14 Must-Have Travel Essentials to ALWAYS Carry With You (travel EDC)

Welcome back to another video. Today I want to show you everything that I always pack in my travel day bag when I'm out exploring or sightseeing. I get a lot of questions about this. What I bring and carry with me throughout the day so that I have everything that I might need while also not wanting to be like weighed down and carrying unnecessary stuff. I'll also show you a few different options of bags for different budgets and also address the two biggest questions I always get. How to carry water and what about anti-theft features. Okay so first I wanted to show you this cross body bag I recently found. I love how lightweight it is and it's made from vegan leather and it feels quite durable and wipeable. I don't know if it's supposed to be water resistant but it feels like you could easily wipe away spills. As far as the size I think it's in that true Goldilocks zone. Not too big and not too small. It's wider at the bottom and has this nice crescent shape at the top. So it sits really nice on the body and it's got a little bit of structure to it so it's not flimsy or floppy but it still holds its shape for being quite light. The zippers pull pretty smoothly. It has nice metal hardware and it also has this zippered pocket on the back which I really like for added security. And then on the front there's a quick access slip pouch with a magnetic closure and then inside it's a light gray lining. It was kind of hard to show but I like that it's not a black interior. It comes in a lot of different colors but I really liked this blue and this is the fun strap that came with it but it is also removable if you wanted to replace it with something else. The wide strap is actually quite comfortable to carry and the adjustable strap gives you lots of different lengths to play around with. And because of the strap design you can lock the zipper to the side ring as an anti-theft measure and you can also cinch it up to be close to your body so if you're in a busy or touristy area in a crowd or maybe a really busy train station and you're worried about pickpockets you can keep it close to your body zipped up and then you can even clip the strap to the zipper to make sure no one can easily open your behind. And it's affordable about $22 USD or about $35 Canadian so a great travel bag without breaking the bank. I also put links to this for both US and Canadian down in the description and if you're international the link should still work for you too. Alright let me show you what I pack inside and then I'll also show you a few other options for day bags as I do change it up depending on the trip. First I've got my phone in the back zipper pocket. I have the Google Pixel 10 which is about the same size as the iPhone 17 so I always look for a purse that has a phone size zipper pocket to keep it secure and out of sight. Next I have my little coin purse. I usually keep my coins and my cash separated just as another added level of security but sometimes I do throw a few bills in here too. I like this little mini pouch because it does have the built-in clip so I can tether it to the inside of my bag if there's a key leash. I use this all the time like being demonstrated here in Japan where I was using my coins to buy gachapon. Next I usually like to carry a mini pack of wipes. This is just the perfect little size to carry around. You never know if you're going to need to wipe something off, spills, or sometimes if I just feel like a little sweaty or grimy these are gentle enough to use on your skin for a little refresh. Just don't flush them down the toilet. Next I always have a little hair clip. Nothing special but always got to have it. Oh and there is an interior zip pocket as well so this is where I keep my little slim travel wallet. I obviously took out the cards and my ID for the purpose of this video but I only bring a few cards when I travel anyways so this is the perfect size for that and then I would also keep a few bills of cash in that pocket too. And most trips I also bring a pack of tissues especially in the summer. I find going from the hot sun to the air-conditioned indoors my nose runs a lot but also useful in a public bathroom emergency if there's no toilet paper. Next is my little nano reusable tote bag. One of these always travels with me. They pack down so small and it has this handy little clip if you don't have room in your bag to pack it. These are just so useful for like visiting markets or if you end up buying too many souvenirs one day or if you're staying at an Airbnb and you're getting a few groceries. Just pack one of these they are so handy. And then in the front slip pocket I've got my power bank. I like this one because it's pretty slim and it's just magnetic so it just easily clips to the back of your phone and you don't need a wire. Now back to the inside I've got one of these little round foldable fans. These actually work really well and as you can see they're quite thin so really lightweight too and they take up virtually no space at all. But they work really really well they move pretty good air and then you can just easily fold it back down and it keeps in its little pouch. Next I've got my lip balm and some lipstick. This lip color from Winky Lux is my new favorite for travel because it basically just matches with the pH level of your lips to give you like a personalized color and it