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6 things that I think are SUPER important to bring with me while traveling. Click over to see what they are >>

travel essentials

In case you’re just finding my blog (and haven’t seen me mentioning it a BUNCH in my last few posts, hello) I’m traveling to Paris later this week. I’m super excited, but I’ve also been obsessively making lists of things I need to not forget.

Unlike when you travel with someone else and get to borrow things if you forget something, being on your own means you’re literally… on your own. I know I can buy stuff at my destination, but I’d rather arrive prepared than frantically scramble on arrival! Here’s a list I’ve put together of 6 things that feel are super important to pack:

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5 things I wish I'd remembered to pack in my suitcase. Click to read >>

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So you packed and repacked your things a dozen times for your trip, but somehow you arrived at your destination with important things missing. Or at least… that’s what happened to me during my trip to Kenya last week!

I felt like I’d thought of everything I’d possibly need, but once there, discovered I’d definitely missed a handful of items. Here’s 5 things I wish I’d packed during my trip (and will make sure to remember next time):

  1. Slip on shoes. I chose my white vans high tops as my main shoe for my trip, and that was a huge mistake. When you walk into buildings (and houses) in Kenya you often have to take your shoes off in exchange for house slippers or flip-flops, and constantly unlacing high tops is a major pain in the butt. I’ll definitely be investing in some low slip ons, maybe like these or these.
  2. Bentonite clay. I set some of this aside on a little carry-on jar to take with me, but changed my mind last minute. While I’m pretty sure the jar was the appropriate size for TSA requirements, I wasn’t sure if they’d be picky about someone carrying an unlabeled container of powder onto the plane. That said, my skin went crazy due to the weather change and the hard water over in Kenya and it definitely would’ve fared better with the detoxifying bentonite clay. Next time I’ll take the risk.
  3. iPod. I don’t have an iPod, but oh my goodness I definitely need to invest in one before I take my next trip. It was fine not having it on the plane to Nairobi because there were in flight movies (hellooo James Bond for 12 hours), but the long car rides averaging 2-4 hours were KILLER without music! Anyone wanna suggest some good playlist additions?
  4. Zoom lens. I made the mistake of only bringing my 50mm lens with me and I’m kind of sad about all the rad landscape and safari shots I missed because of it. I generally prefer to stick with the 50mm since I love how pictures turn out with it, but there’s definitely a time and place to utilize something else (and I’m pretty sure that was last week, all over Kenya… dang).
  5. Lavendar essential oil. Guys, jet lag is so real. I wish I’d brought this along to help me sleep not only on the multiple plane rides, but also when I was struggling to adjust to a normal schedule. I debated taking sleeping pills instead but the idea of struggling to wake up because of a chemically induced sleep just doesn’t sit right with me, ya know?


Can you suggest any other items people might need?