Travel Essentials Update

Home from our week in Florida with my fam, it is safe to say that I gave my new travel purchases a nice test-drive before I get ready to pack my bags for Italy.  Although most of them were a success, I am so glad that I was able to try these out for a short period of time, as some of them weren’t as great as I had hoped for.

SP Packing Essentials

Old Navy Faux Leather Zip Tote ($39) – The jury is still out on this one.  I completely love it, but…it will be my only carry-on for Italy, and I’m a little concerned that it might not be able to fit everything that I need on the plane.  My husband has very cleverly suggested that I pack it up this week to test it out for space, so I’m going to give that a try and see if she’ll make the cut or not.

Kamor Laptop Sleeve ($12) – Love it!  This is the perfect little home for my laptop.  I love that there is just enough space that I can easily slide my laptop in and out of the sleeve without having to peel it off, and the zipper is really heavy duty too.

Phillips Headphones ($16) I also love these guys, they are definitely a home-run!

Purse Organizer ($6) I can’t quite decide on this – although it definitely keeps my purse significantly more organized, it also requires a little more energy to do so.  I’m finding out that I like being the “throw it in my purse” kind of gal, and so this “gotta put it back in its spot” organizer might not be the right fit for me.  (This is a little funny to me, because I actually love being super organized.)

Aeris Neck Pillow ($25) Done and done.  This neck pillow not only works better than any I have used before, but it can also supply you with hours of free in-flight entertainment.  It’s not just a neck pillow…

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…it’s the perfect cup holder

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…the one thing I always say, is never travel without your fascinator, it really helps you feel your best even at 10,000 feet & climbing (spoken in a british accent)

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…it’s a headband…or even a ponytail holder

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…you can use it as a partition for that annoying seatmate…or you can be that annoying seatmate (yes, that was me shaking my ice cup and yelling yahtzee!)

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…there are even multiple sleep positions, I call these “face smash eyes open” and “face smash eyes closed mouth open”

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…i’ve got mickey ears…and i’m just being weird

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…i think that this flight has gone really well so far

E-Bags Pack it Flat Toiletry Bag ($25) I want to love this, I really do, but I’m just not convinced.  It did have everything I thought that I needed and wanted in a toiletry bag, until I actually used it.  The major flaw for me here is that most of the zippers open vertically.  So when you have it hanging on the bathroom door, and you open the zipper to get something out, the entire contents of that pouch pour out.  So I’m afraid that it’s just not right.  I’ve already been doing some searching for a replacement since I’ve been home, and I think that I am going to try out this one from the Container Store.

Do you have any favorite travel essentials or tips to stay organized?  I would love to know what helps keep you stress-free while traveling.