Regardless of where our travels take us, there are 5 travel essentials that we always use to make our travel experience easier and more enjoyable. We wanted to share them with you in case you are planning a trip in the near future. Hopefully, you will find these five travel essentials helpful and can incorporate them to make your next trip that much better.
Each year between Christmas and New Year's Day, we take time to plan our vacation trips for the coming year. All work and no play makes for a cranky family . . . our motto has always been to work hard and play harder. If you aren't able to enjoy some of that hard-earned money, then we are nothing more than hamsters on a wheel. Right?! Who else is ready for a well-earned vacation? Well, alright then, let's get down to business and talk about the travel essentials guaranteed to enhance your travel experience.
Travel Essential #1: Suitcase with 360 Wheels
First, you need a great suitcase. When traveling for business, it is best to use a carry-on bag that you can keep with you and maintain maximum flexibility when travel schedules change unexpectedly. Because work travel calls so often, the Anchorman surprised Kim last year with a personalized Tumi bag (shown in the images of the packing cubes below) for Christmas that is truly a dream suitcase. It maximizes the size of bag you can fit in an overhead compartment and is really all the room you need for a two to three-night stay. For week-long vacations or more, a medium or large bag is necessary so you can take along all the things that the FAA does not let you carry onto the plane like sunscreen and full-size toiletries. Since the Tumi bags are quite an investment, this 2-piece Samsonite set is a great alternative for less frequent travelers and will get you all set for short and longer trips. If you act quickly, the set is on sale through 1/2/22 for only $219.99. The most important suitcase features in our opinion are:
- 360-degree spinning wheels
- durable soft-side construction
- zippers that allow for expansion
- telescoping/retractable handle
Travel Essential #2: Packing Cubes
The second travel essential you will need are packing cubes to organize your suitcase. They help to keep your bag organized, but the real benefit to packing cubes is that you can fit so much more into your luggage. Please tell us that we are not the only ones that overpack and like to have lots of outfit options ... and shoe choices. When packing for a trip, we like to put all swimsuits and coverups in one cube. We put casual outfits in another cube, and then we put our dressier outfits for going out to dinner in another cube. When packing for multiple family members, Ashley's travel tip is to use a different color for each member of the family. When Kim packs for a business trip, she can accommodate two casual outfits, three business outfits, three pairs of shoes, her toiletries bag, and all of her hair styling tools into a carry-on bag. This would not be possible without the packing cubes to compress the clothing. Trust us when we tell you that packing cubes for travel are necessary!
-
Packing Cubes - Carry-On -
Packing Cubes - Checked Luggage
Travel Essential #3: Identifiable Luggage Tag
Third, you will need an easily identifiable luggage tag. These luggage tags are colorful and will make it easy for you to locate your bag on the baggage claim conveyors. As a bonus, it will help keep other travelers from picking up your bag from the conveyor by mistake.
Travel Essential #4: Passport Holder (Plus Vaccine Card Holder)
Fourth, a passport/travel wallet is very helpful to keep all of your important documents in one place. This passport holder has a convenient slot to keep not only your passport but also your vaccination card now that many places require you to show it to gain admittance. It is available in a multitude of colors, but of course, our favorite would be the palm tree print.
Travel Essential #5: Backpack
The fifth and final travel essential that we recommend is a durable backpack like this extra-large travel one that includes a USB charging port. We carry our electronics (laptop, iPad, camera, etc.) in the backpack along with all of the necessary charging cords. Packing these items in a backpack allows you to keep your hands free to carry your phone/access your boarding passes, as well as carry your purse or any other carry-on bag(s). As you know, each person can only take two bags onto a plane, which is one that can fit in the overhead compartment and one that can fit underneath your seat in front of you. We always stow our backpacks under the seat in front of us so that we have access to our electronics while on the plane. While there are many fashionable backpack options out there to choose from, we go for functionality when selecting a travel backpack. Four key features that are important to us are:
- padded compartment to protect a laptop
- a luggage strap to allow the backpack to slide onto the handle of your roller luggage bag while navigating through the airport (this is a back saver!)
- comfortable shoulder straps
- water bottle holder on the sides
No matter where your travel plans take you, we hope that you can benefit from the lessons we have learned during our travels over the years. We firmly believe that these 5 travel essentials will make your trip enjoyable from the moment you start packing until you return safely back to your home. If you have any travel tips that you feel make traveling super easy or better, please share your tips with us in the comments. We love hearing from our Anchor Crew community. If you don't have a travel tip to share but do have a trip planned, please tell us where you are going in 2022.
Happy Traveling!
