Everyone wants to travel a good amount in their life, whether its driving, flying, on a boat, etc. My family was always traveling when I growing up; starting out with family trips, to me going to visit friends in college, all the way to making a 24 hour car ride to see my in-laws in Florida. The biggest struggle to traveling, no matter where you go, is what to pack. The necessities versus the “I just wanna bring it” items. Here are my personal lists, the essentials vs the wants (based on X amount of days you will be gone).

Essentials:

• Shirts/tanks/long sleeves
• Pants/shorts/skirts/leggings
• Socks
• Undergarments
• Sweatshirts/Jacket
• Shoes [tennis shoes, sandals, dressy shoes]
• Bathroom toiletries [hair products, oral hygiene, personal hygiene]
• Swim Suit (depends where you go, but you never know if there will be a pool or hot tub!)
• Wallet/money
• Drivers License/passport
• Cell phone
• Phone charger
• Hair brush/comb
• Basic Medications
• Hand Sanitizer

“Want” items:

• Sunscreen
• Headphones
• Travel purse/wallet
• umbrella
• lint roller
• book
• laptop/tablet
• coloring supplies
• crossword/word search
• Jewelry
• Hair straightener/curling iron
• Hat
• Perfume
• Make up
• Sunglasses

To some, items on their essentials list are on their “want” list, or vice versa. This is typically how I think when I pack, but some items you can definitely live without when traveling, of course that depends where you are going.

One secret I was taught growing up for traveling, bring an extension cord that is [hopefully] at least 5 ft long, just in case your accommodations don’t have easy access outlets, because who in their right mind wants to plug their phone in across the room, instead of having it close to the bed.

Wondering what kind of luggage I recommend and/or use? Look for my next post on “How to properly pack a suitcase”.

For now, the salty mom, signing off.