The 5 Best Travel Accessory Must Haves

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Packing, the one thing we put off and try to avoid at all costs! While the excitement begins when looking for travel deals to booking flights and planning for the destination comes days before your flight approaches. Questions like what do I pack? Do I really need this? What if it is hot? What if it is cold? Nothing fits in my suitcase! There are so many things to consider when it comes to packing the right items for an upcoming trip; the list varies based on where it is you are going and the duration of time in which you will be at the given location. But while this varies, there are a few accessories that will make traveling and packing that much easier. From portable chargers to reusable water bottles, to so much more. Today, I want to show you five of my favorite travel accessories that I absolutely cannot travel without. For this post, I want to focus on reusable water bottles, portable chargers, travel vacuum bags, mesh laundry bags, and travel door alarms.

Travel Accessory Must-Have #1 – Reusable Water Bottle

Have you ever taken a water bottle and had to pour out your water at the TSA check? Or have had to buy an overly priced water bottle in an airport or different country or state? I hope not, one of my favorite accessory must-haves when traveling is a collapsible reusable water bottle. There are so many great things about using a reusable water bottle, not only will it save space in your suitcase but it will save you a great chunk of money. Using a reusable water bottle will save you the countless overpriced water bottles that would have been bought on a trip. Not only is this water bottle saving space on your trip but it is also saving this planet and the consumption of water bottles it sees in a day. An article from Case Western Reserve University shows that “Americans on average use 50 billion water bottles per year, wasted water bottles would be able to wrap around the earth one hundred and ninety times. Nearly 38 billion bottles are thrown away, taking up to 1000 years to biodegrade” (Holliday, 2016). We are able to then decrease these numbers by using a reusable water bottle and save hundreds of dollars yearly. One of my favorite collapsible reusable water bottles is from Amazon, it is the Nomader Collapsible Water Bottle – Leak Proof Twist Cap – BPA Free, 22 oz. With a 4.3 out of 5-star rating on Amazon, it has allowed me to refill my bottle several times with zero leaks and has provided me with a new convenient way to travel and stay hydrated.

Travel Accessory Must-Have #2 – Portable Chargers

Let’s face it leaving the house with a 100% charged phone is not realistic. What also is not realistic is trying to find a seat in the airport close enough to a charging port that will charge your phone before a flight, or even having a phone die when you are about to take a picture of the most breathtaking view you’ve ever seen. Have no fear the portable charger is here! The amount of time a portable charger has saved me from disastrous situations is too many to count. This travel accessory is one of my top favorite must-haves because it is easily rechargeable and can charge up to hours in a day depending on your choice of a portable charger, as well as the size of a portable charger, it can easily fit in a purse, handbag, or suitcase without taking too much room. The best part is that it not only works for phones, but it also works for cameras, laptops, and tablets. This travel must-have is essential to any designated trip you take, whether it is for a few hours, you have children, or really just need a charger, it will be your best friend. One of my favorite portable chargers is the Novoo Waterproof Portable Charger 18w PD High-Speed 10000mAh Power Bank USB C Battery Pack Flashlight Outdoor. This charger not only will recharge my devices but is protected against any water damage, is convenient when it comes to storage space in a suitcase, provides a flashlight, and most importantly long-lasting battery life.

Travel Accessory Must-Have #3 – Travel Vacuum Bags

In addition to reusable water bottles, and portable charges, it is important to think about the space you have in a suitcase and limit the amount of clothing that goes in. After finding travel vacuum bags on Amazon, there was no going back. Although I could not pack my entire closet, because that is our first initial thought, travel vacuum bags make it easier to seal all the air that is taking up space when folding clothes on top of one another. That leaves more room for shoes, accessories, and more. The travel vacuum bags can be filled with just about anything, I find it most convenient when I am traveling to a colder destination, and find myself packing heavy, medium, and lighter jackets to keep me warm, with the compressed bags it is easier to fit them in all while still having room for my other clothes and products. As I mentioned, Amazon carries several types of vacuum bags, one of my favorite vacuum bags is the 10 – pack Lefu Vacuum Storage Bags with Free Hand Pump for Travel all for $20. This will not only save you time, but it will give you more time to pack that item you told yourself you may not need but really want to take.

