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Arriving in Queenstown, New Zealand

I was two when my parents put me on a plane to spend the summer with my grandparents on the East Coast. Throughout my childhood, they continued to send me East every other summer. Other times, we bounced from Kaua’i to the other islands, to California, Canada. There was even a South Western road trip before I went to college. These were the days of Mom’s travel binder stuffed with printed MapQuest guides, printed flight and hotel confirmations. Pre-iPhone.

As an adult, I’ve taken short business trips to week long vacations, to even longer working and living situations across the country and abroad.

Below are some things that help me travel with confidence and ease because when we travel, that’s what we want. We want the process to be as painless as possible for our wallets and peace of mind. We want to get right into the experience.

These items help me do that*:

The travel uniform: Away luggage

Away’s Bigger Carry-On fits in most overhead bins for carry-on only ease and comes with lots of compartments to organize everything I need for a 3-5 day trip. I also like that the wheels roll smoothly and feature 360-degree rotation for maneuvering around airport crowds and tiny airplane aisles. On a recent reporting trip to explore a wine region in California’s Central Valley, I managed to fit two sweaters, two long-sleeve tops, a puffer jacket, several pairs of pants and a pair of shoes into the Bigger Carry-On. With the Bigger Carry-On stowed overhead, Away’s Everywhere Bag slides underneath my seat, so I can easily reach my 16-inch laptop, book, make-up bag, and snacks at my convenience. In true Away fashion, the Everywhere Bag comes with lots of pockets and compartments to keep essentials organized. Plus, it also has a trolley sleeve so it stays in place on top of my Bigger Carry-On.

The travel rewards credit card: Chase Sapphire Reserve

For frequent travelers, this card is gold. The annual fee is much, much higher than other cards, however consider the perks: a $300 statement credit for travel-related purchases, including ride-sharing services like Uber and Lyft, a statement credit for the Global Entry fee (more on that below), a hefty rewards points bonus after meeting the terms (something like spending $3,000 in the first several months of sign-up, which can easily be met if you’re planning a big trip or special occasion.

I’ve used this card to get me back to San Diego from Lisbon (all with rewards points). Before that, the card helped me take an impromptu trip to Colombia.

The customs line lifesaver: Global Entry

An ID card that allows you to bypass long customs lines when re-entering the U.S. There is a tedious application, an application fee (last I checked it was about $100, though my fee was waived courtesy of my Chase Sapphire Reserved card) and an in-person interview, though if you believe time is money, Global Entry is worth it. The extensive process has paid me back in time saved.

The card is linked to your passport though, so you’ll all need a valid passport for the application.

The news service (that’s actually fun to read): theSkimm

Sometimes I get so caught up and distracted when I’m in a new destination that my morning news consumption routine goes out the window. Plus, there is a lot of interesting people watching to be had at airports. This daily e-newsletter founded by two former NBC journalists provides a snappy, sometimes snarky but always entertaining yet informative summary of current events. Each summary comes with theSkimm, or the ‘so what’ factor of the news. They help contextualize what’s going on in the world today in a way that I (and I feel like many Millennials) can understand.

It’s perfect for taking a few minutes from people watching in the airport terminal, or when I have some downtime in my Airbnb, or when I’m scrolling through Instagram and realize I could probably be using my idle time more productively.

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*Some links are affiliate links, which mean that if you sign-up or purchase I may get some perks, like more rewards points, a discount etc.