7 Essential Travel Must-Haves and Tips for Your Adventures

There are things that we just have to have with us when we travel. Whether it is for vacation, business, site seeing (cause that is not relaxing ;)), or rejuvenation time.

These are my favorite must haves...

1. A good book, that requires relaxation.

2. A diffuser with oils to help with allergies and stress

3. A good moisturizer

4. Comfortable shoes AND comfy flip flops

5. Access to healthy clean food and water

6. Your Pillow from home

7. Frankincense essential oil, never without it.

A Good Book..

Unless you are taking a vacation that is a non stop sight seeing destination, then a book may not be in your interests or time! But.. if you are going to a place to get some down time, then a couple of books may be a ticket to some much needed relaxation!

I know there are so many tech ways to "read" a book, kindle, ipads, apps, etc.. (and if that is your preferred style, then stock up that reading list!) ...but there is something about holding a book with paper that demands your body and mind to relax. To be in the moment of that book and place. There are no distractions from the phone and technology.. and you actually get to READ! ;)

On a road trip, i have been known to bring one of those soft, foldable cube boxes and put books in it! My girls love books too, so i load it up! For airplane rides, paper back books are preferred as they are light weight and easier to store. And sometimes the airport has a "swap a book" station... a library type shelf where you can exchange your book for another!

They type of books I bring on vacations are usually fiction, Christian based, novels. Something that is light reading so that I can relax! Now, I love a good legal mystery (authors like John Grisholm, Robert Whitlow), but sometimes i need my brain to chill. (you know what I mean!)

When i get ready to read, i will make sure my girls (they are teens!) are fed, or have food, hubby is good, and grab a blanket (if it is chilly), and cup of tea or coffee, or wine.. depending on the time of day, and find a spot with a window and comfy chair. My family loves to actually see me relax, so I can read for hours! Expecially when i am away from my own home! ;)

This is a diffuser from Amazon.. click the pic to see it. NOT an affiliate, just sharing!

Diffusers...

I have to have clean air! And yes, I travel with my diffusers! Essential oils do A LOT to help with relaxation and clearing the air of toxins. We all have allergies that flair up when we travel, so being able to diffuse our oils so we can breathe better is so helpful!

Now, the oils I diffuse are 100% pure, from Doterra.. this is not a post to sell you anything, but rather to help you naturally think of ways to help alleviate stress while traveling!

The first thing I do, when we get to the hotel room, or location, is to pull out the diffuser and get it going.

A Good Moisturizer...

You never know how another state or countries climate is going to feel on your skin. After living in Florida for over 30 years, every place feels dry to me! We do have a ridiculous amount of humidity here, which. makes going anywhere else kinda challenging... based on the dryness. So this is always on my list, to have plenty of moisturizing options and mini containers to put everywhere!

My TIPs: Be prepared by drinking lots of water,

eating healthy fats (avocados, coconut oil, real butter on toast ;) ),

and applying extra lotions if needed.

You may need to bring your winter time moisturizer and a hydrating serum!

Travel size containers have made life so easy, I can bring little dabs to last a few days or even a week at a time and not carry around the bug huge jars and bottles!

And...your face lotion can work for hands too! If it's not too expensive! ;)

Comfy shoes and Flip Flops!

Well, the comfy shoes are probably are given, but I have seen so many people bring and wear dressy flats and heels that then suffer cause their feet and backs hurt! Those shoes are great for a few hours and the right occasion, especially if you are business traveling. But even then, you need to have comfort! Supportive shoes and yes, flip flops or slip on shoes with open toes. I bring them on every trip! And slippers too! I don't really like walking around a hotel room or an Airbnb house in my bare feet, so I bring my essentials! And I don't like to bring a ton of shoes, they get heavy and take up too much space, So I plan outfits around the shoes! ;)

not my shoes, but just ideas!

Bring your Own Pillow!

Yup.. I take mine everywhere! I detest sleeping on a pillow that I have no idea how it will support my neck, is it too soft, too hard, will I wake up with a sore neck, or have weird dreams or get sick....did someone's pet sleep on that pillow?

Yup, that is where my brain goes when I think about "other" pillows... LOL! But.. seriously!!

So.. I put about 3 pillow cases and bring 2 extras for when I arrive to destination. the 'travel cases" get used for dirty clothes, and the fresh ones get put on right when I get there. And then the other fresh one for when I travel again!

And then I know that my neck and back and dreams and germs are safe! ;)

Keep your body strong!

Eat Food to Fuel you!

This is not a long post or lesson on food or nutrition, but just a reminder, that traveling can be stressful and will take it's toll on your body.

Take care to eat whole foods that will give you energy and protect your immune system. Eliminate any sugar treats. Save them for home! Sugar beats up your immune system for over 5 hours each serving that you have! (eyes open wide!)

And drink bottled water! You never know what the water in any state or country will do to you, so drink it bottled! Make sure to get a case for your hotel room too! Then you have it with you at all times. If I make coffee in the hotel room, I use the bottled water for that too.

I eat salads, and lots of raw veges and stay away from most meats. When I go to a restaurant, I am just careful to make sure that I am not carbs with only protein.. but adding in the veges.

Frankincense... It does a body good!

I never go anywhere without it!

I could teach a month of lessons on this essential oil, but I will leave you with these tips instead...

~It is calming to emotions. like the "sit down and have a sandwich" calm!

~It is protective of your immune system, like the "commander in chief" armor of God protective!

~It is helpful when you have migraines or headaches.

~It is great for skin care, anti aging, bug bites, wounds, rashes, etc.

~It is the mechanic to your cells operating systems.

~ Great driving companion, as it helps with stress and road rage!

All around.. "When nothing else clicks, Frank's the fix"