We share our favorite travel products that make travel easier and more fun. These are travel products we use on the road on the go that make our lives so much easier while on the go!

Airplane Foot Hammock – https://amzn.to/315RNBm

Inflatable Neck Pillow – https://amzn.to/3h7jWNV 

Everlasting Comfort Travel Pillow – https://amzn.to/2Q0B0Jl 

6-Piece Packing Cube Set – https://amzn.to/3aCzerl  

Shoe Bags – https://amzn.to/3h5T6pl 

Laundry Bag – https://amzn.to/3kT8I1M 

Clear Reusable Toiletry Bag & Bottles – https://amzn.to/322bLfu

Reusable Water Bottle 2 pack – https://amzn.to/2DV4030

Passport Holder & Luggage Tag- https://amzn.to/2Y9s3C5 

Hiking Backpack – https://amzn.to/345pZ1L 

Water Bladder for Hiking Backpack – https://amzn.to/345r0a9 

Sleeping Eye Mask – https://amzn.to/3h9qsDC 

Travel Electric Adapters – https://amzn.to/3az9mNh 

Portable Charger – https://amzn.to/3aFlEUb 

Travel Backpack – https://amzn.to/3ax2wri 

_{Note: We may earn a commission from your purchase of these links. Thanks for supporting the Travel Squad Podcast!}

Travel Products – Episode Transcript

5 (56s):
Welcome to this weeks episode of the Travel Squad podcast. Today, we are sharing our top 15 favorite travel products that we use and make our lives easier while we’re on the road.

2 (1m 7s):
So I’m super excited for this episode, because I know that I have a little bit of a reputation for not being prepared, but even I know that there are a few certain things that you should always bring that we’re going to be talking about in this episode. So I’m super excited to show off my preparedness, if you will.

4 (1m 23s):
Well, I will say this. I don’t know what preparedness Zaina thinks she has in store for you guys, but Just to hear it myself so she can let us all know, but I’m just kidding around. We always love to take jabs at Zayna, but nonetheless, as Zaina is excited, I am excited because all of these products you can easily get on Amazon, yourself. They are super affordable and all under $50.

1 (1m 52s):
And this gear is gear that we use ourselves and it just makes our lives more comfortable when we’re traveling and sometimes even more efficient while we’re on the road. So in the show notes, we’re going to link the links to the actual products onto Amazon. Please click on those links. And so just don’t worry about writing anything down because you can just click the link from the show notes directly.

5 (2m 13s):
Cool. So the first thing we have on our list is this really cool contraption that makes flying much more comfortable, especially for short people like Brittany and myself. It is an Airplane Foot Hammock. Brittany, tell us what it is since you discovered it.

1 (2m 27s):
Yes, I was actually on a trip and I was super uncomfortable because I couldn’t put my feet anywhere. And it’s just so uncomfortable when your feet don’t even touch the ground while you’re sitting in the airplane seat. So this Airplane Foot Hammock is a cool little contraption and it hooks on to the tray table and it makes like a little hammock for your feet and it can be adjusted so that you can bring your feet up closer to you, or you can extend it down longer, depending on your height and just kind of adjust it. It helps me to be able to curl into like a small ball, which is more comfortable. I want to sleep. And I actually use this on our five-hour trip to Hawaii.

5 (3m 5s):
If you’ve ever put your feet in the back pocket to try to get comfortable to sleep, then you need this product.

4 (3m 13s):
I’ll tell you what I have this product just as well when Brittany bought it on Amazon or was getting it. I told her you better snag me up one too. And it’s really, really nice because you guys know the squad as much as we wish it was happening. We ain’t flying first class. We’d like to save a buck. You guys know this. And the most comfortable I’ve honestly ever been on a plane was going to Japan and Japan airlines even in coach has a foot rest. That’s adjustable. So you can have it up high or low. And this hammock does that for you. It’s really affordable. It makes your legs so much more comfortable. And like Brittany said, you can adjust high adjust low.

4 (3m 54s):
It gives you good positions when you sleep really, really awesome products.

2 (3m 59s):
I think I just learned something new about Brittany. Are you telling me that you’ve actually sat on an airplane seat and not been able to touch the ground?

1 (4m 7s):
Yes.

