Travel Things I've Been Loving Lately

We traveled A LOT this summer. We took an adventurous trip as a family of 6 to Ecuador and the Galápagos Islands. We did a relaxing week at a cabin with extended family. I took a solo trip with my 2 oldest kids to NYC and Denmark.

And throughout the summer, I found myself trying different new-to-me products that I kept reaching for that I wanted to share with you!

This is NOT a typical packing list or even a comprehensive list of travel must-haves for women. This is just my list of things I tried and loved this summer! Some are packing and travel gear, or clothes that were perfect for travel days, but some are miscellaneous items that I kept reaching for and that I think earned a spot in my personal item or suitcase.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. That means if you click on a link and make a purchase I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Things Making Travel Life Easier

The older I get, the more I find myself searching for products or services that make travel days frictionless. Here are a few items that I found myself raving about multiple times (usually to my kids who could not have cared less) throughout my trips this summer.

Walli Phone Case

I finally had to upgrade my iPhone from a 13 to a 17 Pro since my 13 kept overheating. For some reason I waited until the week before my trip to NYC and Denmark to order my new phone, so I didn’t have enough time to order a Loopy Case like I normally have on my phone. I needed something from Amazon with next day delivery!

I have used a Loopy Case for the past 8 or 9 years, so I was nervous to try something different. I knew I wanted some sort of loop on the back of the case because I find it comes in handy when I’m carrying multiple things or trying to make sure I don’t drop my phone while sightseeing.

The Walli Case seemed to fit that description. And one thing I loved even more about it was that the loop can lay flat, which I feel is an upgrade from the Loopy Case.

Technically the loop can also be propped up as a kickstand for the phone, but I didn’t find it to be that sturdy.

The other feature I really liked was a wallet pouch that can fit up to 2 cards. I didn’t think I would use this feature, but as I was going through the airport (at least for domestic flights), I put my driver's license in the card slot so I wouldn’t have to dig through my bag as I went through security.

I also found that I used it during the trip putting my credit card in the slot so I could quickly pay for meals or entry fees. As soon as I knew I wouldn’t be using my card for a while I put it back in my wallet.

I really want to order one of the magnetic cases next! You have the option of the loop on the back, but it detaches so you can use a Walli Pop (suction plate you can use on flat surfaces) or a magnetic charger.

Chase Sapphire Reserve

I held off on applying for a premium credit card for a long time. The annual fees are so high, and we live in a rural area, so I didn’t think I would be able to use many of the benefits. Plus our airport (MKE) doesn’t really have any lounges.

However, earlier this year, the Chase Sapphire Reserve had a 150k sign up bonus, and we can always use points for booking flights for our family, so I decided to give it a try.

I cannot believe how much use I’ve gotten out of this card in the past few months! The benefits truly made the annual fee worth it, at least for me this summer. I’m going to share all the benefits I’ve enjoyed for our summer travel:

• Priority Plus Select Membership: I have access to any Priority Plus lounges WITH 2 GUESTS. We have visited lounges in the Galápagos Islands, Bogotá, JFK, and Copenhagen so far this summer, saving us from spending tons of money on food in the airport. So far my favorite was the Sapphire Lounge at JFK! We got full meals there made to order. Incredible. In fact there was one long travel day that started in Copenhagen where we had breakfast and coffee at a lounge there. We had a quick layover in Amsterdam (no time for a lounge but had meals on our transatlantic flight), then another layover at JFK where we got dinner at the Sapphire Lounge before our last flight home to MKE. Incredible to have a full travel day with 3 flights and we didn’t spend a dime on airport food. The Sapphire Lounge also gave me a spacious, clean bathroom with amenities to change into pajamas and wash my face before an overnight flight.

• Annual $300 Travel Credit: This credit is automatically applied to any purchase coded as travel. In fact, one of my first purchases on this card was a hotel in the Galápagos Islands for around $600, and we only had to pay $300 after the credit was applied! (read my entire breakdown of how much Ecuador and the Galápagos Islands cost here).

• The Edit Credit by Chase Travel: This is a $500 credit in automatic statement credits annually with a maximum of $250 per transaction on a two-night minimum stay. (So you can use 2 $250 credits). The Edit hotels tend to be more expensive hotels, BUT you can find some good deals, AND you can stack this credit with the next credit I’m about to share. You also get a $100 property credit, free breakfast, welcome amenity, room upgrades and early check in/late check out when you use the Edit credit. I have something booked for later this year using this credit, so I’ll report back!

