What to Pack: Travel Essentials
What not to skip on a trip.
Like the rituals of your favorite athlete, the professional business traveler has their own set of game day preparations. Looking for any edge available to alleviate common travel woes and ease the hop from city to city, we power tested the most worthy wares. The good news? Even after the game of corporate life gets called, our acquired problem-solvers still make a world of sense for casual travel. So, whether you’re on business or pleasure, don’t leave home without our go-tos.
Charge it.
Whatever led us to this multi-plug solution—the hunger games-like atmosphere around the few outlets in the airport or the hotel quandary of plugs, plugs everywhere yet not one in the right place—we aren’t looking back. The sleek design easily allows space for some of our more awkward plugs (we’re looking at you, Apple) while keeping everything in one central location, reducing the chance of another cord left behind.
Hear no evil, see no evil.
Which one of us hasn’t had our hotel sleep disrupted by a noisy neighbor or shock of light when those curtains never quiiiiiite close completely? Yup. That’s why this sleep mask—with comforting padding around the eyes and a velcro closure—along with these ear plugs are always the first things on our packing list.
Bee smart.
A friend recently turned us on to these brilliant containers inspired by honeycombs. You can pick from a wide variety of labels that both suit your needs and signal just how expansive their thing-holding potential really is. Sturdy (and earth friendly), they’re magnetic to boot, which means you can group them in any number of packable configurations.
Break away.
Whether you incorrectly thought your shoes were broken in enough, or venture just a block too far, nothing will Debbie-downer travel like a big blister. Spare yourself from taking another wounded step to the pharmacy by putting these blister bandages in your travel attaché for good. A breeze to pack, they come in all kinds of sizes to cover your afflicted area. Did we mention they’re waterproof? Strutting your stuff on land and sea needs no more interruptions.
Cause for alarm?
Nothing fills us with greater existential dread than missing an alarm—especially one that chirps before an early meeting or flight. Sure, we could ask for a wake-up call (so quaint), but that phone ring offers one rude awakening. And yes, we also know our oh-so-smart phone has an alarm, but that’s just the first line of defense. So we tend to unplug the hotel’s digital model right away (no thank you, previous guest who left it set for 3 a.m.) and instead take out our old fashioned analog clock—easy to set (especially when traversing time zones), read and, well, just reliably easy overall.
Everyone’s bag.
We may not always want to compartmentalize our feelings, but we do like to compartmentalize our stuff. These see-through, colorful bags (first purchased at the heavenly Windsor Pharmacy) come in a variety of sizes to keep various electronics, pens and papers all in their proper place. The bright colors make them easy to put your hands on in dark totes and backpacks, so items will be less likely to get lost in the proverbial shuffle.
