Spring Break Travel Essentials

With our family Spring Break trip just around the corner, and Italy quickly thereafter, I have been in full-on packing and prepping mode.  So what am I packing for Spring Break, you might be wondering?  As much as I would love say that I can’t wait to be in my brand new bikini poolside, sipping some sort of fruity drink, that’s not what has me excited this year.  What I am excited for is to be sitting poolside, probably drinking a beer, playing cards with my family, catching up, snuggling with my nephew and coming up with some sort of ridiculous pool float game.  There will be tons of laughter all week long, and I can’t wait!

As much as I would have loved to find some new swimwear and a couple of cute sundresses, those things were kind of at the bottom of the totem pole.  But to be honest, I am super excited about all of my Spring Break finds – maybe not the traditional “Spring Break Pack List” – but hey, I never claimed to be normal or traditional (in fact I actually kind of love that I am weird and different).

So here’s what I am super excited about packing – these are all new items for me, and this will be my first go-around traveling with them.  Hopefully they all pan out, because they will really be getting a run for their money next month when I go to Italy.

Old Navy Faux Leather Zip Tote ($39) – I wanted to find a travel bag that would be big enough to fit my laptop and purse, could hook over my carry-on luggage, or be carried cross-body.  I was actually having a really hard time finding something that would check off all of these boxes and be stylish.  I was about to give into a luggage-style bag, but luckily a random stop at Old Navy found me this cutie!  I can’t wait to try it out – even though it is faux leather, it looks great, and no one would know the difference (unless of course you are reading this post and then happen to see me).

Kamor Laptop Sleeve ($12) – I recently got a laptop and have been using it as my primary computer for work.  I was actually a little apprehensive about making the switch from a desktop, which I have been using for the past, I don’t know…maybe 10ish years.  Well, as it turns out, I love using my laptop!  I also love that I can bring it with me everywhere – the coffee shop, the couch, the bed, the couch…the couch…typically the couch when I’m watching TV :)  I figured that I could try and sneak in a little work while on vaca, so I knew that I needed a sleeve for my laptop to travel in.  Not only is this Kamor sleeve a super steal, but it has like 2400 amazing reviews on Amazon.  Definitely seems worth a shot!

Phillips Headphones ($16) – I don’t know about you guys, but I just can’t buy into the whole earbuds craze.  I don’t know if it is my ears specifically, but I just find them so unbearably uncomfortable, hence the around the head headphones.  I had the older model of these which I completely loved until they were accidentally broken one day not so long ago (ahem, ahem…I’m looking at you hubby).  Luckily these seem to fit just as great as the last pair.  I’m hoping to sneak in a few early morning runs before the heat sets in, so these arrived just in the knick of time.

Purse Organizer ($6) – Okay, so you all know that I have a slightly major obsession with Longchamp.  It has basically been my purse of choice for almost as long as I can remember at this point.  It’s cute, it can fit a whole ton of stuff inside, and you can wipe it clean.  Yay!  Well, as much as I love these purses, I have a huge problem with losing things in them.  Many times my husband has heard, “oh my gosh, where’s my phone?!?  did I lose my phone??” or “babe…have you seen my keys?” or even “did you see that receipt that I had pulled out?”  Supposedly this handy purse organizer is going to help prevent me from having phone-loss panic.  When it arrived, I got myself all organized, and have been using it for a few days.  I won’t lie, it might take some getting used to.  So far, I can see that there are things that I like about it, and things that I might not.  But I’ll give it a whirl on this trip and see how she handles.

Aeris Neck Pillow ($25) – So I am the kind of person who can literally fall asleep anywhere if I am tired enough.  Like no joke anywhere (I once fell asleep about 5 feet away from someone playing the drums).  Airplanes are no exception to this, in fact they are some of my favorite places to catch up on sleep.  My husband even knows the drill now – as soon as we sit down, he kisses me and tells me he loves me, because he knows there is about a 2 minute window until I’m out.  I am often fast asleep before the plane is even finished boarding, so a neck pillow is crucial for a comfortable plane sleep.  On a quick dry-run at home, this pillow seemed great, so hopefully it will make the cut.

E-Bags Pack it Flat Toiletry Bag ($25) – This is the purchase that I am the most excited about!  I just feel like this is so clever!  Even though we have done our best to cut down on the amount of toiletries that we travel with, and also downsized everything into tiny bottles, we somehow always seems to have a really full bag.  So my hope with this new toiletry bag is that even when it’s stuffed, it will lay flat and be more space-conscious.  I love how many different compartments it has, even some leak-proof, and a hook to hang it up.  It seems like they have thought of everything with this little guy!  Having spent months looking for a new toiletry bag, I can assure you that there is nothing else like this out there.

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So are any of you going on a Spring Break trip?  What are you most excited about packing?  Are you anything like me and find yourself excited about new gadgets that help keep you organized and sane while traveling?  Curious where we’re going?  Stay tuned to find out our sunny destination.