Time for our final hurrah now that the end of summer is approaching. Some are making there way to indulge in the beauty of the South of France, some are cruising around the Galapagos Islands while others are fly fishing in Bigfork, Montana.
I just returned from the greatest trip of my life, traveling from Monaco to the magical town of Eze, driving to Cannes and dining at Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc in Antibes, helicoptering to the glitzy St Tropez. From there flying to one of my favorite cities, Barcelona and ending in the city that doesn’t sleep, Ibiza. One day, i’ll do a post recapping all the fish, bread, rosé I consumed but today I want to focus on some of my travel necessities.
The biggest problem for me when I travel is my inability to go to the bathroom- not sexy i know, but hey it’s the truth. I made the mistake of not bringing enough things to assist me with this process and I do NOT want you to make the same mistake I did (you’re welcome). Magnesium is a big thing for me, like it’s my everything when it comes to being able to poo; I ran out of my magnesium pills because I was hanging them out like candy to friends who were having the same issue (i’m a good friend, I know 🙂
My fav brands include: Mag O7 ($39.95 on Amazon Mag O7) and Pure encapsulations- Magnesium ($34.80 on amazon: Pure)
Second mistake I made that I typically don’t is to bring a Z-pack, this is a must and boy do I wish I had! I didn’t get sick, but my fiancé did. This would have come in super handy and prevented the 2 doctors calls we had to make. I usually go to my doctor ahead of time and get a z-pack prescribed. Speaking of my traveling medicine cabinet, I of course, keep ibuprofen, tums (the tums chewy bites are bomb and taste like candy!), dayquil/nightquil tablets- just in case, vitamin b-12 tablets, Omax cognitive boost (always keep up my omega-3’s #sponsored) and Omax Stress & Sleep Remedy (I love taking this when I get on a plane, especially long flights- this stuff not only relaxes me but also helps me sleep on those long flights- use link and get 20% off: Omax Stress & Sleep). One final thing to consider… hangover cure, if you’re anything like me you drink copious amounts of rosé and tequila on your vacay and need something, anything, to be able to recover quickly. My two go-to’s are: Ez hangover pills ($39.95 on Amazon Ez Hangover) and Pedialyte packets, love these little electrolyte savors.
I don’t know about you guys but I bloat when I travel, like really bloat… I often get cankels #notsexy. A couple of things I try to do to eliminate this, is: drink a lot of water, take my magnesium, no drinking alcohol or caffeine on the flight (I wait for that rosé for when I land), take a probiotic – try and have your gut as healthy as possible (Omax is the probiotic I use) and finally…. snacks- this is important to me, because I don’t want to get hangry but also I don’t want to get off the plane with giant ankles – I typically take small packs of almonds (unsalted preferred), 72% dark chocolate- (fun fact: these little guys have polyphenols that known as flavonoids, a type of antioxidant. Flavonoids from chocolate may help improve brain function and help prevent blood clots and strokes); protein bars, and cut up veggies (do NOT i repeat do NOT eat airplane food).
Skincare must continue when on vacay. A couple of my go-to’s are: Dr Dennis Grossman Alpha Beta Peels, these little guys are amazing to keep off dead skin and keep my skin so fresh and clean. Just be careful to use these and then go in the sun. I’m also loving Christie Kidd’s face wash, it is amazing for my skin, doesn’t break me out and helps keep my skin clear. I then follow it up Dr. Bussell’s toner, which is my absolute fav and then use my IS Clinical Active Serum. For the day, sunscreen is a must. I am a recovering sun addict, still not fully recovered but at least now I put either SPF 30 or 50 on my face. I love Control Collective (they are little more expensive, and its an SPF 30) or supergroop (which is slightly cheaper and has a 50 SPF).
I have tried to make a switch to natural deodorant and while I am not always able to keep up with this, I found one I love- Kopari has the best natural deodorant I have found. I love it. My only issue with them is when I really sweat it isn’t always super effective, but as far as an everyday deodorant I love it.
Fitness- now this isn’t always something we can keep up with when we travel. I try not to be hard on myself, I eat what I want and try to have no guilt when doing so, after all one of the greatest things about being on vacation is experiencing the food. Two things that I typically do- 1. walk, take advantage of wherever you are and walk! One day my fiancé and I ended up walking 24,000 steps (trust me that’s a lot!) and 2. I love Arena Strength bands- they come in a small easy to carry case and have workouts that you can literally do anywhere. I love these! No I’m not sponsored by them but would love to be :)))) Here is a link to their bands: Arena Bands
One final tip: I love putting dry sheets in my sneakers and I take “odor eating balls” and stick them in with my underwear and socks- once my clothes get dirty I put these and my dirty clothes in a separate bag to keep from smelling up my other clothes. It works like a charm!
This sounds like a lot but it really it isn’t. What is helpful to me is making checklists for each category of travel: 1. clothes, 2. shoes, 3. accessories, 4. workout stuff, 5. what to bring on the plane, 6. snacks, and 7. medicine cabinet. I love making lists and it helps keep me organized.
I love hearing what other people need when they travel… what are your must-have travel needs?