• $250 Select Hotels Credit: Get up to $250 in statement credits on prepaid Chase Travel hotel bookings for stays with IHG® Hotels & Resorts, Montage Hotels & Resorts, Pendry Hotels & Resorts, Omni Hotels & Resorts, Virgin Hotels, Minor Hotels, and Pan Pacific Hotels and Resorts. You can stack this with the Edit Credit for $500 total off a prepaid 2-night stay at a hotel that falls under the Edit category and is one of these hotel brands. We booked an Omni stay in Boston for later this year that is an Edit hotel, too.

• $300 in StubHub Credits: you get one $150 credit to use on StubHub from January-June, and one $150 credit to use from July-December. I used my first StubHub credit to book tickets for a broadway show in NYC for my daughter’s birthday trip! We saw Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. We paid $284 for 3 tickets through StubHub, but I used the $150 StubHub credit, bringing our out-of-pocket cost down to $134! Still not sure what I’ll use my credit on for the 2nd half of the year.

• Lyft Credits and 5x Points: $10 in monthly in-app credits toward Lyft rides and 5x points when you pay with your CSR. I used this for our airport transport in NYC!

• DoorDash Credits: You get up to $25 each month to spend on DoorDash, which includes a $5 monthly promo to spend on restaurant orders, and two $10 promos each month to save on groceries, retail orders and more. We don’t normally Door Dash at home, but when I’m traveling and we’re exhausted, it’s nice to be able Door Dash some food to our hotel so we can relax in our room! You can also use your Door Dash credits to stock up on travel snacks from Walgreens or Gas Stations if you have the option to pick up your order. That can really save you a ton of money in the long run!

Here is my personal referral link - not an affiliate link. If you use this link I’ll get a few bonus points, and you can earn 100,000 bonus points with Sapphire Reserve®

Travel Size Clean Towels from Clean Skin Club

I can’t believe it took me so long to use these! In the past I used washable makeup remover cloths to take off my makeup at the end of the day when traveling. However, I found that they would sometimes still be damp when I would pack up my toiletries, and I hated carrying around used makeup remover cloths without access to a washing machine.

Enter the Clean Towels from Clean Skin Club. The Clean Towels are single-use viscose face towels. They are super soft, and you can use them to dry your skin and remove makeup (after using micellar water or makeup remover…I use coconut oil as a makeup remover).

These are so convenient for makeup removal and skincare when I’m traveling, and I don’t have to carry around damp or used towels, or get the hotel towels dirty (or worry about bacteria from hotel towels).

I will definitely be purchasing these again for future trips, and I actually bought the acrylic box so we can have a set of clean towels at home!

Wanderlog

Traditionally I have done all my trip planning and organizing on a Google Doc. I made one table for the itinerary overview, then a table for each individual day of the trip. I would keep all of my reservations and confirmation codes here, but it always took forever to format how I liked it.

Plus, in order to map out each day of our trip, I would create a separate “Google My Map” to see where each attraction we wanted to visit was located so we could group our activities by location, grouping things to do near each other so we weren’t criss-crossing the city.

Lately, though, I've been craving more simplicity to my trip planning process. I have so much going on in my life, and my brain was starting to feel overwhelmed jumping from email to Google Docs to Google My Map.

Then I remembered I had used an app called Wanderlog a few years ago to help map out our Florida Keys road trip. I re=downloaded the app to my phone, and before I knew it I had upgraded to the Pro account.

I love that I can connect my email and it automatically imports hotel and flight confirmations. Another feature of the Pro account is that you can choose all the activities you want to do and it will organize your itinerary for you by location. Then if you want to, you can explore all of the locations from your trip plan to Google Maps to help you navigate when you’re at your destination.

I love that it has all the features I need to quickly map out my trip in one place. I can invite trip mates, so if I’m traveling with my parents or I want to easily share the trip plans with my husband, I can do that. I can also keep track of trip expenses and even split costs with trip mates if needed.

I also like that you can search for things to do in your destination within the map. There’ s an Explore tab that gives you different categories to research (restaurants, attractions, shopping, and fun things to do), you can read through other people’s itineraries, and it connects to TikTok and YouTube so you can look through videos about that destination to get ideas.

Check out the website and app for your next tip!

