Weather you’re heading to Paris for a romantic jaunt, off to a music festival, or heading up north for the weekend, there are a few key pieces we’ve come to rely on across our travels we wouldn’t leave home without! Some of the products we’ve selected here are a little bit cheeky and personal for a European backpacking trip (read Post-Poo Drops), while others are just essential for any chilled vacation (JBL’s Micro Wireless), but we’re sure once you’ve discovered the amazingness that is this collection of items, you won’t be able to leave home without them.
Aesop A.P.C. Post-Poo Drops
We learned about this fabulously cheeky product on our visit to the Aesop headquarters in Melbourne earlier this year and we immediately thought how perfect they would be to take with you on vacation. Far superior to the usual stinky perfumed aerosols that don’t really cover the smell of, well, poo, or malodorous (as the Aesop describes it), these drops are a collaborative effort from both Aesop and A.P.C. to deodorize your bathroom with aromatic botanicals.
They could be particularly helpful if you’re staying with friends in an apartment or house with only one bathroom (Coachella anyone?), or if you’re heading off with your new boyfriend on your first vacation together. We’re also told they’re often used to deodorize sink drains in both the bathroom and kitchen (particularly in Europe), blending crisp citrus and fortified florals to neutralize.
Pick some up in Toronto at WANT Apothecary, Oliver Spencer, Holt Renfrew or online for $29 US.
JBL Micro Wireless
If it’s one thing you need to make sure you have on hand when you travel, especially when you’re hanging by the pool, getting ready to head to Coachella for example, it’s a portable speaker. We’re big fans of our JBL PlayUp speaker when hanging in the park but this new JBL Micro Wireless speaker takes that one to the next level in an even more portable package, clipping easily onto a backpack. It can also be used with other JBL products syncing together to spread even more sound.
So you can take the party over to your friends house in Palm Springs and chill by the pool with some sweet tunes blasting as you get ready to see your favourite bands at Coachalla later that day, with the help of the powerful built in bass port. Plus you don’t have to worry about any wires or cords to play your tunes because this baby is completely wireless connecting by bluetooth. So leave your phone inside charging out of the sun (and away from potential water splashes) and keep the music going all summer long with the JBL Micro Wireless.
Snag yourself one in a cool colour like green, red, pink or red right here for $49.95 US.
Daneson Toothpicks
They’re super awesome to carry around at home, but taking these Daneson toothpicks on the go is a must, especially if you’re heading to a festival, where there aren’t many mirrors around to get that chunk of pulled pork out of your teeth (yikes!). They come in five flavours now including Lemon, Salted Birch, Cinnamint, Mint, and bad ass Single Malt and are packaged in a neat glass holder that, once empty, would make a great holder for well, that roach you’re saving for your morning hang over.
Get one vile for $19.99 CDN on their website.
Rimowa Salsa Air
We recently took a rather epic trip to Australia and were lucky enough to have our Rimowa Salsa Air in tow. Not only was it lighter than any other suitcase we’ve ever travelled with, making the strict weight constraints a no brainer, while the multi wheeled base made it easy to manoeuvre dragging it around for hours and hours of travel time. The super durable yet hard shell and entirely open cavity with zippered screens covering each interior side, made packing a total breeze not having to worry about precious shoes or bags getting squished in like they can in soft shell luggage. Organizing became easier and easier as we packed and unpacked travelling around Australia. Nobody likes living out of a suitcase, but if we had to choose one, it would definitely be the Rimowa Salsa Air in snazzy Ultra Violet colour.
Get one at your nearest Rimowa retailer for $400 and up depending on the size.
Diptyque Mini Candles
You already can’t get enough of Diptyque Paris’ Figuier candle, you’ve got one in every frigging room of your apartment. What do you do when you’re planning to travel somewhere foreign and fear the unknown scents! Bring a little bit of home with you with one of their mini size candles which pack easily into the middle of your suitcase.
Roll one up in your jeans. Find them at Holt Renfrew for $30 per travel size.
DIANA F+ Camera
There’s nothing more fun than a film camera when you’re headed to a sunny destination. Music festivals are so much more exciting when you have photos to look forward to after the fit instead of throwing all your selfless up on Instagram. This DIANA F+ camera is the perfect super light pinhole camera to carry at a festival or on your beach vacay. It will make all your photos look like they were taken in the 60s, so you’ll have instant hipster cred no matter what.
Get one through lomography for $89 US.
Filson Large Twill Carry-On Travel Bag
If it’s one thing we couldn’t live without while travelling it’s our Filson duffle. This new travel bag is the perfect carry on for longer flights, where you need to pack a little more, and on the flip side, it’s roomy enough that you could take it solo on a shorter weekend getaway. Plus it’s super durable, like all Filson’s so you know it’s going to protect all your important packed items.
Get one at Oliver Spencer in Toronto for $395 CAN.