3 Travel Essentials That Come on Every Trip
The three things in my travel bag on every trip: a cooler that fits our lunch boxes flat, a DIY spice stack for Airbnbs or even camping, and a tiny homeopathy kit that we use constantly.
Heads up: some links below are affiliate or referral links. I only ever link things I actually use.
LOVE WELL
Three things that make the cut on every trip
A backpack cooler, a little spice stack, and a homeopathy kit smaller than my hand.
These three come with us when we travel. Not just in summer. I bring them on basically any trip, all year. But summer is when everyone’s actually going somewhere, so it felt like the time to finally write it up.
Two of them (the cooler and the homeopathy kit) tag along on just about any outing, right down to a pool day. The spice stack is more specific: it rides along on the trips where I know I’ll be cooking. None of the three are that exciting or revolutionary. All of them save me constantly. So, one at a time for the details.
The backpack cooler that actually fits our lunch boxes
This one comes with us most places, and it’s just the right size for a day out. The reason I love this particular one: the base is big enough that our PlanetBox lunch boxes (the metal, stainless ones that are built to last, so you’re not tossing plastic and rebuying every year) lay flat on the bottom. Buying a cooler bag that fits a lunch container sounds like nothing until you actually go looking for it. It is really hard to find a cooler that isn’t enormous that will hold those flat. Ours go on the bottom, stacked, and there’s still room up top for drinks or whatever else we need. Whether it’s just the four of us or my nieces are along too, everybody’s lunch fits.
The pockets are the other reason it earns its spot. The outside side pockets are actually big enough for today’s giant water bottles (one side will even hold a bottle of wine, with a strap on top so nothing tips). I keep the top pocket loaded with napkins and disposable utensils and the front pocket stuffed with paper plates, so when we’re out and grabbing food I never have to think about it. There’s a dry compartment for a wallet and phone, elastic bands on the front for a trash bag or whatever else, and a wipeable, leakproof liner inside. We use frozen ice packs instead of straight ice for less mess/water when they melt but either would work.
I tried a bunch of coolers before this one. The others were either too small to fit the lunch boxes flat, too flimsy once you loaded them up, or their bottle pockets couldn’t fit a normal water bottle (which sort of defeats the purpose). And the ones big enough to hold everything were too heavy and bulky to actually want to wear. This one is on the bigger side (35 liters), but once it’s on your back, with the padded straps and the chest clip, it honestly doesn’t feel like it.
We generally use it as the backpack for the day that just happens to be a cooler too, which is exactly why it travels so well. We’ve used it as a carry-on on for long flights (pack the food, use frozen ice packs, refreeze when we land for the return trip), and as the grab bag on road trips so everything stays in one place. And the shoulder strap is quietly overachieving: there’s a stainless steel bottle opener built right into it, a stretchy loop for your sunglasses, and a little card slot too.
Ours is a Maelstrom (a brand you’ve almost certainly never heard of, same). One note: if you don’t have PlanetBox lunch boxes and don’t need a cooler that fits them flat, this Tourit backpack cooler is another one I loved— so much so that after we lost ours once, I bought it again. It’s only slightly too small for the lunch boxes, and if we aren’t packing those then this is the one I grab.
The little spice stack I never travel without
Quick and important distinction: I’m not hauling spices to a friend’s pool. This one only comes on the trips where I’ll actually be cooking — a week in an Airbnb, a camping trip, anywhere I’m making our meals (even just breakfast) instead of eating out.
I stole the idea from my neighbor Andi years ago. She had a medically complex kiddo and had to make all of their food from scratch, even on a week in Europe, which meant cooking every single meal. She posted this little stack of tiny containers that all clip together, each one filled with a spice or a blend from home. It clicked for me immediately, because I cook most of our food from scratch too, and I have blends and brands I actually like.
The thing about cooking on a trip: you don’t need full new bottles of anything (they take up room and it’s a waste of money), but you do need variety, because spices are how you make food taste good. And finding organic spices while you’re traveling is hard. At an Airbnb you never know how old anything in the cabinet is, or if there’s even salt. Camping, you’ve got nothing but what you brought.
