Essential Travel Items You Might Forget

We will be headed to Nicaragua tomorrow! Anytime we are going on a trip we try to be very careful that we don’t forget anything. Charger? Check. Underwear? Check. Toothbrush? Check! Some packing essentials are easy to remember, but other things you need don’t always come to mind. Sometimes you might not have a drugstore or things might be outrageously priced wherever you are. I came up with a list of things that you don’t want to forget while your on vacation!

Essential Travel Items You Might Forget

-Allergy Medicine: I feel like this is the number one essential that everyone forgets. You never know what foreign allergies may trigger sneezing, itchy eyes and unwanted symptoms while you are hiking to a beautiful waterfall in Hawaii or driving through the streets of Italy. You don’t want to take the chance of annoying watery eyes interrupting your vacation!

-Ibprofen/Pepto/Anti-acid: These basic meds can save your life! Okay, maybe not literally, but do you want to be stuck in the woods hiking in desperate need of Pepto? I believe in the power of these 3 great medicines! I will not travel without them. No headache or tummy ache will stop me from a great adventure!

-Q-tips: We have forgotten many times to grab a ziploc of q-tips. Nothing is more annoying than dirty ears and not being able to clean them properly. We forgot q-tips while vacationing on an island in Belize. Luckily, we had amazing staff that helped us out! :)

-Chapstick: If you are not someone who constantly puts on chapstick like me you might forget this handy little treatment. On vacation you are typically out and about all day either laying on the beach or sight-seeing – this can take quite an unexpected toll on your lips. You can easily get wind burn or chapped lips from an unfamiliar climate. This is an easy and small fix! Bring your chapstick!

-Triple A Ointment & Bandaids: You never know what may happen, but always want to stay safe. If you get a cut or scrape you need to take care of it. Bring triple antibiotic and bandaids to be prepared if any little mishaps happen. And be realistic – you should know the difference between a little mishap and something that needs medical attention. Do not hesitate – there is some weird stuff that goes around and can take a very serious toll on your life or others.

-Bug Spray: Many people remember bug spray while hiking, biking and being in forests, but only thing of sunblock for the beach. Wrong! There are such things as sand fleas. We made the mistake ONCE and didn’t put on spray. Sand fleas are interesting too – they seem to pick one out of the pair of you to ruin your vacation. For us, it was my poor husband. We noticed this trend while on our honeymoon! One out of each couple had been bit up! Don’t forget the bug spray!

-Aloe: You typically will always remember the sunblock or suntan lotion, but sometimes your SPF isn’t enough. What happens when your preventative measure fails? Bring some aloe just incase – nothing is worse than a horrible sunburn while backpacking or trying to sight see.

-Anti-Itch Cream: Bugs, bugs, bugs! They are everywhere, all kinds – sometimes you just can’t beat them. Whether you stepped in an ant pile while trying to get the perfect shot of the Eiffel tower or have mosquito bites-galore from camping. You will need the relief of some sort of itch cream.

-Lotion: I hardly ever use lotion. My hubby makes fun of my grimy little hands all the time – I sometimes have the characteristics of that crazy 5 year old girl with the tangled hair and kool-aid stained lips. :) Lotion is never in my bag and I hardly ever use it so on vacation I would typically forget about it. Dry skin can be so aggravating and itchy! Lotion goes a long way so a tiny sample size can be all you need to treat your skin.

-Razor/Shaving Cream: So I will be the first one to admit – I hate to shave. And yes, I know hate is a strong word. But you are looking at the champion of her high school dance team’s no shaving contest. (As if I needed a reason to avoid shaving…) I have a love/hate relationships with tropical vacations for this very reason. :) So, I don’t shave everyday – more power to all you that do! – so I could easily forget a razor on a trip. I like to buy the Venus disposable razors because they’re good, but not crazy expensive if I do accidentally leave it behind in my hotel room.

-Backpack/Day Bag: While sight-seeing or hiking you never want to bring a purse, but more often than not that is all people have just by habit. Don’t forget to bring a backpack or day bag that they can use in those types of situations. It seems odd to pack a bag in a suitcase, but believe me it will come in handy! I like to use my backpack as my carry on so I can be comfortable on the plane with snacks, chargers and magazines to entertain my flight.

-Earplugs/Eye Mask: Depending on where you travel your body can be in a different time zone than your destination. That can be quite a headache at first. We often pick our stays because of the amazing natural light that floods the room, it beautiful in theory except for when you are trying to sleep because your jet lag is catching up to you. Be sure to get a pair of earplugs and an eye mask to help you sleep when necessary! If you are a light sleeper like me being in a different bed alone can make me lose of Z’s, but if there is traffic noise or bright lights forget about it. And I hate to say it, but if momma ain’t happy then nobody is happy. Sorry Caleb for being a grumpy sleeper. ;)

I hope this list will help your vacation go off without a hitch! Don’t forget these essential travel items you might forget that could make or break your vacation. We will be traveling to Nicaragua tomorrow and you better believe this list of things will be in my suitcase. :) Follow along the blog for my travel diary while we are in Nicaragua and some great tips on how you can have an amazing vacation there afterwards. Safe travels everyone!!