You Asked For It… My Travel Essentials List

What are the things I can’t travel or live without?

I’ve been traveling, mostly solo, for quite a few years now, and I always seem to find more and more things to add to my travel essentials list. There are just some things that I can no longer travel without! Side note: I’m not a carry-on only traveler. When it comes to packing, I am not a minimalist. I hate the feeling of not having the one thing that would have been perfect at that moment. There’s no shame in my over packed luggage game!

Ok, back to my travel essentials list. The truth is, regardless if I am traveling or not, I’m often asked the same questions in regards to the products and things I use. Questions such as, “What do you use to take your own pictures?” or “What products do you use in your hair?” Finding myself giving out the same answers over and over again, I thought it would be a good idea to share this list of things I cannot travel or live without!

Here’s my current list of essentials, with a few tips thrown in…

Camera

I used to always use my iPhone X for both pictures and videos. While I still use my iPhone for most of my videos, I’ve started to use my Canon PowerShot G7X Mark II more often, as I wanted to step up my picture quality game. It’s not quite enough for a super professional photographer, but it’s easy to use and gives you great pictures for a compact camera! Love the flip touch screen too. Definitely helps with the selfies.

Tripod

I use 2 tripods. The first one is the JOBY Gorilla Pod 3K and I absolutely love this small thing that’s not much longer than your hand! It’s lightweight too. With rubber rings around the legs to grip uneven or slippery surfaces, this flexible tripod has bendable legs, and can twist around things like trees, lamp posts, poles, etc. So the next time you need to take a selfie, and you don’t want your arm or a selfie stick in the picture, set up or affix your JOBY Gorilla Pod 3K around something nearby to get that perfect shot.

The second tripod I use is the MeFoto Roadtrip Travel Tripod Kit. I recommend this tripod if you’re a bit more serious about photography and getting great shots, but still need something small and lightweight. This one stands at 6 feet tall and folds up nicely into a compact case. I don’t use this tripod very often, but I find its great for landscape shots, and when you need something steady and easy to set up at eye level.

Remote for Taking Pictures

This is a MUST HAVE on my travel essentials list! Although you can use a timer on both your camera and your smartphone, a remote allows you to snap a picture exactly when you want to. I always get nervous when using a timer. Click… run into position… fix my hair… wait! Ugh, I wasn’t ready! Sound familiar? With remotes, you can take your time to set up your picture with the right pose or angle. You can also do a series of photos by continuously pressing the remote button. For example, take a bunch of fun pics of you walking toward the camera as you come out of the water on a beach (don’t forget the tripod). And just like that, you’ll have a bunch of pictures to choose from that series of photos taken.

For my iPhone I use the HISY Bluetooth Remote. I’ve also used the 2X CamKix Camera Shutter Remote Control. This one works for Android too. I like to keep this remote in my purse at all times, even when I’m not traveling. Its so small and you never know when you’ll come across a picture worthy spot. As for my camera remote, I use the Foto&Tech FTRC-6 IR Wireless Remote Control. Trust me, these remotes are worth it!

GoPro

I have the GoPro Hero7 Black and I love it! For travel adventure seekers like me, this is essential. This GoPro is a touchscreen, waterproof camera that shoots 4K HD. It is also voice activated which helps a ton when your hands are busy gripping on to something for dear life, or when you’re on a surf board and you need your hands for balance instead of pressing a record button.

GoPro Accessories

GoPro has a bunch of accessories, but the one I use the most is the GoPro Performance Chest Mount. This is a strap that fastens across your body, and the GoPro clips into a holder in the middle of your chest. Yes ladies, we can wear this comfortably regardless of the size of our chests! For me, this chest mount was perfect for when I climbed Rainbow Mountain.

Outerwear

As seen above, I can’t live without my Tumi Clairmont Packable Travel Puffer Jacket, especially in the winter months. This jacket is lightweight and airy, yet keeps you warm when you need it to. The awesome thing about this jacket is that it also folds up into a neck pillow for when you are traveling. This is perfect for winter travel when you’re heading to a sunny destination. Wear your jacket to the airport, roll it up into a neck pillow, and then when you return home, you don’t have to worry about freezing your butt off leaving the airport! I also like to use the jacket on the plane for when I get cold. Because lets face it, planes are always cold! And for the record, I also use this for everyday use and not just for travel.

Waist Bag/Pouch

My Louis Vuitton “Bum Bag” is my best friend when traveling. Seriously. It should really be on the top of my travel essentials list! I wear it strapped on my shoulder, but mostly across my body. This waist bag protects my valuables without me having to worry about pickpockets, or someone grabbing my purse and running off. This is especially true in areas like train stations or airports where it can be crowded. Wear it across your body, with the pouch in front, and be hands free to manage your luggage at the same time. You obviously don’t have to spend the money on a LV bag, so something like this Waterfly Travel Waist Pouch is just as good. Make sure to get one that is durable with secure straps.

Headphones

These are a MUST!! Although ear pods are the newest, sleekest things out right now, these don’t work well for me with traveling. I’m always afraid of losing them, especially when I’m sleeping on a plane. Instead, I like BeatsX Wireless in-Ear Headphones that wrap around my neck. Whether I’m running through the airport, sleeping on a plane, or stopping to chat with a local, I always know that I can quickly take out my earphones and they’re safely wrapped around my neck. The sound quality is good too!

Portable Power Station

On top of taking a ton of videos, whenever I travel I’m always listening to my playlist or using Google maps for directions when wandering a city or town. These things can seriously drain the battery of your smartphone. To always stay connected, I use this Mophie PowerStation with Built in Cables. It holds 5 full charges, and can quickly charge both my iPhone and my wireless earphones. I should also mention that its quite small and lightweight. It’s about the size of my iPhone, and I can just hold the two together in one hand while charging.

Travel Adapter

Speaking of staying connected… More and more hotels are now providing USB outlets to power your small electrical items. However, this isn’t the case everywhere. Because of this, adaptors are absolutely necessary when traveling abroad, and it’s why it’s on my travel essentials list. This MIBOTE Universal Travel Adapter comes with plugs suitable for every region in the world, plus some USB outlets. Each plug within the adapter has the region’s name on it, so it’s not confusing when selecting the right one. Some regions have similar looking plugs, but are different. You may want to purchase a couple of them if you’re like me and need one for your smartphone, and one for other small electrical items such as your camera charger, blow dryer, etc.

Extra Lighting

I stumbled on this gem when browsing Amazon one day. This portable and Wireless LED Mirror Vanity Light, has been heaven sent when I’ve found myself in hotels with poor lighting in the washrooms. Ladies, how much do we hate poor lighting in washrooms? Ugh! Well this rechargeable vanity light is small and so lightweight, you’ll have forgotten you brought it. It has suction cups in the holster and can easily stick to a wall or mirror to give you the extra light you need. No more leaving your hotel room wondering if your makeup is on evenly or if you’re wearing too much!

Hair Products

I get this question a lot. I’ve been using this product line for years, but I’m always open to trying new hair products for curly hair. The brand I currently use to make my curls behave is Ouidad, and I usually start off by using Ouidad Botanical Boost Curl Energizing & Refreshing Spray and then the Ouidad Advance Climate Control Heat and Humidity Gel. As the name suggests, this gel really shows its power in humid regions.

So there you have it, my list of things I can’t travel or live without! Of course, I travel with a bunch of other items, but these are always on the top of my list to bring.

I’m always looking for travel hacks, tips or products that make travel easier, so if you know of any not listed here, feel free to message me and let me know. I have a feeling that I’ll be updating this list often. So make sure to check out my Travel Essentials List before you leave on your next trip!