Suitcase
I am a HUGE fan of the rolling duffel. I have had so many suitcases...hard sides....soft sides....wheels...no wheels....you name it. I was always in search of the perfect suitcase. I ran across a rolling duffel several years ago when I was looking in an outlet store. This was perfect! The size was perfect. The pockets were perfect. Then it broke. The search has been going on again for the perfect duffel. I've had several. Some are too big...some too small. Some have the extra zipper compartment on the bottom. I believe it's supposed to be for putting shoes or dress clothes in and keeping them separate from the main compartment. Good idea in theory but in reality the top part is usually pretty heavy and pushes down into the bottom compartment making it virtually impossible to open without flipping the whole top part (and all your clothes) upside down and then wrestling with it in a hotel room because now it's huge all opened up. Nope....not a good choice for me. Some of the best ones are a little too large for airline standards so be very careful when you are purchasing one because the total dimensions can easily go over the amount allowed and if you are flying AirTran be assured that they will pull out a measuring tape and measure the bag to be sure that it complies and then charge you a rather hefty fee if it doesn't!
I loved my latest bag and it served me well for several years. However, it was time to replace it. The search began again for the perfect bag. I looked in stores. I looked online. The ONLY bag that I found that made me stop and go hmmmmm I like that was one made by Eagle Creek as part of their Ease Collection. Ok so this bag isn't cheap (it runs $375.00) but it has a whole lot of really cool features.
1. It is lightweight. The bag itself weighs only 10 lb. 7 oz. My last duffel was at least 5 lbs heavier than that with nothing in it. When airlines are charging for anything over 50 lbs....it's really important to have a lightweight suitcase to begin with.
2. It's a great size. The bag measures 15x30x15 in. This is a total of 60 inches in airline lingo and is under the maximum allowed size.
3. It has two way lockable zippers to secure the main compartment and the front pocket.
4. It has multiple grab handles for easy grab and go.
5. It has a TSA friendly lock included to keep the bag secure.
6. It has rugged wheels and handle for a smooth ride. It really rolls nicely. Some bags do not roll well and it can be really frustrating. This bag is very smooth.
7. Slip away luggage tag that won't fall off.
8. Interior compression straps.
9. This is the best feature of all.....IT STANDS UP when you stop! As much as I loved my last bag for the storage, I hated that as soon as I would stop and want to stand it up to check in at the kiosk it would fall over! There was absolutely no way that it would stand up without finding something to lean it on! This bag stands up!!! It actually has somewhat of a frame to it. It keeps it's shape but is also soft so it can expand. Because it keeps it's shape, the bag stands on a flat end! It's great!!
10. It comes with the Eagle Creek No Matter what warranty.
This is the first time that I will be using this bag. I started to pack a couple days ago and right now it is holding about 2/3 of the clothes that I plan to pack and I still have lots of room left.
Tip: When using a rolling duffel, make sure that you weigh it before you arrive at the airport. They hold a lot and it's really easy to go over 50 pounds if you are not careful!
Carry On Bag
Airlines allow you one carry on item and one personal item (such as a purse or backpack). One of your carryon bags can go in the overhead and the other must fit under the seat in front of you. What is the best solution for a carry on bag? Again, I have tried them all. I have them all! I have briefcases and laptop bags and roller bags and totes. You name it...I've tried it. I admit that I use different ones for different trips but I have found a really good solution recently...at least for me! Now I don't recommend this for the guys out there but it really is perfect for me! I purchased a Vera Bradley tote. The thing is amazing. It holds everything, doubles as a purse AND fits under the seat in front of me!
More and more people are carrying on bigger and bigger bags due to the ever increasing baggage fees that the airlines impose. If you have been on a plane any time in the past few years, you know how precious overhead space as become! Personally, I always check a bag. If I am flying with my husband or meeting him somewhere, I let him check the bag because he has status with United Airlines due to the amount of business travel he does each year. If I am traveling on my own reservation I suck it up and ante up the cost for one suitcase. I can't live without clothes on my vacation and I can't cram them all in a carryon bag unless it's a weekend trip so I just figure it into the cost of flying. Therefore, I try to put as much stuff in my checked bag as possible and go light on carryon end. Over the past few years with having the iPad instead of a laptop and a smaller camera (more on these later), I've really been able to cut down the carryon size.
The Vera Bradley tote holds my wallet, important documents such as itineraries and confirmation numbers, my headphones, my iPad, my camera, extra outlets for charging items, my chargers, and my phone and I still have pockets left! I have everything I need for my flight in one spot. It's easy to go through security and I don't have to worry about overhead space being available!
