My Travel Essentials

Now that summer is here, we’re all thinking about traveling to new places and going on adventures. But travel can be pretty frustrating at times—from the hassle of carrying a bag full of outlet converters to your phone running out of battery constantly from high usage at the airport. In this post, I’ll share the essential items that I bring with me whenever I travel, along with all of the gear I use for photos and videos.

Essentials for the need-to-document-everything type

Fujifilm QuickSnap Flash 400 Disposable 35mm Camera - I like to bring a film camera on trips in addition to my digital camera because it’s always a great surprise to see the photos after they’re developed, along with all the captured memories I’ve accumulated in the last few months or weeks. We’re all so used to digital photography and the instant gratification of snapping countless photos mindlessly and getting to see what they look like immediately. With only 27 photos in one camera, and not being able to see what photos look like until weeks later makes you much more conscious of how you’re composing the photo, and what you decide to take a photo of in the first place. Plus, after your film gets developed, your photos will all have a cool vintage film look to them. (See how my film photos of Italy turned out)

Camera charger and spare camera batteries - Never, ever, ever forget this if you’re planning on bringing your DSLR with you. When you’re snapping photos all day, your camera is bound to run out of battery pretty quickly, and it’s quite a hassle to find a camera store and try to get a new battery pack in a new city. (You can usually find camera stores in airports, but their products are usually overpriced)

Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM Lens - (For photos of food, of course!! and people) When you’re traveling, a standard lens that has a wide range of focal lengths is an essential. But, if you’re extra like me and like to take closeups of food or people, you should also invest in a zoom lens with a small aperture. I found the Canon 50mm f/1.8 to be super affordable and fantastic for dramatic photos with lots of bokeh.

Spare Micro SD cards - If you’re like me and find yourself taking photos of everything you find beautiful or interesting, then you’re likely to run out of space pretty fast. Bring a couple of spare Micro SD cards with you and remember to carry them with you before you go out exploring the town. Store a couple in your camera bag or in your wallet to keep them (and your memories) safe.

DJI osmo Mobile 2 - If you love making videos of your travels and want to capture smooth, buttery footage as you walk around, a gimbal like the osmo Mobile 2 is a great affordable stabilizer. Pair it with a smartphone that has a nice camera to create cinematic content that people won’t believe was shot on a phone.

iPhoneX - “The best camera you have is the one you always carry with you,” right? For a reference on how to edit photos quickly straight on your phone, check out this post (for basic color correction) and this post (for removing unwanted objects in photos).

Canon EOS T7i - (Not pictured, because I was using it to take the above photo) The T7i is a lightweight DSLR that can do a whole lot—from great videos and audio quality to Canon connect: so you can instantly transfer photos to your phone to share with the world.

Solving the outlet problem forever

HAOZI All-in-one Universal Travel Adapter with 2.4A 4USB - Yes, the world sucks for having so many different types of outlets, and before this gadget, I was wasting money on all sorts of converters and lost track of them after a trip ended. This all-in-one adapter for UK, EU, AU, Asia (covering 150+ countries) is not only great as an outlet adapter, but also just for charging all of your electronics since it has 4 built-in USB inputs. I found myself freeing up a lot of my luggage space by carrying this and not a bag full of outlet converts, plugs, and usb wires.

If you’re out and about using your phone for directions or at the airport using it to kill time, you’re bound to use up your battery pretty quickly. When I travel, I carry around this huge Anker PowerCore 20100mAh power bank that is said to be able to charge an iPhone 7 almost seven times. It also has two USB ports in case a friend also needs to charge his or her phone, or if you need to charge other electronics as well.

Because my eyesight is super bad, I always remember to bring my contacts as well as a pair of glasses to give my eyes some rest on long plane rides or when I’m relaxing at the hotel. A pair of classic Clubmaster sunglasses is also essential for the summer months, and will go with any outfit.

Skincare

I tend to break out quite often on trips, and so I try to keep my skin clear by cleansing it thoroughly every night and keeping it moisturized. Because it’s tiresome to keep up with a full 5-7 step skincare regimen while traveling, I condensed it down to 2-3 steps: cleanser + sunscreen in the morning, and makeup remover + cleanser + moisturizer at night—with the occasional sheet mask here and there to do all the work for me while I’m relaxing after a long day.

Because it’s tough to carry around large skincare items (they’re heavy, plus they cause trouble at airport security), I like to carry sample size items that I received using my Sephora points or giveaway samples.

Sunscreen is also super important if you’re walking around outdoors all day. One that really works for me is Glossier’s Invisible Shield sunscreen, which is super lightweight and has a formula that you can barely feel. Because I get sunburnt pretty easily, I never rely on sunscreen alone and try to take a wide-brimmed hat along with me as well if I know I’m gonna be out and about.

Not really skincare, but—this foldable toothbrush is also super convenient for travel.

Sorry for the lack of posts lately, but I hope you found this helpful! If you did, please don’t hesitate to save it to a board on Pinterest :)

Bon voyage! ✈️

♥ Cindy