The 5 things you need before your next adventure
Whether you’ve been planning for months or just decided on a last minute road trip, what you bring with you has the ability to make or break your vacation. If you’re anything like me, not packing the perfect suitcase equals a trip to the local Walmart. (And depending on where you are…”local” can be an hour drive!!) Though we cannot predict the weather, we do have a list of the 5 things you need before your next adventure.
1. Get you some packing cubes
I’m sure you’ve read this in many a travel article but let me say, this sh&t WORKS! Think of them as a dresser in your suitcase that lets you pack way more than you could without them. We were skeptical but we bought two inexpensive sets at Walmart before our London-Paris-Rome world tour with the girls. (Check out this article for more on the surprising things we learned on that trip.) With only three days and two nights in each location, the name of the game was “organization”! These cubes made it happen. After all, when you’re half asleep, grabbing a train to Paris, you don’t want to remember that your underwear are still in London!
2. When it comes to shoes…think “walking” first
I know, some walking shoes can be objectionably ugly but there are decent looking options that you can take on a ten mile hike with luggage. I’m speaking from experience.
For ladies
Consider a wedge heel with elastic straps. Cute and practical, these shoes got me around the misshaped cobblestone streets of Prague without turning an ankle. The pair pictured above finally went to the great shoe pile in the sky so I picked up this pair at Shoe Encore for next to nothing! (My FAVORITE price!)
For men
Consider a walking loafer like Crocs or Hey Dudes.
For both men and women…size up!!
Since feet tend to swell when you fly, when you’re hot or when you’re walking a lot, you’ll want to go at least one half size from what you consider your regular size. If that makes you feel bad, think how badly you will feel trying to hobble around town with bleeding blisters. (No Bueno!)
3. Try “Glide”
I don’t mean the product that you might use for…personal reasons. This product is sold in sports stores for runners. It’s designed to prevent chafing. I use it on my feet every single time I wear shoes without socks. I use it even when I’m at home and running errands. After all, there is no glory in have blisters!
4. Make a “Go” kit for toiletries
Get a travel toiletry bag and fill it with things that you use every day. I was resistant at first because I thought, “hey, I’m not a billionaire! I don’t need an extra deodorant. I’ll just take mine.” I held fast to this idea until I forgot my deodorant and had to do an emergency run to a Duane Reed in NYC. Also, you can get little containers that you can fill with products you use every day. The only things I don’t yet have duplicates of is cosmetics. I’ll admit that I can be a bit…shall we say “frugal”. But I’m fairly certain I will be getting duplicates of these in my future.
5. Try a packing app
Try as I might, without a list, I will forget things. The app I use is called Packr and it is FREE. You enter in where you’re going and what you’re doing and it helps you to create a standard list of what you’ll need to do those things and it will take into account the weather for your destination. I used to do this same thing by using an Excel spreadsheet. This worked fairly well until there was a big shift in the weather and what I had printed off was no longer what I needed for my suitcase. On this app, I have lists of:
- Essentials – which include medications, chargers and my passport
- Running – which includes my headphones, running belt and the number of each item of running clothes
- Work – which includes my laptop and all the needed wires and equipment
- And of course – Clothes
We have LOTS of tips to make your travels easier and if you want “in”, consider subscribing. It’s free. It’s fun and ALL the cool kids are doing it! And to follow our adventures in real time, check us out on Instagram at The__Travel__Oracle.
