Top 8 Essentials to Pack When Traveling

Top 8 Essentials to Pack When Traveling

Time to discuss my favorite travel essentials to pack for 2018! This is my 3rd year doing this post and I will do it every year in the month of May to kick on off the travel season. I love discovering new brands and gadgets and things to make my travel life a little easier and comfortable. Be sure to check out my Tips on Traveling Internationally, Finding the Best Airfare and the prior Travel Essentials posts too. In this post I will discuss my top 8 travel essentials that I have discovered over the last year! Check out what made the list this year!

TRAVEL ESSENTIALS TO PACK: TRAVELWIFI HOTSPOT

When I travel internationally, I always need internet for social media and apps such as Whatsapp to communicate with family & friends. One thing that I have learned over the years is in the US has the best WiFi connections and there are free hotspots at different stores and malls. Overseas, WiFi can be really spotty or not strong enough to do certain features such as going live on Instagram or Facebook.

To have your own personal hotspot is way more convenient and can save you money you. I use to get international internet through AT&T. I start off at the lowest package and then end up needed to get the most expensive one because I keep going over the limit leading to a big bill. Travelwifi formly know as TEP Wireless has a device which basically a mobile hotspot that you take with you and that works in over 100 countries!

The best thing is that it is a “pocket wifi! You can fit it in your pocket where ever you go – beach, mountain peak, you name it.You can rent Travelwifi and unlimited internet with low daily rate of $8.95 a day! You can’t beat that! Definitely check it out! I have used this throughout my trip as well! for 10% off and for a ***LIMITED TIME ***use my code FFFIERCE! One thing to keep in mind is that it does not work on the open sea or on the plane. I tried on the plane just to be sure and it really does not work. Depending on the beach, it does work, but the more secluded the beach is the less effective Travelwifi will work so keep that in mind as well.

JILL-E CAMERA BAG

UPDATE 2020: This store may no longer be in business. Website does not work. Jill E is one of the brands that I discovered last year! This is a brand that sells fashionable “techy” bags. Whether you need a camera bag, laptop bag or a wallet with RFID protection, who says that it cannot look stylish as well! Definitely Check out Jill E and all their bags for her AND him. So what is RFID blocking. Basically cyber thieves can pull information from your credit card and passport just buy being in close proximity from you. Some of their bags are lined with the material that blocks this cyber stealing from happening.

I got their Juliette camera bag in a pretty teal! It is the perfect bag to carry your DLSR camera and all the accessories in it too. I can fit my camera, battery, lens and cellphone and keys all in this bag! Doesn’t it look fancy!? Definitely check out their collections

TRAVEL ESSENTIALS TO PACK: DELSEY PARIS LUGGAGE

Now I am always on a hunt for great luggage and Delsey Paris is definitely at the top when it comes to great quality bags that is stylish yet functional. I feel strongly about hardside luggage. This was a game changer for me because I hardly have anything crushed or broken and I get more room. Delsey Paris has sooo many hardside luggages of all sizes. Some of their bags are “Smart bags” and they were one of the first brands to comply with the January 2017 FAA regulation about lithium batteries.

My set that I have is Chromium Lite in silver. I got the international carry-on size which is 19″ and the 25″ luggage. There is also the 29 inch size which is larger and the 21″inch carry-on which is the common size for US domestic flights for carry-on. The international luggage I love because it is small enough for those European airlines such as Ryanair who luggage size requirement for carry-on is much smaller than American Airlines.

This carry-on bag has a USB port so you can charge your phone and accessories while waiting at the airport, bus stop or where ever you might be. How many times you see people hover over those 4 USB ports at the airport. Now you don’t have to. There is a pocket for you to put your power bank in the lining of the luggage and on the outside there is the port for you to plug into. This way you don’t have all these gadgets in your hands but all in luggage with just the cord plugged in. The 25″ inch does not have the port and that is because it is a checked bag size which you would not use because the luggage would be underneath the plane.

However a really awesome feature is the overweight indicator. Would it be nice to know if you are getting close to 50lbs limit. This mechanical indicator will turn red if 48.5 lbs. This is my best friend because I never know how heavy my stuff is. Delsey’s newest collection Connectech has a built in scale so you know exactly how much the luggage weights. Check out that collection here. Also the zippers make up the built in luggage locks. The ends the double zippers snap into the luggage and you either need a TSA lock to release them or input your combination that you setup to open! I love this feature! Its so unique! Talk about the ultimate Smart bag!

TRAVEL ESSENTIALS TO PACK: TARRISS LUGGAGE SCALE

If you have a bag that does not have the feature like Delsey’s with the weight indicators, then you can always buy your own mini luggage scale. I never travel without it. I don’t like surprises when I get to the counter. Also who wants to be that person with all their clothes and belongings spread out on the floor trying to distribute weight between bags.

Check the weight before you go so if you need to leave something behind you can do so without problems. Tarriss Travel Gear is an awesome brand that sells a mini digital scale. It is alot smaller and lighter than the luggage scale that I featured last year which is why I love it. It can weight up to 110lbs! That is awesome! This should be something you should buy right now either at their website and you can also find them on Amazon!

TSA LOCKS WITH SEARCH ALERT

There are so many TSA locks out there and maybe to you a lock is a lock right?! Nope. Not all locks are made the same. You may have luggage that has a built in lock but I want to know something that matters the most. Did TSA open my bag? I know there have been times where they went in there and they did not leave the note stating that they rummage through.

Well with the locks from Tarriss Travel Gear they have the search alert if the bag was opened by TSA the green color dot turns red. Its a cool feature giving you some piece of mind that you are not crazy but someone has been through your bag. You can also purchase this one on Amazon too!

TRAVEL ESSENTIALS TO PACK: SCOUT BAGS TOTE BAG

Scout Bags is such a cool convenient way to have a good sturdy bag while traveling or just a nice bag for your daily lifestyle. This 2 n 1 bag is great for picnics or the beach. It is very soft and quilted and you find it in various prints too! The best part about this bag it folds down to a small convenient pouch so you can save space in your luggage for an example.

TRAVEL ESSENTIALS TO PACK: JOY MANGANO MY MINI STEAMER

UPDATE 2020: Joy Mangano is no longer making steamers. I absolutely hate ironing while traveling especially internationally! I always tend to find issues with temperature when using foreign irons and have ruined blouses in the past. Also some bed and breakfast you have to request for an iron and they may only have 1 of 3 for the entire place and you have to give it back vs keeping it in your room!

The Joy Mangano My Mini Steamer fixes all of that. It is a steam that is travel size and works with international electricity as well. I love it because It works quick and I love steaming vs ironing anyway. It comes in a nice travel pouch and you have a choice of various colors. It is so convenient when you are on the go! You can find the various steamer options on the Home Shopping Network (HSN). 

TRAVEL ESSENTIALS TO PACK: GETIHU POWER BANK

When traveling and just everyday life, having a fully charged phone or Bluetooth headset is a must. Investing in a Power Bank – a device that you plug your devices into to get it charged, is a must! I have tried many different power banks and the Getihu Phone Charger  is the absolute best and a great price.

I discovered this charger last year because my sister had one and I borrowed it for NYFW week. It is the first power bank that can charge my phone multiple times a day fully. It boasts being able to fully change an iPhone 3 times fully in one day! That is amazing. It has 2 outputs so you can charge multiple devices and comes with a free reading light as well! I got my in gold but it also comes in black and silver. Definitely a MUST have!

I hope you enjoyed my top travel essential picks for 2018! I can’t wait to discover more essentials this year and share them with you in 2019! Don’t forget to check out my other travel content!

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