I shared my search for the perfect carry on bag last week (in this post, here), so I thought I’d share some of my other travel essentials. I love to travel, and I actually love packing – I even made an Excel packing list after reading Alyssa Mastromonaco’s book where she included hers. I know that you can almost always buy whatever you forgot at your destination, but the control freak in me likes to make sure that I have every box checked before I go. I feel so much more relaxed and ready for a trip when I feel prepared.

Toiletry Bag
Just like I was searching for the perfect carry on, I’ve also been looking for a new toiletry bag for trips. If there’s an area where I always overpack, it’s my toiletries. The products I use in my skincare routine are not travel sized, but I refuse to leave them at home. So I am not one of those people who can ever just use a carry on bag when I fly, because I always bring more liquids than are TSA-allowed. But the bigger a toiletry bag is, the more it seems like a black hole – it’s so hard to find anything. I finally bought this family-sized toiletry bag from L.L. Bean after looking at it online for months, and I love the number of pockets and pouches it has. If you don’t have quite as much stuff as me to bring, they have lots of different sized options – the large is still plenty big.

Electronics
I never travel without my AirPods or iPad. I actually use them on a daily basis, but I’m always sure that I have them when I travel. I always download a few new books on my iPad before I leave, and maybe a few episodes of a TV show or a movie, too. I also always bring an extension cord with me. It might sound weird, but when you have to charge a wheelchair and plug in your breathing machine and feeding tube, there are never enough outlets in the hotel rooms, and they’re always in the weirdest places. Even if you don’t have medical equipment, you could still at least reach your phone from the bed!

Being Comfortable
There’s something about travel that always makes me want to be as comfortable as possible. I always bring a cashmere wrap/scarf – whether it’s a plane trip or a road trip, you never know where the AC is going to be blasting. I also always travel with a blanket – I’m not too crazy about germs in hotel rooms, but I have seen too many horror stories to use the hotel duvet! So I always bring my own fleece blanket. I also travel with my own pillow – I use multiple pillows when I sleep at night, and I sometimes want one that’s a little smaller than the giant fluffy hotel pillows. Okay… so maybe I overpack in this area, too!

Packing Extras
This was the first time I ever used packing cubes when I traveled, and I don’t know why I waited so long. They keep everything so neat and organized, and make it so easy to find what you’re looking for! I don’t usually unpack everything at the hotel, so these keep me from searching through my suitcase for that one dress I know I brought but can’t find. I also like to have an extra bag or backpack with me – sometimes my day-to-day purse just doesn’t cut it. This packable backpack from Everlane is absolutely perfect for that.

Miscellaneous
The rest of these are just cute travel versions of things that I don’t necessarily need, but make things a lot easier. Hotel hairdryers never cut it for me – I need something with a lot more power – but my T3 dryer that I use daily is heavy and a lot. This Baby Buttercup from Drybar folds in half, so it’s way easier to bring with me, but still is strong enough to actually dry my thick hair! The Foreo Luna Go is so tiny and lightweight that it takes up almost no room at all, and keeps me from breaking out while I travel. This little travel case for my BeautyBlender lets air in so that it doesn’t get moldy. And finally, this mini lint roller is so cute that I couldn’t resist it.

Scroll through the widget below to see all of my travel must-haves, and let me know what yours are.