My husband and I are planning a trip overseas.  We have been planning this, really, for the past 5 years, before we were even married.  We wanted to do something special on the milestone years of marriage.  This is our first big one, so we thought we would go somewhere special.

No, I’m not going to tell you where we are going, but you will find out soon enough.  The only thing I will tell you is that it is outside of the country, we will be traveling between cities, and we are taking a plane.

I’m going to cover the essentials (outside of clothes) I have read should come with me on this trip.  I’ve been planning this trip since January, so the itinerary has been done for quite some time.  While I’ve been waiting for the actual trip, I started researching what to bring and how to bring it.  In the next blog, I’m going to show you how I actually packed it.  Because we are going to be traveling a lot between cities, I’m bringing a carry-on and a purse only.

So that should be interesting.

On to the stuff!

This is what we are bringing on the plane.  I hope to sleep through most of the flight, hence the eye mask and earplugs.  By the way, ear plugs are much cheaper in the hunting dept at Walmart than they are in the travel aisle.  Just saying.

Airplanes are very dry and sometimes cold, so I am bringing cozy socks and lotion to stay warm and moisturized.  And of course you can’t forget neck pillows!  🙂

This is that famous one quart bag that TSA requires on all flights.  I like the ones with the zipper top that let me know all my liquids are sealed.  Not everything is shown here, as I still am wearing my makeup, but I can’t forget chapstick has to be here as well!

Because there is a finite amount of space in that one quart bag, it’s important to find as much as you can in solid form.  There are a lot of companies out right now with face wipe products.  I tried Simple, but my skin reacted poorly to it, so I switched to Yes to Cucumbers, which has softer wipes, as well as better for my sensitive skin and eyes!

I included deodorant here as well because it is a solid and doesn’t have to be included in the quart bag.  There are also lotion bars and bar soap as other solid options, but I feel more comfortable with my cream lotions and body wash.  It’s all about what works for you.

This is an amazing find to help deter pickpockets.  Apparently thievery is a big epidemic, so I wanted a purse I could carry with me that would keep my things safe.  Travelon has a number of these anti-theft purses in different styles.  This is the cross body bag.  Usually at least one style is on sale on Amazon.  I got this one for about $30.  It has lavalieres that connect to the top and front zipper that keep them from being opened easily.  It also has chain mesh and steel wire in the purse that protect it from being slashed (although I don’t know if I would get into that situation, but it’s good to know).

Speaking of safety, one more thing we bought was a padlock for each of our carry-on luggage.  Just like the purse, I wanted to make sure I had a little bit of a deterrence on public transportation for the pickpockets.  Now, I don’t think it’s going to be a major problem, but it’s more just for a peace of mind.

Speaking of peace of mind, it’s always good to have some travel medications on hand.  I tend to get headaches during major weather change (in fact, I’ve had a sinus infection just recently), so Ibuprofen was a must.  Also, when eating in another culture, it’s good to have some Pepto, or other stomach medication, especially with my picky stomach.  All the medications (as well as some band-aids and blister pads) will be stored in my purse in a little pocket.

So, those are the major things that I’ve thought about bringing as far as the little essentials.  Do you have any advice or learned what to bring and what not to bring on a trip?