I want to share with you the travel essentials that I use and love. If you click on the links below and purchase these products through Amazon, you’ll get some really good stuff to enjoy your journey, and I may earn an affiliate commission, but you won’t pay any more than the usual price Amazon charges. Cheers!

TRAVEL CLOTHING

I am very picky on what clothing I pack in my carry-on to wear on trips. I stick to one color (black) and all items must be versatile, wrinkle resistant, and easily washed in a hotel sink and dried overnight. Tough wear testing goes on prior to any trip. Does it look and feel good? Is it a versatile look easily changed with scarves and jewelry? Does it wash well in a sink and dry fully overnight? My favorite brands are: Athleta and Lululemon. The right socks and underwear are essential for travel. Make sure to wear and wash in advance to see if they are worthy. The right shoes are also critical to being comfortable while walking miles each day over sometimes rough terrain like cobblestones. I rely on Kiziks, Allbirds, Dansko (great boots!) and Ecco brands for my shoe choices. Specifically, the Kizik lace-up sneaker, Allbirds wool slip-ons and skimmer (for dressing up) and the Ecco Chelsea boot which is water resistant and great for colder weather. I got a Dansko tall boot that is leather and suede and is wonderful worn with lined leggings for winter trips.

Compression socks are a must for wearing on the plane to improve your circulation while sitting for long periods of time (get up and walk up and down the aisles in the plane if you can!). Purchase: Compression socks

Women’s Underwear Slipshort to wear under skirts/dresses to eliminate chafing. Want to wear a dress on a hot day but it’s windy? Wear these and you won’t be flashing the crowds. Very comfy. I even wore these floating the Rhine River with a tank top when I didn’t have a swimsuit with me. Purchase: Women’s underwear skimmies slipshort

Women’s travel underwear that are lightweight and easy to wash out and dry overnight. Purchase: Women’s travel underwear

No-Show Low-Cut Socks that don’t slip on you when wearing with your shoes are critical for comfort. I wear these with my Allbirds loafers and really any tennis shoe where I need a sock but don’t want it to show. They have grips on the back that keep them in place. Purchase: No-show low-cut socks

Unisex Wool Blend Hiking Socks I wore these socks every day for a month in Europe and they felt wonderful during a November trip. Purchase: Hiking Socks

Rain Poncho to cover you up and keep you dry. Very lightweight and folds up into your daypack easily. Purchase: Rain poncho

TRAVEL LAUNDRY CARE

Downy wrinkle releaser plus does it all and we used it every day on a recent trip. One travel size bottle lasted us for a two-week trip.  Love this stuff! You can dewrinkle your clothes, freshen up your room and even works with ironing clothes if you do that, which I don’t. Purchase: Downey wrinkle release travel size

Retractable portable clothesline for travel for all those places with no dryer in Europe or washing out laundry in the hotel sink. Has 12 clips. I have hung this on shutters (Italy Airbnb’s have inside shutters on windows that are useful) and also shower curtain rods. Purchase: Retractable portable clothesline for travel

Laundry detergent sheets to take with you in a plastic bag for sink washing at hotels. I use these Earth Breeze Laundry Detergent Sheets – Fresh Scent – 30 Sheets. I’m a carry-on only person so that means packing only a few clothes and washing out along the way. I cut these sheets up into 4 strips per sheet-1 strip is perfect size for a hotel sink wash. Use a whole sheet if you are lucky enough to have a washer! Purchase: Laundry detergent sheets for travel

Tide Instant Stain Remover Pen pack of 3 pocket size-Always good to have because you will spill. It is inevitable. I have one pen in my bag at all times. Purchase: Tide Stain Remover Pen

TRAVEL PERSONAL CARE

Pill holder can be literally save your life while travelling. You are more apt to forget to take your meds if you are jet lagged and on-the-go so organize your meds in this pill holder by day. I also recommend taking a picture of your prescriptions to have with you just in case you need to go to a pharmacy in Europe. They will often give you enough of what you need to get home. Purchase: Pill holder

Body wipes for on-the-go refresh. Buy a pack of 50 individually wrapped 10×8” towelettes. My workplace stocks these in the bathroom so I tried one and they are awesome. Going out straight from work and need a refresh? Perfect for the planes to refresh before you land. I keep one on me at all times when travelling. Purchase: Body wipes for on-the-go refresh

Nail polish remover pads if you wear nail polish. You need these to do quick refreshes on the road. Individual packets but I was able to remove all my nails’ polish with one packet. So handy! Purchase: Nail polish remover pads

Insect repellent wipes Individually wrapped OFF wraps to repel insects OFF! 12 individually wrapped wipes to take with you. Who knew that Italy had so many bugs that bite? They do bite. Hard. So be prepared. Purchase: Insect repellent wipes

Bandages for blisters because you will walk miles on your trips so be prepared for blister care! Purchase: Bandages for blisters

Travel heating pad is a wonderful solution for those of us with aches and pains that may need a little warmth at times. My husband has a bad back and this will be so nice to have on long flights and road trips. We will plug it into a portable power pack in order to use it on his back wherever we are! Purchase: heating pad

