Monday Musings: On Travel and Returning Home
Returning Home
I just got back from a holiday in Singapore and Bali with my husband and some of our dearest friends. It was one of those trips I’ll be talking about for years, which is saying something because right now I’m mostly talking about how good it feels to sleep in my own bed.
This was my second time in Asia. The first was Japan with my daughter back in 2019, and both trips left me thinking I need to go back. The food alone is worth the flight, and I don’t say that lightly after that many hours on a plane.
I’ll get into the details in the weeks ahead, once I’ve sorted through my photos, unpacked the things I swore I packed carefully, and remembered what day it is.
Travel Essentials
A few things I packed were especially useful, so I thought I’d mention them while they’re still fresh in my mind and before the whole trip becomes a blur of humidity, hotel rooms, and trying to remember which pouch held what.
My travel mirror came with me, which will surprise absolutely no one because I’ve written about it so many times before. I’ve probably left just as many of them behind, stuck onto hotel windows around the world. At this point, it’s less a travel essential and more a recurring expense.
Still, I need the magnification to do my makeup, and the best light is always natural light from a window, so into the suitcase it goes. Again.
I also brought my Anker phone charger, which I carry with me everywhere I travel. It’s one of those things I don’t want to be without, especially when I’m not sure whether there will be an outlet nearby. My phone is also my camera on a trip like this, so keeping it charged isn’t optional.
My Noshinku lavender hand sanitizer came along, too. Travel means being around a lot of unfamiliar germs, and I’m pretty persnickety about avoiding them. I try to stay healthy on the go, so I use this between hand washings. It smells good, which helps, because some sanitizers make the whole process feel even grimmer than it needs to be.
For sunscreen, I brought my favorite mineral ISDIN Photo Eryfotona Actinica. I’ve talked about this many times before, and I still love it. There is never enough sunscreen for me on a trip, especially somewhere hot and bright, and this one is easy to wear every day without feeling sticky or heavy, while still providing strong protection.
My Janessa Leone Suni Bucket hat came with me, and I wore it every day! It’s lightweight and very packable, which makes it especially useful in the heat and bright sun. When it got so hot that I needed my umbrella instead, I could roll the hat up and tuck it into my bag.
The chin strap turned out to be more useful than I expected. It kept the hat on my head during a fast boat ride and an open-air jeep ride, which is no small thing unless you enjoy watching your accessories make a dramatic exit.
A Book Recommendation from Vanessa
Before I go, Vanessa’s latest book recommendation is By Any Other Name by Jodi Picoult, which she gave four stars.
The story moves between Melina Green, a young playwright today, and her ancestor, Emilia Bassano, an Englishwoman who may have paid William Shakespeare to stage her play under his name. It blends historical fiction with two women’s lives, both shaped by talent, ambition, and the uncomfortable reality of how easily women’s work can be overlooked.
Vanessa thought it was a great pick if you enjoy smart historical fiction, strong female characters, and stories that make you wonder how much history we’ve accepted without asking who was left out.
One line that stayed with her was, “There once was a girl who became invisible so that her words might not be.”
I am just finishing up Louise Penny’s The Cruelest Month…it’s great, but my reading time has been a teeny bit distracted lately.
I’d love to hear from you. What travel essentials do you always bring with you?
Curious about whether the phone charger you described gives your phone a full (or close to full) charge? I’ve tried a couple of chargers and have been disappointed that they don’t fully charge my phone. Thanks!
It gets very close to a full charge but I’m usually still using it while it’s charging.
Welcome home!
Eye mask and ear plugs for plane and hotels. Also mirror like yours I’ve left behind, lol!
BTW, what is a good time of year to travel to Singapore/Bali?
May was the end of the rainy season and supposed to be the best time because it’s before the heat ramps up.
Great ideas. For the first time ever I packed compressed towel tablets and I love them! No face cloths in hotel in London. Nice to use for washing face but also to freshen up. Here during historic heat dome temperatures and I didn’t bring my portable fan. Big mistake!
My portable fan saved me.
Glad you had a great time. If visiting Asia again, visit Thailand. We usually spend a few days in Bangkok, then head off to Hua Hin, where the Thai Royal Family used to stay. There are beautiful resorts there.
My travel essentials: Pillow (&pillow case) top sheet, hair straightener, my own skin care/shampoo/ body wash etc. Last trip to Europe, I took mosquito netting for the windows (which don’t have window screens). Needless to say I don’t travel lightly.
You sounds sound a very smart and prepared traveler Susan.
Oops, I forgot, also Antibiotics, a strong probiotic and a stash of Gaviscon liquid (in sachets), paracetamol, bandaids and a small sewing kit, electrical tape (to place over annoying bright light switches etc). The older I get, the longer my ‘essentials’ list gets. My husband did think I was cracked in the head when I packed two pop up mosquito nets (for the bed) on my last trip to Florence though
Lol! Sometimes I wish I traveled with a bright lightbulb. What is it with 25 watt bedside lamps?
