Hard suitcases are durable and also protect your items from getting damaged. If you travel with valuables, having a suitcase with a built in lock is also a great feature. This is our favorite carry-on by far. The wheels are the kind that allows you to push or pull your suitcase effortlessly without dragging it. And it comes in a few stylish colors so that you can differentiate your luggage easily if you need to check your bags and pick them up at the baggage carousel. 

Packing Cubes

I was that person that would buy a new backpack every year because the backpack I was using always had something wrong with it or it didn't last. I even purchased a $300 Yeti Backpack, that was waterproof, fireproof, tear resistant, the whole nine yards. It worked great for a little while, but eventually I found it to be too heavy for me. Drew still uses his Yeti backpack and loves it! Unfortunately for me, the perfect backpack did not exist. Until this one. It has laptop storage, plenty of storage for toiletries bags and clothes, a large front zipper pocket with lots of little pocket sections in it and a medium top/front zipper pocket for the quick-access items. Both sides of the bag has a slot, one I use for my trusty Yeti water bottle and the other I use for my phone. The bag is cushioned on your back and straps for comfort and is also aesthetically pleasing in either color. The bag isn't too chunky or heavy. 

 

We travel with a mini pharmacy with items like: bandaids, motion sickness medicine, melatonin, vitamins, Advil or Tylenol, powdered electrolyte or vitamin drinks like Emergen-C, emergency tampons, and my inhaler since I'm asthmatic. Drew and I used to keep all of these items in different compartments in our backpacks and it started to be a bit much. Having one "medi-bag" where we store all of those things has really changed the game for us. 

Dry Bag

TOILETRIES & PERSONAL CARE

Weekly Pill Case

Toothbrush Holder & Cup Combo

We've had our share of cheap toiletry bags that rip or wasting money on single-use plastic bags that could leak. These are thick silicone bags meant for food or storage but we've used them as our toiletry bags for carry-on liquids for some time now. They are fantastic and well worth the spend. 

Leakproof is key! And having many different colors so that you can differentiate your products is also nice. These are silicone so they are easy to clean. And flexible so that you can squeeze the product out very easily, using them til the very last drop. We NEVER buy travel sized items anymore, we simply use these bottles to fill with our own personal cleansers, shampoos and conditioners. Saving time (you don't have to go purchase the travel sized ones) and MONEY! The best thing we've learned with using these is that you will feel like you have to fill them up all the way, DON'T! Unless you are going away for months, you will most likely not use the entire bottle during a trip. Just fill them up 1/4 to 1/2 of the way, depending on the product. If it's a product that you will use a lot of, fill it according to how much you think you will use. We try to come back with empties so that we can rinse and clean them out when we get home. Then they are clean and ready to go for the next trip. 

Always bring a reusable water bottle. It's a sustainable and eco-friendly way to hydrate. Carrying around your own water bottle also helps remind you to drink more water. And it's also a budget friendly way to save money during your travels as it's always easier and cheaper to find free water to refill your own water bottle than it is to purchase a water bottle every time you're thirsty. It comes in handy for more than just water as well. The Yeti Rambler is our absolute favorite because it keeps cold drinks cold and hot drinks hot. When we go hiking or go to the beach, it can sit out in the sun and still keep your drink cold for hours! When we are in Vegas or New Orleans, Drew will literally fill it to the brim with his favorite alcoholic drink and he never has to deal with warm alcohol. I sometimes fill it with hot coffee or hot chocolate on cold trips and it's always reliable. 

 

If you have yet to try this stuff, we highly recommend it. When you feel like you are about to get sick, if you are sick, or even if you're just hungover from a late night. This has worked miracles for us while traveling or on the road. Simply dissolve one packet into water and it's the equivalent of drinking three glasses of water. Constantly flying on planes also dries out our skin due to the recirculating air, so having liquid IV on hand keeps us on our A-game. There's multiple flavors but passionfruit is our favorite. 

 

Anti-Chafing Lotion

Ocean-Friendly Sunscreen 

A lifesaver! Especially if you're like us and use your phone for nearly everything. We use our phones to capture photos, video, find directions, read our itinerary, as our boarding passes, or Google things when we need to. 

 

Small, easy to store. And because you just never know. 

 

Goes without saying for sure. 

We'd love to hear what your favorite travel necessities and must-haves are! Or if you like to travel, for business or personal, what are some gifts that you'd love to receive this year?  

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