My Travel Essentials

Hello and welcome back! :)

Seeing as I'm about to embark on a journey to Montreal, Canada this weekend (a 6 hour car journey, to be exact...) I thought I would share with you my current travel essentials. I am by no means a travel expert, but as I mentioned in my first post, I love traveling and have found these select items to be absolute musts on all my trips!

1. Tumi - Tegra-Lite Max Continental Expandable Carry-On | $485
Okay, so yes, I realize $484 isn't necessarily practical. The reason I own this bag is because I actually used to work in Tumi's corporate offices and was lucky enough to take advantage of a sweet discount while I was there! But, with that being said, Tumi truly is the top of the line when it comes to luggage. If there was any travel piece I would suggest someone to invest in, it would be a great international carry-on because you can easily fit a week's worth of belongings in there and have no need to check in any bags. Hard-side luggage is a must-have because it's lightweight, making it easier to lug around and jam up into those overheard compartments. I personally loved the Fossil color because it's neutral, but they do launch new colors each season.

2. Henri Bendel - Jetsetter Convertible Nylon Backpack | $278
If you live on this planet you've probably seen this bag attached to the back of many-a-gal. What makes this backpack better than most other backpacks is that's convertible. You can carry it as a backpack (which is what I mostly do - I also added a cute pink puff :) ) or you can carry it as a crossbody for easier access. I've seen this bag used as a baby bag, a carry-on bag, and a work bag...the possibilities are basically endless. I love this bag for international travel because there's plenty of room for your essentials, like wallet, keys, etc and also room for a water bottle and snacks (I don't know about you but I need food and water accessible at all times...)

3. Aspinal of London - Classic Travel Wallet | $195
This one is not necessarily practical either... I believe I picked this up on a MAJOR discount years ago when I took my first trip to Europe. There are many other travel wallets out there at various price points anywhere from $15-$200. What drew me to this wallet specifically was that it has labeled compartments; as someone who suffers from some serious OCD, these labels were (and still are) everything to me. There is room to put your passport, documents, ID, and boarding pass. It fits all sizes of money; US dollars, Euros, Danish Kroner and GBP, so it really is perfect for international travel. It also makes for some pretty snazzy Instagram stories...

4. Sonia Kashuk - Cosmetic Bag Travel Tote | $30
I am really and truly obsessed with this makeup bag. There's. So. Much. Room. This is the be all and end all of toiletry travel bags for me. And it's not even a little bit expensive. (Wassup Target!) You can easily fit shampoo, conditioner, body wash, lotions, skin care, toothbrush, toothpaste, makeup palettes AND there's an entire sections for brushes WITH a cover! Finally, you can travel without having to crush your makeup brushes and risk destroying their shape by shoving them in a compartment that is clearly not meant for brushes. What impressed me so much about this bag is that you can have everything all in one place - I have seen plenty of travel bags for makeup brushes, but that just becomes another extra thing to pack - this bag brings everything together conveniently in one bag of perfection.

5. Fujifilm - Instax Mini 9 | $59
I got this camera last Christmas from my thoughtful boyfriend Andy and I absolutely adore it. I love the old school feel of these photos. They're also great for home decor; I've seen a ton of pins with these pictures attached to twine in various adorable ways. My only complaint about it is that it's sometimes difficult to get pictures outside; you can't have too much light because it will get washed out, but it also can't be too dark because the flash isn't all that powerful to lighten it up. However, there are so many different types of cute film you can get, which outshines any of the downsides of this camera to me. Urban Outfitters online often has sales on film - I most recently ordered Macaron Film, which is adorable pastel colors. Target also sells the film!

6. iPhone 8 Plus | $799
This is more or less a LIFE essential but I wanted to mention it here because the camera on this phone is OUTSTANDING. I live for portrait mode! I've taken so many phenomenal photos with that feature. I also take a lot of photos of scenery while hiking and they come out flawless always. I'm certainly not a professional photographer, so the fact that my iPhone can make it LOOK like I know what I'm doing is great.

7. iPhone 8 Plus - Battery Case | $26
This little guy is a lifesaver. This is a necessity for literally any trip, short or long, far or near. I actually carry this case around with me on a regular basis. If you're anything like me the thought of being caught out and about with a dead phone is basically a nightmare, and this case solves that problem. The best thing about this case is that it charges through a lightening port, so you just use your regular iPhone charger with it!

8. Nike - Roshe One | $75
These are my favorite sneakers, especially for a vacation because they are both comfortable and stylish. I bought these earlier this year before our trip to Copenhagen and I'm so glad I got them! They look great with anything, jeans, leggings or shorts. The gray color is perfectly neutral, but there are plenty of other colors to choose from as well.

I hope you find this list useful if you're planning on doing any travel within the near future, which I hope you are, because traveling is the best thing you can do. Look out for my review of Montreal once I get back!

Until next time...

xoLiz