2 (4m 8s):
I can’t even a mentioned that you guys I’m like a giant dude. Like my legs get so cramped because my legs are so long. Even, you know, my mom has been going through baby pictures recently and she’s sending me pictures of me before I was even one years old. And it’s like, my legs are double the size of my entire body. Like my legs are so long, which is a blessing. And at the same time on an airplane, it is a curse. I don’t know what to do with my legs. And so I can’t even imagine the fact that you can’t put your feet on the ground. That’s crazy.

1 (4m 39s):
Yeah. Sometimes my feet don’t touch the ground and it’s so uncomfortable. So I had to buy this Airplane Foot Hammock.

4 (4m 47s):
And so Zaina, I suffer from the same condition as you having log legs and you know, sticking them as straight as you can under the seat. It only gives you that little bit of comfort before it’s not comfortable anymore. So these ones give you that proposition up. And I could tell our listeners already the fact that you don’t have it unprepared,

2 (5m 8s):
Unprepared.

5 (5m 9s):
Well, I have a surprise for all of you listening right now. We’ll actually just one of you. I bought this Airplane Foot Hammock and a little squad tip is that when you buy it from the link in the show notes from Amazon, it comes with a business card that when you reply within a certain amount of days, you get an extra one for free mailed to you. Amazing. So you actually get two of you for $15. So I am a procrastinator and forget things and I didn’t do it in time. I have an extra one. So for the first person that writes us a five star review on apple podcasts and sends us a screenshot of it for this foot hammock, I will actually mail it to you

1 (5m 55s):
On this, get on it. It’s worth it.

2 (5m 58s):
Yeah. And you know, just real quickly when Jamal was saying to the fact that you don’t have this hammock, you are unprepared, you are unprepared. At first, I was like, Hmm, Jamal, that’s a different approach, insulting the listeners. And then I realized, no, no he’s insulting me for being unprepared without this.

1 (6m 15s):
So you’re not even prepared for this episode, Xanax, you didn’t even get the joke.

2 (6m 22s):
And just one second behind you guys,

1 (6m 24s):
Product number two is a Neck Pillow. Anytime you go on an airplane or even for long road trips, neck pillows are so essential and they just give you so much more comfort and Zayna, and Kim especially need them. Cause they’re always sleeping in the back of the car, passed out. I’m getting the best photos of them.

4 (6m 44s):
Well, I will say this about the Neck Pillow. I don’t get to use it in the back of the car because I’m always the driver. So I only get the luxury of the Neck Pillow while on a plane. Now for shorter flights, I tend not to bring it because sometimes it’s more a burden to bring it for a shorter flight, but anything international or longer than five hours, you better believe I’m bringing that Neck Pillow with me because it definitely helps you be able to sleep better on the plane. And even sometimes I don’t use it on my neck. I actually keep it on my lap, gives my arms a little bit extra support. If the arm rests are taken or not enough space competing with who’s ever sitting next to you.

4 (7m 26s):
So it definitely gives you support in different ways.

5 (7m 29s):
I really liked the little neck pillow. I know you guys have a different one. The inflatable neck pillow that I have is linked below. It’s about 10 bucks and I love it because you can make it very small, deflate it and stuff it in places, and then pull it out, blow it up in 30 seconds and be sleeping anywhere, including not just the planet and the car, but in the airport while you’re waiting for your next flight.

4 (7m 51s):
So funny, you mentioned that Kim, I feel like last time we were in a car together, I heard a little and I was like, what the hell is that? And there was Kim inflating, her Neck Pillow, trying to get some sleep. But speaking of neck pillows, isn’t there a story where Zane up popped yours.

2 (8m 9s):
Why didn’t

5 (8m 10s):
I was just going to say, if you do use it in the airport while you’re waiting for your next flight, don’t leave it there, like is gonna do

2 (8m 17s):
Okay. So little bit of context guys. Okay. We were at the airport in Cuba getting ready to fly back to the United States. And in all fairness, we probably slept maybe two or three hours because we were partying all night together with everyone else that was there on the trip. And yeah, I was really exhausted cause that was a really exhausting trip in the best of ways. So we got to the airport super early and I’m just like so exhausted sleeping on the chairs. And I look at Kim and I’m like, Hey, can I borrow your pillow because she’s not sleeping. So she let me borrow her pillow. And I think I was so asleep that I don’t know what happens to it. I guess I forgot it there.