Travel Accessory Must-Have #4 – Mesh Laundry Bags

Another one of my favorite bags to add to my travel must-haves is mesh laundry bags. There is just something about your clean clothes and dirty clothes blending in together and blending in odors, stains, and overall making your clean clothes not so clean. Mesh laundry bags separate any clothes that you wear on a trip so that when it is time to pack and go back home it is easier to pick out dirty laundry and clean laundry. As well as keep clean and dirty clothes separated during a trip so that clothes do not all end up dirty. One of my favorite mesh laundry bags is from Amazon as well, it is the mesh bags from Bagail coming in a pack of 5 with a variety of different sizes.

Travel Accessory Must-Have #5 – Travel Door Alarms

Lastly, one of my must-have accessories when traveling is a travel door alarm. While traveling can be fun and exciting, it is also new and unfamiliar. Travel door alarms can give any traveler that sense of safety in their rooms with the Lewis N. Clark Travel Door and Window Alarm with Flashlight 2 – pack. Traveling with door alarms allows me to feel safe in unknown places, especially when traveling alone.

Ready, Set, Let’s Fly!

While there are several different types of accessories that you can include in your suitcase when traveling. These are a few of my favorite must-haves when packing for any trip. Each of these items will save you space, save you money, keep you safe, and most importantly keep it light. Flight is booked, the room is booked, the suitcase is packed, we are all set and ready to fly! Hope to see you on the next trip, I wonder where we’ll be going next, until next week!

References

Amazon. (2021, April 1). Vacuum Storage Bags with Free Hand Pump for travel, Save 80% Storage Space Reusable for packing Clothes, Sweater, Bedding, Soft Toys, Camping Blankets, Pillows (Small 10 pack). Amazon.com. Retrieved September 27, 2021, from https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0921T491F/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_GVKEPPRTT8ZVKSX01KSG?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1.

Amazon. (2019). NOVOO Waterproof Portable Charger 18W PD High-Speed 10000mAh Power Bank USB C Battery Pack Flashlight Outdoor for iPhone 11 Pro X 8 7 6S Plus Samsung Galaxy S20 S10 Note 10 Google LG Oneplus iPad. Retrieved from https://www.amazon.com/10000mAh-Portable-Charger-Waterproof-Flashlight/dp/B07SSC23Z4/ref=as_li_ss_tldchild=1&keywords=NOVOO+POWER+BANK+22,500mAh&qid=1606762245&sr=8spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUExSEk3VzNHWVlBOTFOJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwNzIxOTI4MUxTWTdCQUg4UVNEViZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwMjcxNDkyMjVLSUxWR0MyTlY5SiZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=&linkCode=sl1&tag=walkingontrav-20&linkId=69131dd623e64beac3533babda9394dd&language=en_US.

Amazon. (2018). Lewis N. Clark Travel Door and Window Alarm with Flashlight, Blue, 2 pack. Amazon.com. Retrieved September 27, 28AD, from https://www.amazon.com/dp/B083XJKRXK/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_XPVA9DPVDEHDXDJV9CGX?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1.

Amazon. (2016). DP. Amazon. Retrieved September 27, 2021, from https://www.amazon.com/dp/B017NEYOQQ/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_Z38ECN2K2PHQQ71JCKHP?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

Holliday, C. (2019, November 25). Making the switch to reusable bottles: Office of Energy & Sustainability: Case Western Reserve University. Office of Energy & Sustainability | Case Western Reserve University. Retrieved September 28, 2021, from https://case.edu/sustainability/news/making-switch-reusable-bottles.

Nomader, B. (2016). DP. Amazon. Retrieved September 27, 2021, from https://www.amazon.com/dp/B016AX6PI6/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_FYXQE06YKZW40KVKZE0T.

Best Places To Visit In Guatemala

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Ever plan on taking a trip out of the country and not sure where to go? Want an adventure, new culture, breathtaking views, and more? Then you’ve come to the right place; there are numerous amount of countries across the globe, and choosing the “right one” can get exhausting. Last week we dove right into National Parks within the US. This week we focus on one of the most beautiful countries I know. I’ve narrowed down that search to one of my favorite countries to visit, Guatemala! Not only is this country my native town, but Guatemala grew to be one of my favorite countries to visit. Guatemala is filled with several volcanoes, beaches, mountains, foods, Mayan culture, and so much more. Today I want to show you 3 of my favorite places when in Guatemala. For this blog post, I want to place my focus on 3 cities to visit when in Guatemala such as Panajachel, Antigua, and Retalhuleu.

