Fall is such a popular season for travelers alike. You have the beautiful fall foliage, cooler temperatures, less tourists in places, and you can’t beat the cheap prices! Plus, there’s fun fall activities such as apple picking, festivals, haunted tours, and hiking. With perks like that, it’s a no brainer to see why people gravitate towards the fall season for travel.
However, fall travel brings about some unique challenges. You must rethink what you pack and how you pack it. Especially during this pandemic, travelers must think about adding new essentials to their bags. From road trips and hiking to city walking and flying, these are the 19 must have fall travel essentials for 2021.
So excited to have JoJo fro JoJo’s cup of Mocha on the blog today for this guest post. Please visit their site here after reading this post! And thanks JoJo for writing such a great seasonal piece for GWS. – Shelly
Hand Sanitiser
Having hand sanitizer on hand is important, even more so now because of the pandemic. Before and after you eat, or when you’re hands are dirty, it’s best practice to sanitize your hands. This prevents the spread of germs, cleans your hands, and decreases the risk of illness.Â
Disinfecting Wipes
Another great item to have on hand when traveling. Whether you’re on a plane, in a public restroom, or at a restaurant table, disinfecting wipes are a life saver! They easily clean and sanitize the surface area, perfect during this pandemic and flu season.
Lotion
Cooler, fall temperatures means dry skin. Be sure to hydrate your skin, from your face to your body, by applying lotion. Always make sure you have lotion on hand when you’re traveling during the fall.
Tissues
Whether you have allergies, a cold, or just a runny nose from the colder weather, tissues are a must for fall. You never know when you’re going to need a tissue, so be sure to keep plenty of pocket sized ones on hand.
Fleece Sweater or Hoodie
Fall travel requires a fleece sweater or hoodie for the cooler temperatures. It’s important to stay warm to avoid being cold but also from getting hypothermia.Â
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Down Jacket
These types of jackets are amazing! They’re great at insulating heat while being able to fold down to a tiny size. This is perfect if you’re looking for a jacket that’s not too bulky in size, can easily fit into any luggage, but can also keep you warm.Â
Travel Blanket
Having a travel blanket is a must for the fall, and should be part of your fall travel essentials. You can be on a cold plane or out camping in the woods, a travel blanket will keep you nice and warm. If you get a travel blanket which folds into a pillow, that’s a bonus because it’s two for the price of one. Versatile travel item for the win!
Thermal Long Sleeve Tops
Having warm, thermal layers while traveling during the fall is crucial to retaining body warmth. Thermal long sleeve tops are designed to wick moisture away from your skin so you can retain your body heat and avoid heat loss. This is just what you need for traveling during the cooler months of fall.
Wool Socks
From mountain hikers to walking in cities, pack a couple pairs of Merino wool socks. Why this sheep’s wool for fall travel? Well, Merino wool is awesome for providing good insulation, regulating body temperature, and keeping you dry when needed. In addition, it absorbs odor, it’s fire-resistant, it doesn’t itch, and it’s super soft. Merino wool socks are just the thing you need while traveling, especially during fall.Â
Athleisure Bottoms
One of the main struggles with clothing for fall travel is that they tend to be thicker and bulkier. Bulky, thick clothing times the number of days you’re traveling, plus the activities you’ll do, equals a packing nightmare. Meaning, it becomes more difficult to pack your items.
Yet, it doesn’t have to be that hard to pack items for fall travel. A solution to this problem is to make athleisure bottoms a fall travel essential. Athleisure wear are athletic clothes which can be used in an athletic and casual or leisurely setting. You can pack athleisure bottoms, such as leggings, for your fall travels.
This offers a lot of benefits. Not only does athleisure bottoms offer comfort, but also warmth, wicking properties, flexibility, and versatility. You can wear them for your workouts while traveling, on hikes, walking anywhere, and even to dinner in the evenings. I personally LOVE packing athletic leggings when I travel because of these benefits.
