Top Travel Gifts and Gadgets for 2022!
When it comes to packing and traveling, NOT having enough space in your suitcase/bag, always seems to be the biggest obstacle! I, personally, have had to improvise, come up with clever hacks, replace, do away with, or purchase some great (and not so great) travel gadgets that have helped (or failed) me throughout the years! To assist you, I want to teach you …
1. How to cheat weight limits
2. How to pack your suitcase the RIGHT way, and….
3. I want share a few of my favorite travel tools that I generally take on every trip!
Some of these items may not be required on YOUR next trip, but if you are a SOLO Chica on a Trip, I highly encourage you to purchase a few of the safety items for future travels! Or if you have a friend, sister, or partner that can benefit from any (or all), perhaps you’d like to gift it to them this Christmas!
Ok, so here we go….
How to Cheat Weight Limits
First and foremost, I recommend that you wear your heaviest items (e.g. jeans, hiking boots, headphones, thick socks…etc), and dress in layers: leggings under jeans, two scarves, stack-up hats on your head, and wear a tank-top, a tee, and a sweater on your flight—this will free up lots of space in your suitcase/bag. Once you board the plane—not before—you can remove all your extra layers of clothing!
Insert heavy items (e.g travel-size hair styling tools, bendable shoes, umbrellas, accessories…etc.), into all your jacket pockets, including the neck area. If you hang your travel pillow from your personal bag, it’ll leave room in your personal bag/carry-on for bulkier and heavier items, such as shoes, steamer, cameras, and ALL your electronic equipment. **NEVER check-in your expensive items, electronics, jewelry, and prized possessions--pack them in your personal bag**! And if you are bringing a towel, use it as your blanket.
How to Pack Your Suitcase the RIGHT Way
Roll your soft garments and arrange them against the sides of your suitcase/bag. Fold thick garments, stack them up, and place them inside a travel compression bags (don’t forget to roll the air out)—you will be genuinely pleased. Squeeze socks and undergarment into the corners and into the inside of your shoes. Wrap your shoes with shower caps (you can get a 3-pack for 99 cents), lay them on their side, and wedge-in the gaps.
ONLY bring TSA size approved reusable containers (under 3oz/100ML), and refill up to, and as needed. And lastly, place dryer sheets in between your items to keep everything smelling fresh. **Chicas, I personally do NOT recommend you take make-up caboodles, brush cases, or toiletry hanging bags—they take up too much space and are just unnecessary**
If you follow these detailed steps, you will be able to take more items, buy new ones at your destination, and possibly take only a carry-on, as I often do!
Now, let’s get into some of my travel FAVES!
While I adapt and generally only take what is necessary, the items that I am about to share go with me on every trip! Full details and links are incorporated into this blog, so please scroll till the end!
I often travel solo, so for my safety and privacy, I always take portable door lock! It’s easy to use and WILL add an extra level of security! It is relatively small, compact, and can offer a peace of mind, so go ahead and get one!
Portable Travel Security Door Locker
Another item that I consider a MUST is a hidden camera detector! It is cheap and truly works! I tried it at home and it sighted my hidden camera!! Thankfully, it has not detected any concealed and inconspicuous recording devices during my travels! And hopefully, it never does!
Pocket-Sized Hidden Camera Finder
So, I must rave about the next item: compression bags!!
They are my FAVE travel hack! You will squeeze LOTS of clothes into these special “ziploc” looking bags, and it will compress everything flat, like a book!! Be advised that you WILL need to iron your garments, as they will be completely wrinkled upon retrieving, but who cares? You will have a bigger selection of outfits to choose from!
Roll-Up Travel Compression Bags
And for my Chicas, if you want to look FAB on vacay, I recommend you make a one-time investment and purchase some travel-size hairstyling tools! They are light, work fantastic, and will free-up lots of suitcase space! I love my CHI set—the tools even fit into my jacket pockets, so it’s a double win-win!
CHI Tourmaline Ceramic 3-Piece Haircare Travel Set
A guide to my top travel gifts wouldn’t be complete without mentioning our OFFICIAL Chica on a Trip MERCH!! Head over to our Shop and grab yourself your very own & snap photos with us all around the world!
Official Chica on a Trip Travel T-Shirt!
I can't stress this enough: traveling smart and light is the BEST way!
Sure, I have been doing this for over two decades and have an advantage over the average traveler, given I lived onboard an Aircraft Carrier during my Military Service, so I know how to pack “right” and make EVERYTHING fit into my suitcase! But even so, there are some sizeable items that I have to pack on every trip, and depending on my destination, I may even have to take heavier, bulkier, or one-time-use items; thus, I am required to squeeze-in garments, into every corner. Nonetheless, packing right and light certainly has its perks: it’s much easier, you know where everything is placed, and it can preserve you during a “search!”
STORY TIME!!
Back in 2012, upon arriving from my trip to Brazil, I was directed to secondary inspection, searched, and “detained” at LAX. Several Customs Agents questioned me, over and over, for almost two hours! I became irate and extremely frustrated, since my ride home was waiting for me in the parking lot, so I demanded that they call the Shift Commander, because they didn’t have any reason to hold me back and my rights were being violated LOL! Soon after, a high-ranking Officer arrived and began to interrogate me. A couple of minutes later, the Officer asks me to retrieve my bag (again), place it on the inspection table, and step back!
He unzips my carry-on, flips it open, glances at me, smirks, and asks “What branch of service were you in?”
I looked at him completely puzzled and respond “Navy!” And then he says…
“There’s ONLY one group of people that know how to pack like this! I am sorry for the way you have been treated today. Thank you for service! You are free to leave.”
….And just like that, I knew that I was a Master Travel Packing Expert….