My Top 3 Travel Items

Contributed by Green Builder Media VISION House Director, Heather Wallace

I have a confession to make. No matter if I am going on a work trip or on vacation I over-pack shoes. I love shoes. I am not as bad as a lot of people (oh yeah, there are some men out there who love them some shoes) I know but it’s true – I over-pack shoes.

The problem these days are those pesky luggage fees a majority of the airlines charge us. I don’t particularly like to pay for one suitcase, let alone two, so my aim (no matter the length of the trip) is to pack it all into one bag.  One suitcase, one carry-on (which usually is crammed full with camera equipment and my laptop) and my purse or reusable bag.

With that said there are three items that I never get on a plane without… my To-Go-Ware RePEat Utensil Set, my Klean Kanteen, and my Vapur Reflex reusable water bottle.  And no, this is not a shameless plug for these three companies. It just happens to be what I use and there are probably other similar items from other companies but I’ll tell you why I specifically like all three of these products.

First, my bamboo utensil set contains a fork, spoon, chopsticks and knife (that does NOT get confiscated by airport security). The most frequent remark I get when people see me pull out the utensils is, “What’s the point?”

Well, to go back to the title of Week 1’s Blog – It’s the Little Things. If I can forgo using plastic disposable utensils as much as possible then I’m doing SOMETHING. I’m doing my part. It may not seem like a lot but if a million people said no to all the plastic utensils they were given in a month I think we’d all be astounded by the amount of plastic we’d be keeping out of the landfills. And no, they are not that difficult to clean – you just have to remember to do it.

Second is my Vapur Reflex reusable water bottle.  What is so great about this item is that you bring it empty through security and then fill it up in a water fountain (or ask the nice people at Starbucks if they could fill it up) and you’re good to go on the plane. No wasting plastic bottles.  It’s small and can roll up and fit into your purse or carry-on bag.

Lastly… my Klean Kanteen. I’m in love with my Klean Kanteen. I own a plain grey stainless steel-colored one and no, it’s not the most stylish thing to be drinking out of during a business meeting and I’m sure people really wonder if there’s water in it but a couple years back I realized that when I travel I drink a TON of water and I was using single-serve plastic bottled water to quench my thirst. On a one-week business trip I potentially was drinking a minimum of 21 bottles of water. That’s a lot of bottles (recycled or not).

The Klean Kanteen was my solution as I travel a lot to warm climates where I want ice-cold water most of the time. I once packed it full of ice water and forgot it in my car. It was sitting in 75 degree weather for about 8 hours and when I got back to my car there was still ice inside. The thing is amazing. And yes, it takes up room in my suitcase but I’ve learned to get over it. I know I’m sacrificing a pair of shoes for my Klean Kanteen but again, it’s the little things...