2 (8m 58s):
So I felt really bad. And then I went out and I bought her a new pillow because I felt so bad. And I got her like this really, really, really, really nice one, but it wasn’t as comfortable as her everlasting Comfort Travel Pillow. So this is the one that we would definitely definitely recommend. Don’t pull the Zena

4 (9m 17s):
One last thing I just want to say about the pillows real quick. And I don’t know if we touched upon them is that there’s so many different varieties that you can get. But the one that I have in particular, I really, really love it has a nice plush, soft felt side, and then you can flip it over and it has a cool side to it. And some of them even come with eye masks and ear plugs. So depending on how much you want to spend, you can get those little additions that come with it. But most of the neck pillows are under $10.

2 (9m 48s):
So the next thing that we have on the list are packing the cubes. These are life savers.

5 (9m 55s):
They’re fairly cheap around 20 bucks or so they come in lots of cute colors. So if you’re like me and you want pink, you can get that. Or black, blue, whatever color you want, they have tons of them. And we’ve said before that, they’re not necessary. And they’re totally not. You can go on travel without them, but they’re a little bit of a splurge luxury item because they make your backs grow super organized. You can pack shirts in one pants and the other socks and panties in there because you know, you’re packing enough underwear to shoot yourself three times a day. When you travel,

4 (10m 27s):
That’s Kim right there for you. I thought it was five times a day.

1 (10m 32s):
So like, even, even if you’re not using a traditional suitcase, packing cubes would come in handy for like an overlarge backpack, like a Hiking Backpack, because oftentimes you’re stuffing things in and things are at the very bottom. And when you need them, you can’t find them. But if you have the packing cubes, everything is very organized and you can just pull out the individual cubes that you need. And it just keeps it stacked in orderly.

5 (10m 55s):
It also sometimes lets you fit more in there because you can squish everything into the cube and then put it in your bag. You can get more in your bag and then you won’t have to check it and pay that fee.

1 (11m 4s):
So our fourth item on our list is Shoe Bags. And these are a game changer. I’ve actually bought two packs or the Shoe Bags. And they come with four bags, two smaller ones that fit my say shoe, which is like a seven and a half women’s. And then it comes with two larger ones and those actually are able to fit Jamal’s big shoes and he’s like an 11 in men. So you get two different sizes. And the larger ones actually also work for me when I pack like booties or boots or something a little bit bulkier as well. And they’re washable. And I love that because like, if I put my hiking shoes in them and they get muddy or dirty, I can just throw them in the laundry. And they’re nice and clean

2 (11m 44s):
Before Shoe Bags. You know what I used

4 (11m 46s):
Plastic bags.

2 (11m 47s):
Yes. So it’s such a game changer because now you can even stick it in like the actual suitcase, because even with the plastic bags, I was always worried about it, touching my clothes, because what if the bag rips or what if like my shoes start to stink up my clothes? So on my luggage, you know, there’s always like another compartment and I would have to shove my shoes in there. So like these have been complete game-changer

4 (12m 11s):
They really are. And I’m glad you hinted on the smelly feet portion or things, thinking it up in the bag. Cause I wasn’t going to call out to people here, Brittany and Kim. And let me tell you something, I think yes. Yes. Because one, sometimes the feed on the trips get a little bit stale and smelly. And so Kim, when you’re in the back seat and take off your shoes before you fall asleep, Shoe Bags might do some good for you and same with Brittany for that matter. So when we’re sharing a suitcase or Hiking Backpack and you open it up, we no longer have those plastic bags that you used to use.

4 (12m 53s):
And we used to use Aina fully zippered up. So none of those smells come out. So they’re really clutch in that respect.

2 (12m 60s):
There you have it.

4 (13m 2s):
So our next item that we’re want to talk about number five here for you guys are laundry bags and they’re the same almost as the Shoe Bags. Cause except it’s a larger bag for your laundry. The one that I have is not zipped. It is a Titan string bag, but it’s really nice because it does save you from having to pack those plastic bags or using the plastic bags. They are washable just as well as the shoe ones. And it’s a really good place to put that dirty laundry, especially if a lot of our trips happen to be hiking trips and you get really sweaty in those. So the Laundry Bag always comes clutch

1 (13m 41s):
And it’s one of those bags where it has a zipper where you can stuff it in on itself. So it makes it smaller and compact for the way there. And then you can just undo it when you’re ready to put clothes in it. And I like to fold my clothes and put it in it stacks pretty well.

