Tagging along on Steve’s corporate travel often means staying in an extended stay hotel with a kitchenette. We also prefer renting an apartment when we travel on vacation too because you can prepare the occasional meal rather than eat out the entire time. This saves cash, time, and your waistline.

Sometimes we’re delightedly surprised to find that the VBRO or Airbnb host has supplied us with some foundation ingredients (e.g., spices, condiments, cooking oil). The thing is, you can never count on that and sometimes it’s unclear how long some items have been sitting around.

Sure, you’ll hit up the local grocery store for some supplies, but you often end up buying larger quantities of items that you won’t use so you need to shop wisely. Some items are just easier to bring from home.

  1. Restaurant packets – salt, sugar, pepper, soy sauce, mayo, mustard, jam–if you’re eating out, take an extra packet or two. I’ve become very good at discretely shuffling a few extra packets into my bag when dining at a restaurant or getting take out.
  2. Lemons – They’re cheap and versatile for vinaigrette, in sparkling water or even a marinade.
  3. Plain yogurt – Use it as a sandwich condiment (mix in a bit of garlic and lemon), sauce for fish or chicken, dip for crackers, or breakfast staple mixed with a bit of jam.
  4. Spice pack – Rather than take several jars of spices. I make a spice mix that I can use for seasoning meat or pasta. This saves packing space and mixing/measuring.
  5. Granola bars – Granola bars are great for a quick snack when travelling. I always pack several from home because the type I like are not always easy to find. They are perfect crumbled into yogurt for breakfast too.
  6. Ziplock bags – Great for so many reasons while travelling, they are essential for meal leftovers. There is rarely plastic wrap on hand and not always enough storage containers.
  7. Corkscrew – We’ve bought too many cheap corkscrews on the road to count. So annoying. Remember if you are not checking luggage to take the kind without a blade to cut the foil so it passes security.
  8. Dishcloths – Steve thinks I’m nuts but I like to change dishcloths daily. So I always pack a few because you often only get one, if that.
  9. Duct tape – Beyond the kitchen, duct tape comes in handy for so many things when you’re on the road (e.g. lint remover, hem fixer, luggage repair). A number of times I find the kitchen sink is missing a stopper or the stopper doesn’t work well. Use duct tape to cover the drain for doing dishes!

Do you have an essential item to add?

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