Ten Travel Items You Don't Need

Let's start with this: This post doesn't contain any affiliate links or sponsored recommendations. You should take recommendations from bloggers and influencers with a grain of salt. If you buy what they promote, you make money for them. So, it's in their interest (not yours) for them to recommend all kinds of gadgets and accessories for your trip. Here are my opinions about travel stuff you don't need based on my now 5 international trips. Go here for travel stuff you DO need, and here for travel stuff you MIGHT want. 

You Don't Need...

1.  A New Suitcase, unless yours is broken, too heavy, lacks wheels, or is an unsuitable size. The trend right now is toward the hard-shell suitcases, and to hear all the influencers out there, you'd think that if you take a soft-sided suitcase, it's a foregone conclusion that it's going to get ripped up and destroyed by the airlines. I've only ever traveled anywhere with a soft one. It's always been fine, and I've checked it on every international flight. Suitcase manufacturers are obliged to keep coming up with new innovations to keep you buying a new product. Don't be sucked in. I've got a soft-sided Travelpro Max Lite in purple in a 22" carry-on size and a 26" that was plenty big enough for 10 days in Italy. Why purple? Because I recognize it immediately when it comes out on the baggage carousel. 

2. Fancy Clothes. I've read countless times that you should dress up a level in Europe because Europeans are always stylish and well-dressed. Nope. Europeans dress pretty much just like Americans. There are always some who are super stylish, some who are sporty, some who are casual, and some who are slobby. I will say Europeans are less likely to go about in super distressed jeans and super casual sweats, but that's about the extent of it. Wear what you feel good in. 

3.  A Passport Cover. It will just get in the way because any time that you need to show your passport, it can't be in the case. 

4.  Small bottles purchased empty as travel bottles. First, if you are willing to use the hotel's shampoo and soap, you may not need any travel bottles. The older my hair gets, the more picky I am about shampoo, and I am allergic to most body washes, so I do take my own toiletries now. I used to always save the hotel shampoos and bodywashes, then save the bottles for refilling for future travel. I have a huge stash. But, if you don't already have a bottle stash, just buy some travel sizes one time, use the stuff in them, and save the bottles. You can save eyeglasses cleaner spray bottles for things like non-aerosol hair spray. It seems super wasteful to me to spend money on an empty bottle.

5.  A lot of cosmetics and toiletries. Granted, I'm very low-maintenance even when not traveling, but on a trip I'm super minimal. Because I have extra-sensitive skin, I take a bar of mild soap to use on both my face and body. I take one kind of lotion that I can use on face and body and a small thing of sunscreen (unless it's a beach trip, then I get more once I'm there). I take deodorant, a BB cream with sunscreen, 1 blush that doubles for eyeshadow, mascara, 1 lipstick, and lip balm. European hotels usually don't provide conditioner, so if you use it, take some. I take that, shampoo, and leave-in conditioner. Trust me, your skin will not shrivel up and fall off if you don't have a special facial cleanser, toner, serums, and special facial moisturizer for a week or two. 

6.  Special shoe bags.  Recycle plastic grocery bags and produce bags for this purpose. It is a good idea to keep your dirty shoe soles away from your clothes, but buying something for that is unnecessary.

7. Any shoes you can't wear to walk all day over cobblestones. For my last trip, I took a pair of white sneakers, a pair of Tevas, and a pair of hiking shoes. Most of the women I saw in dresses or skirts were wearing sneakers. The only reason I took the Tevas is because we went swimming in a hot spring with rocks on the bottom.

8. A "travel purse." Up until this most recent trip, I carried one. It was an ugly thing designed to hold everything but the kitchen sink and it had wire in the strap to prevent it from being cut off your shoulder. But, if you have a big bag, you'll fill it up and then it will be heavy and cumbersome. Also, nobody carries those things except tourists, so you're just advertising that you're vulnerable. What you do need is a small to medium cross-body that holds what you actually need and not much else. Don't take a backpack if you're going to be touring museums and churches - some of them won't let you bring a backpack in. My new rule is to carry a purse that I would use even if not traveling. I carried a Minooy Naya bag on my last trip, and it was perfect. Several of the Minooy bags have integrated glasses pouches, which is the biggest selling point for me. I don't wear contacts, so I carry a pair of Rx sunglasses, Rx distance glasses, and Rx mid-distance glasses. The Naya bag has 2 glasses pouches, and another pair will be on my face. 

9.  A Travel Clothesline.  I only rarely wash out anything other than a swimsuit on a trip, but if I do, I just use hangers to hang things up. I have some folding travel hangers, and those plus some clothespins have been sufficient for anything I needed to hang up to dry. 

10. Expensive Jewelry. I don't want to risk losing any good jewelry on a trip. I wear my wedding rings and keep them on my finger at all times. Beyond that, I take one pair of costume jewelry earrings that will go with everything and one necklace. 

Travel Stuff You Need

Travel Stuff You Might Like, But Don't Really Need