Guest Blogger: Megan from A Suitcase and Stilettos

I love getting to share some of my favorite bloggers with you all! Megan was one of the first people that really became my "friend". I started following her fashion blog YEARS ago and have kept in touch with her as she traveled the world and moved to Norway to be with her man! If you have read my blog for a long time you will remember that I used to travel for work and did a Travel Tuesday series. I love that Megan's post touches on that!

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Hey everyone!  This is Megan from A Suitcase and Stilettos.  I am so exciting to be guest posting for Mandy while she celebrates the birthday of her blog!  And while I'm excited to be guest posting, I am a little nervous too...as my blog is not about fashion and certainly not about fitness although I wish I had more discipline and it was.  Long ago, I used to write about fashion, hence the name A Suitcase and Stilettos, but ever since becoming an expat in Europe, I realized that stilettos and cobblestones don't mix.  So, instead of bore you fashionistas and fitness buffs with my travel stories, I thought it would be more appropriate to tell you about the 5 products and pieces I absolutely can not travel without.

1)  A scarf.  

I used to say an 'infinity scarf', but I realized that after backpacking for a month throughout southeast Asia this summer, any scarf will do.  I can NOT live without a scarf.  In warmer temperatures, it acts as a shield from the horrible sunburns I manage to get, can be used as a way to dress respectfully in temples, and can also be used to wipe the dripping sweat off of my face.  In colder temperatures, it can be used for warmth, as an ear protector, and can even shield my nose from these irrationally cold Nordic temperatures.  And in any temperature, it can double as a pillow.

My Asia scarf on display at Angkor Wat, Cambodia

2)  A bright lipstick.  

I have learned that when you travel, less is more.  Tell me this again when I am packing for a trip...but I truly believe it.  And I have learned that on the road you will have bad days and good days...and nothing can change those bad days around better than a nice lipstick.  I know this sounds absurd, but it's true.  In addition, if you have a bright lipstick on you at all times, you can forgo all the eye makeup and still stand out.  It is way easier...I promise!   

3)  A nice jacket.  

In the summers and spring, I opt for a light trench coat, and in the winter and fall I just use a nice faux-leather jacket.  I've obviously been living in cold Europe for too long to know to never travel in the summers without a jacket of some sort!  But, for me, they are usually the first thing I pack in my suitcase before a journey somewhere.  And then the first thing I remove prior to the journey as I realize it is more efficient to just wear it on the plane.  

 Left:  in my favorite green trench in Dublin, Ireland.  Right:  in my favorite faux leather jacket in Bergen, Norway

4)  Camomile Gentle Eye Makeup Remover / The Body Shop: 

 It took me quite a long time to find a good replacement to my old Ahava Eye Makeup Remover, but once I did, it became my new 'can't live without' product.  And 'can't live without' means I certainly 'can't travel without' it either!  There is nothing worse than being stuck in a hotel or hostel without your everyday amenities and being unable to try to find an easy to remove your eye makeup.  And with sensitive eyes, soap and water just doesn't cut it for me.

5)  A Roll of Toilet Paper

I almost didn't dare list this on here, but it's true...I can't travel without toilet paper.  When living in the US and traveling around that part of the world, I had no need.  Never did I encounter a toilet that resembled this:

But in Europe, as well as Asia, you do encounter these types of toilets.  And do you for a minute think that these toilets would have toilet paper?  

Toilet problems in Vilnius, Lithuania

Toilet paper is also handy for so many other situations...like as use for a napkin, removing makeup mistakes, oil blotting, etc.  Obviously I could buy TP on the road when I am already at my destination but it is just one of those things you just don't remember to buy on the road.  But trust me, after encountering the toilets I have encountered in recent years, you never forget to bring it along.

What is something you are unable to travel without?