So I made my own kit to take with me. Mine is a little airtight stack of six containers, a couple uses of each, and everything stays fresh. I throw it in my bag and I’ve got spices for the whole week. Mine usually has pink Himalayan salt (the salt at rentals is always the cheapest one they could find), organic pepper, organic garlic granules (I put garlic in everything), and my go to blends: Italian, Taco, and Steak, all from Primal Palate (Thrive Market carries them too!). Italian is my most-reached-for. One little section can carry a whole meal. Every friend who’s seen it says the same thing: oh, that’s such a good idea. Because they’ve all hit the exact problems I just described.
If you want more room, or you’re feeding a bigger crew, this cheaper version comes as a set of four 5-container stacks - great for a longer trip, or if you want to pack them up for different purposes (basics vs blends? Bfast vs dinner?)
My homeopathy kit (the one I actually won’t leave without)
This is the number one thing I pack, every time, whether it’s a day trip or a month, whether it’s just me or the whole crew. I know homeopathy isn’t for everyone, and that’s fine. I’ve just seen it work in my own family too many times to leave it home.
The reason it travels so well is the size. A full kit can hold 30 to 50 remedies and still be smaller than the palm of my hand, so it goes anywhere. I’ve reached for it on trips for bug bites and bee stings, for someone feeling carsick, for a reaction after too long in the pool, and for my own nerves before a flight. With that many remedies in one little case, there’s almost always something that helps in the moment. Even a small travel kit usually has enough overlap to cover you.
If you’re brand new to this, a 30c kit is a great place to start. There’s also a kit made specifically for travel, which is the one I’d grab if you just want the on-the-go version. I personally keep a bigger 200c kit everywhere I go, but I’ve been using homeopathy for a while so I’m comfortable with it.
A couple of honest buying notes, because this is where people get burned. I don’t trust one-off single remedies on Amazon. I’ve literally peeled back a label and found a different remedy underneath. Buy a sealed full kit (like the ones I’ve linked), or get the bigger kits straight from a reputable source. The places I trust: Homeopathy Works / Washington Homeopathic, Ollois, Boiron, and Professional Supplement Center as a retailer. A sealed kit in a box is always safer than a loose bottle.
For those that are skeptical of homeopathy, I get it. I was too. But here’s a story about how I became a believer years ago: my son was maybe two or three, up all night, throwing up, crying, frantic, couldn’t settle, wouldn’t let anyone put him down. Hours of it. I gave him a remedy in desperation and nothing changed, so of course you think, see, it doesn’t work. Then I sat down and did a little more research (with homeopathy you match the whole picture, not one symptom), found a better fit, and gave it to him. Within 15 seconds, and I am not exaggerating, he calmed down, fell asleep, and slept the rest of the night. Woke up totally himself. That fast. After that I was all in, because I had proof with my own eyes that it worked.
(I know homeopathy seems too woo for some people so I’m not saying you have to put these kits in your summer bag, but I do! If you’re curious about it, I’m planning to Dive Deeper into my homeopathy journey and how you can get started in some future posts. Keep an eye out if that’s of interest to you.)
The shortcut
The short hit. If you just want the picks: a cooler that holds real food, a stack of your own spices for anywhere you’ll be cooking, and a tiny homeopathy kit. This is exactly what I’d grab.
The backpack cooler (my top pick of the three). Fits our metal lunch boxes flat, big bottle pockets, dry compartment, wears like a normal backpack. Ours is a Maelstrom. No PlanetBox to fit? The Tourit is the other one I loved.
The travel spice stack, for trips where you’re cooking (Airbnb or camping). My six-container stack, or the bigger four-stack set for longer trips. Fill it with your own blends, mine are Italian, Taco, and Steak from Primal Palate.
The homeopathy kit. New to it? Start with a sealed 30c kit. Want the travel version? Here it is. Skip loose single remedies on Amazon; buy sealed kits or go direct to a source you trust (Homeopathy Works, Ollois, Boiron, Professional Supplement Center).
Before you go
What’s the one thing that always ends up in your bag when you travel? Hit reply and tell me. I’m always looking to add to mine.
Talk soon,
Kristen ❤️
The spice tip makes a lot of sense, thanks for sharing!