Travel
/ January 2018

NYC Adventures | What’s in my Bag

Thank you Genestra HMF Probiotics for sponsoring this post. Visit GenestraHMF.com to find Genestra HMF Probiotics today!

It has been almost a month since we returned from our NYC adventures, but I still haven’t had a chance to share one of our most fun days in the city! You may have gotten glimpses of it if you follow my Instagram stories, but that isn’t enough to capture the full experience. So today I am playing catch up and sharing all the pictures.

We decided we wanted to spend an entire day exploring the city. When we got to Times Square we were immediately bombarded by all the sales people offering us tickets to bus tours around the city. But instead of ignoring them like I usually do I stopped and talked to one. I discovered that it was actually quite inexpensive to ride a double-decker bus all over the Big Apple. Since they had stops all over NYC and buses leaving from each stop every 15 minutes, we figured it would be the perfect way to explore, while getting a prime view of everything going on.

We had no idea that Zander would make it his primary goal in life to try and run away from us while riding the moving, open top, double-decker bus… We could have stayed downstairs on the bus, but there was only standing room. And then Zander would have been trying to join the driver in the front of the bus. Luckily we were strong enough to hold him back from running off the moving bus, but not without lots of screaming and tears. We will be avoiding buses in the near future.

Even though the bus ride was a disaster – to say the least – the places it took us were a huge success. We went to the 9/11 memorial, which is always a solemn and touching experience. Then we visited the mall across the street from that and played in the beautiful Christmas displays. We found a little park in the middle of a busy intersection and chased pigeons and threw leaves in the air.

I guess we didn’t do much more than that during our day in the city, so rather than just sharing the pictures with you, I thought I would share what’s in my bag when I travel. When you travel anywhere, especially with kids, you have to be prepared. But I also like to pack light. I only bring what I consider absolutely essential. Here is what I had in my purse for our NYC trip:

Travel Purse Essentials | What’s in my Bag

Lip Balm & Lotion

This might not be essential to everyone, but I can’t live without lip balm and lotion, especially in the winter.

There is nothing I hate more than the feeling of chapped lips and dry hands. And the few times I have forgotten these have taught me better. When my lips feel chapped, or my hands feel dry, it is all I can think of. I have a hard time enjoying my day. Maybe this is just a weird quirk of mine, and not essential for everyone. But they are essential to me for every vacation.

Genestra HMF Probiotics (Travel Sized)

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Water

Staying hydrated is important, especially when you are on the move.

If you have ever used an activity tracker while you are on vacation you have probably been surprised to realize just how much walking you do. Especially in big city like NYC. It is vital you have some water on hand while you are traveling so you can stay hydrated. Especially with all the walking you will do!

Hand Sanitizer

Public places, especially public transportation and public restrooms, are the perfect places to pick up lots of extra germs.

That is why, in addition to Genestra HMF Travel, I also carry around a little bottle of hand sanitizer to minimize my chances of catching something. I think this is especially important during Holiday travels in the winter, when colds and flus are running rampant.

Valuables

I have my valuables with me at all times when I travel. This includes my phone, my keys and my wallet.

These are three things I triple check for before I leave the house. Once we made it 3 hours into a road trip before I discovered that I had grabbed the wrong purse, and left the purse that had my wallet in it at home… I have been extra careful about this since then!

Travel Essentials For The Kids

Fruit Snacks

Fruit snacks aren’t my snack of choice for the kids on a daily basis (sooo much sugar). But when we are traveling they are LIFESAVING. It is amazing how happy fruit snacks make kids. Unfortunately, we ran out of fruit snacks ten minutes into the bus ride on this trip…

iPad + Headphones

I forgot the iPad for our NYC adventures, but it has saved us from dramatic situations like the NYC bus ride so many times. We preload it with Zoey and Zander’s favorite shows, songs and games before heading out on a trip.

Travel Sized Wipes and 2 Diapers

Wipes are always essential. Always. Never go anywhere without wipes when you have kids!

I always change Zander before we leave and rarely have need of a diaper while we are out. I used to carry around 10 diapers in my bag when Zoey was a baby… I’m not sure what I thought I was preparing for. After parenting for a few years I started to catch on to my kids…schedules. I realized when diapers were essential and when they weren’t. With two diapers I am always ready for an emergency, but never lugging around too much extra stuff.

Over the years of having kids, what I carry in my bag has slowly diminished to only the essentials. I used to carry around so much more. I don’t even carry a diaper bag now like I used to when Zoey was a baby. Zoey’s bag always had extra outfits, diapers, toys, etc. So far, in Zander’s one year of life, I have wished for an extra outfit only ONCE while I was out. He ended up pantless on our family outing due to a diaper leaking incident. But I will take one pantless day over needlessly lugging around a whole diaper bag for a year.

So that is what’s in my bag. With these few things in my purse, I am ready for almost anything. I skip the extra makeup bag, deodorant, reading material for me, and the toys, outfits, baby lotion, extra sippy cups, bags of snacks, changing pad, etc. for the kids. So long as I have my lip balm, Genestra HMF probiotics, phone, wallet, water and the few things I mentioned for the kids, I am ready for anything.