Staycation - Travel Essentials

My staycation travel essentials and this shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and Walmart Family Mobile. All opinions are mine alone. #Tips4Trips #CollectiveBias

Summertime is filled with all sorts of travel - travel by car, boat, or plane. A and I are planning on taking a staycation this year since we are new to Maryland. We are used to living in one location for a short period of time and don't want to miss out on the adventures that are here.

Staycations are great because you can go out for a day trip and return home to your comfy bed. The only downside to taking a vacation at home is that you might get caught up in household chores. It's important to remember you are on vacation and leave everything for when you return from your staycation - just like if you went away on vacation.

I want to make our staycation as spontaneous as possible. If we want to go to DC for the day then, by gosh, we will do it. If we want to go to the beach, we will do it. I want to make it as easy as possible to be spontaneous by making a staycation travel essential bag. 

I had to sit down and think about what items are essential for day trips, or road trips, and what would hold up to the heat. The oh so HOT heat and humidity. Here are my essentials that I can just keep in our car to enjoy our spontaneous staycation.

1. Bag - big large bag to hold all your essentials
2. Towel or blanket
3. Paper towel or napkins
4. Waters to stay hydrated
5. Snacks - tutorial below for heat safe snacks that you can store in your car
6. First aid kit - include items like bandaids, pain killer, floss, antibacterial ointment
7. Sunscreen - protect your skin
8. Bug spray
9. Gum or mints
10. Wet wipes or hand sanitizer
11. Mobile phone - we all need directions don't we?!
12. Charger - if your car has an outlet like mine the regular charger will do
13. Trash bag or reuse your store's plastic shopping bags

Now for some really tasty individual sized snack packs that are safe to keep in the car all summer long. Or until you eat them all gone. Trust me, they won't last long.

Tip number one: don't use anything that is chocolate or gummy. The chocolate will melt instantly which might not be a terrible thing, but the gummy snacks will make a sticky, gooey mess. 

Tip number two: use small reusable containers. I opted for small glass mason jars but plastic might work better for you. 

Tip number three: customize your individual snacks. They will taste better if they look cute. Okay, this is not a fact.

I filled each mason jar with different layers of gold fish, peanuts, and freeze dried fruit. The snacks are full of protein to keep our energy high to enjoy our travels. Nothing is worse than exploring with someone who is hangry. A knows this all to well - poor guy. 

Now that I have the snacks made and the bag packed, it can put in the back of my car until we need them.

And just as a little extra treat to you all, I want to share my top four must have apps for your summer road trip action. I have used these for as long as I can remember and they have saved me a couple of times. Especially when I've passed a rest stop and realized I might not be able to make it to the next stop!!

Rest Stops - I love this app. It gives you the mile marker or exit number for all rest stops on any given expressway. It has saved my life.

Best Parking - this is great if you are planning on visiting a big city. You can search for parking near destinations or a particular street. 

Songza - because we all need music. I am so over Pandora and Songza let's you find music based on themes or your moods. They have some really great playlists. 

Google Maps - because we would really all be lost without the help of Google. 

Now to use all of the apps, I need a reliable phone with reliable service. I have talked about Walmart Family Mobile several times because they are really affordable. At just $29.88/month (for the first line) Unlimited Talk, Text & Data service plan which includes up to 1G of 4G LTE data. Also, the ZTE Zmax is massive and will make it extremely easy to help us navigate during our staycation. 

Disclaimer: All prices for phones and plans included in this post are accurate as of the date of posting; however, these prices are subject to change. Please refer to http://cbi.as/frw8 or your local Walmart for current pricing.

Are you going on vacation this summer? What about a staycation?