My Travel Must-Haves
Right after my mission trip to Haiti, I received an email from the community coordinator from Turo asking if I would write a blog post for my travel must-haves. Turo is a peer-to-peer car sharing marketplace where private car-owners can rent out their vehicles. They also have an airport rental page on their website, a perfect solution to those times you need a vehicle right when you land and get going on your adventure.
Sounds pretty awesome if you ask me! I will most definitely keep this in mind during my travels.
My Husband, Scott, is in the Navy and we are currently stationed in North Carolina.
{Just found out that we will be moving to Hawaii in December--so stay tuned for more adventures!}
We are both from Utah, and now my husband's family lives in Virginia&North Carolina, so we are constantly going on adventures-- whether around here or going back to Utah to see my family and friends. Oh and the mountains, definitely the mountains.
This blog post is about my travel must-haves and I will be talking about those that I love for out of country adventures!
The first real adventure that I had out of the US (not including a day in Mexico on a family vacation) was when I went with a best friend's family to the Bahamas. We stayed at the gorgeous Atlantis Resort--highly recommended. Then that same friend and I moved after I graduated college to Australia for six months with a month road trip around the south island of New Zealand. During the time in Australia, I went on a mission trip to Cambodia to work with Rapha House, a safe house for girls who are rescued from sex trafficking. My Husband and I were very fortunate to have spent a Christmas in Costa Rica with his family and then Haiti just recently with my family for a mission trip.
Basically--after that first out-of-country trip, I was hooked!!
Wanderlust at it's best.
Here is my list of my travel must-haves:
1> Qalo Ring.
My Husband and I came across Qalo rings last year and fell in love. {Huge plus, they had a women's ring in turquoise!}
They make super comfy silicone wedding rings for outdoor lovers and for people who have jobs where wearing a normal ring is dangerous.
Scott wears his ring almost 24/7.
He is a Navy corpsman and his silicone ring is absolutely perfect for his career!
We also wear them when we are working out or traveling.
I wore mine in Haiti instead of taking my real wedding rings and it was such a relief knowing I wasn't going to lose them.
2> A Journal.
A journal is a great way to write down every bit of the adventure that you don't want to forget. I will never go without a journal, even when I just travel back home to Utah. I love writing down special tidbits and finding treasures to stash away in the pages. I actually have one journal for all of my mission trips that I just add to when my next one arises, it's very special to me.
3> A Physical Map.
It might be the adventure part of me or the part where a it can then become a souvenir, but I love using maps.
When we were road tripping New Zealand, our phones weren't working so we had to resort to a physical map.
It also makes me pretty proud of myself when I find the final destination all by myself, no help from Siri.
The best part is that you can track your adventure and then show it off when you get home.
4> A Great Pair of Walking Shoes.
My husband's love for Nike wore off on me and I won't go anywhere without at least one pair of my Nike shoes. We are pretty active and love going places only our feet can take us--perfect for that great pair of tennis shoes. One day in Australia, we traveled to the beautiful Byron Bay's lighthouse. The only bad part was that we were just at the beach when a local told us to hike to it and we were in flip-flops. Trust me, always have a great pair of walking shoes with you!
5> Toiletry Bag.
I have this Thirty-One bag and it's wonderful. I can fit all of my toiletries in it and it is the prefect size.
Not too big, not too little.
It also is great because I can take one bag with me to the bathroom and not worry about having more than one and juggling everything.
6> Dry Shampoo&Hairspray
Sometimes when you are traveling there are times when you have to forgo washing your hair. Dry shampoo is a life savor!
I really love this stuff. Not only for traveling, but at home.
I also always take hairspray.
7> Coconut Oil.
I absolutely LOVE coconut oil for everything! I use it for cooking, conditioning my hair, face moisturizer,& lotion.
The best part about that is that you cut out excess bottles and products, perfect for when you are trying to pack everything in one or two suitcases.
8> A Headband.
A headband is perfect for those days where you need your hair up and you want it to be at least semi-cute. It was extremely helpful while I was in Haiti where the showering conditions are not..well, perfect. You definitely didn't wash your hair every day and when you did it was with a freezing cold, drizzle of water that ran out pretty quick. So believe me, find a headband that you love and match it with as many outfits as you can!
9> A Water Bottle.
A water bottle is perfect for traveling.
I always have one with me in my carry on so I can fill it in the airport and have it with me on the flight. It is always wonderful to not have to constantly buy water bottles and just have my own so I can just refill it.
Water when traveling is a must!!
10> A Good Read.
The best thing to keep you occupied while you are on your flight, waiting for a bus or train, or when you have extra time on the beach is a good book. I always love reading while I am traveling.
Reading an adventure, while you are on an adventure.
Perfect.
