Some links in this post are affiliate links. If you shop through them, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend things I'd actually pack myself.
There's a short list of things that go in my bag regardless of where I'm headed or how long I'm gone. I've left one of the items behind at some point and immediately wished I hadn't.
Here's that list.
HOUSE DAY Vacuum Storage Bags, 15-pack
Roll out the air before you leave. Extra layers, a sweater, anything soft compresses down to a fraction of the space. The same bags do the same thing on the way home when you're trying to fit everything back into a suitcase that was somehow fine three days ago.
Travel Pill Organizer, 3-pack, 14 Grids
If you take any daily medication, a compact pill organizer keeps everything sorted so you're not digging through a bag at 6am in a dark hotel room. Fourteen grids gives flexibility for a longer trip; the three-pack means you can organize different categories or share with people traveling with you.
Neutrogena Makeup Remover Towelettes
Single-use wipes that handle face cleansing without a full skincare setup. Useful on the flight home, on late nights when checkout is early, and anywhere you want clean skin without making a production of it.
BAND-AID Portable Compact First Aid Kit
Blisters happen. Small cuts happen. A compact kit covers most of what comes up on a trip without taking up much space, and saves you from finding a pharmacy somewhere unfamiliar at the end of a long day.
That's the everyday list. None of it is fancy, but every item on it has solved a real problem on a real trip.
If you pick up anything through the links above, thank you. It helps keep Sunshine and Travel running, and it doesn't change what you pay.
Happy travels.
Jen