Panajachel – Guatemala

Panajachel better known as “Pana” is widely known for being the most popular town in Lake Atitlan. From boat riding in the lake to shopping at Calle Santander for the best indigenous stitching, there is you won’t be left disappointed. Tour agencies offer tours around the town, providing horseback rides near the lake, hiking trails along the mountains, canoeing the lake, and more. This small town is known to call out tourists from all over the world because it not only brings out beautiful Guatemlana culture but economically it is ideal for several people who visit this town. Guatemalan currency is known to be the Guatemalan Quetzal, why name it a Quetzal? This is the national bird of Guatemala, a beautiful green bird, known as the “god of air.” Next time you are in Guatemala and you want to see one of the biggest lakes in the world come to Pana!

Antigua – Guatemala

“Antigua, the capital of the Captaincy-General of Guatemala, was founded in the early 16th century. Built 1,500 m above sea level, in an earthquake-prone region, it was largely destroyed by an earthquake in 1773 but its principal monuments are still preserved as ruins. In the space of under three centuries the city, which was built on a grid pattern inspired by the Italian Renaissance, acquired a number of superb monuments” (UNESCO, 2021). While Antigua is no longer the capital of Guatemala despite the earthquake that destroyed the town, it has maintained its beauty and monuments that make up Guatemalan history. One of my favorite monuments to visit while in Antigua is the famous “Arch” a nicely yellowed arch with a clock in the middle, followed by a long rocky road and Guatemala’s custom homes and businesses.


Followed by Antigua’s monuments, I am in awe of a small hidden gem called Hobbitenango. This hidden gem was created for all of the Lord of the Ring fans out there that wouldn’t mind spending a night in a Hobbit home drinking freshly made hot cocoa from fresh cacao and hiking up the trails for Hobbit games, Hobbit foods, and more. This small little town is breathtaking, the uphill is worth the drive and hike, I mean look at that view!

Retalhuleu – Guatemala

Lastly, we have Retalhuleu. If you can pronounce this word 5 times you’ve basically nailed it. This small town is known primarily for its two theme parks known as Xocomil and Xetulul. Each park is designed differently, for those that like a taste of the world in one park as well foods and mechanical rides, this is the place to go. Xetulul provides several wide known monuments such as the Trevi Fountain, courtyards of the famous Alhambra, the Mayan pyramid, and more. Meanwhile, Xocomil was designed as a water park with several water slides, tubing, wave pools, with rides for people of all ages. Each park has several types of foods for every taste bud you can think of. If you are in for the ride, hop in, and visit Retalhuleu.

Ready, Set, Guatemala!!

While there are several countries located around the world, I hold this beautiful country dear to me. Through several catastrophes, this country has managed to always come out and outshine with its beauty. Each town is distinct in its own way, the people of Guatemala take pride in keeping their country beautiful. With each of these towns listed, you and your family can enjoy what this country has to offer. Book your flight, book your reservations, and let the adventures begin. Hope to see you on the next trip, pack your suitcase, I wonder where we’ll be going next, until next week!

References

UNESCO.W.H. (2021). Antigua Guatemala. UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Retrieved September 21, 2021, from https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/65/.

Best National Parks to Visit

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Do you plan on visiting a United States National Park? Not sure how to decide which park to visit? Well, then I have great news, you have come to the right place. There is a total of 60 National Parks in the U.S, all of which contain hikes, swims, breathtaking views, memories, and more. Each of these parks ranges from mountains, deserts, sand dunes, beaches, lakes, and more. Whichever scenery you choose to take, there is a National Park made just for you! Today, I want to show you 4 of my favorite National Parks. For this blog post, I want to focus on 5 distinct National Parks all of which are different from each other, such as Zion National Park, Dry Tortugas National Park, White Sands National Park, and Yosemite National Park.

Zion National Park – Utah

The 25 miles long by 15 miles wide National Park, is widely known for its iconic hiking trails ranging from an expert to novice scale. With a total of 47 trails to choose from, this park is known to have one of the deadliest hikes, making it a challenge for several hikers and tourists who visit this National Park. It is easy to get overwhelmed with the number of things to do, that is why this is one of my favorite parks to visit. Although you can visit year-round, the best times to visit this park are in the months of April, May, June, October, and November for the best temperatures. One recommendation I’d give to anyone visiting Zion is to hike the Zion Narrows, a total of 2.2 miles giving you a scenic drive full of soaring walls, springs, and grottos.

