5 Weird (but Awesome) Things We Slow Travel With

We have been slow traveling the United States since early 2020 and have learned that there are some things that just make it better.

We’re going to share with you five uncommon things you should consider bringing with you on your slow travel adventure.

Side note: Jon told me not to include our three cats as one of our weird (but awesome) things. He does not think I should recommend traveling with pets because it is an added complication. However, I do consider them both weird and awesome travel companions.

When you're done reading this post, check out my others!

1. Massage Gun

You guys. This is a game changer. If you are active (hiking, working out, running, etc), we highly recommend the Hypervolt. We use ours every week to make sure we can continue with all our activities and don’t have to sit any out due to soreness.

As a slow traveler, you’ll encounter lots of uncomfortable beds, cramped flights, and looooooong trips in your car. Having a massage gun makes all of these much more bearable.

2. Bedside Table Fan

We bought a fan for Jon’s bedside table just a few days after we began full-time traveling. The white noise it emits and the extra air flow is necessary for both of us to get a good night’s sleep. And let’s be honest, sleeping well after a long day of traveling or exploring is one of the best feelings.

We have stayed in places where the AC went out for weeks during the summer. We’ve also stayed in places where there was no AC. Nothing is predictable in this lifestyle other than things not going the way we expect. So this portable bedside table fan helps us get through it.

3. Portable Safe

Because we don’t have a home base, we have all of our important documents with us. And where better to store them than in a locked and fireproof safe with an AirTag?

This is never something I would have thought to bring (or, honestly, let alone own) but I’m so glad Jon insisted we keep it with us. Besides keeping our valuables safe, it also helps us know exactly where important docs are at all times. They’re not in a folder I can easily misplace in a bag while moving – they’re in a chunky and heavy box.

Given the fact that Jon and I both refuse to do extra paperwork, the likelihood that we would actually replace these important documents should we misplace them or something happen to the place we’re staying, is incredibly low. It’s just better to have a safe!

4. Headache Masks

I know this isn’t something everyone may need. However, as someone who has suffered from chronic headaches since fifth grade, I would NEVER travel without headache masks.

I have a few types that all have different uses and benefits. All of them are stored in either the fridge or the freezer though.

The first is a wrap-around mask that is like a sleeve you pull over your head for your eyes, forehead, and base of your neck. These help with headaches that you can feel all around your head.

The second is an eye patch. Not kidding. It has a tiny ice pack in the patch that covers one eye. This is very useful for when I am have a headache behind only one eye but am still able to work or have things to do.

The last is an eye mask which is most common. It coveres only my eyes and can be cold or heated up. This helps when my headache is concentrated behind both eyes.

5. Reusable Q Tips

This may be the weirdest one but it’s one things to travel with but it’s one of our favorites! Jon and I both have our own LastSwab and we take them with us everywhere.

As people who make an effort to not buy single-use plastics, we felt Q tips were too wasteful. Now, we use a product that we won’t have to replace (unless we lose it one day) and it works better because of its design. Win – Win.