2 (13m 55s):
This is a game changer for me because prior to having laundry bags, I would shove like as many dirty clothes as I could in my shoes, because those would be in a separate compartment. And I don’t want my dirty clothes to touch my clean clothes and I didn’t have a bag to throw my dirty clothes in. So I would crumple it up as like tight and tiny as I could and shove it inside my shoe in the separate compartment, because it’s all going to go into the wash anyways. But now I don’t have to cause I’ve got a Laundry Bag.

1 (14m 27s):
So number six on our list, our reusable silicone cosmetic containers, and I bought this pack off of Amazon. It comes with two, three ounce containers, which is like perfect for your shampoo and your conditioner. Then there are two, two ounce containers. I use them for lotion and then face wash. And then there are two small cream containers and I use them for face creams that I use. So it’s really perfect for me. I love it so much. And they’re high quality,

2 (14m 55s):
Always important to travel with lotion?

4 (14m 58s):
Well, not only lotion, just in general. These are really nice items to have again for the shampoo for your face wash. Let’s not kid ourselves. When we go to a hotel, sometimes it doesn’t matter if it’s a fancy one or not more often than not. We’re not going to get the high quality face wash, shampoo, conditioner, et cetera. So you could bring your favorite ones from home that you’d like. I know Brittany is really particular about what type of shampoo and conditioner she uses. I mean, you give her the idea of using a hotel one and she just shutters in horror at the idea. So we use these on every trip and be a good steward to the environment you go there. You’re going to use what they have in the hotel.

4 (15m 38s):
You’re just going to throw away plastic that you use one time. So it definitely does help the environment in that respect too.

5 (15m 46s):
But the silicone is really nice because I recently brought plastic ones on it and they cracked and broke and my liquid toner got all over all my stuff. So go silicone.

1 (15m 58s):
I love silicone cause it’s squeezable and it lasts forever. So number seven on our list is the Clear Reusable, Toiletry bags. I got a three pack and I always use one to pack the toiletries that I bring. And then I also use another one to put in all of the medications that I bring, like the Cipro, the ibuprofen, the Pepto-Bismol, the aspirin, basically everything you need. It’s kind of like my medication bag. And since it’s clear, I can see everything and see what I need to grab and just get it right away rather than having to dig through a toiletry bag.

4 (16m 30s):
And these bags are also the perfect size for when you’re going on a plane for TSA compliant to hold your liquids. This one is perfect for you. You have all your liquids that you’re taking with you in those three ounce containers fit perfectly within it. It’s clear and it’s TSA compliant. One thing it is not though. It is not London Heathrow style compliant because Brittany has a story about that when she took that bag through the London airport and they were not having it, but that’s, I don’t know if you want to get into that or not.

1 (17m 5s):
Yeah. We talked about it on a different episode, but essentially I had all of my toiletries packed in my TSA compliant bag, but the regulations are a little bit different in London. And so the TSA lady was not having it. And she wanted me to take everything out of my bag that I already had it packed in and put it in their bag and it didn’t really fit in their bag. So she was just a very rude.

2 (17m 29s):
Yeah. And then she tried to look at me trying to like talk shit about Brittany. Like I was going to join in and I’m like, dude, that’s my fucking sister. Like go back and listen to that episode. The Lebanon Dubai one. It’s a good one. And the next thing on our list is going to be a reusable water bottle. And this is going to be so clutch for many, many, many, many reasons. One it’s eco-friendly and we love our environment. We hope you love the environment too. We got to take care of mama earth to a lot of airports. Really don’t have any more water bottles for sale, like specifically San Francisco, because they’re trying to get people to push towards the more environmental friendly.

2 (18m 9s):
So you’re going to find water filling stations, a lot of places throughout the airports. And so when you have that reusable water, you’re just, you’re prepared, man,

1 (18m 17s):
Even on the airplane, like there’s been times instead of having them give us a cup of water, we’ve asked them to fill our water bottles and they’ve been able to do that. And it just keeps us from getting dehydrated on the flight because all of that circulated air on the flight just makes my mouth and eyes and nose. So dry.