just enhances your natural lip color so it does work for any situation. And it's nice and compact too. Next is my Klippa bag hanger. This always gets tossed into whichever day bag I'm bringing. It's perfect for keeping your bag off the floor and even in bathrooms when there's no hook because you never know. I've run into this quite a bit actually and it's just great to have because you can also use it to hang things up in your hotel room for example. Lots of uses. Next is my crossbody phone lanyard. If I'm not actively wearing it I usually pack it just in case I do find myself wanting to wear it. These are great when you're traveling because you can just wear your phone securely across your body instead of digging it out. So it's great if you are in a country where you don't speak the language and you find yourself constantly using your phone for google translate. And of course it's also helpful just to keep your phone secure so you don't drop it while taking photos or even just accidentally setting it down and leaving it on a table somewhere and then walking away forgetting it. I always carry a little bottle of sunscreen to reapply on my face every two or three hours. This is one of my favorite brands and it comes in this perfect little travel size bottle. Next I always have my sunglasses. As someone with blue eyes I will never be without. So I do pack a slim sunglass case and I made sure to get this bright green color so it's really easy to find in my purse. And then a water bottle. This is the best type of bottle I have found to easily carry with me. Because it's square it fits so much better inside a purse. This one is 500 milliliters so it's not huge but it is enough to keep me hydrated until I can refill it. And this is my little accordion pouch from Muji. I think it's pretty much sold out everywhere so if I see it come available I will be sure to link it. I originally picked this up at the Muji store in Tokyo. So if you do have a trip planned there make sure you go look for it. But inside this is what I put together as my little travel pharmacy kit for the day. So I've got a few panty liners, some band-aids. In this pouch I have some Pepto-Bismol tabs and some Advil and then some Tums as well. This is my little nasal diffuser. I love these things if you're on public transport and it's kind of smelly or stinky or if you just need a little aromatherapy moment. And my dental flossers and floss. Oh and I packed these little anti-bloat supplements. If we end up going out for a meal that's pretty rich I'll take a couple of these after I eat and I do think it helps alleviate some bloat especially in those first few days of travel. Then I have a little pack of soap sheets because you never know when there's going to be soap missing from a public bathroom. Or sometimes instead of soap I'll pack a little hand sanitizer. So that's pretty much everything I would bring with me on a travel day. Now I want to show you another crossbody I am recently loving which is also an anti-theft bag. I think this is the perfect little black crossbody bag. It's genuine leather and it's only $45 USD. Now I couldn't find it on the Canadian site but I was still able to purchase it from Amazon US. I do really like it though. It is very very soft. The zippers are smooth and it also has this really light tan interior. And then it's got this front zip compartment with card slots and it's also RFID blocking. The straps are also removable so you could change it out for a wider strap if you need that. I also love the built-in anti-pickpocket clips. So you just attach the ends of the zippers to the clips and now your zippers can't be opened. So now I just want to show you how everything packs up into this purse. I was able to fit everything from the first bag except the water bottle but I will also say that sometimes I don't always carry a water bottle. And some of you might not like this and I'm sorry but on days where I don't feel like carrying water around I'll just stop into a little shop and buy a bottle of water as needed throughout the day. I know it's not the most environmentally friendly but this channel is all about real travel tips and sometimes it's just not practical to lug around a heavy bottle all day. Now another option I've used a lot for travel is the Aoyama Crossbody from Low and Sons. This one is a little pricier but it's a great bag. It holds a ton of stuff and it's really comfortable and it's got a lot of great features. I've used this on longer trips in Ireland, in Portugal, and in Japan because it can hold my Sony camera and even a light cardigan in addition to all of my other little items. And I even had it out in some light rain on a few occasions and nothing inside got wet. And the strap is also convertible so you can wear it three different ways either as a crossbody or as a shoulder bag or just get rid of the straps and then it becomes a little clutch. And it has some really smart zippered pockets on the front as well. I also recently spotted a very similar version of this bag from Away. It's a little cheaper and Away does ship to Canada for my Canadian friends. So there you have a few options. I hope this video helps you pack a little bit better and easier for your next trip so that you don't forget anything. I also linked everything I could find down below in the description and in the very first comment. Thank you so much for watching and we'll see you in the next one!