This bag was recently on sale for 45.00....retail is slightly higher but keep looking for a sale. You won't be sorry you made this investment!
Toiletry Organizer
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| Lewis n Clark Hanging Toiletry Organizer |
Here's another area that I've tried many different ways to organize my toiletries with little success. Oh I've come up with a system over the years but it just never seemed quite right or very efficient. A girl has to have all her girly stuff with her so. I'm sure guys have their guy stuff too but my husband seems to get by with just packing his stuff into ziplock bags. A couple years ago when our travel really started to pick up, I started to invest in toiletries, hair stuff and makeup that I could just keep packed and have ready to go whenever we decided to pick up and go. That makes my life a whole lot easier. I picked up small travel size (TSA approved sizes) of items as well as empty bottles that I could put my own shampoo and conditioner, etc. in and take with me. I had a lot of clinique "free gift" bags and started packing those with my toiletries, hair items and make up. This kept everything in place but I found that I had more and more bags. When I would pull things out of the suitcase every evening at the hotel I would have to take 5 separate bags into the bathroom with me!! Unpack them every night....pack them up again in the morning! It was a vicious cycle! So for Christmas I decided to buy a hanging travel organizer for my husband. I figured he could try it out and see if he liked it and then I could buy one for myself when we were ready to start traveling again. Well...he never used it. He prefers his ziplock bags and has his own system so who am I to try to change that. So...I have inherited the hanging travel organizer. I have it packed and ready to go so we shall see how it works out. It sure seems to keep things in one place and packs up pretty small!
I purchased a Lewis n' Clark bag on Amazon.com. I believe it ran about $15.00. Certainly worth a try and I will let you know how it works!
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| Hanging toiletry organizer folded up to pack |
Mini Surge Protector
I just saw a blog by another traveler who mentioned that they found a way to solve the lack of outlets in hotel rooms and airports! They purchased a mini surge protector! Now this seems like a wonderful idea! Everyone has electronic gadgets that have to be charged every night when you get to the hotel and there are never enough outlets to go around. This is especially true if you are traveling with other family members! So I went back to amazon.com and bought myself a Belkin Mini Surge Protector for $11.89. It is not really "mini". It's a full three outlets with two USB ports for charging also. The outlet prongs do not fold in so they do stick out but the nice thing is that the outlet swivels so you can plug it in to a hard to reach hotel outlet. It fits perfectly into one of the small pockets in my Vera Bradley Carry on bag too! Again, we shall see how this works out....more review to come after I use it!
Camera
Yet another area that I have recently tweaked as technology has changed. I used to carry a small point and shoot digital camera. Easy to use, easy to carry around....pictures so..so. Then I moved to a Digital SLR. I currently have a Canon 50D with lenses. This is my "good camera". It is great...takes awesome pictures but it is cumbersome to carry around on a trip. It adds an extra carryon since it has it's own backpack and I don't want to pack it in my checked luggage.
The next step was to downsize to an "in between" camera. Somewhere between the point and shoot and the DSLR. Last year, my husband bought me a Nikon Coolpix P500. (They now have the P510 model with even more zoom capability). My Coolpix has a 36X wide optical zoom and a lens that is 4.0-144 mm. It is 12.1 megapixel. It has auto modes...it has manual modes.....it even has an HD video camera built in!! The best part is that is small and lightweight...a little over a pound at most (including bag, batteries and memory cards) compared to 9.5 pounds for the DSLR! What more could I want? I have to say as much as I love my DSLR....I LOVE my Coolpix when I travel!! It is the perfect size, fits in my Vera Bradley Carryon bag very nicely and takes awesome pictures!
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| My Nikon CoolPix P500...it's perfect for travel! |
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| The size difference between my CoolPix and my Cannon 50D....what a difference it makes for traveling! |
GPS
We use a Garmin as our GPS. I would not recommend traveling without one. Just amazes me that we ever found our way around an unfamiliar city without one! One thing to check before you go is if there is a Garmin law in the state that you are going to visit. Sometimes there are certain regulations regarding sticking the Garmin (or other GPS device) to the window. Check out the regulations for the state that you are driving to before leaving home. Below is a dash mount for our Garmin that can be used instead of attaching it to the windshield.
