Travel Tools
There are a few things we invested in before we left that have already paid off substantially. Consider this a shortcut for all the research we did and consider these things for any trip you plan. As a bonus, most of these are also just good tools for life, not just travel.
1. Matador Travel Blanket: We literally picked this up the night before we left and use it almost daily. It is a tiny packable “blanket” that you can easily unfold and spread out. It is super lightweight, water resistant, and perfect for picnicking next to the Eiffel Tower or No. 4 Privet Drive. Before this we had a pretty packable Sand Cloud Turkish towel that we would travel with for these picnicking purposes, but this is even better. It fit’s in Viv’s tiny purse and even a normal pant pocket. Some bonuses:
It is water resistant so can be used on wet ground AND to shield yourself as a rain poncho in an unexpected downpour.
It has tiny built in stakes (though be aware that an overzealous security screener might mistake the stakes for a knife…)
It has fold lines to make refolding and packing way easier. Anyone that has ever tried to re-fold a map knows how that can go…
2. DUAL eSIM Compatible Phone: Before we left, we both upgraded our phones to maximize the camera power (since we didn’t want to travel with the DSLR). What we didn’t know is that the upgrade would pay off in more than one way.
Our new phones not only have eSIM (no more need for a tiny lose-able sim card) but it has DUAL eSIM which mean we can actually have two sim cards active at once on our phones. This has been game changer and highly recommend a dual eSIM phone if you are a frequent overseas traveler. Reach out if you are curious about this setup as we did a ton of research to arrive at this option over some other popular options (like google voice or Fi).
3. Nanobag: Back home we had reusable grocery bags in our car, and every time we went to the store we would forget them in the back of the car. It was infuriating. We hated seeing every plastic bag enter the environment because we couldn’t remember the damn bags. We wished Houston would just go the way of NYC and CA to ban (or at least disincentivize plastic bags)…and loved when we would travel to those places and they would force us to adapt.
Enter the Nanobags. We knew much of Europe is also anti-plastic so wanted to be prepared. We invested in these ultra-small but mighty bags and have used them just about every day. As we pop into the market, as we take out the recycling, as we go to the beach, they are all mighty and ever convenient. Well worth the price of admission.
4. AirTags: A simple but worth mentioning investment after the Porto Debacle. We make sure they are attached to any piece of luggage that will be out of our immediate sight.
These are just things we have found useful and want to pass the info on since it was the type of stuff we were looking for in our own planning. We will update/amend as we learn more.