4 (18m 33s):
Yeah. I’m a real big fan of the water bottles. Not only just for travel in everyday life, but what I really like about these ones, at least the ones that I have there specifically Contigo brand again, get any brand that you think is best for you, whatever style you like, but these ones are stainless steel. They keep the temperature really well. If I put ice in it, for whatever reason that ice pretty much lasts all day for me. And again, nothing better than having a full bottle of water for you. Like Brittany said, when you’re on the plane and they give you those little three ounce cups, sometimes it leaves a lot to be desired and you get thirsty. So you just have your full water ready to go for you right there.

2 (19m 16s):
So moving right along, the next thing that we have on the list, our passport holders, you guys, this is so clutch. And I feel like we keep saying that for each one, but like legit. These are life-changing things, passport holders.

5 (19m 29s):
I didn’t have one for a long time and my passport looks a little worn. Let’s just say that. But now I got one it’s really cute. It’s white and gray marble. It was actually pretty cheap. I think around 10 bucks, we have it linked in the show notes, but it’s super cute and I love to pull it out and like, bam, look where I’ve been.

1 (19m 52s):
Mine’s super cute. Two minds, floral of course the design. And not only does mine hold my passport, but it also has spots to put cards. So I have my passport card in there and then I’ll put like my travel credit card in there as well. And so it’s just a one-stop shop to get my boarding, pass my passport and then whatever card I’m using to travel with as well.

4 (20m 15s):
I actually have a customizable one that has my name on it. And then like travel icons. I have a plane and a globe. So I like mine in that respect.

1 (20m 24s):
And yours is a classy leather.

4 (20m 26s):
Yes it is. Cause I’m a classy kind of guy. But anyway, I really like them because of the convenience of, yes, they have spots to hold other stuff, like Brittany said, passport card, other items. But beyond that, you know, sometimes when we travel, it’s real easy to just, you know, put your passport in your backpack or in your pocket sometimes. And they can really get bent or wrinkled. The passport holders do keep your passport in nice, nice shape. So you don’t have all those bins and the wear and tear. So it keeps your passport safe in that respect too. And some of them, depending on how expensive you want to go on, what you would get, I’ve seen where they have the RFID chip protection so that people can’t use the electronic scanning to get the information that’s in on them.

4 (21m 15s):
So depending on how much you want to protect yourself, they also have those as well. So it makes it really convenient and safe that way too.

2 (21m 22s):
So I got mine as a gift and it has like a cute little bee on it. So I, I just, I absolutely love it again. Game changer. One thing that you should know though, is that when you are going through customs or you’re going through TSA or anything like that, you need to take your passport out of your holder. I always forget to do that. And they always get annoyed with me, but I’m just like, but it’s so cute.

5 (21m 46s):
All right, number 10, we have a Hiking Backpack. This specific one that we like is the high Sierra quick shot, hydration backpack. It brought 50 bucks and it is a tried and true best backpack for hiking. You know, we’re always in national parks and we love to hike in San Diego. We have an episode on the top 13 hikes in San Diego, go check it out that this backpack is amazing. We’ve had it for years. The hydration pack can be replaced if it ever needs to be, but it’s just like quality, like solid that pack for hiking.

1 (22m 17s):
I love my Hiking Backpack. There’s so many good compartments. It’s super useful. I love how you can take off your jacket. And then instead of putting it inside of your backpack, you can just use the clips to clip it onto your backpack and save space. And I did have to replace the Water Bladder internally, but my Hiking Backpack has been a game changer. I’ve taken it on so many hikes. It’s been with us on the Inca trail to Machu Picchu. And I feel like it still has a few more years left.

4 (22m 46s):
My favorite thing about the Hiking Backpack versus a regular backpack is they do have the clips to tie around you for that extra support. So it really does make your life a lot easier, especially if you are an outdoor person and love to hike. And it definitely keeps me hydrated. The one thing I hate is reaching back to get that water bottle and just take a sip, put it back where I have my Water, Bladder hose just coming right there to take a sip at my convenience. So really, really nice.

