Upgrade Her Adventures: 15 Travel Essentials She’ll Love
I’m going to reveal a major travel secret. Are you ready? You don’t need to pack every item you own for a successful trip. In fact, several travel essentials exist to reduce the amount of unnecessary stuff you lug around on vacation. From luggage straps to neck pillows, these travel essentials make perfect gifts for women (or anyone) in your life.
1. Mini Flat Iron
Yes, flat irons work as hair straighteners. They also double as a hair curling tool and a helpful gadget to add waves to hair. Flat irons also make suitable clothing irons when in a bind! Iron out stubborn wrinkles, or make the collar of a shirt pop.
2. Luggage Strap
Often, we confuse our luggage with a stranger’s bag. Many bags look the same, with identical shapes and similar coloring. Adding a luggage strap to the bag alerts you of your property. At the same time, it protects the belongings from falling out. Additionally, luggage straps give an extra layer of security. A bag secured with a luggage strap makes it harder for thieves to open the bag and remove items.
3. Travel Belt
Novice travelers wear their passport sleeves around their neck, out in the open. My friend did this during a trip to Peru without knowing the hypothetical repercussions. As she walked past a local man, he spotted the passport sleeve, slid next to her, and tugged on the strings. She fought back with him, so he scurried away, although she learned never to wear the sleeve over her jacket again. Travel belts wrap around the waist and come equipped with hidden compartments that hide cash. Globetrotters can also disguise the belt under their clothes or jackets.
4. Travel Blanket
Say goodbye to discomfort during travels. Travel blankets operate as sources of heat in cold spaces; they cover seats, work as outdoor floor blankets, and evoke a sense of safety and familiarity during long adventures.
5. Perfume Tube
TSA regulations abide by a strict 3-1-1 rule, meaning passengers may only bring three ounces of liquid per item in a carry-on. The alternative is placing full-size liquid containers in checked bags and hoping they don’t explode on the flight. Combat all of that with a perfume atomizer. These tiny tubes hold small liquid portions and convert the liquid perfume into mists with fine-point sprays.
6. Neck Pillow
Sitting in one position for a prolonged period of time damages the neck. So does falling asleep upright, only to wake up with your neck resting on your shoulder or dangling forward. Intercept that discomfort with a neck pillow. Neck pillows come in all shapes, materials, and fills.
7. Compression Socks
Compression socks are an essential item for any traveler. Plane passengers sit in the same spot for hours, cutting blood circulation from their legs to their hearts. Compression socks alleviate this pressure by assisting blood flow and reducing pain and pressure on the legs and ankles.
8. Travel Scarf
Scarf owners use the accessory in numerous ways, like blankets. In high heat, people wrap scarves around their heads to shade their heads, and in cooler weather, people bundle up with scarves for warmth. Besides functioning as clothing embellishments, scarves work as slings for holding items and can function as belts.
9. Laundry Detergent Sheets
Traveling with dirty clothes becomes a task on its own. You must find a big enough bag to store the smelly outfits and repack the soiled clothes into your luggage before leaving. However, a solution to washing traveling clothes without hauling (or purchasing) liquid detergent around comes in laundry detergent sheets. These eco-friendly soap sheets come as slim, stackable alternative laundry detergent options that turn into soap during the laundry cycle.
10. Portable Fan
Even in some cooler destinations, some indoor facilities crank the heat to an ungodly temperature. Beat the heat with a handheld fan. Let the gadget bless your skin with cold air in warm locations. Portable fans work well on planes, outdoors, indoors, and anywhere with stuffy or hot climates.
11. Air Tags
Never lose your luggage again. On one trip a few years ago, I flew from Florida to Connecticut for an arts camp. The airline somehow lost my luggage for three days, so I lived in the outfit I wore on the plane and some cheap Walmart shirts. Three days later, my suitcases showed up at the camp. If I had had an air tag, we could’ve avoided the whole push-and-pull process with the airlines who searched for the lost luggage.
12. Noise-Canceling Headphones
Babies’ screams echo throughout the plane cabin. An annoying neighbor watches Netflix without headphones. A pesky person tries to speak with you about their horrible travel experience. Tune all of that extra noise out with a pair of noise-canceling headphones. They block sounds and provide a period of peace for users.
13. Tennis Ball
Tennis balls offer myriad uses. My friend and I use them as massage tools on stiff muscles after long hikes or strenuous travel days. Instead of packing a massage gun, throw a tennis ball in the luggage to save space.
14. Travel Silverware
After waiting an hour for hot food, walking back to the hotel, and sitting down for the delicious meal, you realize you forgot to grab utensils. If you’re anything like me, you’ve used anything as cutlery, including two straws as chopsticks or a container lid as a spoon. But, before you hit that regretful last resort, remember reusable silverware fits right into a carry-on.
15. Airplane Seat Organizer
I’ve noticed an immense decrease in seat organizer size on planes. Pockets that used to store a couple of books, a snack, and a drink barely hold a pile of papers today. So, travelers scramble to throw their belongings into their overhead bag or deal with a hefty backpack near their feet. Airplane seat organizers allow the passenger to attach the compartment to the back of the seat and organize the items within.
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