I’ve managed to do an exhausting amount of travel for someone who, let’s be honest, loves her creature comforts. I hate stress so, maybe needless to say, I’ve gotten pretty good at packing.
In that time I’ve learned that there are some serious travel ESSENTIALS – especially for days where most of your time is spent in an airplane.
Here are the items we often forget to pack, and always regret not having in our suitcase. Have these with you — or else!
BOOKS OR BOREDOM
There is literally nothing worse than taking off, sitting comfortably in you seat, putting your headphones on and realizing that your state of the art, in-flight entertainment system just… doesn’t work. Like, at ALL. Bonus meltdown if your flight is at night and/or you don’t have a window seat.
That’s where books come in SO handy!
On my last few flights I devoured Own Your Glow, Claim Your Power and even did edits for my next book that comes out next year! There’s honestly nothing like reading an empowering work when you’re 30,000+ feet in the air! Inspiration galore and the time goes by SO quickly. Plus, at the very least, it’s a great way to fall asleep 😉
HEADPHONES OR DAGGERS
…and a bunch of kickass playlists you won’t get sick of. But seriously – headphones are the difference between a pleasant flight and a flight where you are actually, seriously contemplating murdering a stranger’s young, screaming child.
Make sure that your choice of headphones covers both of your ears and they are noise cancelling. None of this iTunes headphones earbuds crap. I bring the headphones I use to record music with me. They’re my absolute favorite because they cancel out not just noise, but the whole world. One meditation track later and I could be sitting next to that stranger’s young, screaming child and still drift peacefully off to sleep. Let someone else stare daggers in their parents exhausted direction. I’m gonna get some Zzzz’s. Wake me when the food cart comes.
WATER BOTTLE OR SH*T GETS REAL
I actually, truly, legitimately forgot how dehydrating travel was. Let’s see. There’s the fact that you are barely inspired to drink water because god forbid you have to get up to pee AGAIN. There’s the fact that the flight attendants hold water from you like they only have a certain amount and you’ll never see water again until you land (oh, wait…) There’s the issue where it seems like every minute your skin just gets drier and drier and DRIER until you finally catch your reflection in the bathroom mirror and notice that it looks like someone came with a syringe and sucked all of the water out of your entire body. You know what I’m talking about. We’ve all been there.
I carry an organic water bottle with me everywhere, at all times, but it’s ESPECIALLY CRUCIAL to start this habit when you travel. Flying on an airplane, sitting in a bed of recycled air and germs, can lead to dehydration and illness. While traveling, drinking water is not only important for hydration but also for staying resistant to germs.
Carrying your own bottle ensures that you can easily fill up on water when necessary just by tapping a flight attendant on the shoulder and asking politely, rather than sitting and waiting for them to “bring water around” (which may only happen once or twice on a 6 hour or more flight).
MOISTURIZER OR ILLNESS
My skin? SO DRY I could barely talk on my last flight out east last year. So since then I’ve been taking a moisturizer with me at all times and luckily, now I have products that I truly trust to keep me company on my journeys!
Before you fly at all and to combat the germs we touched on earlier, apply Waxelene to your entire face and even use a Q-tip to apply some in your nose before getting on a plane to avoid catching a cold. Airplane air can be drying, and if the inside of your nose becomes cracked and dry, infection is much more likely. How does this help? Well, this organic formula creates a barrier that doesn’t allow germs to penetrate through the nose, but you are still able to breathe.
I loved using the Genetix Glow Brightening Serum on these last few trips because I truly think it made all the difference! It’s formulated with high potency, organic rosehip, melatonin and hyaluronic acid that immediately tackles dull, pore-clogging dead skin cells, revealing smoother, fresher, younger-looking skin. An absolute travel MUST, since your complexion can change rapidly while flying. I also love using the Cellular Recovery Serum under my eyes to get rid of that oh-so-tired look that’s inevitable while traveling.
What I love is that in just one use, fine lines appear visually plumped. Over time the appearance of stubborn hyperpigmentation and the visible signs of aging are reduced for a healthier-looking complexion. Perfect for all skin types and all ages, this treatment is enhanced with turmeric and chamomile for maximum brightening and instant radiance. Doubles as a highlighter over makeup, if you’re a makeup-while-traveling kind of gal (I, perhaps needless to say, am not.)
TRAVEL HEAD PILLOW OR PAIN
I used to think those people walking around the airport carrying head pillows were dorks. Turns out, they’re GENIUSES. AND I own at least 5 head pillows now. SO yeah. Shame on me.
I prefer the ones that feel like velvet, but honestly, they’re all game-changing. If you’re literally nodding as you attempt to nod off, a Head Pillow will ensure your head stays cradled securely in place. You can also use them basically any way you wish to make a comfy, squishy pillow for yourself. I love mine and it keeps me from being in SERIOUS neck or back pain if I fall asleep on my flight!
MERMAID RAZOR OR BUST
SOMETIMES you land and realize as you turn on the hotel room shower, that you forgot one of the most important things… a razor! And I get it. You had a lot on your mind and they’re normally hard to find amongst all the other bathroom looking toiletries.
NOT ANYMORE!
Now, your razor looks like a mermaid, so you’ll never forget if you packed it again! This Mermaid Razor seriously changed my hygiene game, as I’m a huge culprit of showering the morning I leave and forgetting to pack ALL my shower stuff. LITERALLY will NEVER forget if I packed my razor ever again! How the heck could you?!
PERFUME OR ESSENTIAL OILS
Smelling good shouldn’t be your last thought when traveling, but it often is! Seriously, though – this is an important one. After all, YOU have to smell yourself all day long!
Well, they are called ESSENTIAL oils for a reason… idk what I’d do without them!
I dab some calming rose essential oil onto my wrists, neck and into my hair pre-flight to ease my nerves. Want something less subtle? I love my trusty Ded Cool no. 2 roll on which is sexy and unisex, with notes of juniper and sandalwood, coupled with a light and fresh scent of Zoe Organics Aroma Oil.
DEODORANT OR EJECTION
Freshen up in a pinch with some travel size organic DEO with you! Traces of raw organic honey, lavender and eucalyptus inflect the subtly alluring scent of this long-lasting deodorant made with food-grade ingredients—organic coconut oil, beeswax, sodium bicarbonate, avocado butter, sunflower butter, castor oil, honey and healing essential oils—to work on even the most sensitive skin. Deodorant regularly shows up in my top 10 list of search keywords that brought people to my blog. Why wouldn’t it? Many use it and you definitely need it when you travel. There have been times that I’ve been on a hot stuffy plane where the person next to me needed a double dose of it! I mean, airlines have LITERALLY kicked passengers off their flights for their body odor. Don’t be that guy!
