Travel Essentials Part 1

I finally feel like trips might ACTUALLY be going ahead from the U.K. at some point – so much so, we’ve actually started booking again! – so with that in mind, I want to share with you some of the essentials that I’ve been gathering for trips.

Some of these I’ve had for many different trips over the years and some I’ve picked up since my Disney World trip in 2018 after watching many videos and getting lots of tips from bloggers. I’m sure there are others and I’d love for you to add any you have in the comments but here are mine! These are primarily for Florida related trips, but some can be used for ANY trip.

ADAPTERS! If you’re not travelling from the US, you will most likely need some kind of plug adapter. It seems like most rooms, even in the Value resorts at Disney have a TON of USB ports now which is great except that not all of your stuff – say hair straighteners and the ever expanding array of different cords that Apple are making for their devices – will fit in a USB port, so adapters it is! I got these Wenger ones from Swiss Store and they came in a European and US set and have lasted really well so I highly recommend.

LUGGAGE STRAPS! No matter how hard you try, it’s always possible you’ve got the same luggage as someone else. You think you’ve chosen the cutest, most unique suitcase and then you’re standing at the carousel and see someone else’s case is the same! I imagine this happens even more with Disney luggage. So if this has happened to you, grab a luggage strap that stands out! My parents bought these ones for us when we went on our first family cruise, but I know there are more modern ones with TSA approved locks on them.

SUN BLOCK! This should be first on the list once you arrive always! It’s going to be hot out there. No matter what time of year you go it is hot. It will sometimes be really rainy, there may be clouds, you might get a hurricane or two, but there is always hot sun. I mean, this is the weather forecast for this week. FEBRUARY! Look at those temperatures!

I’m quite fair-skinned so I like factor 50. I also HATE applying sun cream but there’s no way I would go without. So a reliable “once a day” is what I use.
P20 factor 50 is the best for me. It lasts up to 10 hours (including dips in a pool) from one application. It only has 2 disadvantages:

• You have to put it on at least 15 minutes before sun exposure and it can take a while to dry, so it might mean setting that Disney alarm a little earlier
• It can stain lighter clothes. Be prepared for this or wear darker clothes!

Both of these pale in comparison to all the added benefits. It has high UVA/UVB protection and you can put it on once and have an entire day at Disney without stopping to worry about reapplying.

My family and I would get up in the morning, cover ourselves in P20 before we did anything else at all and then wait for it to dry. Then we would get dressed and head out for breakfast. It became the routine. And in 2 weeks, none of us even got a slight sunburn, just a nice tan.

For the face, I recommend The Body Shop Skin Defence. Again, factor 50 (if you prefer or can handle lighter protection, the Vitamin E range has factor 30.) This is much lighter and better for your facial skin and better if you want to wear make-up on top.

MASKS! Of course next up is masks. We don’t know when these will NOT be needed so get some! A lot of research tells me to get different types so that your face/ears etc don’t get uncomfortable. And be sure to find ones that YOU find comfy. For Disney currently they need to be at least 2 layers and need to fasten securely round your face and ears (ie no gaters.)

I prefer the cloth style masks, ideally with the nose grip, but not necessarily essential. I am, however, going to take a few disposable ones just for if I’m riding on any super fast or wet rides because a wet cloth mask is just not doing its job and I don’t want to lose any cloth mask that I’ve paid for when it flies off on a fast ride!

My favourite place to look for masks is on Etsy. There are some amazing ones available, well made and very cute Disney designs and by purchasing them, you’re helping out a small business too! The ones pictured above are from an American based Etsy seller called Boston Baked Tees and there are lots of UK based sellers too. However, Disney do sell their own in the parks so that’s always an option. The recommendations I’ve seen are to ideally take 2 masks per day. If you’re only there for a couple of days you probably already have this many. If you’re going for longer, maybe take some and wash them, which is my plan.

The other item I’ve seen highly recommended is a mask chain. Essentially it’s what you might see someone hanging on to their glasses, but this way you hopefully won’t lose your mask when you take it off or accidentally put it down in something gross. Again, Etsy did me a service with these!

If you’re staying on property and you DON’T want to take a 3 masks for every single day of your stay, you will want to be able to wash your masks on a night and reuse them which brings me to my next item.

LAUNDRY! Travel wash for your room to wash your masks and any other items and Tide To Go instant stain remover pens to take with you into the parks in case of any food incidents on your favourite Minnie top or the Disney Bound you’ve been working on for months! You can get a pack of three Tide pens for a very reasonable price on Amazon and the Travel Wash is less than £2 at the moment! Stock up!

Okay, this is enough for part one! I’ll add some more into my travel essentials part 2 in another post! Do you agree with the items on my list? Are they on your essentials list too?