The 5 Essentials That Make Me Feel Normal When I Travel

Greetings from New York! I’ve just hit the ’10 days away from home’ mark and although there isn’t long left until we head back to U.K shores, I have to say that as a homebody, I think by the time we’re on that flight I’ll be pretty excited to be homebound. Whilst I love to travel and explore, I also love my own bed, my home comforts and Brighton. I’m a creature of habit and so there are always a few things that I like to pack in my suitcase whenever I go away to make the process a little more comfortable and make me feel like I still have a couple of my at-home routines down. Back in the day it was all beauty-based, whereas now it’s a mix of scents, clothing and DVD’s that get lugged along with me. Nothing noted here particularly takes up that much space (so there’s still plenty of room for purchases), however they all play a big part in my hotel room morning and evening routines…

Spray It Right. Isn’t scent such a funny thing? The other day I smelt something that reminded me of the Impulse spray that the Spice Girls did back in the ’90’s and it almost made me cry because the nostalgia was that strong. Viva forever indeed. When I travel I like to have familiar scents around. I’ve tried the whole ‘travel candle’ thing, but it just feels a tad eye roll-y and I never ended up using them (plus they’re banned in most hotels anyway!). Instead I opt for the pillow spray that I use most nights at home – the This Works Deep Sleep Pillow Spray – and my current scent which is the Kiehl’s Fig Lead & Sage EDP (now discontinued – boo!). I just used up a bottle of the Escentric Molecule Molecule 01 perfume and this was the only handbag-size scent I had hanging around. It’s bringing back all sorts of memories because it’s the one I wore to Coachella last year too; so to me it smells of sun, good times and mojitos.

Get Comfy. One time I went away for two nights to the middle of nowhere and forgot my pyjamas. Such an error. I spent two extremely uncomfortable and slightly stinky evenings, sleeping in the one jumper that I’d worn on the way there. I’m someone who the minute I get through the door, whips off my outdoor clothes to change into something that’s soft, slouchy and has an elasticated waistband. I take my lounging time seriously. This is why whenever I go away, I not only pack pyjamas, but also just some general comfy tops, bottoms and a hoodie. If I don’t end up making use of them in the hotel, then I can pretty much guarantee that I will on the outward and inward flights.

Snack Attack. I love a hotel minibar. After checking to see whether I’ve been blessed with a bath tub in the room, it’s the second thing I go looking for. There’s nothing quite like a bag of salted nuts or a fridge-cooled Snickers bar when the midnight munchies set in. They don’t however, come cheap and as the previous sentence personifies, definitely aren’t the healthiest of things. That’s why I always travel with some kind of snack stash; some naughty and some nice. You can’t go wrong with Dairy Milk Giant Chocolate Buttons, so I always make sure there’s a pack (or two) in my suitcase and/or hand luggage, but I also throw a couple of Bounce Balls in there for mornings where I’m starving and can’t wait till brunch or evenings when I need something sweet.

Let Me Entertain You. I very rarely end up turning on the TV when I’m in a hotel room. It’s a fact that entertains Lily no end. I don’t often watch TV when I’m at home and I always end up panicking that I’ll have to call reception because I can’t work out how to turn it off, or turn it on when it’s tuned into some kind of awfully gory hospital programme. Instead I rely on my laptop; Netflix and loads of pre-downloaded shows from iTunes. This time round I’ve been obsessed with Sex and The City. So I packed the last couple of discs of the boxset in my suitcase, along with my DVD drive. I find that by having books or shows or films that you actually want to watch, you never end up bored on the flights there and back and you have a bit of evening wind-down viewing too (watched from a bath tub is the ultimate dream).

Work It. The nature of being a blogger/YouTuber/however you define it these days, is that it’s quite the 24/7 slog. Depending on the nature of the trip, it’s either business related or a personal trip with friends or family. Whatever it is, I always like to have some kind of work-related kit with me. My MacBook comes with me everywhere because it has my whole life on it (plus it’s great for SATC viewing) and I like to have my Bullet Journal on hand to because it tends to be when I switch off that I get a spark of new ideas incoming. It’s like a ‘just in case’ situation, but whatever the reason it makes me feel like home. Whenever I’m typing away at a keyboard it feels like home… Ha! Pass the sick bucket, eh? 

Photos by Lauren Shipley

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