2 (23m 14s):
Oh Jamal, you’re going to love this story. I remember the very first time that I went hiking with Brittany, cause this was in preparation for Machu Picchu and I didn’t have a Hiking Backpack at that time. So I had just a drawstring bag and I put water in there and it was like the most unpreparedness thing ever. And the bag ended up breaking and I had to keep like reaching around my back to get the water. And it was like the worst thing ever. So get a Hiking Backpack

1 (23m 43s):
There so worth it. So next up on list is number 11, a Water Bladder, likely we were just saying in the Hiking backpacks, it typically comes with a Water Bladder. But if you have to replace it, this particular one that I bought on Amazon, it has been amazing. It does not leak. It’s easy to fill. It’s easy to use. There’s a little stop cock so that you can turn it on or off. So it doesn’t leak as well. Because my last Water Bladder that I had before I bought this one, it got to a point where it would start to leak all of the time and it drove me crazy. So this one, you can turn it off so it doesn’t leak at all.

4 (24m 20s):
Yeah. And beyond that, when you buy a Water Bladder again, not the one that will come with your Hiking Backpack, they come with cleaning kits. So they come with long thin brushes that you can stick up through the hose, give it a good cleaning. So it’s healthy in that respect too, because it comes with the cleaning utensils. So really, really nice. And eventually, you know, the Water Bladder is unfortunately don’t last. As long as the backpacks are, you’re going to be replacing that well before you replace your back.

1 (24m 49s):
In fact, Kim is due to get a new Water Bladder.

5 (24m 53s):
I am, and I’m going to buy this one

1 (24m 55s):
Is your old Water Bladder leaking Kim? Is that the reason why you’re replacing it?

5 (24m 59s):
Yeah. I have an older backpack and a Water Bladder that came with it, which is now several years old. It leaks on me. So I have to kind of like tuck it into my shoulder strap or just get wet. But yeah, it’s definitely time for new Water Bladder. And this one’s a good one.

2 (25m 14s):
Yeah. Guys, a leaky bladder is never good.

1 (25m 18s):
Kim. I feel like item number 12, you should introduce because it’s one of your favorite items.

4 (25m 23s):
Kim’s a bougie be.

5 (25m 25s):
Oh yeah. If nothing else on this list is the only thing you should get.

4 (25m 31s):
I don’t know about that,

2 (25m 34s):
But I get what you’re saying.

5 (25m 36s):
So the item number 12 is a sleeping mask. And the one we have linked below is really, really nice. It’s a silk one. You can spritz a little bit of essential oil in it. So your soup to sleep. It’s only about 10 bucks. It is so nice. It reminds me of the free one. We got in the free amenities bag from British airways on our flight. When we went to London as a stopover for going to Lebanon, but it’s just super comfortable. It blacks out everything. So you can use it on the plane. You can also use it like us. If you’re staying with each other, some people might still be getting ready for bed while you’re trying to sleep. And you just want to get to sleep. It works like a charm.

5 (26m 17s):
I’m going to throw out a little bonus here. This one isn’t on the list. You can get it anywhere, but I would also recommend your plugs because I’m asking earplugs, we’ll put you out or right away, no matter what part of the world you’re in. It’s so good.

4 (26m 30s):
Alright. Travel electronic, adapters. Number 13 here for you guys. And you know, we’ve had an episode before where we give tips to first time travelers and things to expect, and I’m going to reiterate it. A lot of people don’t realize when go to another country, your electrical outlet for the most part is no good. They are not standardized all over the world. These Travel Electric Adapters are amazing. Brittany and I have one in particular. That’s good for every continent except Antarctica because we’ve never been. And I don’t think they have electrical outlets, but these ones are compliant for the UK, the mid east, Latin America, Japan, all of them have different plugs. And this is all one adapter to fit your device, wherever you go.

1 (27m 14s):
It’s actually good in about 150 countries. And it’s only costs about $12. So again, it’s in our show notes. And I also like it because it has a USB port as well. So even if you wanted to discharge your phone through the USB port, you can do that and still have something else plugged into the electrical outlet as well.

4 (27m 36s):
Yeah. And with the USB port, if you’re traveling with two people like Brittany and I are together, one person can actually use it in the legitimate plug and I can plug into the USB. So you can do a twofer on that end. So you don’t necessarily need one for each person if you’re traveling because it has the USB.

