WHAT'S IN MY PACK?

Five nonessentials I never travel without

Packing for a trip is one thing that’s always a mix of excitement and stress for me. Vacation mode is (almost) on, and yet there’s still at least one more chore that stands in your way. Packing. Ugh! Usually done in the form of a checklist for me, so I know I’m not forgetting anything. Also, this is typically when I realize that I’m not quite happy with my current wardrobe. Packing gets easier the more you do it, and for the most part what you pack is highly personal and dependent on the type of trip you’re taking.

This isn’t a recommended gear list. As I’ve mentioned before I’m no gear goddess, and while I will get into some gear that I own and love in future articles, this story focuses on the rainbow sprinkles. The personality part of the packing list. Nonessentials that serve your personal hobbies, interests, or provide a sense of normal routine to your life on the road or trail.

So here are a few things that make nearly every packing list I write, regardless of whether I’ll be staying in a tent, hotel, or with a friend.

1) Trip journal. A tradition started on a trip to Orlando, Florida back in 2001 and continued ever since. My writing style has obviously changed over the past 19 years. No more embellishments to pages with glitter gel pens and glitter glue, but the purpose remains the same. To capture the trip with all the funny stories, misadventures, good meals and to celebrate the people that shared in creating those memories.

This growing collection of journals (currently 14 in all) has become one of my most prized possessions and has mostly taken the place of collecting souvenirs -- unless I find something really special.

Journaling does take dedication and time, and often I’ll write even as I’m exhausted after a long day. The reward is capturing the thoughts and feelings of a place and time and being able to return to the trip, or at least go back and find the name of that really great restaurant in Larkspur, CA!

One of my worst travel nightmares happened in 2017, at the start of a west coast road trip with my Mom, my sister and her boyfriend. Our car was broken into in Seattle and my backpack containing my MacBook Pro and vacation journal was stolen! The journal had nearly a year of trip memories written inside. I was more devastated losing that than the hand me down MacBook. Luckily, I was able to recreate the stolen journal and many of the stories, but it will never be the same as the original that was written in the moment.

2) Nikon D3000 DSLR. One of the best gifts I’ve ever received. I’ve always loved taking pictures. In high school, I would borrow 35mm cameras from my digital arts class and shoot in black and white. Grabbing my friends and my sister, a trunk full of clothes and accessories. Driving around the city for photoshoots in different locations. Now, with iPhones and social media, it’s much harder to recognize the worth in lugging a big camera around on a hike or while exploring a city. It kind of screams tourist, doesn’t it? But, I always love seeing the pictures, getting to experience that nearly forgotten element of surprise when you get home and upload the photos to your computer and see them for the first time on the big screen. Just like the bygone era of eagerly waiting to pick up your vacation photos from being developed.

I’ll admit, I don’t know as much about my camera and all of the settings like ISO, aperture, and shutter speed. I don’t live with regrets, but I wish I hadn’t dropped out of that photography class in college. But I still believe I have a good eye. I love playing with my camera in my travels, capturing the close up macro details in nature, and I dream of someday perfectly capturing the Milky Way in a dark starry sky.

I’ll never forget my first bear sighting with my Dad in Shenandoah National Park. A mama bear and her three cubs. My Dad saw her first and signaled for me to stop, she was watching us. I knew what we should be doing, but instead I instinctively raised my camera and took two shots as the cubs bugged out. Then we continued quickly, and loudly down the trail.

3) Tick Spray. As snakes are to Indiana Jones, ticks are to me. I hate them. They freak me out and make me cringe. I’d never seen them in Pennsylvania or in my travels until 2017, when after a mild winter they were everywhere! I’d find them on my dog, Portland, use my fingers to flick them away, and then run out through the woods like I was in a horror movie. I’ve been captured in photos holding my arms up above tall grasses on narrow trails to avoid the ticks. I’ve had nightmares about ticks.

The worst tick-tastrophe was on a family trip to the newly instated Indiana Dunes National Park in 2019. Who would’ve thought that ticks could thrive on the sand dunes there? We were totally unprepared. We ended up doing less hiking than we wanted to and mostly stuck to the paved trails. Fear definitely won that round, but the defeat I felt afterward made me determined to adapt.

I’ve come a long way. After all, I couldn’t let my fear of ticks keep me out of the woods. Layering up during peak tick season, performing checks, and using a natural spray that is safe for me and Portland helps me feel safer in places I call “tick heaven” (aka their preferred environment). I’ve had great luck using YaYa Tick Ban natural spray, and have found very few ticks on my dog (and none that have latched on) when I use it.

Knocking on all the wood right now because…I’ve actually never had a tick! I know that it’s coming, with all the time I spend outside. Friends have been warned, prepared for the meltdown that will happen on that day, and hopefully someone will be there to remove it. In the meantime, I hike on...and sometimes I even wear shorts!

4) Tea Selection. For me, tea and adventure go hand in hand. Like peanut butter and jelly. One of my favorite ways to start or end the day, especially when the weather gets cooler, is with a cup of tea. I am a collector. I can’t even guess how many types of tea are in my cabinet. When I travel, I usually bring more tea than I’m ever realistically going to drink. It’s good to have options. Usually, wherever you’re staying along the way is not going to have a great selection of tea.

My travel tea tin is usually packed with black tea, green tea, something herbal and sleepy, something a bit zany like spruce tip or mushroom tea, and something to help me feel better if I’m under the weather like lemon ginger or cold care tea. It’s easy to throw in an Emergen-C packet or two with the tea bags. At home, I favor loose leaf teas and usually bring along some of my favorites like Lapsang Souchong “smoke” tea, which tastes like wanderlust in a mug to me.

The good thing is, it’s usually pretty easy to find or make hot water, wherever you’re staying. Bringing your own coffee or tea for the mornings is a great way to cut costs on a trip. Many cafes and gas stations may not even charge for hot water -- they charge you for the tea bag!

5) Reusable Water Bottle & Travel Mug. For me, this is really an essential item. I know it’s not for everyone, so I’ve included it on this list. I usually bring multiple water bottles on a trip and a well insulated travel mug for coffee and tea. Bringing reusable beverage containers helps reduce waste from single use bottles, cups, etc., and also helps you reduce travel costs! Wouldn’t you rather spend money on...anything, instead of a bottle of water?!

When I carry water, I tend to drink more water and hydration is oh so important to me when I travel. I can feel when I’m dehydrated, it’s so easy to forget to drink water when you’re busy exploring. Remembering to drink enough water is really helpful in keeping me ready and at my best during a jam packed trip.

BONUS: Reward/Junk Food. Whether you bring it with you or find it along the way, reward foods are great to keep with you when you’re traveling. Let’s face it, sometimes during a long drive or after a difficult hike, you just need it. The morale booster. Some may question it. I’ve been talked down from buying a dozen doughnuts at the start of a five day trip, and then asked later why we only bought half a dozen.

Snacks are fuel when you’re putting in trail miles, so it’s good to mix in some tasty craveables along with the healthy power stuff. Don’t forget the victory beer! More to come on that later.

So...what’s in your pack? Let’s start a conversation by posting in the comment section below. I’d love to hear some of the nonessential items that you never travel without!