My Travel Essentials

I have been doing a LOT of traveling lately, both for work and just personal vacation trips. I actually just got back from an amazing weekend trip to Las Vegas this past weekend where I and several other bloggers had the opportunity to attend and watch the Pillsbury Bake-Off. It was such an incredible experience, and I'll be sharing some photos and recipes from that trip next week, but for now I thought it might be fun to do a quick post about some of my favorite travel essentials.

These are the things that I've been making sure to include in my carry-on bag on just about all of my recent trips:

1. Vaseline Rosy Lips: 
I have LONG been obsessed with Vaseline. My friend Vanessa and I always used to have little containers of it in our purses in high school, and were forever borrowing each others. It's great for lips, dry elbows, and in a pinch, I even use it as an eye make-up remover. When I was in Scotland for my bestie Ilana's wedding a couple years ago, I discovered that in the UK, they sell it these cute little tins in shades like this Rosy Lips. Ilana brought me a bunch of them from her last trip, and if you can get your hands on them, I recommend you do. In the US, they recently started selling these tiny little plastic containers that are also equally adorable (I found them for sale at Walgreens). The Rosy Lips is my favorite because it has just a tiny hint of pink, but is also very moisturizing.

2. My Plane Pillow:  
I really tried to love neck pillows, but I found that in reality they're the worst because they don't let you relax against the seat. I hated my last plane pillow so much that I accidentally dropped it in the airport in Lisbon, and just didn't even bother to go back for it. Good riddance, I said! Instead, I use a small decorative pillow filler (like the kind you'd use on your couch). You can get them for $5 at home stores and they squish up nicely.

3. A GREAT Book: 
Hello, I'd like you to meet my new favorite book: Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore. I'm only about 1/4th of the way through it, but I'm already so in love with it that while I'm reading, in the back of my head I'm also going "I love this book. Oh my gosh I LOVE this book."

4. The Biggest Bottle of Water Available: 
As soon as I get through security, I go and buy myself the biggest bottle of water available. Usually a 1 liter bottle. If they don't have that, I buy 2-3 smaller ones. On my most recent flight to Europe, i made the mistake of giving Eugene my water bottle and he somehow dropped it while boarding the plane so I had to fly for six hours relying only on those obnoxious tiny cups of water. I generally drink about 2 liters of water on a regular day, so I was dying of thirst by the time we landed in London.

5. Scented Hand Lotion:
As you can see, I'm obsessed with hydration on planes. In addition to the water and the Vaseline, I literally slather my whole body in coconut oil the morning before a flight and then spend the rest of the trip moisturizing. I love to bring along a pretty tube of scented lotion (it's also nice because it helps freshen up the musty plane air. Also comes in handy when seated next to stinky passengers.). This Dead Sexy lotion from Tokyo Milk is one of my favorites!

6. Peppermint Tea:
I don't drink much coffee, and especially not on airplanes (it's drying, diuretic, and makes me hyper when I'm trapped in a small seat for hours--a terrible combination!). I also avoid caffeinated tea, preferring herbal infusions like peppermint or chamomile. I usually bring along a few peppermint tea bags, and then ask for hot water.  I also tend to feel bloated after sitting still for a few hours, and peppermint tea helps with that, too.

7. Calvin Klein Infinity Scarf:
This scarf is my favorite. It's soft and folds down really small, but it's also super warm and big enough to use like a blanket. And the blend of elegant colors (mine is actually more red than the one pictured here) goes well with a number of outfits so you can use it during your entire trip.

8. Fuzzy Socks:
I buy these cheap at the drugstore, and change into them as soon as I get on the plane. I even walk around the plane in them as they're basically just as thick as my cheap flats. Great for keeping feet warm. Bonus points for brightly colored striped or polka dot patterns like these (which come in a six-pack!).

9. Food. Glorious Food:
I'm such a psycho when it comes to plane food. I plan out meals obsessively, will run to different terminals to get a specific treat, and love eating up in the sky--just not the stuff they actually sell on the plane. I like to bring a mix of things to enjoy little picnics throughout the flight. My flight meals lately have included: sliced dried chorizo, roasted salted almonds, a good hard cheese like Manchego, and a bar of good chocolate. My current favorite is a Dark Chocolate Lime bar from Chocolat Moderne.

10. Dexflex Flats from Payless:
I've been living in these flats for the past 18 months. I own them in several patterns and colors, and have replaced them a couple times. They're so comfortable, and perfect for traveling since they are light, fold totally flat, and are easy to slip on and off at the security line. (They're also cheap enough that if you wear them out on your trip, you can just toss them. Like I did on my last trip to Spain where I walked about 35 miles in them over the course of a week.)

What are some of your favorite travel essentials? Tell me in the comments below!


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