Skylight Calendar

The Skylight Calendar isn’t necessarily a travel tool, but our family schedule gets busier each year as the kids get older and are involved in more extracurricular activities. We have struggled in the past to plan out weekend getaways or smaller trips in advance because we couldn’t see everyone’s schedule at once.

The Skylight has been so useful for gathering everyone’s schedules for school, sports, jobs, camps, and more in one place. That way I can see with a quick glance if we have any free weekends a few months down the road for a quick getaway or to partner with a tourism board.

Not to mention I can put packing lists for each kid on the Skylight and they can check off their lists as they pack. (You can also add chores and routines, but I’ll stick to the travel related features on this post).

We bought the largest size (the 27” Calendar Max) and it has been a game changer in our household!

Bags + Travel Gear

Tobiq Adventure Trolley Roller Bag

This convertible bag is part hard-sided roller bag and part duffle bag with dividers. The duffel bag portion with dividers unzips from the hard sided suitcase so you essentially have 2 bags in one.

I love putting my clothes in the hard sided suitcase, then using the duffel bag dividers for different categories: one holds my toiletries and makeup, one holds my electronics (chargers, DSLR camera, tripod, etc), and one holds miscellaneous items.

I also loved using it to pack for multiple people. When we were in Ecuador, we left our sweaters, sweatshirts, long pants, and tennis shoes at my friend’s house (they live in Quito and we stayed with them for a few nights). We repacked the Tobiq bag to put all of my stuff in the suitcase portion, and each section of the duffel bag was for a different kid. It was nice to be able to fit 4 people in one roller bag since there’s a lot of moving around in the Galápagos: water taxis, ferries, planes, taxis, walking on sketchy sidewalks, etc.

Shop all of the Tobiq products HERE.

Tobiq Tiny Tech Bag

The Tiny Tech Bag was the perfect little crossbody bag with tons of pockets and organization that kept me sane on our Ecuador and Galápagos trip. Whether we were sightseeing or hiking or on an excursion this could hold my phone, it has a built-in wallet with RDIF lining and multiple card slots, and mesh pouches for coins or other small things you need to keep track of.

I loved this little bag for staying organized on the go, and wouldn’t hesitate to use this for a theme park day, a hike with my kids, or a day of sightseeing.

Shop all of the Tobiq products HERE.

Meliae Cognac Leather Camera Purse

One of the things I’ve discovered as a travel content creator is that I need different types of bags for different types of travel. It seems obvious, but I’m not really a “bag” person.

I realized I wanted a crossbody bag to hold my mirrorless DSLR camera when I’m out sightseeing. Not a backpack, because it’s too hard to get your camera in and out quickly. I also prefer a crossbody so I can keep my hand on it in crowded places so I don’t get pickpocketed.

The Meliae Cognac Leather Camera Purse fit all that criteria. It also zips closed. It’s big enough for my camera, but not too big, and since it’s technically a camera bag, it comes with padded bag organizers to keep your camera and lenses safe. I can also easily take the organizers out if I just want to use it as a purse.

The shoulder strap is wide enough that it doesn’t dig into your shoulders, and it has several organizational pockets.

I was pretty hesitant to spend the money on this bag. It was $174 which is way more than I usually spend on a purse, but I think I’ll get a lot of use out of it, and it was exactly what I needed for walking around NYC and Copenhagen.

What I’ve Been Wearing

I am by no means a fashion influencer, but there are a few items I loved wearing during my travels this summer!

AE Jorts

This felt risky. I’ve never been a fan of Bermuda shorts, but I loved the baggy, relaxed look of these longer denim shorts. Plus they’re low rise (but not too low rise like the early 2000s) which I appreciate as a short-waisted girly. The high waisted trend has gotten out of control.

Anyway, these had a baggy fit, didn’t dig into my stomach, and looked so cute and casual for my adventures this summer. I’ve been reaching for them over and over at home, too!

Old Navy Running Shorts

I love a pair of comfortable running shorts for travel days, hikes, or just sitting around the hotel or Airbnb. Lately I’ve had a hard time finding running shorts I like, since the trend seems to be high waisted shorts with wide stretchy waistbands. You would think those would be comfortable, but I find them very restricting, and I’m constantly adjusting them.

I found mid-rise running shorts on Old Navy and decided to give them a try. They have a built in liner, they’re very lightweight, and they’re not too tight in the waist. I own them in both Small and Medium. Both sizes fit fine, but the Medium are more comfortable if I’m sitting all day and want a little extra room. They have a 3” inseam, so they’re not too long or short.