iPAD
Here is my number one travel accessory. If I could only pack one thing to take with me.....my iPad would be that one thing! If you travel and you haven't invested in an iPad or other tablet device...run...do not walk...to the nearest store and get yourself one! I LOVE my iPad. It has saved me so much space. has given me so much to do, and keeps me up to date while I am traveling. I am a reader.....I love to read. I used to load up my carryon with as many paperback books as I could carry and shove a few more in my checked bag. There were times that I gave some to the flight attendants just to lighten the load after I had read one! First thing I bought was a Kindle when it came it out. Loved it....saved space. I no longer had to pack up lots of books, I simply slid my Kindle in my purse or carryon and off I went. However, I still had to carry my iPod for music and my laptop to process my pictures. Then came the iPAD!!! Revolutionary...just like the commercials said! I bought a First Generation iPad and it was wonderful. Now I didn't have to take my laptop, I had my books still on my Kindle ap on my iPad, I had access to my music and movies and internet and I even had games that I could play and pass the time on the plane! I could read and respond to my email or I could ignore my email and simply find the top rated things to see in an area.
Recently I just upgraded from the First Generation iPad to the "New" iPad (3rd Generation). Lots of it is still the same but now I have access to a camera on my iPad and I can download apps like iMovie and iPhoto and Photoshop to edit my photos and videos while I am on the road! This adds a whole new dimension.
I have an apple keyboard that I used to pack with me and use to write in my blog while I was on vacation. My son purchased a Brookstone keyboard and cover combined for my husband. Once again...he didn't use it.....sooooo....It's now mine....at least for this trip. Again, saves space as I don't have to carry a separate keyboard and it protects the iPad at the same time and props it up for easy viewing of movies while in flight! I am hoping that this makes it easy to blog while I am gone! Again, it's a new addition to this trip so I promise a further review when I get back!
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| iPad with Keyboard and cover from Brookstone |
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| Folds up to be very compact with iPad and keyboard inside. |
Camera Connectors for iPad
Here is a little purchase that has really come in handy. Apple sells connectors for iPads that allow you to connect your camera directly to the iPad or to download the memory card into the iPad. You get both connectors in one kit. It was a relatively inexpensive purchase (around $30.00 with tax) and it is well worth the money if you take lots of photos while on vacation!
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| Apple Camera Connection Kit for iPad |
Noise Canceling Headphones
These are wonderful!!! I bought my husband a pair of Bose Over the Ear Noise Canceling Headphones several years back as a Christmas present. He has raved about them every since he got them. He swears that they are the best thing a frequent traveler can have. I heard everything he said but stuck with my little earbuds thinking that they were good enough mainly because the over the ear headphones look so huge! Well Bose came out with an "On the Ear" headphone and my son got me a pair for Christmas last year. I am kicking myself for not buying these sooner! These things are amazing! They really block out the engine noise of the plane and the talking (except for high pitched, loud female voices for some reason!) and the screaming children! It is so much more relaxing to sit on the plane and watch a movie or listen to music while being in your own little world. We recently bought my son a pair of "Beats by Dre" noise canceling headphones and he loves them too. If you travel frequently or for long distances or have ever taken a flight to Orlando you need to add these to your travel arsenal!
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| Bose Noise Canceling Headphones....a must have for travelers! |
Phone
This is a no-brainer but I'm going to add it on here. You should always have your phone with you in case there is an emergency. However, if you have a smartphone, it adds a whole different dimension to traveling. Download some travel apps that will help you travel smarter. For instance, since we fly United, I have the United app on my phone. It helps with any last minute changes, gate assignments, travel times and other travel information. Airport info apps are helpful as are hotel apps. Anything that you think would help you travel smarter and more efficiently are good apps to have. Your smartphone can also serve as internet access (my iPad is wifi only so the phone is a good option when wifi is not available). You can use navigation on the phone if necessary also. Make sure you pack any necessary chargers for both the hotel and the vehicle!
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| Always pack your Smartphone! |
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| Yes I am a true Disney nut....check out my iPhone cover! |
Travel Guides
Yes most everything is online now and easy to access but depending on where you are headed, you may or may not have internet access when you need to look something up! It's also good to have a regular map just in case the GPS doesn't find a satellite! Many times you can get a local map from the rental car agencies so just ask...it's free. I always like to look at the Travel Guides for a new destination. I love looking at the pictures and reading about all the places to visit. Again, it's handy to keep with you in case of a lack of internet signal for your phone!
Ready to Go!
So these are a few of my favorite travel accessories and some new ways to solve some packing problems or at least make packing more space efficient. My bags are almost packed for our trip to Alaska, Washington and Oregon! We are doing our last checks on the weather for the time we are going to be there and finalizing our packing. We are struggling through the last few days of work and looking forward to heading out bright and early Saturday morning! Be sure to follow me as I take you along with me on our latest vacation!!
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