SCHOOLS OUT! It’s officially summer vacation and some of you may be thinking of international destinations. International travel is not as overwhelming as it sounds with the proper preparation. I say that with a grain of salt because if you saw me before we left for our European vacation last year, I was a hot mess. I stressed about the house; things like who would cut the grass, watch the boys and drop a check off for the utility bill. All of these things seem silly after the fact but prior to leaving I stressed about all the things!

If this was a road trip than everything could just fit into the car. But since it was international travel I had luggage size and weight constraints. We were traveling to three countries, among 3 airlines, multiple taxis’, and a rental car for 4 people. We had to make sure it fit all airline requirements and in the trunk of all vehicles. There was a lot of pressure. But we successfully accomplished being tourists and didn’t lose anyone or any luggage. We had everything that we needed for each part of the trip and it worked out well, if I do say so myself!

So I thought I would share the things we did and the items we brought that made our international trip easier. The list is lengthy but I hope this helps you if you decide to travel internationally.

• Luggage – Between the four of us, we had 2 checked bags and 2 carry-ons for three weeks, which I think it AMAZING! We planned to wash clothes while with family to avoid having to pack clothes for the entire 3 weeks. It was minimalist packing as it’s core. We each were responsible for one bag. Be sure to check the bag requirements and costs for checked luggage before you leave because it is generally cheaper and easier to pay for in advance.
• Book Bag & Fanny Pack – All the airlines allow for a personal item per person and I knew I didn’t want to carry a huge book bag so I purchased this small sling bag. It was big enough to hold exactly what I needed without being bulky. It had compartments to keep things organized and I could wear it on the front for security of theft. TJ opted for a fanny pack that was big enough to hold passports and miscellaneous items and loved it!
• Travel Size Containers – These guys are AMAZING! Travel size containers have always been a joke to me because how much can you really put in them. However, this trip was different. I survived off of three travel sized containers for my shampoo, conditioner, and face wash for 3 weeks! I started using Monat at the beginning of last year and only wash my hair every 3 days so that decreased how much shampoo and conditioner I needed. This was huge because I also didn’t need to spend my vacation time washing my hair. The containers were easy to empty and clean for our next trip.
• Trtl – It is similar to a neck pillow but takes up less space and is much more comfortable. There is a plastic brace inside that rests on your shoulder and holds your head more upright than a traditional neck pillow. TJ thought I was crazy when I purchased this but I actually LOVED it! It was my favorite purchase for the flight.
• Lightweight Rain Jacket – I purchased this with wedding season in mind but it was so handy when it rained in Germany. It is super lightweight so it doesn’t make you hot but it keeps you dry. You could buy this in stores for $40 or online for $20.
• iPad & iPhone – Believe it or not I left my laptop at home. I only brought my iPad and iPhone. My iPad has a keyboard for quick messages and emails but my intention was to be fully present on the vacation so I didn’t want to be distracted by work. The iPad served multiple purposes. I had podcasts and books downloaded to avoid having to pack multiple books. It was nice to have everything consolidated between the two and it was light.
• Airplane Mode & WiFi – There is nothing worse than getting home from vacation an enormous cell phone bill. Yes, there are international plans but who truly wants to even pay those. We put our phones in Airplane mode when we took off and didn’t take it off until we landed in the US. We didn’t want any surprises when we got home. Wifi hotspots are just as popular overseas as in the US so we had what we needed.
• Headphones & Dual Headphone Jack – Bring your own comfortable headphones for entertainment and quiet time. This applies to mostly shorter trips and smaller planes and the airline. I have flown before where you had to have the app downloaded to view entertainment and where you had to purchase the movie per device. I purchased these to avoid paying for 4 movies when we could just share. We actually didn’t use these because the flights we took offered free entertainment.
• Universal Power Adapter – This is a MUST in a foreign country. They all have different voltages and what not. But the biggest thing is the plug looks different in every country. This adapter ensures that your electronics won’t catch on fire and it can be used all over the world. We had two of these, one for TJ and I and the other for my mom and brother. The USB ports also came in handy since almost all of our devices have a charger with USB adapter.
• External Power Charger – I had a fear that my old iPhone 5 battery wouldn’t hold the entire day while out sight seeing so I borrowed my brother’s power charger. I knew for the second part of our trip that we wouldn’t have a rental car so the car charger wouldn’t do me much good. I made sure my phone and external power charger were at full capacity before we left for the day and I never ran out of juice.
• Power Inverter – My laptop doesn’t hold power like it used to since it’s old. I will be purchasing one of these car adapters for long car rides so I can continue to use my laptop and time wisely while riding. These work in any car cigarette lighter so would be perfect for international travel.
• Google Maps – Did you know that you can download Google Maps and use it without data or wifi? I didn’t either until someone shared this tidbit of information with me. I downloaded Paris and then used it to navigate our way toward metro stations, grocery stores, and attractions.
• Google Translate – Google is AMAZING! German wasn’t an issue but we were worried about Italy and France. None of us knew Italian or French. We downloaded the Translate app and utilized the translation offline the same as Google Maps. This was a lifesaver!
• Apple Wallet – Used this to hold all of our tickets; airline, museums, and more! It was super convenient compared to finding a printer and carrying around tickets.
• Visa Credit Card – Much to my surprise American Express is not as accepted worldwide as I thought. We ran into a few issues when we tried to purchase tickets online because we didn’t have a Visa set up for international travel. Thankfully we  have the best banker in the world and she was able to help us set up our card to make our purchase. Ensure that two  two different Visa Credit Card accounts are set up for foreign travel in case one is lost or stolen.

*The links in this post are not paid or sponsored, simply what we used to make our trip easier!

And some iPhone photos…