3 Fabulous Things You Must Take In Your Suitcase 

A List for Travel-Challenged Folks Like Me…

I don’t travel every week. However, when I do head out into the great beyond there’s this feeling of relief in knowing that I have everything I’ll need in case… well, you know… just in case something aka anything happens.

We all hear the stories about the missing checked bags and the rigors of camping out in airports. I’m knocking on wood since neither of those two scenarios has yet to happen to me. I don’t want to push my luck by talking about it too much, either. If and when disaster strikes while traveling then you can use this list of must-haves to make sure you’re ready for anything.

We’re going to break this list down by three categories. Yeah, sure, I know. The title says 3 fabulous things and now I’m about to talk about a list. Trust me. You’ll thank me when it’s all said and done. Let’s jump into the categories.

1. Staple Clothing

Two pairs of jeans/leggings, two or three comfy tee shirts or henleys, underwear, a pair of dressy shoes, a dress that resists wrinkles, a pair of walking shoes, and a lightweight jacket. The key to choosing staple clothing involves picking items with a lot of versatility. Certain denim washes go with everything you own while others only work with certain colors.

However, black leggings work with everything. Trust me, I know this. I own close to 50 pairs. No kidding. Tee shirts have more versatility than ever these days. If you’re a Free People fan like me then you probably know what I’m talking about. I wear some of my We the Free tee shirts to work because well, they’re that dressy and classy.

When packing your staple items, make sure you roll your clothes instead of folding them. This small trick keeps wrinkles away and saves space. The way to pull this one off is by folding the garment in half and rolling the clothing into a ball. We can thank Marie Kondo for introducing this method.

2. Pertinent Electronics & Documents

This category falls at the top of my traveling priority list. Why is that? Well, you can replace lost clothing. Yeah, most places have a Target, Wal Mart, or some other equivalent. Toiletries… well those little babies make up the group of the easiest things to replace. However, cell phone chargers, laptops, a hotspot if necessary (cell phones handle the double duty job of personal hotspot pretty darn well these days), airplane tickets (who still prints these?) and passports are a totally different story.

You can’t run down the street and buy one of these guys from the CVS sitting on the corner. Use this handy little list as a reminder to put ALL of these items in your carry on bag. And please for the sake of your sanity do not put any of these valuables in the check luggage bag.

3. Toiletry Bag

Yes, these now come prepacked with those little things we tend to forget to pack when we’re in a rush. The one I bought from Walgreens contained the following items: toothbrush, toothpaste, medicated face wipes (perfect for quick makeup removal), deodorant, travel sized body lotion, shampoo.

Notice I didn’t include makeup or jewelry. While makeup can be easily stashed in a cosmetics bag, you need to narrow the choices down to your favorites: concealer, foundation, mascara, lipgloss, and lipstick. When traveling I don’t wear any jewelry outside of a pair of simple studs. We don’t need any unnecessary attention to us girls.

I keep makeup and things stuffed in my handbag. Since the clothing I wear generally consists of some type of artsy pattern, I don’t need the extra adornment. Plus, you don’t want to attract too much attention when traveling. It’s best to blend in as much as possible.

That’s it for our little list of 3 things you must take along in your suitcase on weekend trips. We hope you enjoyed the article and find it useful in your upcoming travels.

 

 

 

 

 

**The article 3 Fabulous Things You Must Take Along in Your Suitcase first appeared on Live Well Be Fabulous on June 28th, 2019**