5 (27m 53s):
Another thing that you’re going to need while you’re traveling is especially important is a portable charger for your cellphone. This is something that you can load up with juice before you travel. So when you drained your phone battery from playing, what does that game you always play when you’re traveling?

2 (28m 13s):
I would just like to throw out there that I deleted candy crush when you guys went to Yellowstone. So that was like at the end of May, 2020, I have not played candy crush. Cause I deleted it off of that. And you know what? I have been so good since then.

4 (28m 28s):
Well, you know what, Zaina, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard you say you’ve deleted it and yet somehow you re install it and then gonna delete it again. So, you know, it’s like a drug to keep coming back, I guess. So right now, Zane is off pretty soon. She’s going to be on.

1 (28m 44s):
So I love portable chargers because my phone drains pretty quickly at times. And this is so handy when you’re on a long haul flight, you would think that on international flights that there would be a plug to charge your phone. There isn’t always a one. In fact, Zaina learned that while we were on a flight from South Africa to like Atlanta, it was a 16 hour flight. She was like, I’m just going to charge my phone on the plane. And there wasn’t an outlet

2 (29m 12s):
Who does it have a USB outlet on the airplane for an international flight let alone, like one of the longest lobbyists say that’s not the one of the longest flights, but still 16 hours is just like, so I was at, when we got on the plane and I wasn’t even stressed. And then I sit down in my seat and I’m like, you have got to be shitting me, man. There’s no USB charger. So I literally like for a 16 hour flight did not use my phone because I was at 30% there. Another one too. Remember when we were hiking, Machu Picchu, Brittany said over and over that she wished that she had a portable charger because she could have used her phone so much more often to take pictures.

2 (29m 53s):
And she was waiting until the end when we got to Machu Picchu to use her phone. So she wouldn’t like kill her battery.

1 (29m 59s):
Yeah. So now I pretty much bring it on every long hike. I go on, bring it on the plane. I even bring it on like city trip. We recently went to Santa Barbara and Kim’s phone died. And so she used the portable charger and it gives two to three charges on a phone. So Kim was able to charge her phone. Then I was able to charge my phone and we also traveled with Charlotte whose phone was running low and she got a charge out of it too. So it’s super awesome. And it’s definitely a game changer and it’s only about $25 to purchase. One last thing before we move on to our last item is the one con about the portable charger is that it takes a long time to recharge. So just keep that in mind. Like if your battery on the portable chargers running low, it’s going to take several hours for it to get to full charge again.

4 (30m 44s):
All right guys. So number 15, our final product that we have here for you guys is going to be Travel backpacks. Now, these aren’t to be confused with the hiking backpacks, these are specific backpacks for traveling as your carry on, on the plane. Or even if you’re not going on a plane, just your backpack, carry your laptop, carry a few extra items. And the one that we have, I absolutely love it’s. So well-designed in terms of what it allows you to store and how you store it. And it comes with an included lock, which is also a game changer because lots of pickpockets happen while traveling.

4 (31m 24s):
So this keeps your items well protected while you’re wearing your backpack.

5 (31m 28s):
That’s all of the products that we have on our list for you guys that we love there. I’m sure there’s plenty more, but those are kind of our essentials. So now that we’ve gone through all of them, it is my favorite time of the week

2 (31m 42s):
And it’s time for

5 (31m 48s):
Of the

4 (31m 49s):
Week.

5 (31m 51s):
All right. So our first question is coming in from an anonymous submission and this person is asking what is something you have forgotten to pack? And I have a story for this one

2 (32m 2s):
Funny story to go for it. Kim,

5 (32m 5s):
I don’t remember where we were. Was it Cuba?

2 (32m 8s):
Well, you know what, when we were in Cuba, we just had the same toothbrush, but we didn’t realize it. So Kim used my toothbrush because she thought it was her toothbrush because like legit, legit, legit, crazy coincidence. We both had the same one. So a month later, I think it was when we went to, where was it? Cause we were in Cuba in March and in April we went to, what was it? Kings canyon.

5 (32m 34s):
Oh, maybe

2 (32m 36s):
I think it was Kings canyon and Kim forgot her toothbrush. And she’s like, oh shit, what am I going to do? And I’m like, well, I mean, we’ve already shared a toothbrush. Do you want to just use mine?

