I LOVE These Things: Travel Edition {Week of 2/15}

As a work-from-home blogger, you wouldn’t think that travel very often.

You’d be wrong. On average, I take between 6 – 8 trips a year. And while I am not a “road warrior” like some of my work-away-from-home moms, I do spend a fair amount of time on a plane, in a cab, and at a hotel.

In fact, as you read this post, I’ll be speaking at Build Your Blog Conference in Salt Lake City, UT. (I know, you’d think I’d pick a better location for the end of February than a place with more cold and snow.)

So I thought this week, I’d feature the things that I LOVE (and FREAKIN’ need) when I travel.

1. Oversized Purse.

I could get into the whole debate of check-your-luggage vs carry-on-your luggage (and there are reason why each one is valuable), but one thing I will always have is an oversized purse. It needs to carry my laptop, external battery, Kindle, iPhone, power cords, snacks, wallet, smaller crossbody purse, and lipgloss.

And even more important, it needs to be easy to carry on the shoulder. This is very important, because if I need to run from gate A to gate B to get my connecting flight and/or wheel my luggage half way across the airport for taxi pickup, I don’t want a bag that is constantly falling off my shoulder.

I’m trying out this Thirty-One Gifts Jewel Darling Abby Handbag in Gatsby’s Green. I was excited to give it a go because I LOVE Thirty-One bags for their ability to organize, take a beating, and strength to hold everything. Plus, I love the color. It just makes me HAPPY.

Plus, look at everything it holds and how it hangs on my arm. Perfection!

2. Truvia.

Most hotel rooms have an in-room coffee maker. (Awesome.) But, they usually only have Pink Sweet N Low packets to go with it. (BLEH.) So I always pack a handful of Truvia packets and keep them in my suitcase. This way I can have my morning coffee while getting ready and jamming out to Justin Timberlake on my Jambox.

3. Jambox Jambone.

Are you a music lover?

Does your phone has Bluetooth technology (and I’d be SHOCKED if it doesn’t)?

Then invest in a Jambox Jambone. I love these little speakers for travel. I can listen to music, have decent audio when I stream from Netflix, listen to podcasts, or set it as my alarm in the morning all from my phone. And it only six inches long…so it takes no space in my luggage.

I’ll admit the majority of the time I just TURN IT UP REALLY LOUD and listen to inappropriate music as I’m getting ready in the morning at the hotel.

4. White Noise App for iPhone.

At home I sleep with a fan. However, they aren’t so easy to pack in a suitcase.

( I have done it before. I have no shame in that. It’s just an interesting conversation with airport security.)

Most hotels don’t have a fan in the room. Sometimes they have a fan option on the thermostat, but even that it is like a distant hum versus what I’m used to.

I found this app a couple of years ago and it has been a lifesaver. I just plug in my phone, pick which white noise I want, and turn it on. I get my white noise, sleep like a baby and don’t have to pack a fan when I travel.

5. Robe and Flip Flops.

I hate putting on my clothes immediately after a shower. It also feels really weird to run around a hotel room completely naked. #nuffsaid

6. CLIF Bars.

Sometimes the food at an event is bad. Sometimes you get a six-hour lay-over in a crummy airport and the thought of a sandwich from the cooler makes you gag. Sometimes you had too many cocktails and need food now.

Regardless of the situation, my bar of choice is a CLIF Bar. They do a great job of fending off hunger (or a hangover, you know, whatever) without being too over-processed or filling. Plus, they are small and fit great into suitcases and oversized purses.

7. Camelback Eddy Water Bottle.

I’ve been known to have a few cocktails in the evening. And usually after those cocktails, I make it back into my room DYING for a glass of water only to find my options are tap water from the sink (which is a freakin’ crap shoot on what it will taste like) or spending $17 for the bottle of Fiji Water from the hotel.

Not any more.

Now, I always pack my Camelback Water Eddy Bottle and will either fill it up before the last conference session of the day or ask the nice bartender (and tip him a couple of bucks) to fill it up for me before I go up for the night. This way I’m guaranteed a full liter of great tasting, cold water for the entire night.

8. CASH.

I realize that American Express is taken everywhere you want to be. But sometimes you aren’t where you want to be and the only way to get out of there is with cold hard cash.

I don’t use very much of it (usually only tips) because I use my credit card, but there have been a handful times when having cash made it easier for me to leave a dinner, leave a bar, or leave a meeting. It’s old school I know, but I kind of like being old school.

What about you? What do you always need to have with you when you travel? What things can you not leave home without?

And while you are thinking about that…here was this week’s most popular posts on the site.

• Avoid Disney DIY Disaster
• How to Get Cheap K-Cups
• Granite City’s French Onion Soup Recipe

See past editions of I LOVE These Things.