In my last blog post I was preparing to leave on a trip to Europe and was packing some new items to try out. I must say that some were big hits and some were not as great as I thought they would be. But look towards the end where I add a bonus item I happened upon in my travels that was an absolute life saver.
For now, let’s start with my product reviews of the items I mentioned in my last blog post.
1) The TRTL Travel Pillow is a winner. It was less bulky than the others and packed more easily in my carry on. It also stayed in place while sleeping and I didn’t have to take it off while walking about in the cabin. It was a great buy and I would recommend this over any other neck pillow I’ve used in the past.
2) The Pony-O Hair tie did stay in place better than other hair ties throughout the day, which was nice. However, I must admit that due to my hair being layered at different lengths, I needed to spend a little more time that normal, with a few more attempts, until I got my hair all out of my face. So with that, I think this product would be ideal for someone who has longer hair.
3) The Travelon Anti-theft Bag really worked for me. Thank goodness I did not have to test the “anti-theft” part. I did however find the various compartments handy and it was comforting to know each had a special locking devise (I just needed to remember to use the SAME compartment each time for my items). I especially loved the side compartment designed for a standard-sized water bottle. I used to throw it inside with all my other gear and could never find it when I needed it. This item definitely made me feel, not only safe, but organized as well.
4) A day trip bag always comes in handy and I liked the backpack style for a change. My Henri Bendel packable was lightweight and was easy to put on my back so it was out of the way. It wasn’t sturdy enough to hold my camera but it I just kept it around my neck almost the entire time so that didn’t really matter! I will definitely be replacing my old canvas bag with this one on future trips.
5) The inflatable back pillow did not work for me. True the pillow packed easily and quickly inflated automatically but it ended up taking up more space and placed me even closer to the seat in front of me, and as we all know, airplane seats are pretty squished to begin with. Thank goodness I don’t suffer from serious back problems like some people so it wasn’t a big issue. But I don’t think I would take this back pillow with me next time.
6) The jury is still out on the Space Saver Packing bags. We took many flights on this trip and I found that I had to keep pumping air out of the bags each time I had to re-pack. It seemed easy enough when I first packed and the final time before we returned home. So, I might suggest these if you were to take a cruise or if you just had one destination in mind instead of traveling from place to place.
So, now for the huge game changer of an item! I don’t know about you but keeping my passport and boarding passes together and organized has always been a problem with me. I usually end up using a tattered cardboard envelope but that never seems to work how I want it to.
So, when I was traveling from Sibiu, Romania to Dusseldorf,Germany, I was waiting at the airport and ended up meeting a lovely woman name Sandra from Chile and she was carrying a small clear plastic holder with all her important documents in it. We got to talking and as she was about to board the plane she handed me her plastic holder. I told her it was too generous, but she insisted saying she was on her way home and no longer needed it. I had three more flights after I saw her on this trip and must admit that plastic folder sure came in handy! I could easily find my passport and boarding pass in one place quickly – I even kept my husband’s safely with mine in the plastic folder. I am going to try to find these on-line and get them for stocking stuffers this year because, as someone who avidly travels, I don’t know how I lived without it and I think everyone needs to get one of these!
So, I think my experiment with new products was an overall a success! Almost all of the items worked exactly how I expected and needed them to work and I would take most of them on my future travels. By the way, my trip was also a great success and I can’t wait to share the great places I would recommend … but not until next week …. I need to catch up on my sleep.
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