Those of you that know me probably are aware of my love or perhaps obsession with traveling. City trips over a long weekend, a week in a new country, two weeks if I can swing it. Any chance to explore somewhere new I'll take. Not always easy when you're balancing a full-time job of course, but I do my best. And thankfully my full-time job is in Europe, so I have those lovely 32 days of vacation each year. And being in Europe, so many places are just a short plane or train ride away.
The more you travel the more you realize there are certain things every girl can't live without (sorry boys but this post is targeted at the ladies). Now, I'm not talking about picking up and going backpacking for 6 months. I've never done it, so I can't give advice on that. My longest backpacking trip was about 3 weeks. But for those of us, the "normal travelers" I'll call us. The ones that don't usually stay in hostels anymore, like to pack light, but want some comfort, and only have limited time but want to pack in as much as possible every day - this is the post for you.
1. These boots were made for walking: the best travel shoes
So first things first. Shoes. If you're like me and my husband, when we travel we go with the idea that we will never visit this place again. It is our one and only chance to do and see everything. So our days starts relatively early, for us at least. We try to be up and out by 9 and then we are gone for the entire day.
Now, as I said, I'm what I call a "normal" traveler. So I'm not roughing it, and part of that means I want to look at least semi-cute or normal in photos and throughout the day. Which means I've stopped wearing my clunky running sneakers when traveling. It's comfy, sure, but it also makes you stick out as not only a tourist, but usually as an American tourist. Then, I do a lot of traveling in Europe, it is not always flip flop weather, and despite what I thought when I was 18, flip flops are not actually easy or comfortable to walk in all day long. Flats, no. Sandals, too flat. So here are my top recommendations for walking shoes.
The Skechers Women's Go Flex are my new love. I call them my pillow shoes. They're cute enough, reasonably priced, and seriously comfortable. Wear them a day or two before setting off on your adventure, but seriously, give them a try. I have the Go Flex, but have also heard good things about the other versions of the Skechers Go Walk.
Boots are a bit hard to recommend directly, it's a but personal. But, my favorite boot brands are Born and La Canadienne. Worth a look if you're looking for new, comfy boots.
2. The bag: the best travel purse
I think we all know a good bag is important when traveling. It needs to be practical enough to carry everything you need for a day, it needs to be secure, and ideally cute. Oh and of course, it needs to be affordable, right? So finding the best travel purse or bag is not easy when looking for all those things. But after lots of searching, lots of traveling with a regular purse and ending up with a sore shoulder after a few hours, I finally found a few options I love.
Now, the Travelon brand I like the best, and I tend to go for a crossbody bag, they are safer, more reliable. Travelon is reasonably priced, cuter than a lot of the bags, and secure enough. I'm about to take my trusty Travelon Anti-Theft Crossbody Bag to Vietnam and Cambodia with me for almost 3 weeks (see photo above). And the little hook keeping the zipper from being opened is already giving me peace of mind. The bag is just the right size to fit everything I need without being too big so that I overfill and get annoyed that it's too heavy. Another fashionable, easy to use option is the Travelon Front-Flap Shoulder Bag. A last, though slightly more expensive option, is the Pacsafe Citysafe Travel Handbag.
3. The best travel converter/adapter
This is an easy one. I've lived abroad for almost 5 years. I still own a laptop, among other things, with a U.S. plug. So I use my converter on a daily basis, then all the traveling of course. Definitely get a converter that has small adapters, that you can just bring that along per country. Not those big chunky ones. I recommend the World Travel Plug Adapter or the Poweradd 2-Outlet International Travel Adapter.
Most things don't need current converters, just a plug adapter. Just a tip: don't bother with straighteners, curling irons, etc. if you're going from the U.S. to Europe. There is a very high chance they will fry. I've killed multiple straighteners over the year. What I recommend, just go somewhere cheap when you get to Europe and buy a cheap straightener. It's better than ruining your nice one from home.
4. Cases!
I highly recommend two things: a passport holder and something waterproof to stick your phone in. The first is because there is nothing worth than being at customs and digging your your passport, or trying to check in while juggling all your bags. Try out the Zoppen Passport Holder. The second is more for your beach vacation, anything with a pool, but lets you keep your phone nearby, take photos, etc, while keeping it dry. I like the ESoulTech Waterproof Phone Case.
1. These boots were made for walking: the best travel shoes
So first things first. Shoes. If you're like me and my husband, when we travel we go with the idea that we will never visit this place again. It is our one and only chance to do and see everything. So our days starts relatively early, for us at least. We try to be up and out by 9 and then we are gone for the entire day.
