“You’re never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.” — C.S. Lewis
International travel can seem daunting, even if you have done it many times! Being a “savvy” traveler is something that only comes with time and experience (and we’re certainly still learning).
Something you may not know about us is that we are not the best flyers. Statistically, we know that the odds are ever in our favor that we will reach our destination, but we still try to be as comfortable as possible on long flights. So many items are helpful for flights, and travel in general, but we narrowed it down to our top 12 things that are sure to make your international trip go off without a hitch!
Read on for our international travel must-haves:
A credit card with no foreign transaction fees: Don’t give your bank any of your hard-earned funds! We always use a credit card without foreign transaction fees. It’s an extra plus if you have a credit card that gives you miles/rewards for your purchases. We both have a Capital One Venture Card and haven’t had any problems with it while traveling. Try to have an extra bank card and credit card with you as well in case something goes wrong or gets stolen.
Extra copies of your passport and important documents: Don’t forget to e-mail a copy to yourself!
An international power adapter: There are plenty of adapter options that allow you to charge your devices no matter what country you’re in. We purchased a universal travel adapter on Amazon.
A good carry on: This is very important! Make sure that your carry-on has lots of storage, pockets, etc. to keep your travel essentials organized. We also love having a 360-degree rolling bag so that the souvenirs we inevitably bring home don’t weigh us down! One of our favorites is the Delsey Quilted Rolling Underseat Tote so that you don’t need to fight for overhead bin space either.
An external battery and charging cord organizer: Avoid the terror of your phone battery dying on a flight! We have been on older planes that didn’t have phone chargers in the past, and an external battery can be a lifesaver. It’s helpful to have a small charging cord organizer that you can put your battery and other important charging cords in.
Wireless noise cancelling headphones: We can NOT fly without noise-canceling headphones. Traveling can be stressful, loud, and unpredictable, but with a good pair of noise-canceling headphones, you can at least block out some of that noise (including, but not limited to, crying babies). We have been loving the Cleer Flow 2 Wireless Bluetooth Noise Cancelling Headphones on recent travels!
Kindle/Ipad/or other transportable tablet: Any type of tablet can really come in handy! We use ours as a travel guide, book library, television or movie streaming device, notebook, and much more.
Melatonin: Sleeping on a plane is really hard for us, but sometimes melatonin can give us that little push we need to get some shut-eye. We like that it is natural and not as unpredictable as stronger sleeping medications.
Airplane pillow: In that same vein, who can sleep on a plane without a good travel pillow? If you can, more power to you! We’ve tried out a lot of pillows over the years, but the BCozzy pillow is our go-to!
Packing cubes: In the last couple of years, we have both started using packing cubes. They make such a big difference! They come in multiple sizes and are a great way to keep your clothing organized, prevent your stuff from moving everywhere, and to help you fit more into your suitcase (if you don’t take that “pack light” advice too seriously)!
Wet wipes: Always carry antibacterial wipes in your carry-on (even when it’s not COVID-19 times)! Being sick on vacation is the worst, so we wipe down tray tables, armrests, and any other surfaces around us.
A good camera: Last but not least, once you arrive at your destination you will be so happy to have a good camera! Many people are happy to take photos with their iPhone, and we definitely do that sometimes when we don’t want to carry camera gear. However, when we have a full day of sight-seeing, we have been using a Canon EOS M50.
What are your international travel must-haves that we didn’t think of? Let us know in the comments. We’re always looking for tips from fellow travelers ourselves!
You can view all of these product recommendations and more by visiting our Amazon store HERE.
Thanks for reading!
-Nikki + Pam
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