Want to make sure you always have everything you need on hand for your next trip? After years of traveling and living abroad, I’ve put together my most complete list of travel essentials for women!
Now that I think of it – my very first trip abroad was when I was sixteen and going to Italy and Greece on a school program! I was obsessed with being as chic as I could while knowing I’d be doing a lot of walking and sightseeing. You should’ve seen the way I agonized over what to pack! And the funniest part was, most of my outfits definitely did not stand the test of time. Plus Europe was a lot cooler in early April than I thought, so I wound up wearing a my swim team jacket everywhere to stay warm! Definitely not the stylish image I had in my head.
On top of that I wound up bringing a lot of things I didn’t need. Like a money pouch. I cannot emphasize how much you really do not need a money pouch. Think about it this way. Most of the places we travel to, people live here everyday. Do you really think they’re slinging on a money pouch? No! Plus, I had the one that went around your neck and every single photo I looked a little pregnant because of how it made my shirts and dresses protrude.
1. A GOOD PAIR OF SUNGLASSES
I mean, this is a no brainer. Sunglasses are an absolute essential no matter who you are or where you’re going (unless you’re going somewhere like Svalbard during polar night). Besides the obvious factor of protecting your eyes from the sun, I find they also come in handy for two other occasions:
- On the plane when they still have the overhead lights on but they’re too bright and you’re not ready for a full on eye mask
- In photos when you’re not exactly feeling photogenic
I also strongly recommend buying sunglasses in a style that suits your face not necessarily what’s trendy. Like aviators are cool, but they absolutely dwarf my face and make it look weirdly long! Not cute. I personally like rounder styles, and the one pair I specifically tend to buy often are these ones from Amazon. On the nicer end, I like the Ray-ban Erika style. As a bonus, get a decent sunglasses case so you can prevent them breaking when you’re not wearing them.
2. ANY SKINCARE PRODUCTS
This is your reminder to not forget your skincare. Sure, if you’re going on a weekend trip you probably don’t need the whole she-bang, but you’d be surprised at how quickly your skin will turn on you when you take away your routine. (Or maybe that’s just me!)
At the very minimum have a face wash and a good face cream. I’m still experimenting with face washes as I suddenly started getting hormonal acne in the last year, but the one cream I like buying over and over again is the Innnisfree Brightening Sleeping Mask. It’s really moisturizing while still feeling quite light and it lasts forever.
3. THE PERFECT FACE SUNSCREEN
This should hopefully go without saying, but you do need a different sunscreen for your face than the rest of your body. Face sunscreens are formulated differently as our skin there is more sensitive and prone to irritation and acne. Don’t try to save room by skipping it.
I recommend finding one that doesn’t feel greasy and is good for daily wear. Personally obsessed with La Roche-Posay’s stuff, specifically the fluid face sunscreen! Ever since Elissa introduced me to the wonders of French pharmacy skincare, I’ve been trying some different things. This and the melt-in sunscreen from LRP blows every other face sunscreen I’ve tried out of the water, and this includes the Neutrogena face stick, the Sun Bum stick, and Innisfree’s offerings! The fluid face bottle is also quite small, so you won’t need to decant it or anything to make it travel-size.
4. INNISFREE’S NO SEBUM PRIMER
Hear me out – this stuff will change your life. If you’re prone to shiny forehead syndrome like I am, the Innisfree No Sebum Primer is the closest we’ll ever get to a miracle cure. I pretty much never wear make-up, but when I’m in more humid climates, I always make sure to put this on my forehead and nose. It’s feels really lightweight and has none of the chalkiness of normal primers. A little goes a long way, so it lasts ages.
5. A LIP BALM THAT’LL ACTUALLY WORK
This is your reminder to remember to pack one (or three) lip balms in your bag, carry-on, and checked suitcase. Nothing is as torturous as having dry lips but not being able to find a good chapstick! I’ve gone through a lot of brands, but my preferred ones are Innisfree Green Tea Lip Sleeping Mask (lasts forever), Burt Bees, and Lisa Eldridge’s lip glosses. I find poorly made ones feel thin and like they just sit on your lips instead of sinking in and doing their job, but all three of those always work really well!
6. A GOOD FACE MIST
Face mists are a bit of a debated item as some people just think their superfluous. I disagree. A face mist is the perfect thing to have in your bag for a quick pick-me-up, especially on a long plane ride or if you’re out and about sightseeing. I love, love, love the Caudalie Beauty Elixir, but I have quite a few favorites I need to put in a post!
7. A CHIC LIPSTICK
As I said in my intro, I do like to be somewhat stylish when traveling unless I’m on some multi-day trek. This isn’t easy if you’re traveling through different climates, packing light and more functional, and wearing the same clothes over and over again.
