Advice From The Aisles: Travel Essentials

By Hailey Neal, Wellness Department

February has few recommendations except for the means we use to endure it: late mornings in bed, hot coffee, and best of all, getting the heck out of town. Whether you’re taking a tropical vacation or just a long drive, sometimes that dreary, gloomy visage on the other side of the glass is better if it’s moving. When you’re on the move it can be all too easy, however, to kick all of your New Year’s Resolutions in favor of convenient and delicious indulgences. That’s why we recommend getting your ducks in a row before you’re tempted to buy that eleven dollar hand cream somebody imposes on you in a shopping mall in Holyoke. Here’s what we’re packing in our travel bags to ensure we’re bringing the wellness with us.

Chico Bag Travel Zip: These rad bags come in packs of three, matryoshka style, with one big bag for toiletries, one medium pouch for electronics and cords, and one small pouch for change, ID, and any other little items. They’re a great way to help you stay organized so that BYOB (bringing your own beauty) will feel more manageable and maybe even fun.

Weleda Salt Toothpaste: This formula contains salt, baking soda, and myrrh for a powerful natural product that has been time tested and adored for decades.  According to the manufacturer, it works by increasing saliva production, which encourages your body to keep your teeth cleaner and stronger. It sure beats brushing your teeth with your finger!

Preserve Toothbrush Travel Case: These 50% recycled plastic cases are cruelty-free and made in the USA. It may seem like an unnecessary excess, but let’s face it, it saves you the money you’ll spend on a new toothbrush when that eleven dollar hand cream leaks all over your Chico bag.

Vermont Soap Lavender Ecstasy Shower Gel: The hotel might have shower gel, but if you have sensitive skin sometimes using it is a gamble you don’t want to take. Even more importantly, the organic lavender essential oils in VT Soap’s product will turn any cramped hostel shower into a spa. It will transform your post travel rinse into the respite you’ll sorely need after you’ve spent nine hours pinched in-between a car-sick toddler and your mother-in-law.

Nubian Heritage Indian Hemp and Haitian Vetiver Body Lotion: A personal Wellness Department favorite, this light, non-greasy lotion can do the trick in a pinch from doubling as a temporary face cream to soothing a light sunburn. OK, a not-so-light sunburn.

Remember, wherever you’re going, treat yourself, even if that just means watching Under the Tuscan Sun in your bathrobe.