It's 2026...Let's Go!

So the world hasn't become any less of a dumpster fire in 2026, has it? It’s time to hit the escape hatch if you can. Between now and summer, between my husband’s work, checking in on family, and some bucket list fun, we’ll be on the road a fair amount. Here are some tried and true things that are working for me that might make your travel life better too.

I have a habit of leaving toiletries behind, as I keep finding my left overs in multiple family guest bathrooms. But cheap stuff often leaks and makes your suitcase a mess. I found these bottles on Amazon and they are leak-free troopers:

They are just under $10 for 6, so easy to replace the orphans. The labels I added myself but sometimes I wonder why…I have washed my hair with face soap 1,000 times.

I always have re-usable shopping bags in my carry on backpack. When we travel we are either grocery shopping for our AirBnB or are going on an excursion where my carry on back pack is too much. Enter Notabag! It folds up into a small attached pocket, but the straps are made so that you can carry it shopping bag style or as a backpack. We just took a trip to a beachy type place and I used this every day (saving my carry on from getting sandy and wet).

Whether going from hot to cold, cold to hot, or you just always get cold on the plane, you can never go wrong with a jean jacket. It always seems to be just about right for wherever I am going. And you don’t have to spend a lot. Mine is like this one from Old Navy, has been stuffed into numerous bags, been dragged on the ground, spilled on and washed many times. It only gets better with age (like me - ha!)

One last thought…I don’t need t-shirts or other usual souvenirs, and am really trying to keep life less cluttered. But lately my jam has been picking up a tiny piece of art. Here is my collection so far:

I can’t wait to add more to this space.

What’s your go to travel hack?