My traveling must-haves

Last weekend, we took a long weekend trip to Chicago with our son.  We met some friends and their son there, and had the best time—even though it was h-o-t and wrangling toddlers on busy city streets can be stressful.  It was our little test trip to see if our three year-old could hang while traveling (and despite one bout of carsickness that was totally my fault anyway and a little jumping on the bed mishap that resulted in a headwound, he totally could).  Before we left, I shared a reel on Instagram with 5 of my favorite Amazon finds for packing organization, but thought I’d share even more of my travelling essentials here.  Almost everything can be found on Amazon, and are part of my Amazon Storefront travel idea list.  But I’m breaking them down, item by item, below!

1. My favorite toiletry finds

I find the most stressful stuff to pack up is usually all of my toiletries—which lotion should I take? Did I remember my hair brush? Is this bottle size TSA approved?—so I’m sharing the things that have streamlined that process for me.  (If you’re a “use the hotel shampoo type of girl…maybe scroll on by, haha.)

• Silicone travel bottles.  I just got these travel bottles and love them!  I prefer taking my own shampoos and lotions, and don’t love how much the travel-sized options cost anyway.  These hold a lot and are much nicer than the plastic bottles I’ve used before. 
• TSA approved toiletry bags.  I’m not a “hanging toiletry organizer” person—it’s too much stuff on one place for me and I find them harder to fit in my bags—so I prefer to use multiple clear bags like this for my toiletries.  Then I just organize them accordingly—if I’m going on a plane, I put all of the liquids in one and the rest in another.
• Make up travel case.  This isn’t an Amazon find, but I did just get this makeup travel case from Beis along with my carry-on suitcase.  I forgot my makeup brushes on our last trip, and my makeup bag on the trip before that, so I decided it was best to keep them all in one place.  It also comes with a mirror!
• I shared this makeup sponge holder in stories a few weeks ago and most of you thought it was dumb, but I love it anyway.  Keeps makeup off my other stuff, and other stuff off my makeup sponge!
• Pill case.  This isn’t really a travel item since I use it every day, but this is by far my favorite pill organizer.  I take quite a few supplements to support my fertility as we continue to try to get pregnant, and I’m taking pills 2-3x a day.  I LOVE that I can take a day’s worth of pills with me and that it easily fits in even the smallest purse. 

2. Packing Organization

Does an organized suitcase make you giddy?  Then this section is for you.  (May or may not apply for packing to return home though, amiright?)

• Packing cubes.  I’ve used these ones for years.  I love that they come in 3 different sizes and that they have a (strong) compression zipper for saving space.  I also just purchased these Monos cubes, and they are super nice.  But I found the compression wasn’t as good!  If you like the look of those, I’ve linked a few similar (and less expensive!) Amazon options here and here.
• Shoe organizer.  Pro: keeps shoes in one place.  Con: depending on what shoes you pack, they may not all fit.  I used this to pack two pairs of sandals and one pair of sneakers.  (Yes, I packed more than 3 pairs of shoes.)  Definitely good for summer packing, though I’m not sure it would fit my boots/booties.  I also liked that all of my shoes were contained and not touching my clothes.
• Sunglasses case.  Confession.  I didn’t end up taking this because we were only gone for 3.5 days and it holds 5 pairs of glasses.  But I love this for a beach vacation!  Also good if you’re willing to pack your partner/kid’s sunglasses, reading glasses, actual glasses, etc. in it!  It rolls up into a compact hexagon and you can also hang it on the back of a door or in a closet once you arrive!
• Jewelry organizer.  This compact jewelry organizer fit everything I needed and then some, with designated spots for rings, earrings, and necklaces.  Very affordable too.

3. Electronics

I’m also kind of a spaz about packing up our electronics and have been known to end up with 3 phone chargers because I keep thinking I forgot to pack one.  These items have reduced my anxiety over that!

• Electronics organizer case. This compact hard-sided case keeps all of my essentials in one place and fit my phone charger, watch charger, air pods, adapters, and even my portable charger, no problem.
• Portable charger.  This thing caught my eye after Copycatstyle shared it and I had to have it!  Charges your phone while on the go, with no messy cords needed. 
• Computer case and cord bag.  Love this not only for traveling, but for day to day packing—great to throw into a work bag/tote, etc.

4. Just for fun

• My new hard-sided suitcase.  The last time we purchased luggage was for our honeymoon, which was more than 10 years ago now!  I purposely chose a carry-on sized suitcase because I’m a notorious over-packer and needed to limit myself.  Beis has different sizes and lots of different colors available, though.  Not only is it great-looking, but it kept me SO organized. Can’t recommend it enough.  And if that’s not in your price point, I also considered this Amazon option, which is just as attractive and has really great reviews.  (I actually plan to buy this one for my son!)
• Attachable cup holder. Fits a Stanley tumbler, but is probably meant for something a bit smaller.  Really fun accessory, especially for airport travel!
• Stanley flip straw tumbler.  Both Robert and I brought one of these with us.  My new favorite travel water bottle—it doesn’t spill, has a handle, and stays cold all day!

I hope this was helpful!  We hope to travel more soon, so I’ll be sure to keep you updated with any new finds!  And if you’re interested, I can also write up a quick Chicago travel guide/traveling with kids guide—if you still trust my judgement after my confession about the carsickness and head injury! 😉

*Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links. This means that, at zero cost to you, I will earn an affiliate commission if you click through the link and finalize a purchase.