Now, as I said, I'm what I call a "normal" traveler. So I'm not roughing it, and part of that means I want to look at least semi-cute or normal in photos and throughout the day. Which means I've stopped wearing my clunky running sneakers when traveling. It's comfy, sure, but it also makes you stick out as not only a tourist, but usually as an American tourist. Then, I do a lot of traveling in Europe, it is not always flip flop weather, and despite what I thought when I was 18, flip flops are not actually easy or comfortable to walk in all day long. Flats, no. Sandals, too flat. So here are my top recommendations for walking shoes.
The Skechers Women's Go Flex are my new love. I call them my pillow shoes. They're cute enough, reasonably priced, and seriously comfortable. Wear them a day or two before setting off on your adventure, but seriously, give them a try. I have the Go Flex, but have also heard good things about the other versions of the Skechers Go Walk.
Boots are a bit hard to recommend directly, it's a but personal. But, my favorite boot brands are Born and La Canadienne. Worth a look if you're looking for new, comfy boots.
2. The bag: the best travel purse
I think we all know a good bag is important when traveling. It needs to be practical enough to carry everything you need for a day, it needs to be secure, and ideally cute. Oh and of course, it needs to be affordable, right? So finding the best travel purse or bag is not easy when looking for all those things. But after lots of searching, lots of traveling with a regular purse and ending up with a sore shoulder after a few hours, I finally found a few options I love.
Now, the Travelon brand I like the best, and I tend to go for a crossbody bag, they are safer, more reliable. Travelon is reasonably priced, cuter than a lot of the bags, and secure enough. I'm about to take my trusty Travelon Anti-Theft Crossbody Bag to Vietnam and Cambodia with me for almost 3 weeks (see photo above). And the little hook keeping the zipper from being opened is already giving me peace of mind. The bag is just the right size to fit everything I need without being too big so that I overfill and get annoyed that it's too heavy. Another fashionable, easy to use option is the Travelon Front-Flap Shoulder Bag. A last, though slightly more expensive option, is the Pacsafe Citysafe Travel Handbag.
3. The best travel converter/adapter
This is an easy one. I've lived abroad for almost 5 years. I still own a laptop, among other things, with a U.S. plug. So I use my converter on a daily basis, then all the traveling of course. Definitely get a converter that has small adapters, that you can just bring that along per country. Not those big chunky ones. I recommend the World Travel Plug Adapter or the Poweradd 2-Outlet International Travel Adapter.
Most things don't need current converters, just a plug adapter. Just a tip: don't bother with straighteners, curling irons, etc. if you're going from the U.S. to Europe. There is a very high chance they will fry. I've killed multiple straighteners over the year. What I recommend, just go somewhere cheap when you get to Europe and buy a cheap straightener. It's better than ruining your nice one from home.
4. Cases!
I highly recommend two things: a passport holder and something waterproof to stick your phone in. The first is because there is nothing worth than being at customs and digging your your passport, or trying to check in while juggling all your bags. Try out the Zoppen Passport Holder. The second is more for your beach vacation, anything with a pool, but lets you keep your phone nearby, take photos, etc, while keeping it dry. I like the ESoulTech Waterproof Phone Case.
5. Your constant companion: the travel pillow
Every girl needs a good travel pillow. Make the investment, it's worth it. I love mine. My husband always teases me about it, he just uses the plane pillow. I like to make a nice nest of my plane pillow, blanket, sweater, and my travel pillow. All essential in achieving economy class comfort. It's also great for buses, trains, anywhere else you might be napping while traveling. I've had a few, memory foam, regular foam, feather, all sorts. I tend to go back to Memory Foam Neck Pillow or the Feathersoft Microfiber Travel Pillow. Really not a fan of the microbead ones, but that's just me.
Bonus item: Kindle!
Because I couldn't leave this one out, but it's more of an extra than an essential. Though I think for me it is a top travel essential.
Look, I love books. I have hundreds of books. My husband has hundred of books. We even buy multiple copies of the same books sometimes just to have all editions or old editions or whatever. So I was hesitant to switch to an e-reader. Until I did. And now I am addicted. I love my kindle. I can download new books anywhere in the world. There is no need to carry heavy books with me, toss them when they're done or lug them around while I'm not using them. With your kindle, it's all in one light-weight bundle. If you're an avid traveler, just do it. You can get English books anywhere in the world. Bonus when you're in foreign countries. I suggest the Kindle Paperwhite, it's the 2nd Kindle I've had and I love it.
Perhaps many of these seem basic, but I really couldn't survive without these things. Happy to help if anyone has questions, especially if it's your first time traveling abroad!
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2 comments:
good article, I will be purchasing a converter you recommended.
Glad you liked it! Try the World Travel Plug Adapter, it's been great.
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