Dry Tortugas National Park – Florida

From sandstone cliffs to beaches and sand, next, we have Dry Tortugas National Park. This 100-mile park is 70 miles west of Key West, Florida surrounded by a sea of water, accompanied by 7 small islands. When tourists think of National Parks, the first thought to come to mind is mountains, cliffs, lakes, glaciers, however; the U.S has all types. This park is heavily known for Fort Jefferson, coral reefs, bright blue beaches, and sea life. One of my favorite things about this park is that it is known to be the least crowded National Park in the nation because this park is only accessible by plane or boat. Sara Sekula from USA Today mentions that “With only about 70,000 annual visitors, Dry Tortugas National Park, about 70 nautical miles west of Key West, happens to be one of the least-visited national parks” (Sekula, 2019). If you or your family loves a mix of history, sand, beaches, and tropical weather, this is the National Park for you.

White Sands National Park – New Mexico

While we’re keeping the sand on this next park, we are definitely not near the ocean, up next we have White Sands National Park in New Mexico. While there are two sand dune National Parks, White Sands called out my attention more than Great Sand Dunes National Park in Colorado. Why is that? White Sands is collectively known for its largest gypsum dune field around the world, from hiking to sledding on the slopes, and wildlife. This unique park does not disappoint. The best time to visit White Sands would be in late October and early November to take advantage of the nice weather!

Yosemite National Park – California

Lastly, we have one of my favorite National Parks filled with several types of scenery, known as Yosemite National Park. After watching Free Solo on Disney Plus, I could not help myself in planning a trip to one of the most visited National Parks in the nation. There are several hikes to hike, scenic drives, lodges to stay in, lakes to swim, wildlife, and more. My overall recommendation for this park is to arrive as early as you can and stay inside of the park or as near as possible. I made the mistake of staying 2 hours and spent most of the day driving, however; the park itself did not disappoint. This family-friendly park has a wide range of activities to keep you busy throughout your day, such as horseback riding, hikes, swimming, tours around the parks, biking, fishing, and if you are a lover of heights you’re in for a treat!

Ready, Set, National Parks!

Although there are 54 parks not mentioned in this post, that does not take away from their beauty. These 4 parks are all distinct in their own ways from rocky mountains to sand dunes, to beaches, and lakes each of these parks each hold their own beauty. With these National Park options, you and your family can enjoy what these parks have to offer, book your reservations to get in, plan your trip, and let the adventures begin! Hope to see you on the next hike, I mean post! Happy traveling, until next week!

References

Sekula, S. (2019, May 21). Dry Tortugas National Park: An overlooked gem in the Florida Keys. USA Today. Retrieved September 14, 2021, from https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/experience/america/national-parks/2019/05/21/dry-tortugas-national-park-florida-keys-fort-jefferson/3745617002/.

5 Steps To Booking A Cheap Flight Online

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Have you ever had to book a flight on your own? And realized you were either missing details or had to come back to it? I am here to tell you, that you are not alone. Booking a flight can be one of the most stressful parts of travel, finding the right airfares can be such a long process. From the variation of prices, best days to book travel, and booking months in advance fearing that the prices could drop. As someone who has booked travel countless times, the best time to book travel is today. Today, I want to show you five hacks to finding a cheap flight. For this article, I want to focus on sites to use, travel pages to follow, how to search flights, deals to find, and what to do after booking a flight. 

Step 1

First things first, when searching for travel I make sure that my viewing mode in my opened browser is set to “Private Mode.” If the viewing mode is not set to private it allows travel sites to know that your device is viewing their travel airfares. If that is the case when returning to the site the flight prices may increase when opening the site once again. I first noticed this when I was interested in booking a flight to Guatemala, I did not have confirmation from the additional guests that would be flying with me so I closed my web browser and opened it later that day. Within a few hours, the same travel dates and times had gone up by 100 – 200 dollars in price. When looking up the same travel dates on a different device, I received the same prices I had originally seen earlier that day.

From that day, all my flights have been booked under private mode. After extensive research, I realized that many travel blogs do not agree with incognito searches when booking flights. For example, Travel Blogger Nomadic Matt mentions that “There’s no evidence that airlines behave that way and numerous studies by booking companies have shown there is no variance in pricing when you use incognito mode. And, typically, when you abandon your cart, businesses discount prices to get you to complete your purchase not raise them higher” (Matt, 2020).

