1. THE AEROPRESS
For the love of God, don't make us live without the Aeropress. As we were leaving town the first day of our trip, we stopped by a favorite coffee shop, Fifty Fifty Coffee House, for some brekky and to pick up a couple of pounds of Switchback Coffee beans to go. When asked how fine to grind it (no we didn't bring a grinder on our trip, did you seriously even wonder that?) , we told them we'd be bringing our french press - to which the barista replied: "No, you're not."
3 minutes later we bought our first Aeropress (+350 filters) and hit the road.
We're unashamedly American, and that means we unashamedly love Americanos. In Italy during World War II, Americans would ask for their espresso diluted with water to approximate the coffee to which they were accustomed. Oh, do we feel their pain (and love their ways!). The Aeropress has made our mornings both rhythmic and enjoyable. There's just something about a fresh cup of coffee every morning, no matter where you wake up. Take that, Folgers.
2. THE DIVA CUP
Okay, boys...look away. Ladies, it's your turn! Clean, comfortable and convenient...this tiny silicone cup will change your life forever. And when I say that, I mean it - I'm not exaggerating even one bit. On average, women will spend over $18,000 on feminine products over the course of their lifetime (and do we need to get into environmental issues here?). For travel, this product is an absolute must, no buts about it. I started using this product a few months before travel to test it out, and was sold after week one. It has proven to be the most convenient, clean, and easy-to-use feminine product I've ever tried and I won't be going back to my previous methods after returning from travel.
Even in the middle of Africa with unclean water, or Thailand with squatty potties - it's doable and in my opinion, it's more manageable than any other option!
3. THE FANNY PACK
If you could only listen to my sweet, sweet husband talk about his specialized fanny pack like it was his first born child. But, for real, PacSafe has done an incredible job to create a travel anti-theft hip pack that will keep your passports, money and private documents safe and sound. Easy and intuitive to use, the security clip offers three levels of security to prevent pickpockets from sneaking their way into your pack and running off with your identity. Zip pullers clip & slip easily onto the secure hook, while the barrel slides and locks everything into place. For that extra level of security, a padlock can be added giving thieves not one but three obstacles to overcome (and yes, Bobby does this). It takes a few extra seconds, but the peace of mind is worth it.
For the record, we've only had one thing stolen from us in the last 5 months: our beloved first aid kit stocked full of anything we'd need in any emergency situation (or when we just needed a darn melatonin). So, moral of the story, fanny packs are cool!
4. THE KINDLE
This point doesn't need much explaining, but our Kindles have a story behind them. A few weeks before we took off for our trip, we made two new friends, Kayti and Anthony. We'd heard so much about them (and their year-long trip) from mutual friends, and decided a blind date at a local pub was necessary before our departure. Unfortunately, Bobby went into a grand-mal seizure the minute we arrived, and Anthony, an EMT, jumped right in to the emergency situation without even shaking our hand first. I did my best to act cool, introduce myself and tell them we'd have to reschedule...we needed to go to the hospital before we had a beer together. Fortunately, they were pretty understanding.
These guys had spent their last year doing everything we'd hoped to do: traveling and adventuring the world, not holding one darn thing back. The following week when we met, we put a few brewskies down the hatch, soaked up their travel wisdom and promised them we'd rekindle (har har) our friendship upon our return the following year.
But then a few days later, we found a gift bag on our porch. Inside? The two Kindles they used for their year-long trip. Packed full of adventurous, contemplative and thought-provoking books - they were gifting us their travel companions so we could carry on the legacy. We've been reading them ever since.
5. THE SPICE KIT
We have this durable (important factor) little plastic sandwich bag, and we call it our spice kit. This is our ever-changing, sometimes growing, sometimes diminishing baggy of spices, seasonings and powders designed to make any meal, in any country, taste gourmet. In this kit you'll find the classics: salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion flakes. But if you look deeper, you might also find taco seasoning, parsley, italian seasoning, chili flakes, individual salad dressings (thanks airplane!), chicken bouillon, energy drinks and instant coffee.
Our favorite addition? A travel-sized Tabasco sauce. It's treated us right, and sadly, today we put it to rest. Here's to hoping we find another one somewhere in the land of Thailand soon.
6. THE OIL
Nope, we won't be selling you a multi-level marketing scheme for essential oils here. But, we will tell you they've made our trip vastly more enjoyable. In our bag we've included Peppermint, Cedarwood, Tea Tree and Eucalyptus oils and have generously used them as anti-fungal, mosquito repelling, wound healing, mouth washing, head ache soothing, laundry soaking, antiseptic, antibacterial liquid magic. They're soothing and calming, and help us fall asleep. Plus, they work great as perfumes when you can't shower everyday (and we can't shower everyday). If we could, we'd bring a full line-up, but for this trip, we've included the oils that we most regularly use and love.
7. THE PILLOW CASE
If you know me well, you know my pillow is a very special thing, and it's exceptional because it has a satin pillow case. I've been mentally preparing for this trip for years and how I'd do without my 'piso' (the name I gave my pillow when I was a toddler). At first I asked my mom, an expert seamstress, to cut my Piso in half, and make me a special travel-size satin pillow case. But, after a while, I realized a down pillow on a trip like ours was not practical in case of humidity or water, no matter how much I convinced myself. So...I took a leap of faith and purchased an ultra-light air core pillow. And I've brought my lovely, full-size satin pillow case along for the ride with me. Whether we are in a hostel, or hotel, or resort, or camp site, or bungalow, or tent, or a friend's home - that pillow case gets put on that pillow and in a subtle way, it makes me feel at home...which is important during a long trip where everything is foreign.