The perfect classic running shorts. Unremarkable, and that’s why I love them.

Amazon Long-Sleeve Swimsuit

This was a last-minute panic purchase before our trip to the Galápagos Islands. I knew we would be near the equator with a strong sun, and I also knew we would be outside in swimsuits for a lot of our time on the Galápagos Islands. I wanted my shoulders covered so I wouldn’t have to worry so much about reapplying sunscreen.

I couldn’t really find any rash guards that I loved, so I opted for a long-sleeve swimsuit instead. I found one that looked good on Amazon and gave it a try. I love it. The only issue I have with it is that the built-in bra is not really supportive, so I bought a bandeau bikini top from Target to wear under it.

This was perfect as a mom of 4 who doesn’t always have the time or patience to reapply sunscreen on myself when I’m outside with the kids. I ended up wearing it so much for the rest of summer, even when we were swimming at lakes in WI or at my parents’ pool.

AE Long-Sleeve Shirts

When I was ordering the jorts from AE I also spotted these long sleeve shirts, and fell in love with them. It’s a staple that’s been missing from my wardrobe - I have a lot of t-shirts, and a lot of sweaters and sweatshirts, but I didn’t have enough long-sleeve shirts. I ordered 2 - the grey/white one and the light blue striped one.

They ended up being the perfect weight - heavier than a normal long sleeve shirt but lighter than a sweatshirt. The cut is boxy and slightly cropped (not showing stomach at all though). The sleeves almost have a bell cut to them, too, which adds a little interest to the silhouette. And the best part? They’re 100% cotton.

I ordered a size small since they’re oversized, and it fit perfectly. My 13-year-old daughter borrowed one the other day and it looked so cute on her, too!

Pact T-Shirts — short + long sleeve

I’m striving to build a wardrobe that works for my lifestyle of working from home, but with pieces that I can also use when I want to look nice on trips. I’ve been on the lookout for basics that can pull double duty, and the shirts from Pact fit the bill.

I ordered one Organic Soft Slub Essential Crew Neck Long Sleeve Tee in navy for our trip to Ecuador, but I’ve been reaching for it over and over again this summer because it’s so lightweight and soft. I also ordered the Softspun Essential V-Neck short sleeve t-shirt in Navy, and it’s been another one of my frequently worn items.

The Random Things

Lemme Debloat Daily Digestive Gummies

I’m not usually a big supplement person. I pretty much stick to my nightly Magnesium Complex with D3 and Zinc. However, I saw a travel-size pack of the Lemme Debloat Daily Digestive Gummy at Target, and I decided to grab one on a whim before my NYC and Denmark trip.

Normally when I'm away from home, it’s like my body knows we’re not in our comfortable routine and I often have a slight upset tummy.

I’m not sure if it was these gummies or not, but I had absolutely zero stomach or digestive issues on our 10-day trip, and I was really glad I tried these!

Not sure if I will continue taking these at home, but they will certainly be a must-have when I travel from now on.

Swedish Candy

I love sweets, and I love candy, so when we took a day trip to Malmö, Sweden during our Denmark trip, I knew I had to try some Swedish candy. Swedish candy is known for using better ingredients, and also for being very creative with textures and flavors.

I fell in love with the foam gummies even though I’m not normally a big fan of sour candies! My only regret was not buying more while we were in Sweden. Luckily, there are a few brands that you can find at Target, Walgreens, and Five Below (and probably other stores, too), like Bubs! I love the Strawberry Vanilla Bubs.

I honestly feel like a want to take a short trip to Sweden to stock up on more candy. And try more of their pastries.

Anyway, these are great “travel favorites” because we stocked up on enough while we were in Sweden to snack on during our flight home, and they were the perfect candy for a long travel day. I felt like a few gummies were fairly filling, so I got a little sweets fix without feeling like I needed to eat the entire bag.

You May Also Like…

• The Best Travel Essentials for Women (Tried and Tested)

• What to Pack for Ecuador and the Galápagos Islands with Kids

• What to Wear to Disney World in Summer to Beat the Heat (Packing Guide for Moms)

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Emily Krause is a Florida-based travel blogger who writes about exploring the world with kids. On A Mom Explores you’ll find best family travel destinations, Disney World tips, and how to make travel with babies and toddlers a little easier.

Emily believes that exploring starts in our own backyards, and adventure can happen anywhere with the right mindset.