My Top Five Travel Essentials

After a few years of limited travel due to maternity leave and roles that didn’t require much work travel, I’m once again a frequent flier. Not a month goes by that I don’t board a Delta flight for either personal or professional reasons. Most months, I’m heading down to Savannah with Bo and Katie or I’m flying to California or Arkansas for customer meetings.  While I’ve traveled a lot over the years, both domestically and internationally, it wasn’t until my trip to China last month, that I truly appreciated and thought about my carry-on bags. Maybe it is because I knew I’d be on a plane for 17-hours or feared losing my bag if I dared to check it. Who knows the reason, but since then, packing for the next three business trips has seemed so easy. In today’s post, I’m going to share the five things that I never leave home without if I’m traveling. Then, in another post I’ll share a peak into my suitcase including what I typically pack for a 3-day business trip.

• Away The Bigger Carry-On – I treated myself to this bag as an early birthday gift before heading to China. I’ve used it for four trips so far and each trip, I fall in love with it a little bit more. I appreciate that they stand behind the product with a lifetime guarantee and even provide new owners a 90-day trial period to try the bag out for themselves! The TSA-approved combination lock keeps my things safe during travel and the easy to use battery keeps me charged when I’m traveling. But, what I love most about the Away suitcase is what’s inside. When you unzip the suitcase you will find that there is a compression system that helps minimize the space your bulky sweaters take up and on the other size there is a mesh, zip-cover that holds your harder items, like shoes and toiletries, in place. This lightweight bag and the spinning wheels make dashing through airports and navigating overhead compartments much easier!
• Tumi Voyager Carson Nylon Backpack – This backpack has been such a game changer that I find it hard to believe that I have only been using it for four months. I know that seems like an extreme statement but this backpack has made traveling for business and my weekly commutes so much easier! It is lightweight, has pockets everywhere, easy-to-access zip pockets that are perfect for stowing those items I use frequently during flight, and has a strap that allows me to easily add it to my rolling suitcase. I find this bag to be large enough to hold everything while the black and gold detailing make it stylish enough to carry into a restaurant in Manhattan. During my flight to San Francisco tonight I was reminded of another favorite feature – it is slender enough to fit under airplane seats even when it’s packed with a laptop and water bottle! This makes accessing all of my items SO easy during a long flight!  Over the past few months, as I’ve recommended it to friends and colleagues, I’ve found it on sale at Tumi, Nordstrom and Amazon so check sales to find the best price!
• Dudley Stephens Cobble Hill Fleece – This comfortable fleece tunic allows me to travel in comfort while still looking chic. Call me old-fashioned but I prefer to look put together when I’m traveling rather than look like I just rolled out-of-bed. The Dudley Stephens Cobble Hill turtleneck is long enough to wear with leggings, is thick enough to keep me warm on freezing flights, and has two convenient pockets to hold my ID and phone while going through security. In fact, I had two people ask me about my top today while I was at JFK! I have this top in grey and red but am considering buying a third color when they are restocked in February. Since people always ask me, here are few further thoughts. I believe it’s worth the price as their tops fit perfectly, is flattering, high quality and I promise you’ll wear it enough to justify the price in no time! I find the size to be true to size unless you have a large chest or broad shoulders, in that size I would recommend going up a size. If you are petite, I think the Cobble Hill will be too long and you may want to consider the Park Slope which is a shorter version.  I wash my fleece, inside out, and let it air dry before putting it in the dryer for 5-10 minutes at low heat!
• Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones – When I’m not working from my home office I’m either traveling or working from our WeWork in Manhattan which is a co-working space. This means that I’m constantly dealing with someone who is snoring next to me in row 22 on the plane or trying to concentrate while a number of side conversations take place. If you’re someone who can easily multi-task or block out background noise, then these may not be a necessity. But, if you like working in peace and quiet then these will be your new best friend. They have three levels of noise cancellation and their microphone allows you to also use these for phone calls and conference calls. Another plus is that the Bluetooth pairing is far easier than other headphones I’ve used previously. Once you download the app it’s a breeze to use them with your phone, iPad, etc. This pair lasted the entire 17 hour flight to China which allowed me to easily sleep for a while and enjoy a few movies on my iPad!
• HydroFlask water bottle – Last year when I traveled to Seattle with the Brooks Ambassador team, I realized that 10 of my fellow ambassadors were all using the same water bottle throughout the day. I asked one of them about it and minutes afterwards, ordered my own Hydroflask from Amazon. Since then I’ve carried this 40 ounce water bottle everywhere! The bottle has never leaked and the stainless steel double wall keeps my water ice cold for hours! Once again, I realize the price is a bit more than other comparable water bottles but the quality is fantastic and that’s important when you’re thinking about traveling across the country with it and placing it near papers and computers that could be ruined if a water bottle leaks.

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