Practical Travel

This post is in celebration of Amazon Prime 2017. Amazon has become the easy shopping source for many especially when it comes to vacations.

The following 6 reviews all come courtesy of traveler Todd Boewe. He reached out for advice on all things Ambergris Caye. He opted to choose family adventures while here with his kids. Todd did, however, do some advance planning for their family trip – online shopping.

Here are Todd’s best travel accessories reviews for items that he and his daughter chose on Amazon for their trip.

Practical Travel Gear

ZBRO Dry Bag

I looked at many backpack style dry bags for our Belize trip. I chose this one for two reasons:

1. It is small enough that I could roll it and pack it inside my main backpack
2. I could use the straps in several configurations, including my favorite – using 1 strap and wearing it like a messenger bag.

The bag did not disappoint. The 20 liter was perfect for diving, snorkeling, and beachcombing outings in Belize. The external pockets allowed me to keep items like sunscreen easily accessible, while the clips were perfect for attaching my waterproof camera and sunglass case, while the interior pocket (something that does not exist on the many dry bags I use for boating in the Pacific NW) was perfect for my wallet and passport. I received many compliments from local guides. A word of caution on size—one guide wanted to see the bag because he had just ordered the 30 liter, and after seeing my 20 liter, he thought the 30 might be too big. Click to purchase – ZBRO Waterproof Bag with Two Additional Pockets.

Scrubba Portable Laundry System Wash Bag and Travel Laundry Sheets

Need to wash clothes while you travel? No problem, with the Scrubba laundry bag. It is microbial resistant and has interior scrubbing nodules to improve washing. It’s simple to use; just fill it, wrap the top shut, use the valve to let out air, and scrub away. My daughter is planning for months of Europe travel, so she wanted Belize to be a product test. She only brought two outfits and used the Scrubba to keep her clothing clean. It worked perfectly! Click to purchase  – Scrubba portable laundry system wash bag, light green.

Not checking your luggage and need to bring laundry soap? No problem. These laundry sheets work perfectly with the Scrubba. Click to purchase – Travelon Laundry Soap Sheets, 50-Count.

Kahuna Travel Blanket

This travel blanket blew my mind. It is a tiny, lightweight product that fits in the palm of your hand, and could be easily carried in your pocket, making it an easy to carry beach blanket that you can have with you all the time. But don’t let the size fool you. It unfolds to 44 x 64 and is made of durable, rip-stop nylon. I always had it with me in Belize, and it came in handy many times. As an added bonus, unlike a towel, the sand does not stick to it. And when you are done with it, you can stuff it in the tiny, built-in stuff sack without folding. Click to purchase – Kahuna Pocket Blanket – Blue Waterproof Outdoor Blanket.

Compact Technologies Ultra Absorbent Microfiber Towel

When my daughter suggested that we purchase quick-dry travel towels, I was dubious. I’ve had these products before, and they did not live up to expectations. But I decided to humor her and ordered them anyway. After all, she had spent months researching products for the trip.

Our first outing was an all-day snorkel and chill trip aboard the YOLO, a beautiful catamaran perfectly equipped for the trip. I took a pool towel from the hotel, but I also threw this microfiber towel in my dry bag. As we got underway, I overheard two young ladies lament that they had forgotten towels. Since we were in and out of the water, and getting periodically drenched by rain, that would be unfortunate, at best, so I loaned them my microfiber towel. I quickly learned that while they used the microfiber and I used a large pool towel, they had the superior product. My pool towel was worthless once it was soaked. This microfiber towel, on the other hand, was simple to wring out and reuse, over and over. It was vastly superior to similar products I had purchased previously. Well done, Compact Technologies. Click to purchase– Ultra Light Absorbent Microfiber Travel Towel- Compact Microfiber Towel – choice of 3 colors.

Lee Men’s Dungarees Performance Cargo Short

When the weather is nice, I am a cargo short junky. But in preparing for my trip to Belize, I had a problem—I was trying to pack everything into my Osprey Farpoint 70 travel backpack, and my cargos were way to bulky. Fortunately, I found an alternative. These performance cargos were up to the challenge. I found a pair locally for about $45 and tried them. They were durable, fast drying, and included forgiving, stretchable fabric; moreover, they rolled up as small as a T-shirt. As a bonus, they included the perfect cell phone pocket that was the ideal size for my Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Factory Unlocked Phone. As an added bonus, I found the shorts on Amazon for under $20. Click to purchase – Performance Cargo Short available in 18 plaid prints and sizes.

Visit my Travel Store Page  to see 2 great travel cameras – a hot pink Sony Cybershot ultra slim underwater camera and Nikon Coolpix 40x Optical Zoom. Missing the taste of Belize? Did you know Amazon Prime can deliver a Marie Sharp’s Hot Sauce 6 Pack of the well loved hot sauce to your doorstep? Marie Sharp’s Belizean Season All is another great sauce.