I was very consistent with these until I started homeschooling at the start of the year and then slowly most of my blogging fell by the wayside. Summer has had a similarly chaotic schedule, just in a different way. A few of these items are repeats but we've been on the go so much this summer, these are what has come to mind recently!
I always enjoy hearing what works for other people and I like sharing things I like, it's part of the reason I have a blog. I've been doing these monthly posts for 10 years and they also provide a nice little snapshot in my life at a moment in time! See more here! Some affiliate links may be included!
I bought one of these for myself 2 years ago and would take it on all camping trips, never sure what the reading light situation would be (most cabins have them over our bed but not all, and more than once at least one of them has been burnt out). I now also use this to read in a camping chair in our rustic cabins at Jellystone (would have LOVED one of these back in our lake days when we had 1 or 2 boys sleeping in our room! So much time trying to balance a flashlight just right!). Both the boys have one for reading in bed and for travel. I've even used mine to do outside dishes at camp when it's gotten dark before they are done! (We all have the medium size.)
Two years ago my boys got into playaways from the library shortly before our trip. They listened to them SO MUCH on the drive to Cocoa Beach that we stopped for more batteries on the second day of that drive. I happened to have this in my Target cart already, one of them needed it for school, and so checked out with that and the batteries. I ended up using it that trip to collect receipts, brochures, any other pieces of travel paper I didn't want to lose. It keeps all those receipts out of my wallet and then I had everything in one place when we got home! I decided that one was mine and bought another one for the school kid. Now I take it on every trip and it's super handy.
This was a new addition to our travel supplies this summer and has worked out rather well. Matt has his coffee and I, my tea every morning. We'd always take our electric kettle from home but it's bigger and we'd usually be using it still the morning before our trip and it couldn't be packed early. I learned about these on IG or FB and decided it would be super helpful, and it has been! I can pack it days in advance and it's takes up much less space. We do have to do 2 boil runs to get us both our hot drink or for hot water for dishes when at Jellystone but it boils quickly so not really a problem. I even took it when we stayed in a house with my whole family over the summer, not knowing what the hot water situation would be (I never want hot water out of a coffee maker, guaranteed to have a coffee taste).
Two of us are on prescription meds and, like the kettle, the pill boxes would be something we'd have to remember at nearly the last minute. This is more compact than our previous options and I can also fill it and pack it a few days in advance. Matt likes to tell me we can replace anything at our destination if we forget it but meds are one of the few exceptions! Plus, easy to throw in a bag if we are out and about for afternoon/evening doses.
When camping for the last 19 years, we had been using salt & pepper shakers we had been given for our wedding. We had not used these up in 19 years but they were prone to spilling when in our big tub for Jellystone which isn't messy (it's just salt & pepper, unlike the honey that broke open in my work bag this week) but annoying enough that I looked into a replacement. These haven't broken open for us yet! They seem VERY MUCH like Tupperware but they aren't (we had a lot of Tupperware with that kind of lid growing up). Plus, easily refillable. Maybe we're supposed to be moving away from plastic but there are some times it's SUPER handy. (Also the only non blue entry on this list...believe me, I would have gotten blue if it was an option).
Five things that have made our travel life a little easier this summer! What have YOU been liking lately?
