Blog Post Two
5 Must-Haves on Your Next Trip!
These travel essentials are so important to have on any journey, whether you're going backpacking in the Swiss Alps, Jet Skiing in Tulum, Mexico or rock climbing in Yosemite National Park; these items are vital no matter where you land.
Reusable plastic bags. What? I know. Why is that essential? You think your bag is waterproof; you’re certain your pockets are deep enough as items fall out as you're running through the rain; your purse is soaked and everything in it; your phone falls into a puddle; you're done! We have our whole lives on our phones, and a bag of rice, if you can find one, just might not cut it. It is important to avoid a catastrophe whenever possible. Let's start here, and I’m not talking about Ziploc baggies; I'm talking about nylon zipper bags that come in multiple sizes. They're perfect to take to the beach to keep all of your valuables: keys, passport, phone, sunglasses, and wallet. No sand in the cracks of your phone screen; you don’t have to worry about your phone overheating in the sunlight; the bag keeps your phone cool; and you can add a latch band on the zipper and wear it like a wristlet so you don’t have to worry about your things getting lost or stolen.
2. Sticker GPS tag. Huh? I’m not Ethan Hunt, this isn’t Mission Impossible. Why would you need something like this, you ask? Simple, it's inconspicuous, it's not as obvious as an air tag. It's perfect for small items, like you can stick it on the inside of your phone case, or you can place it on the inside of your passport case, not on your passport as you don’t want to damage it. You can also place one on the inside of your laptop, next to the mouse.
3. This particular item isn’t exactly something you carry, but I would say you need to keep it with you every time you travel, either domestically or internationally. I’d say it’s also the most important item on this list, and that is Travel Insurance! I’m not talking about a full refund if your flight gets canceled, although that is also important. I’m talking about Medical travel insurance. You can pay as little as 4 dollars a day for coverage; that’s less than what you’d pay for a Starbucks latte, so there are no excuses for not having it. And YES it’s worth having. Accidents happen, and vacation time is no different. My best friend went on a girl's trip to Columbia, and everyone who ate the chicken at the street cart got food poisoning. If they would have had medical travel insurance, they could have gone to a local clinic and gotten medicine for at least one end it was coming out of. Travel medical insurance is especially essential if you have a chronic health condition, such as diabetes. Having access to life-saving medicine such as insulin, while in another state (US) or abroad, can turn a dream vacation into a nightmare. If you’re living in the States, you might be thinking, "Oh, it’s fine; it doesn’t matter;" I’m sure the state I’m visiting has my insurance”. Pharmacies may have a version of your insurance, but that doesn’t mean they take your exact plan. For instance, they may accept Highmark Wholecare, but they don’t accept Highmark Blue Shield. I have seen a video on Instagram where a doctor tells a story of a patient who came into the ER. The man was on vacation and left his insulin back home in his home state. He went to a local pharmacy, and they told him they didn’t take his insurance and he would have to pay for the medicine out of pocket; it was 400 dollars—money he didn’t have, needless to say-he ended up in the ER. I don’t want you to end up in the hospital, friend, especially if It can be avoided.
4. Next up is the filtered water bottle; “that seems really bougie” It is a little friend, but it’s necessary as a precaution just in case you run out of bottled water or can’t get to a store to buy a bottle of water. It's great to have while on the plane because nowadays not even a cup of water is free.
5. Last but not least, if you're a pet parent, this one's for you. Making sure that Buddy gets his two daily walks and Roscoe gets his morning medications needs to be done whether you're home or not. Having someone check in on your pets while you're gone is a must, especially seeing as how doggy daycare fill up so quickly and how few there seem to be around. A pet sitter is a great way to make sure your little furry babies are cared for while you're gone, so you can just focus on relaxing and enjoying yourself. What if you don’t have any four-legged family members? What if you're a plant mom, and you worry that by the time you come back, your fig tree is yellowing, and your money tree is half dead? No worries, a house sitter is just the thing for you, or you're both a fur mom and a plant mom; whether they are there the whole day or pop in for an hour or two, this is just the solution to put your mind at ease, so while you’re physically on the beach, you’re mentally on the beach as well.
I hope these tips have helped you prepare for your next trip. If you have any tricks you’d like to share, please feel free to email me. I'd love to share them with the community. Bon voyage!