kindle Unlimited and you and your e-books can be very happy together.
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