Abby's Latest: Travel Edition

13 recommendations to facilitate your next adventure

Jun 30, 2024

Welcome, new Practically Deliberate readers, especially those from Katherine Goldstein’s wonderful newsletter The Double Shift. I’m delighted you’re here!

Last month, I wrote about how experiences > things when it comes to spending money to increase happiness.

While I stand by this research finding, I’ve also been reflecting on how things can, in fact, facilitate experiences.

We just returned from our family’s first international vacation, and I’m sharing 13 things that made our travels easier and more enjoyable.

First, a few caveats:

This is not intended to encourage unnecessary consumerism! If you already have everything you need for your next adventure, feel free to ignore these suggestions.

This is also not to claim (a la Wirecutter) that these are “the best” travel essentials. Everyone’s definition of “best” will vary — not to mention everyone’s interpretation of “travel essentials”.1

That said, if you have travel plans on the horizon and would like thoughts from someone who recently spent two weeks in Europe with only a carry-on, read on!

three pieces of blue luggage sitting next to each other — These are not our suitcases. But our family of 4 managed 2 weeks away with only 3 carry-on suitcases. Photo by American Green Travel on Unsplash

A baker’s dozen recommendations

Because old consulting habits die hard, I’ve divided my 13 recommendations into three categories:

Things I recommend for packing;
Things I recommend for getting there/back;
Things I recommend for the adventure itself.

[Note: none of the links shared below are affiliate links; I just genuinely enjoy spreading the word about my latest obsessions. If you find my recommendations useful, I’d love if you’d heart this newsletter; share it with a friend; and/or consider upgrading your subscription to paid.]

Toiletry item holder: These magnetic Cadence containers have kept liquids, creams, and pills organized in my toiletry kit since 2021. I see Cadence has added different sized containers (the ones I have hold 1.32 oz). When a few of my original containers developed cracks (which apparently doesn’t happen very often), I reached out to the company and they replaced them free of charge. So far so good with the new ones.
Compressible packing cubes: I’m a stickler about not checking bags, and I’ve consequently become enamored with packing cubes. I have these compressible ones from Monos, which compress clothing down considerably. They’re admittedly on the pricier side; I snagged mine during a Black Friday sale.
Outfit planning app: Compressible packing cubes can’t compensate for over-packing. I packed intentionally based on these tips from stylist Conni Jespersen.2 To counteract my impulse to toss in additional items at the last minute, I used the Indyx app (created by my former Gap Inc. colleague Yidi Campbell) to create outfits from my packing list. This step helped me realize I had plenty of outfits to choose from, allowing me to ~~not panic~~ leave space for souvenirs.
A selection of the outfits I created with the Indyx app. It’s also fun to use!

For getting there and back

Personal bag: My go-to non-suitcase carry-on bag is the Lo&Sons OG 2. I actually have its predecessor (called the O.M.G.) in army green, which is no longer available from the retailer but can be found on Poshmark. I’ve experimented with different personal bags over the years and I always come back to this one, especially for longer trips. It protects my laptop, holds everything else I need, and its trolley-sleeve fits handily over my suitcase for ease of transport.
Collapsible water bottle: I hate buying bottled water when I travel (both for cost and environmental reasons). But I also hate lugging bulky water bottles around. This Vapur water bottle rolls up when it’s not in use and is super light even when filled. The only downside is that it doesn’t keep water that cold, but that doesn’t bother me too much.
Jet lag app: As I mentioned in a previous newsletter, we used the Timeshifter app to help us combat jet lag. It wasn’t foolproof but I’m convinced it helped us adjust to the 9-hour time difference more quickly than if we hadn’t used it. Definitely recommend!
Eye mask and ear plugs: Timeshifter will tell you when to get sleep on the plane, which is nearly impossible to do without an eye mask and ear plugs (at least for me). These items are also useful if you find yourself in a room without blackout curtains or, say, sharing a bed with someone who snores. I’m partial to my Brooklinen Mulberry silk eye mask and to Loop earplugs (which I recommended in the very first edition of Abby’s Latest!)
Facilitated entry into the US: It’s tough to get off a 12-hour flight only to wait in a very long customs line. If you’re a US citizen and travel internationally at least once a year, consider applying for Global Entry (which comes with TSA pre-check). Appointments are hard to land, but you can get conditional approval and then do enrollment upon arrival at many airports. Alternatively, you can download the Mobile Passport Control app to streamline the re-entry process if you’re eligible.

For the adventure

Mesh laundry bag: I originally bought this one because it was on the packing list from the sleepaway camp our kids attend. It’s since become a travel staple on longer trips when I know I’ll need to do laundry. It makes rounding up everyone’s dirty clothes super easy (unfortunately it doesn’t make drying said clothes any easier — European readers, please share your secrets for living without a dryer!)
International power adapter: I did most of the trip research (save for the plane ticket and kids passport procurement), but I delegated the task of sourcing a power adapter to my husband. In typical Ross fashion, he over-delivered by finding this versatile travel adapter that made charging our various devices super fast and easy.
Protein bars: If you get hangry or travel with anyone else prone to getting hangry, do yourself a favor and stock up on some protein bars ahead of your trip. After some trial and error, we landed on these RXBAR minis, which saved us on more than one walking tour. On our travels, we also discovered that we all liked Barebells bars (I LOVED the salted peanut caramel flavor). One tip is to put them in the freezer for a bit to firm them up.
Foldable blanket: We always travel with our Pod blanket, billed as an “adventure pocket blanket.” Lightweight, waterproof, and indeed pocket-sized, it’s accompanied us on many adventures over the years. This time, it served as our park blanket in Madrid’s Retiro Park and our beach blanket in San Sebastian’s La Concha beach.