5 (32m 50s):
I will say last weekend I was stationing was some friends here in San Diego and we went from my house to the hotel and then I realized, I forgot my toothbrush. So it was another community toothbrush situation.

2 (33m 5s):
It happens

1 (33m 7s):
In regards to this question, what’s something you forgot to pack. I feel like vena, you should have a lot to say on this. Cause I feel like you always forget to pack something.

2 (33m 17s):
So I did forget to pack gloves when we went to the Andes mountains in the middle of winter. I know, I know. I know. So I also forgot my jacket

1 (33m 27s):
And an umbrella when we were in Lebanon in the middle of winter.

2 (33m 31s):
Yes.

1 (33m 31s):
And no shoes.

2 (33m 33s):
Yes. You know, I just, I just wing it guys. Like I just really show up and I hope for the best.

4 (33m 38s):
So pretty much unprepared

5 (33m 43s):
Dana calls it,

4 (33m 45s):
Winging it, I guess. So we had our next question of the week coming in here, another anonymous submission. And they want to know what other products you would recommend for travelers.

2 (34m 1s):
For me personally, I think that you should always travel with three pins.

4 (34m 7s):
You’ve said that before. And it’s funny that you say this now as the answer to one of our listener questions, because when I was describing number 15 and our backpack, I thought you were going to jump in real quick. Cause you have the same Travel Backpack as Isaiah Ana and you know what? It has enough spots for four pins.

7 (34m 28s):
Oh.

4 (34m 29s):
And I was waiting for you to come in hot with that. And you didn’t, but it’s all right. You’re coming in hot with it on this listener question three times

2 (34m 36s):
As a little obsessive. Actually I think, I think three is a good number. I’m just kidding. But no seriously. Don’t ever travel with one pin. Why? Because when someone sees that you have a pen, they’re going to want to use it to how many times do you have to fill out visa information when you’re landing in for an international flight or if you want a place to do go on the airplane. So it’s always just good. Or even if you just want a journal, right? Someone’s going to see that you have a pin and someone’s going to want to borrow the pin. That’s great. Be a giver, be a sharer. Be abundance. Yes, yes. Yes. But more than likely people are going to forget to give you the pin back. You’re going to lose a pin. So when you have three, you can at least guarantee that on your way home, you’ll still have one left.

4 (35m 20s):
I guess this is the one thing that you are prepared for. Zayna

2 (35m 23s):
I always have pins. I really, truly do. I really like if there’s one thing that I never forget, it’s a pin.

5 (35m 30s):
That’s true. The other thing I would say is a Luggage law would be something I would recommend, especially if you’re planning to stay in a hostel. I know a lot of them have lockers. So you may need the lock for your locker, but if they don’t, you do want to lock up your luggage. I know you can even lock it up. If you’re checking your bag, but little luggage locks, I would recommend

4 (35m 50s):
That’s a really good one. Kim. I wouldn’t have even thought of that to say, and I myself have a luggage lock.

1 (35m 55s):
Does anyone have any final thoughts?

4 (35m 57s):
The only thing that I want to say is all of these products we each have. Now, all of us don’t have all 15, but we each have these products and they really are useful. And they do make your life so much more easy when you travel and convenient. And that’s why we’re recommending them to you. We’ve learned the value of these products over time. Like Zayna said about Brittany in the phone charger was she would have had that when we were hiking the Inca trail. We know now we have, it comes in handy, same with the other products. So we definitely want to make sure you guys are aware of this too.

5 (36m 35s):
If you guys have any travel products that you love, please share them with us in the comments on our Instagram or YouTube at Travel Squad Podcast. And thank you so much for tuning into this week’s episode. GC adventures going with us, we have a new Facebook group called Travel Squad mod that you can join and we can create our community there. We also have a YouTube, like I just mentioned, you can subscribe and watch their

2 (36m 57s):
Yes. And if you found the information in this episode to be useful, or if you thought we were just playing funny, you please make sure to share it with a friend that will enjoy it too.

4 (37m 6s):
And as always, please subscribe, rate and review our podcast and tune in every travel Tuesday for new episodes.

1 (37m 13s):
Make sure to stay tuned for next week’s episode and see where we’re going to Neck.