Cue – a good lipstick. Specifically a good red lipstick. You could have the puffiest face but throw on a pair of sunnies and swipe on a red lip, and bam! Easiest way to look and feel a bit more glam.
As for my choices? It depends. Over all, I am obsessed with Lisa Eldridge’s velvet lipsticks. I have Velvet Ribbon, Velvet Dragon, and am hoping to get Velvet Cinnabar! For non Velvet, I’ve gotten her Spirited Away, Painterly, and Rainbow Spill. The ONLY one I didn’t like was Rainbow Spill as the formula is really drying, but the rest have been dreams. They nice thing about them is that they go on and sit on the lips really nice and they come off quite easily when you sit down to eat. So I know I can start eating and just lift my napkin up and clean off my lips without it being weird. Nothing I hate more than when you get that outline of lipstick that won’t come off!
Some other favorites are Maybelline Liquid Lips. That formula will cling to your lips like its life depends on it; though I’ve had mixed result with more oily food. My only problem is that if it does start to come off, it flakes off and is really, really hard to fix or take off all the way.
Another long time favorite is the Etude House Ink. It’s more a light stain so it’s nice if you want something a bit more low key.
8. A BLACK SILK FACE MASK
In this day and age, we might as well always be traveling with some sort of face mask. By far the best material to get is a silk one and preferably with adjustable ear straps and a little thing to pinch at the nose. Silk feels the lightest and is the most breathable for your skin. Linen is also great, and I love my sparkly linen ones but I definitely prefer silk. Etsy has a ton of brands, and I personally ordered this one in black. Definitely do black as it won’t show any make-up or lip stains!
9. A SHEET MASK
I know this seems superfluous but I promise it’s not. Sheet masks are so moisturizing and do wonders to combat drier air, especially when on an airplane. Like, you should be the crazy looking one who whips out a sheet masks and relaxes with it on for 20 minutes before the end of a flight! Again, I defer to Innisfree. I’ve been using sheet masks since I studied in Korea in 2011, and they still make my favorite. I don’t recommend getting any that are more silicon-y as they tend to slip and slide more.
10. A WEIGHTED EYE MASK
I always think an eye mask is good to have on hand regardless. However, you have not lived until you’ve tried a weighted sleep mask! My mom got me one for Christmas a few years ago, and I’ve had it with me ever since. I can’t even begin to describe how superior it is to a normal eye mask.
FOR THE REST OF THE HEAD
11. ANY HAIR PRODUCTS YOU CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT
Listen, if you are the type of person who can get away with just using the hotel shampoo on your hair, snaps for you. I, and most women, I know are not like this. I get dandruff pretty easily and I find my hair gets this almost straw-like dryness when I used the wrong products. For me, this means I always need to travel with my own Head & Shoulders shampoo and a good hair serum for after. If it’s a longer trip I’ll bring some conditioner, but I can getaway with hotel conditioner or none at all with short trips. I hated the OGX Coconut Milk Serum. Garnier Fructis Sleek & Shine is okay, but I wound up re-buying the camellia hair oil serum from Innisfree as it ultimately felt the nicest. Just one or two pumps through damp hair!
12. A SCRUNCHIE OR TWO
This is your reminder to not forget your hair tie and back-up hair ties! I know I said nothing is worse than dry lips and being unable to find chapstick, but wanting to get your hair out of your face and off your neck and not having a hair tie is at least equally as bad. I prefer scrunchies since they don’t leave a dent in your hair or on your wrist, and since I have dark hair, the black scrunchies blend in for the most part. My secret to photo-ready hair even in the Moroccan dessert is to gather your hair in a pony and then do a loose wrap around bun and secure with a scrunchie. When it comes time to take the photo, shake your hair out, do a little head flip, and boom!
13. A PATTERNED HAIR SCARF
Hair scarves are by far my favorite accessory. They’re so easy to wear that they dress up a simple ponytail and the style with a scrunchie at the end can be used as a hair tie! I bought a few fun, patterned ones from Anthropologie a few years ago. Mostly what I do is either a low pony where I wrap the scarf part around once and let it flow with my hair or I put all my hair in a high bun and wrap the scarf ends around and tie at the bottom. My other favorite is just a plain black and white polkadot scarf from Uniqlo that I usually wear with ponytails.
14. A MINI HAIR BRUSH
Just a little one! I have an old one from Target. Bonus if you can find the one that’s better to use on wet hair in the shower. Most of the time hotels just have these crumby little plastic combs, so you want something better than you know will make it through your hair in one piece.
15. A CUTE PAIR OF SMALL HOOPS
More than any style, I think a cute lil pair of hoops is always good to have on hand. A prefer smaller pairs most of the time, but I do like a bigger hoop if I want to dress up a look. I have these Lil’ Thickies from Unsalted Honey which are great if you have more sensitive skin!