TRAVEL BAGS AND LUGGAGE STUFF

Travel crossbody bag with anti-theft features by Travelon. Buy it for the various locking compartments, the slash-resistant body construction and RFID blocking card and passport slots. It’s the perfect size-big enough but not too big. I carry a passport wallet, power brick, tissues, snacks, etc. Wore this all over Europe for a month and it’s the best! Purchase: Travel crossbody bag

Passport travel case that I use is colorful and fits nicely in my cross-body bag. I like having everything in one spot-my cash, credit cards, passport and this holds it all with RFID blocking to keep it safe. Purchase: Passport travel case

Sling bag NIID-FINO Sling Crossbody Bag. My husband has travelled with this bag for over a year and loves it! People actually stop him on the street and ask him where he got it. Very cool looking! Purchase: Sling Crossbody Bag

Fanny pack aka waist bag is back in fashion and practical to use when travelling. This one is water resistant and lightweight plus it comes in cool colors. Comes with adjustable strap so you can wear cross-body too. Win-win! Purchase: Fanny pack

Day pack to carry with you at all times and unfold when you need it for shopping/groceries-folds up and super lightweight. Purchase: Day pack

Hanging toiletries bag is a must for all those small bathrooms where there is no counter space. Just hang it and access what you need when you need it. I have one and my husband has one too (different style) so no matter how small the bathroom is, we stay organized! Purchase: Hanging toiletries bag

Packing cubes to organize your carry-on. Never check a bag! I put my underthings in one cube, tops in one cube and pants/skirts in another. This way I can easily find what I am looking for. I often don’t unpack if we are only in a place for one night so these cubes are like drawers in my luggage! Purchase: Packing cubes

Hanging jewelry bag keeps me organized and able to pack all my jewelry to coordinate with my travel outfits. Hang up your jewelry in the closet next to your clothes. I pack all black clothes, so I need my jewelry to add color to my outfits. Purchase: Hanging jewelry organizer

TRAVEL TECHNOLOGY CHARGING

European travel plus adapter international power strip we saw a fellow traveler at the Milan airport using one of these for her family’s devices to charge up before the flight. We seem to always have issues with not enough outlets in Airbnb’s and hotels when we travel to Europe, so we bought one too. Now we don’t have to fight over who get the outlets when we travel! Compact and lightweight. Purchase: European Travel Plug Adapter International Power Strip

Portable power charger for charging all your devices when you travel. It’s important that it is powerful and light. Carry it with you! After a day of taking videos and pictures, your cell will die if you don’t have this with you. Purchase: Portable power charger

Plug adapters vary by country. You will need several of these for wherever you are going. Worst case scenario-if the ones you bring don’t work or you forget them, you can ask the hotel if they have one you can borrow and then you can go to the local hardware store and buy some that work. Purchase: EU Plug adapter EU adapters work in Germany, France, Spain, Portugal, Sweden, Norway, Belgium, and the Netherlands to name a few. And also work great in both Italian and Swiss sockets! Purchase: UK, Hong Kong and Ireland Plug adapter

OTHER TRAVEL STUFF

Collapsible water bottle in fun colors! There are fountains everywhere in Europe to fill up your bottle. When not in use, just fold it up and it won’t take up space. Purchase: Collapsible water bottle

Travel blanket is perfect for picnics, concerts (where you sit on the lawn), etc. It packs up into a tiny holder and easily pops into your daypack to carry with you when you travel. Purchase: Travel blanket

Carbon monoxide detector alarm travel size operates on 2-AA batteries. Just place on a tabletop when you travel, and it will detect CO gas. Weighing in at only .5 pounds, it is small enough to pack and go! Purchase: carbon monoxide detector alarm

TURN YOUR ECONOMY SEAT INTO A PREMIUM ECONOMY EXPERIENCE

No travel kit provided by the airline for your economy seat? No problem! Enjoy the comforts of a premium travel experience by putting together your own travel essential kit and save thousands on your airline seat. Arrive well rested and enjoy the journey!

Travel neck pillow that is plush and supportive to allow you to sleep on the plane even in economy. This pillow straps onto the headrest to secure your head so when you do nod off, your head doesn’t become a bobble head. Purchase: Travel neck pillow

Travel foot hammock is great for elevating those legs for circulation and also reclining to sleep in an economy seat. It is memory foam and has straps that you can hook over the tray table to magically give you a foot hammock-stretch out and relax. Purchase: Foot hammock

Travel blanket to keep you warm on the plane and also turns into a pillow when you put the blanket inside the cozy cover. I never have enough pillows in a hotel room, so this is nicely versatile. Purchase: Travel blanket

Travel ear plugs are necessary not just to block out noise on the plane to sleep but also when you get a noisy hotel room or Airbnb. Handy to have and worth the money to upgrade to a nice pair to travel with at all times. Purchase: Ear plugs

Travel face mask to block out the light and also indicates to the flight attendant and any chatty seatmates to leave you alone so you can sleep! Purchase: Face mask

Enjoy the journey!