However, I found that in a more recent find, Forbes mentions that “always make sure to double-check all listed prices in incognito mode on your Google browser. Or, in layman’s terms, double-check prices on a network that isn’t linked to your location or identity. If you’re tech-savvy, VPNs work well for this too. All of these travel search engines rely on algorithms to determine the prices that they offer customers. If they know you’re based in Los Angeles, California, and were looking at flights to Japan a few weeks ago, they might raise the price for your flight” (Talty, 2021).

Step 2

Next, I go to Cheap_DFW on Instagram to see if there are any airfare sales for my destination of choice. There will be days that there will be and days that there won’t be any. For example, currently, there are sales for flights in the U.S. for as low as $63 and International flights for as low as $150. When choosing any one of these airfares it will direct you to the airline’s website; note when using these sites, airfare sales show low prices for specific months to book.

Step 3

In addition to Cheap_DFW, next, I go to Skyscanner to compare prices that I have found on Cheap_DFW sometimes searching for the same flight on different travel sites will show cheaper prices for the same flight. After viewing the comparisons of the chosen flight, it is important for the flight to be searched through the actual airline to ensure that this deal is actually being offered.

Step 4

Next, I go to my favorite travel site known as Google Flights. This well-known site gives you access to all airlines, lowest airfares depending on the date. Having access to all airlines is important when considering which flights to book, however not all travel sites display all airlines. Google flights give me the option to play around with dates, displaying the lowest airfare travel days. Giving you several airport options. “Google flights lets you view cheap airfares across the U.S. for a wide range of timeframes (e.g. a weekend trip within the next six months or a trip to any destination on a set date)” (Hurd, 2021).

Step 5

Lastly, after booking my flight. I will check back after 23 hours giving me time to check if there has been a price drop in my flight right before my 24-hour cancellation policy. When doing this, users want to make sure that they are viewing in private mode and cookies are cleared to make sure that the previous search was not saved. Given the information that I find I will either keep my flight or rebook another flight for a cheaper price.

Let the Planning Begin!

Although the process of booking a flight can be stressful, with these tips not only can your flight cost go down but also the time it goes into it can decrease as well. Be happy with your purchase, plan your trip to your liking, and make it all about you! Hope to see you on the plane, I mean post. Happy traveling, until next week!

References 

Hurd, A. (2021, July 5). The secret to traveling on the cheap: Traveling opportunistically. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/advisor/travel-rewards/the-secret-to-traveling-on-the-cheap-traveling-opportunistically/.

Talty, A. (2021, July 8). 7 ways you’re spending too much money on online travel search engines. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/advisor/credit-cards/7-ways-youre-spending-too-much-money-on-online-travel-search-engines/.

Amy, Adam, Nomadic Matt, Carina, Jaël, Scott, Naidoo, K., & Schildt, P. (2020, December 31). 5 myths about booking a flight that you need to ignore. Nomadic Matt’s Travel Site. Retrieved September 10, 2021, from https://www.nomadicmatt.com/travel-blogs/flight-booking-myths/.

Keeping it Plane and Simple

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Hello, Rachel Rivera here. A recent newlywed looking to seek new adventures, create new memories, and add more stamps to my passport. Here I share tips and tricks when traveling locally and nationally, with my stamps of approval. Enjoy, and Happy Stamping!

My love for travel began when I took my first international trip to Guatemala. Throughout this trip, I was able to experience a new culture, new foods, nature’s beauty, and a new country filled with various adventures. According to the TSA, approximately 1,900,258 people traveled on a day like today (TSA, 2021) with enough research and guidance that can be you in the near future!

In this blog series, you will learn more about my background, new tips and tricks about traveling locally and nationally, and what destinations are the right fit for you. My hope is to get your Stamp of Approval and be able to use my tips and tricks for your next travel destination and maybe even fit me in your suitcase if possible.

Hope to see you on the next plane, I mean post. Until next week!

 

References

TSA. (2021). TSA checkpoint TRAVEL numbers (current year versus PRIOR Year(s)/same weekday). TSA checkpoint travel numbers (current year versus prior year(s)/same weekday) | Transportation Security Administration. https://www.tsa.gov/coronavirus/passenger-throughput.

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