What Travel Gear Should You Pack?

The Best Travel Gear for Women

What travel gear and accessories do you pack when you travel? Are you like me and want to pack everything in your closet or do you never know what to pack and don't bring enough. One thing I have learned over the years with my travel both for business and pleasure is that versatility is key when deciding what to pack. That's why I'm sharing some tips and some new versatile favorites for what I think are some of the best travel gear for women. 

We're sharing our favorites which also made it on to our Holiday Gift Guide!

Disclaimer: We were compensated for this post but as always all opinions are 100% our own.

Versatility 

My daughter who is a recent high school grad, will also use many if not all of the same travel gear items as myself so many of these if not all great for teens and tweens while traveling. As mentioned one of my key criteria when selecting travel gear and accessories to pack is versatility which depending on the item could mean can the item be utilized as more than one thing. What do I mean by that? For example, in the spring and summer, I pack lightweight, breathable, large scarves that can also be a light shawl and a headscarf as needed. At least one scarf goes on the plane with me to also be a light blanket. I love scarves and use them a lot while travelling and those three ways I've mentioned are just a few ways that make scarves versatile and a must as travel gear for myself. Now thanks to Pang Wangle and their Journey Scarf I have more reasons to bring a scarf on my travels. Their Journey Scarf  The Journey Scarf is a lightweight, bug repellent travel scarf made from recycled fabric with a hidden zipper pocket. As you can see above you can put some money in the pocket, a credit card & a few things. I would not put a phone or anything heavy or bulky but still so handy! I love this idea. My daughter is wearing the green and the white ones above. She loves the green, her favorite color.You can wear it over your shoulders as a wrap, cover your head as a vintage hood, double or single loop it. Just look below at how my daughter wore it as a shawl and above as a hood. Soft and light recycled fabric from Earthspun®. Single color discarded plastic items are recycled into fine polyester yarn and blended with cotton to create 6 unique colors without ever using dyes.

Not only is their Journey Scarf versatile but it's bug repellant. Say what? Yep you read that correctly. It has Insect Shield® lasts for 70+ washes and is recommended for the entire family, including pregnant and nursing mothers, children and pets. Repels mosquitos, ticks, biting flies, and noseeums. Bug repellent clothing is recommended by both the CDC and World Health Organization. 

I also love that the colors from the fabrics comes from recycled items. Beer Bottle Brown is made from plastic beer bottles. Soda Pop Green, plastic 7-Up and Sprite Bottles. Rethink Pink comes from ketchup bottles and cotton. Food Tray Black? You got it. While it's still versatile as an infinity scarf I do wish they had some of these that weren't an infinity style as I like the open ended ones as well.In addition to being so versatile the scarf along with the next item on my list is also lightweight, that's another factor that I consider when packing because we do have to think about the weight of our luggage. Whether you're checking a bag or doing carry-on you don't want anything to be too heavy. Pang Wangle's Optimist Pants are great addition to my travel gear and my daughter's. In these photos she's wearing their ladies X-Small Nautilus blue pants. They designed these pants for travel and adventure, with a waistband pocket for money, ID, and a key. 

The high waist and comfortable compression is flattering on any shape. Moisture-wicking and breathable certified organic cotton/spandex with built-in Insect Shield® bug repellent. The versatile style is ideal for a tropical vacation, trail running, outdoor yoga, hiking, horse-back riding, gardening, bird watching, or a picnic. Made in the USA. 90% Certified Organic Cotton + 10% Spandex. My daughter is tiny so the X-Small fits her but as you can see they have a bit of room for her. They are not big in the waist on her so for her they are perfect. For myself I've got the big hips and a belly so I was curious to see what size and how they would fit myself. I got a pair in Large an X-Large as I tend to be that in between size. Normally a 10-12 but for smaller fitting items I may need to go from Large to X-Large depending on the style, fit and my own comfort.I can wear both the Large and X-Large in these pants. In the large I feel more of the compression they mention but it's still comfortable all around but I don't know if it would be as comfortable after travelling all day. That said the X-Large which has some room in them without being baggy but enough if I say was bloated from eating too much (we all know it happens) I would still feel quite comfortable.

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They are flattering and are made with quality material that is not thin so yes thank goodness we don't have to worry about the see-through look. I like pants like this for versatility as well as they go with so many things and can be dressed up or down. Hello the breathable and moisture wickig factors are amazing as I get warm, especially running around airports trying to catch flights!Something else I always travel with is a backpack, it's part of my carry-on and is usually my "purse" for the flights when I have an actually carry-on suitcase I want to bring on too. I can fit so much into it including my camera (a must for any travel writer) iPad, phone, chargers and other necessities. The versatile convertible backpack transforms into a tote or messenger bag in seconds. Made from natural cotton and linen fibers, this waterproof bag is designed for travel and adventure. Back zipper pocket keeps important belongings safe and easy to reach. 

Even though the bag looks big on my daughter below it can be easily adjusted for her and she's had to carry bigger backpacks for school lol she said this was comfortable. I love it because as mentioned it would go on the plane with me as my under the seat bag but would keep such valuables as my iPad, camera, phone, passport and more. I could then convert it during my travels as a messenger bag which is my favorite type of handbag as I need it in front of me to grab my camera or phone to capture those special travel moments. I know what I'm like when I travel so I have this down to a fine art. Before I would travel with a smaller messenger back and backpack but with this convertible backpack I don't have to. 

Other must have travel gear for me are:

• Earplugs (for noisy planes and hotel rooms)
• Eye mask (I'm a vampire and don't like bright rooms in the morning)
• Mini first aid kit which for me includes items for headaches, cold prevention and care and a sewing kit.
• Portable chargers for all the gadgets.
• Snacks in case nothing is open when I get to a hotel - this has happend to me on more than one occasion.

Depending on my destination of course what I pack could change but I always keep this in mind: is it lightweight, is it versatile, is it a must-have or a maybe?

One last tip I also pack t-shirts that could be worn while out and about or could be part of my pjs, see versatility is key. 

For the Journey Scarf, Optimist Pants and Convertible Backpack make sure to check out Pang Wangle I think you will love them as much as we do!

What are some of your must-haves for travelling? Let us know we'd love to hear from you!