Sharing is caring!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Meijer. The opinions and text are all mine.

Today I am sharing the global travel essentials that I am packing for my around the world adventure.

I am preparing to take off on a 101-day trip around the world. I am beyond excited, but there is a lot to do to get ready for such a long trip. I am short on time, so I was happy to discover that Meijer stocks a wide variety of the items I need.

Thanks to the new Shop & Scan feature in the Meijer mobile app, I was able to scan my items as I shopped, track the cost, and save time at the checkout! I was impressed by how much time it saved me and how easy it was to use.

Global Travel Essentials

First up, over the counter medications. I learned that it is best to pack a few basic medications when I travel. Have you ever tried to buy decongestant in Japan or cough drops in Serbia? What seemed like simple tasks were quickly complicated by language barriers and the fact that just finding stores that sell these items isn’t as easy as it is in America. I always pack decongestant, Pepto Bismol, an Anti-Diarrheal, Airborne, and a small pack of cough drops when I travel abroad. I take everything out of the boxes to save space. I also bring tampons. I once saved someone’s day when I was the only person with extra tampons in the Sahara Desert.

Then there are daily essentials. Things like contact lens solution, toothpaste, deodorant, and makeup removing wipes. Meijer had them all, and many of these products can be found in the well-stocked travel sized section; the smaller sizes are ideal since I plan to pack light. Conditioner isn’t always provided at hotels abroad, so I bring some of that too.

As a travel blogger, I need to travel with a supply of SD cards for my camera and Go Pro. Meijer’s photo and electronics department had everything I needed. They even sell power banks, something that was on my list of things to buy. I am going to want my phone charged so that I can listen to music to motivate myself as I am tackling high altitude hikes and I won’t be able to stop to charge my phone. A portable power bank solves this issue. And I bought batteries too – I am going to want to use my headlamp when I am camping. Yes, my plan involves a few nights of camping, wish me luck.

And I never travel without snacks! I didn’t buy too many snacks because I will be able to buy more snacks during my trip, but I always like to keep some granola bars and easy on to go snacks on hand. I might eat the snacks on the long flight to Peru, or grab a granola bar before a 7 am hike. When I travel I just like having snacks on me, especially since hunger tends to sneak up on me when I am in another time zone.

Lastly, I was able to do my grocery shopping for the week. I needed to pick up chicken, rolls, cheese, and milk, plus produce for the week. The entire shopping trip took just 40 minutes and I didn’t need to make extra stops at other stores since Meijer had everything on my list.

Checking out was easy, and Meijer had store associates at the self-checkouts to help. Bernadine checked my ID since I was buying a bottle of wine, removed security tags from some of the electronic items, and made sure that I didn’t accidentally scan anything twice.

The way that Shop & Scan works is that when you are done shopping you go to a self-checkout. You can a QR code at the register. This uploads your purchases to the register. Then you will be asked to scan a small number of your items. For example, I had 37 items in my cart and I was asked to scan 5. I also weighed my produce. Then I paid and bagged everything up. It was significantly faster than waiting in line or scanning all of my items. 

Shopping at Meijer saved me from needing to go to three separate stores to buy my pharmacy items, groceries, and electronics. I got my major errands done for the week and could move on to planning the details of my trip!

Want to share this list of global travel essentials for later? Here is an image to save on Pinterest: