Gadgets for stress free travel.

I happen to be someone who believes in better living through gadgets. I have a few that have made traveling a lot easier and I'm all about less stress.

Now for all you people who drive to your comps, have you solved the garbage in the car problem? Well, I think I have. Have you tried a car garbage can? Especially one that holds a tissue box? This one is turning my car tidying upside down. Check out the Hotor Car Trash Can 2.5 Gallon (on Amazon):

Now, I know all you folks who drive to comps still have to pack toiletries, yes? Are you sick of leaks getting into your bags? I am. These are the best; 16-pack elastic sleeves for leak-proofing travel (on Amazon). I used to use scotch tape...so sad...

Now, as I said, I have a lot of trips on the books this semester between climbing and college visits. I HATE relying on what pillow is waiting for me in whichever hotel I have booked. No more! I bring my own pillow with me. Check out the Cushion Lab's travel pillow. I won't go anywhere without it. It can fit on your carry-on or into your checked baggage (I refuse to fight for overhead space plus as a resident of Alaska, Alaska Airlines gives us free bags. So why not?) Find the pillow here: The Cushion Lab.

I'm sorry, but I like a good bar of my favorite soap when I travel and I don't like surprises at hotels on what they think is soap. But I could never solve the mushy soap storage problem...until now. Meet Matador's travel soap bag with dry-through technology. Yep, you read that right. The soap dries through the bag, all the way around. So the next time you get your soap, it is completely dry and you haven't lost a quarter of it to mush. Check it out at REI. Love it!

Now I will also add that I have changed over to solid shampoo and conditioner, (even though I check my bags) but hey, less liquids all around is better even if you are traveling by car or plane. But that is a whole other post...

OK, my last travel gadget has to be the coolest suitcase. Now I know people have very strong feelings about their luggage. And rightly so. I'm just going to say that I switched to the Solgaard way of luggage and just can't go back (Yes, we have an AWAY too, which is nice but...). I just hate the unpacking and packing of packing cubes. With Solgaard, you just take the closet out and hang it up! Done! Then when you leave, I throw everything into the laundry bag, and anything left in the closet goes back in the way it came. We tried packing cubes as well, but it just doesn't solve the 'keep things neat in the hotel' problem. With the last bed bug scare, I check every room and don't allow anything on the floor.  The one drawback people said about this luggage is that is too heavy (not for us bag checkers 😉) so they came out with a light version. I will never go back! Just saying! Check it out here. If you find a YouTube review online, you can find 10% off easily.

I have to add two more things that I have been rocking lately in all of the hotels we stay in. Number one is a hotel door lock. Did you know that hotel doors are easily opened from the outside??? I didn't. Just google it and you see plenty of videos of flight attendants telling you their security routine when they stay in a new hotel. 

Ok, I'm not going to lie. This took me a minute to figure out. LOL! Good thing there are good pictures. But no one is getting through the hotel door with this thing on it. Find it here.

And number two...I don't know about you, but I am taking this bed bug rise a bit more seriously. Those flight attendant videos also talk about checking your rooms for bed bugs. I do that too, but I go one step further. I set a trap.

This comes in a two-pack (Ha ha! One for the next trip.) You just set it under the bed and come back in an hour. I don't even unpack until I see there is nothing in the trap. Hey, better safe than sorry!

Lastly, I have to add an Apple air tag to this list for all checked and even carry-on bags. It is great piece of mind to know your bags made it on to your connecting flight!

Disclaimer, I have no skin in this game and don't get anything from these links. Just a desire to help other Climbing parents.

CLIMB ON!