Universal Travel Adapter
Owning a universal travel adapter is a great item to use no matter if you’re traveling internationally or domestically. Having an adapter for every country, with multiple USB ports and sockets, allows you to charge multiple devices from one place no matter where your travels take you. You are prepared for any place you travel to, it saves space in your luggage, and the hassle of bringing tons of plugs.
Packing Cubes
Packing cubes are an essential item to use whenever you’re traveling. They’re even more essential to use when you’re traveling during the fall. The reason being is because they organize your clothing and provide you with more space in your luggage.
This is a good thing to note because fall travel means packing larger, bulkier, and thicker articles of clothing. By using a packing cube, you’re organizing and compressing that clothing into a smaller area which allows for more space in your luggage.Â
Rain Jacket
Rainy weather is inevitable in certain locations, some areas may experience more rainfall during the fall. If that’s the case, then best take a rain jacket with you that’s completely waterproof. Unlike an umbrella, which can be damaged in harsher weather, a rain jacket is more durable, comfortable, and convenient to use.
Water Bottle
The Grayl Geopress water bottle is another fall travel essential to have on hand. Yes, it’s like a normal water bottle and you can refill it from a water source without buying any plastic bottles. What makes this bottle stand out is that it’s a purifying and filtering water bottle!
This water bottle purifies and filters out the viruses, bacteria, pesticides, and other harmful things to give you clean and safe drinking water. It’s perfect whether you’re filling your bottle from the tap or from a river in the mountains.
Boots
Having boots specifically for fall travel is the way to go. There are a variety of boot styles. Whether it’s booties, knee high boots, or hiking boots, these are an essential for fall travel. They’re great for the fall weather and will provide you with warm feet on your travels.
Portable Power Bank
Carrying a portable power bank, or a portable battery charger, is always a must when traveling. It’s important to have a full phone battery while traveling for safety, navigation, and communication. You’ll never be caught with a dead battery when you have this with you.
Survival Paracord Bracelet
Thinking about going camping, fishing, or hiking this fall? Then consider this as one of your fall travel essentials. If so, you don’t want to go off into nature without a survival paracord bracelet. These small but mighty bracelets are packed with essential tools you may need if you’re out in nature.
The standard equipment on these bracelets includes a little compass, paracord to use in emergencies, a fire starter, and a little whistle. But some other bracelets come with more tiny tools such as a LED light, saw, a blade, screw tool, wrench, and more! All of this, built into a small bracelet.
This item is a must when traveling! Not only will you be prepared in case of an emergency but it’s so small, you can easily take it with out on your travels. Be careful when carrying these in the airport, you may not make it through security with it.
First Aid Kit
No matter where you’re traveling to this fall, having a first aid kit on hand is crucial. You never know when you’re going to need a Band-Aid, a gauze pad, or any other type of medical help. These kits come in a variety of different sizes, so you can get one that’s suitable for your travels and luggage space.
Foldable Back Pack
Finally, a foldable backpack is the perfect fall travel essential. You can easily have it folded, fit into your luggage of choice, and unfold it to have a day backpack. Having a foldable backpack can be used on any type of travel to hold your items. Easy to pack, easy to use, no hassle.Â
What are some of your fall travel essentials? Do you have any that aren’t listed here? Share those fall travel essentials with us in the comments.
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Not me pretending that fall exists in my country 🙈 But I have experienced actual autumn while travelling abroad. May I say, these are wonderful points to note! One I wish could be highlighted with a fluorescent highlighter is the need for a lotion! My skin was peeling like a snake’s the whole time! What’s worse, a little boy handed me Vaseline to apply on my chapped list! Vaseline should be on the list too! Loved all the points. I think it is practical and pragmatic to carry these things along.
Fuzzy socks are a staple in my fall/cold weather wardrobe!
I flew a lot when I was younger and I learned that boots that easily slip on and off are a must. Also, layering is the way to go. You never know if your flight is going to be chilly or warm, so having a sweater you can easily put on or take off is important.
While masks are often a requirement now, an additional plus is that they’ll keep your face warm when you’re outdoors, too.
Yes! Fuzzy socks for the win!