Because our summer is coming to an end, Husband and I have been reflecting on the last two months. We visited Old Havana and sipped on daiquiris at La Floridita, the birthplace of daiquiris. We met Disney Princesses and the Mouse himself. We saw the Statue of Liberty up close, played in Central Park on the hottest day of the year, drank a beer on a stoop in Brooklyn, and waited on an out-the-door, down-the-sidewalk line to eat at Brooklyn’s most well-known pizza joint, Grimaldi’s. We’ve visited two countries, three states and slept in eleven different accommodations, our kids in ten. In short,we have traveled a lot and while traveling so much can be exhausting there are ways and products that help cut corners. That’s where these fabulous travel products come in. They’re resourceful, small, and travel well.
CLEANSING CLOTHS
When I’m home I have my go-to face wash but on the road I swap out a bottle of spill-able face wash for these little handy towels. You know what else they’re awesome for… hospital stays. When I packed for both births of my children, I knew that I was going to want to keep it as simple as possible so I brought these along. These days I’ve been using the Dickinson’s Original Witch Hazel Refreshingly Clean Cleansing Cloths* ($6.99). For those of you not familiar with witch hazel, it has a strong smell and isn’t for everyone. I don’t particularly like the smell but I’ve long since known the benefits of witch hazel so I don’t mind it much. The ease of cleaning cloths when you are on the road and not always prepared with face wash, a towel, and running water is unbeatable. Expert trick: Many of us never forget to wash our face after a long day but we often forget about our neck which many beauty experts say is an obvious teller of age. Cleansing wipes are perfect for cleaning and toning your neck without any mess. These can also double as a makeshift shower if you’re in a bind.
NO IRON WRINKLE SPRAY
If I iron 3 things a year, it’s been a good year for the iron. Mostly, I spray iron. That’s a thing, I swear, and it involves two steps. 1. Spray the Downy Wrinkle Release. 2. Smooth out clothing with hands. Voíla! As good as ironed in under 10 seconds. The day I discovered the DWR was a game changer. The day I found the travel size DWR was a life changer. Expert Trick: These tubes of heavenly blue are so small that I keep one at home in DR, one home in NJ and one in my toiletry bag because let’s face it, nothing in life is certain except death and taxes… and a suitcase full of wrinkled clothing so better to be safe than wrinkled and sorry. It also smells clean and fresh so it can double as clean-smelling detergent scent.
ROLLERBALL PERFUMES
I could never remember if I’m allowed to bring 3 ounces or 4 ounces on my carry-on (It’s 4oz.) but rollerball perfumes are well under either ounce size so it doesn’t matter. Nowadays, you can find rollerballs in just about any scent which is nice both because they travel well and spill less and because you can change up your signature scent often without having to wait to spritz a whole bottle. Did I mention they’re a fraction of the cost? Expert trick: Keep the box the rollerball came in to make traveling with perfume even less spill and break proof. One of my favorites is the Pacifica 100% Vegan and cruelty-free rollerball in Hawaiian Ruby Guava ($12)
SPRAY MOISTURIZER
The first time I used a spray moisturizer, I had graduated from high school and was going to Cancun with my three best friends. Spray lotion just seemed like something I wanted to splurge on. I’ll be honest, it still remains that – a splurge. I don’t buy it regularly but it is one of those luxury items that makes traveling feel more luxurious somehow. Recently I was sent a Vaseline Intensive Care Aloe Soothe Spray Moisturizer* ($6.49) to review. I put it to the side until one day I was rushing and running like a crazed mom of two with busty, ashy knees and I needed something fast as one child had already slid past me like Indiana Jones and was out the door. I reached for the spray. Spraaaay, spraaay. With a quick rub in the most non-luxurious way, I massaged it in and was chasing after Indie. It was faaaast. It was also light and not greasy feeling. So now, I could say that spray moisturizers are luxurious and convenient.
PACKING CUBES
A Canadian expat friend introduced me recently to packing cubes and because Husband knows how much I like organizing the crap out of everything he was witness to my eyes glow in that love at first sight kind of way. Packing cubes are small modular compartments that help to not only organize packing your suitcase but also unpacking it and as one of those people that has to unpack the moment she gets to a destination, any trick that will cut out unpacking time is appreciated. I might fill a smaller cube with undergarments and swimsuits, another with tops, and another with kids’ pajamas or I might choose to use different cubes for different people. Expert Trick: Travel packing organization isn’t just for cloths. I also bought smaller cubes for toiletries and passports/travel documents. Heck, use a cube for the great travel products I mentioned in this post. (Price varies but I found great options at Marshall’s for $14.99.)
The views and opinions expressed on Expat Village are 100% my own. You can 100% guarantee that, compensated or not, I will always give my honest opinion on produts, services, websites, etc. This post includes some products that were received complimentary for testing purposes; those product names are displayed with an asterisk (*) mark.