5 Must-Pack Items For Finicky Spring Travel
With the rains starting to disappear and the skies giving way to more blue than gray, it's a great time to start thinking about a spring getaway. The best and brightest spring clothing are a given when it's time to start packing. But what about practical items that will please even the most finicky of travelers? Here are just a few must pack items for the hard to please traveler on a spring trip or any other time of year.
Of all the necessary items to pack for the finicky spring traveler, Bluetooth trackers are nearly as helpful as a mobile device. Used to track valuable items like keys, smartphones and wallets. Bluetooth trackers have been increasing in popularity in recent years as evidenced in a much broader collection of useful products, such as Chipolo, TrackR Wallet and the very popular Tile Mate. Although a common characteristic among most finicky travelers is being organized, a Bluetooth tracker can determine the location of lost luggage through an app or virtually eliminate the unnecessary stress of misplaced car keys and/or mobile devices. As useful and affordable as Bluetooth trackers are, there are some drawbacks in that these devices operate within a short range and come with non-replaceable batteries, forcing the user to purchase another within a year or so. In that regard, the finicky traveler may wish to consider more expensive options like GPS trackers for keys and others valuables and GPS tags for luggage or even children and pets.
Related: How To Stay Healthy When Traveling
For nearly every traveler, being connected is one of the most important needs while on the go. However, wireless service varies from one business to another and several leading hotels often charge higher fees for premium service. Nevertheless, these premium wireless services are often utilized over an unsecured network, which could allow a hacker to surreptitiously access a traveler's laptop or mobile device. One of the best solutions to offset the risk of using an unsecured wireless network is a mobile hotspot that can be accessed via a mobile device such as an iPhone or a portable gadget like AT&T's Unite Explore or Verizon's Jetpack. If the use of a mobile hotspot isn't cost effective, the affordable solution is the use of a VPN (virtual private network) service such as Hotspot Shield, AnchorFree and PureVPN for enhanced WiFi security, protection of personal information and other attractive benefits.
Noise Reduction Items
One of the most common annoyances on a trip any time of the year is coping with raised voices, crying babies and other unpleasant sounds. For the finicky traveler who demands the least amount of distractions, an essential item to bring along are items designed to reduce ambient sounds, such as noise canceling headphones, wireless earbuds and noise filtering ear plugs. With its emergence in popularity, wireless headphones or earbuds can be used for a number of ways while canceling noise, including listening to music, connecting to a game console or connect with a Bluetooth-enabled TV. Still, headphones and noise canceling earbuds are certainly not for every traveler. For those who simply want to reduce ambient noise, a set of low cost ear plugs can make for a more restful sleep or more restful flight.
A common characteristic that many finicky travelers share is the need to have neatly pressed or wrinkle free clothing. While steam irons are often available in hotel rooms across the country, a portable garment steamer doesn't require an ironing board for clothing yet with a fresh from the cleaners appearance. Most handheld garment steamers are priced between $30 and $60 and are offered by a number of companies, including Conair, Jiffy Steamer and Steamfast. If a portable garment steamer proves to be too bulky or too expensive, the affordable alternative is a wrinkle remover spray product for under $10, such as Downy Wrinkle Releaser or Magic Wrinkle Releaser.
With the price of bottled water often exceeding $5 at airports across the country, a refillable water bottle is always a smart item to pack. But the finicky traveler might not want to settle for refilling their bottle in a public water fountain. Instead, their choice might often be a water purifier bottle or water filtration bottle, that are capable of transforming ordinary tap water into clean, purified drinking water that are capable of removing water contaminants through the use of a chemical or filtration system. A large number of these types of refillable water bottles are available for the consumer and includes such quality picks like the Grayl's Ultralight and CamelBak's All Clear.
