Suitcase Stories: Powering Up for Work Travel
Vol. 1
Pre-pandemic I traveled mostly for personal trips and have been on the receiving end of lots of jokes about how much I pack; regardless if it’s a true road trip or plane travel, I am not what you would describe as a #lightpacker (and I never claimed to be!). I also have the slight tendency to bring back more than what I left with which is a topic for another day. I do enjoy picking up event tschotches, books from conference speakers, and local souvenirs!
While no airline is perfect, I am a Southwest loyalist for their 2-free checked bag policy for this reason. Their airfare is reasonable and I can travel with up to 4 bags (2 checked, carryon + personal bag) without additional fees. However...keeping a bag under 50 pounds is more challenging than you think for someone like me!
Now that work-specific travel has picked up quite a bit in the last 14 months since starting The Social Question and I’ve noticed that I have a set of go-to travel accessories that appear in every suitcase. The ones I’m sharing today are small, portable, electric devices that really help me stay powered up when away from my home office. I’m leaving this week for a four week trip that’s a mix of work and play - a perfect time to recap for this edition of #SuitcaseStories.
This is the first post of a new travel-series here on The Social Question’s Blog so let’s dive in!
Milestone Achievement + Note: Kayte was recently accepted as an Amazon Associate, so full disclosure, she may generate a very small commission percentage if you make a purchase from the Amazon #affiliate links flagged with a star (*) below.
What’s in my bag:
Travel steamer*: I have tried several mini steamers with not-so-good results. Most smaller ones I have found tend to splash large hot bubbles onto my clothes and have a lot of mineral buildup for not using distilled water when on the road. This guy is definitely bigger, but way more efficient. Just make sure you empty the water chamber before packing!
Portable humidifier*: I was #influenced by this little cutey from Hey Dewy and have been so impressed with its performance. It DOES blink at night when it’s plugged in, so that may be distracting for some who need a total darkness to sleep. This version linked is the same as mine that is rechargeable (versus the wired-only version). Air travel tends to dry out my skin so using this at night has majorly improved my skins condition and I have less #adultacne to be embarrassed by now.
Electric toothbrush*: This is a Quip brand electrical toothbrush and it’s not as heavy duty at my home one, but a great, small alternative to still getting a deeper clean when staying in hotel rooms or airbnbs. I am on a subscription service that auto sends me the replacement battery and toothbrush head so I never miss a hygienic swap.
Hearing aid dehumidifier*: A MUST for anyone with hearing aids, but did you know you should also be cleaning and drying your ear buds, too? We’re seeing a lot of cross-over care for all things ear-care related lately. I have several versions, this latest one is the smallest I’ve used and has two dry cycles (3-hour or 6-hour). At night, this also has a bright blinking light, but is easy to cover if that disrupts your sleep. Bonus - I also keep an extra pack of batteries in the case, my preferred brand I buy in bulk are Power One*
ALTERNATIVES I use: PerfectDry* , Rosa Rugosa*, and the one I keep at home is Zephyr*
Sonic face cleanser*: (My exact one is unavailable, linked a similar one) Okay I admit that this one doesn’t always make it in my suitcase because I may have left it charging at home! This one is great because it’s much smaller than the one in my home shower, with a few different speed levels. This really gets my face wash into my pores for a deeper clean when on the road.
Small air purifier*: I think I get the most shocked expressions by this one, but I am also someone who still mostly wears a mask in high density situations with poor airflow, and wipes down my airline seat + tray when I first get on the jet. This is a micro size purifier and really only good for legitimately small spaces (some of my hotel rooms are too large for full coverage). For peace of mind I plug this in on my nightstand with the other two devices (hearing aid dehumidifier + humidifier…I know that sounds counterproductive but it’s not!).
Amazon Kindle* (+ cover*): I cannot go anywhere without this! Last week in Arizona I accidentally fell in the pool and my older generation model turned out NOT to be waterproof. Friends and family have been teasing me to upgrade the one I had for awhile anyway, but I wasn’t expecting to actually make the decision when I did. Yet, those last two days of travel without access gave me a ton of anxiety. I upgraded to the new waterproof Kindle Paperwhite - since my first one was also from the Paperwhite line, I figured this would be a more seamless experience than the Oasis model.
Cord bag* + Chargers: (My exact one is unavailable, linked a similar one) With all these devices I needed a small, compact case to keep the cords and adapters. This one is great because on one side I wrap up the cords and on the other are the chargers. [I’ll recap all of the portable chargers I use in another blog post soon!]
Computer bag organizer*: (My exact one is unavailable, linked a similar one) This one I like because I can fit all of the computer accessories inside it: bluetooth mouse* + pad, selfie light*, computer feet*, bluelight-blocking glasses*, collapsable phone stand*, computer brick + cord, back up HDMI and dongle, etc. I keep my computer accessories separate from the other cords to stay more organized.
Macbook Air (+ cover*): I’m an Apple/Mac user and love my 13inch Macbook Air because it’s so light and portable. When I’m home, I hook up to two external monitors for more screen usage, but I am partial to a compact machine if you’re going to travel as much as I do. Pro tip for shopping covers - always check the model number of your machine (for Macbooks, you can flip over your machine and find this in tiny print centered on the bottom of your laptop).
(Not pictures) 2 iPhones: Now that I am producing much more content (like my conference highlight reels!) I’ve found it’s much simpler to keep one device for media storage and the other for everyday communication. While it took some getting used to, having the back up device can be a real time saver - it keeps me distracted free when I’m making videos on a device with limited apps.
While this seems like a long list - nearly everything is shown in that top photo. My carryon suitcase is on the small side yet I can easily fit all of these devices + clothes + toiletries for a 2-3 night stay. Stay tuned for future blog posts about my luggage choices, preferred portable chargers, personal care when traveling, and more!