I always pack Cerave or Neutragena face wipes, they are the best and work as a hand wash in a pinch. As careful as I am packing,, I never remember what is in what pouch..your trip sounded so enjoyable…
For those who wear prescription eyeglasses…always bring a second pair as backup in case one pair gets lost or broken. I have even gone so far as to carry a copy of my prescription.
Yes! I bought 3 pairs of glasses and 2 pairs of sunglasses. I’m dead in the water without them. A lady in front on me had her glasses snatched right off her face by a monkey. Luckily the guide got them back because they were the only pair she brought.
A little tip for the window travel mirrors left all over the world.. on a strip of masking tape in marker write “window mirror” and stick to an inside compartment of your suitcase so it’s visible when you’re ready to pack for home. Works well with travel hangers too, also easily left behind
Ah yes! Brilliant.
Hello Jennifer,
Welcome home!! I love your hat, very chic and the ties are essential I think. I always pack little reusable grocery bags from Amazon, the ones that fold away in tiny squares and come in many different patterns. Many countries now don’t give away bags in supermarkets and having a few tucked in my coat pocket is so useful as these are very strong. Good for museum shops too.
That’s a great idea!
I never travel anywhere domestic or foreign without this nightlight from Amazon. I have accidentally left these worldwide and keep replacing them. I plug them into adapters when necessary.
MAZ-TEK Plug-in Led Night Light with Auto Dusk to Dawn Sensor,Adjustable Brightness Warm White Lights for Hallway,Bedroom, Kids Room, Kitchen, Stairway, 2 Pack
What a genius idea!!
Glad you had a great time and you are home safe. Thanks for the tips. Zip Locks are a great idea. (response to reply)
I have no tips on the essentials but am interested to know how you coped with changes in temperatures, from outdoors to a restaurant, for example. Do you take one light sweater that will go with everything? I always find it so awkward to carry something like that.
It was so hot, I was grateful for the A/C and didn’t wear an outer layer most days.
My Dad always said “take half of the clothes and twice the money you think you’re going to need.”
Your dad was a wise man.
A leather iPhone case with a crossbody strap. It keeps my purse space empty for sanitizers, etc. and is always at the ready for a quick photo without rummaging through my bag. And it’s not lost touring, left on an airplane, or dropped overboard while standing at the rail getting a pic of the sunset. It’s also anti-theft. We were told that in Italy, pickpockets zip by on bicycles or scooters and snatch phones from your table at outdoor cafes. If they have been watching you enter your passcode, they have a way in to your phone for sensitive information. We didn’t see this on our own trip, but it reminded me how easy it is to get distracted.
One of the women on our tour wore one and it looked genius.
A hint on preserving phone battery. Most of our phones constantly search for WiFi. if it does find any, it just keeps searching and that uses a surprising amount of power. By turning off WiFi (not airplane mode, that’s just cell), I found that my phone battery tours just fine, takes lots of pictures without having to haul the brick around.
Great tip Teresa.
I’ll be interested in responses as to what travel essentials one always brings as I’m going to France in October and have never traveled overseas. I do have a magnifying mirror I always travel with, and of course a charger. I’m concerned as to whether the French Riviera and Paris will be warm or cool in October as I am very cold-natured, and don’t know whether to pack turtlenecks and sweaters or shirts and shorts.
Hi Celia…Paris should be on the cooler side in October, of course the farther south you go the temperatures will be more moderate. Pashminas/wraps are great to to have with you along with a lined raincoat.
Thank you Charlotte.
A night light and also, ziplocs – for wet clothes, snacks, seashells, souvenirs and just about anything else!
Another great read is “Remarkably Bright Creatures” by Shelby Van Pelt which you may have already mentioned in a previous post but I can’t remember. If it sounds familiar, yes, it is a movie now on Netflix but in my opinion, leaves much to be desired. The characters and relationships were not fully developed at all and significant details were changed or left out completely. I did love the book though!
I always have water with me !! I keep a bag lg enough to carry a bottle of water and tissue or napkins!
Always! I was very careful to drink a lot of water. Their food seems pretty salty.
Morning Jennifer-
Sounds like a wonderful trip!
A book suggestion for you- by Pip Williams- The Dictionary of Lost Words
Beautifully written, about the compilation of the first Oxford dictionary and how words were chosen (or not chosen) by gender and/or class. At the time of the women’s suffragette.
Wow, that sounds fascinating.
Thank for all the tips! I am off to Italy for three weeks on Wednesday!!!
For me – Electrolyte tablets or powder pack is a Must have. Nuun (little to no sugar) are my favorite. Essential for long haul flights to help keep you hydrated…..as well as when you are experiencing jet lag. Especially important in hot Asian climates! : ) Also works get when you drink too much wine in Europe!
I will look for those Nuun tablets! Thanks for the tip.