Personal travel accessories for the times
In a matter of months, the world has changed, and traveling looks very different than it did before COVID-19. For travelers venturing out for a weekend getaway or a longer road trip, there are new considerations and priorities, such as self-care, cleanliness and anxiety relief. Here are some personal travel accessories to pack along.
Aromatherapy for the road
The pandemic has unleashed a lot of anxiety. The Goddess Garden on-the-go aromatherapy bracelet ($14.99), with mood-enhancing stones and organic Goddess Garden aromatherapy bracelet blends ($9.99), is the antidote. The porous lava rocks of the bracelets capture and carry the scent of pure essential oil blends. The stones and oils work together to enhance mood and reinforce intentions. Symbolic charm and color patterns also strengthen intentions while giving each bracelet its individual style statement.
Perfect for traveling are the strength bracelet, featuring lava rock and turquoise, and the serenity bracelet, with lava rock and tiger eye. The former is embellished with a lion head charm, a symbolic statement that, when combined with the therapeutic qualities of essential oils, places the power to alter your mood around your wrist. The latter features the hand of love to quiet the mind and inspire inner peace. Add either the “pickme-up” aromatherapy blend of grapefruit, orange, peppermint and jojoba oils or “take five,” so soothing with lavender, orange, roman chamomile and jojoba oils.
The bracelet blends can be mixed and matched to boost your mood. (www.goddessgarden.com)
The porous lava rock on the Goddess Garden aromatherapy bracelets helps the Goddess Garden essential-oil blends go where you go.
Roomy, sturdy and easy to care for, be clear handbags wipe down with alcohol to get rid of germs, and they can be styled for a variety of occasions.
Put the wiggles to rest
And speaking of anxiety, Fun and Function has weighted lap pads (from $33.99), ideal for people with sensory processing disorders. As travelers begin venturing out again, packing along a tool to self-regulate and calm anxiety may be as important as the suitcases and snacks.
While weighted blankets may be too heavy and un
wieldy to pack on a road trip, a smaller weighted lap pad can step in to serve the same purpose, providing a soothing deep pressure.
Fun and Function weighted lap pads weigh from 3 to 7.5 pounds (depending on size) and come in two shades of calming blue. Additionally, the pads can be easily wiped clean and disinfected. Soft covers (from $11.99), offering even more comfort, are also available. (www.funandfunction.com)
Feel oh-so-much better with the Aria Kit, a travel essentials pouch packed with locally sourced items from the Pacific Northwest.
Wear a tee, plant some trees
If 2020 has a rallying cry, it’s “Be kind,” or, as Save Lands presents, “Bee Kind.” This kicky clothing and accessories company not only has a line of fashion tees and other tops with this slogan accompanied by dreamy graphics, but it’s on mission to save the earth. Save Lands plants 12 trees for every tee, sweatshirt and bracelet sold; to date, that has amounted to more than 750,000 trees.
In addition to the mission, items are eco-friendly, ethically made and crueltyfree, with main suppliers being Worldwide Responsible Accredited Production-certified. The tees ($24.99-$32.99) are adorable, comfy in sustainably grown 100% natural cotton and capture the times with adventure-themed sayings that include the aforementioned “Bee Kind,” plus “Caring Is Cool” and “Think Positive.” Put your message out there. Hopefully 2020 will listen. If not, there’s also “Beer Me.” (www.savelands.org)
Be comfy
Here’s self-care in a self-contained vegan leather zippered pouch. The Aria Kit ($64.99), a personal essentials travel kit, holds everything needed for a road trip in the midst of a pandemic, and it’s all locally sourced from the Pacific Northwest.
Give your senses a preemptive boost before entering that gas station restroom with the kit’s handcrafted solid perfume by Oregon Rain Naturals. When crowded places cause panicked perspiration, pull out the all-natural, lightly citrus-scented deodorant made in Vancouver by Wood’s Body Goods. Once at your destination, treat your skin and lips to Handmade La Conner’s restorative potions made from natural ingredients and oils, then slip on the kit’s silky, sumptuous eye mask.
The Aria also includes a beautiful notebook designed by Seattle artist Cathy Wu for recording journey highlights as well as a half-dozen basic necessities like pen, ear plugs, bamboo toothbrush and more. (www.ariakit.com)
Jazzed-up journey
Research has shown that purses can be dirtier than a toilet. How about a handbag that stores all your essentials and can be easily wiped down with alcohol to eliminate germs? That’s the be clear handbag ($48$130), a line of clear handbags offered in an array of styles, sizes and shapes and embellished with gold hardware, studs, gemstones, tiny locks, and messages of peace and love.
From casual to full-on glam, the bags can be jazzed up in a variety of ways. Choose a strap (from $36) from a delicious palette of colors and prints, including leopard, snakeskin, boho flowers, pearls, rainbow shimmer, confetti and more. Clip on an Amelia tassel bag charm ($15) to add a pop of color. Put the pandemic in its place with a peek-a-boo pouch (from $18) that crushes it with affirmations like “Queen of Quarantine,” “Relax” and “Uncork and Unwind.” Pouches tuck neatly inside the be clear handbags and hold lip gloss, keys, ID, phone and other accessories.
Be clear handbags retain their shape easily with a fast blast of heat from a blow dryer. All are stadium-approved for that longed-for day when we can return to a sporting event, music festival or other outdoor gathering. (www.beclearhandbags.com)