A few days ago, I was talking to an IBD friend and I said how weird it was for me to consider traveling.
“It feels like something other people do,” I said. “It’s not something that I get to do.”
It’s a mindset I’ve needed to overcome because traveling when I was younger and my ulcerative colitis was at its worst was a nightmare. Now I’ve had surgery to create a j-pouch and my disease is much better controlled.
There’s no reason I can’t go all the places and do all the things!
I still have to do some problem solving, though, so I thought I’d share some of the products I’ve found that made my life easier while bouncing around cities in the UK or heading up to Maine for a camping trip.
This article contains affiliate links. If you choose to purchase after clicking a link, Mal and Tal Enterprises, LLC may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.
Goodwipes
When I travel, I always have some wipes with me. It doesn’t matter where I’m going: there’s always a need. Even just to the grocery story. So, I’m always on the lookout for the next great wipe.
The folks at Goodwipes sent me a sample pack to try out. I put them in the bathroom and kind of let everyone have at them.
This was a poor choice on my part. I should have hidden them and kept them for myself! Because everyone liked the clean feeling of these wipes and they didn’t last long!
I live with a j-pouch, and while my perianal skin can take a lot of abuse (is that TMI?), there are times when it gets irritated. I don’t regulate my diet: if I want to eat it, I eat it. That includes the food at my favorite Indian restaurant.
Suffice to say: I need soft wipes on occasion, and Goodwipes worked well to clean up and not get irritated any further. Plus, I liked the packaging. Some wipes get dried out because the top doesn’t seal back up well, but this wasn’t an issue with Goodwipes!
Goodwipes tells me that their product is plastic-free and made with responsibly-sourced plant-sourced fibers. I don’t flush wipes at my house: they go in the garbage. So I can’t speak to their “flushability.”
I found Goodwipes to be a great choice for me at home and while traveling!
Get Goodwipes at Amazon
Wabi Whiffs
I’m going to tell you something at the risk of sounding like an insensitive jerk.
I don’t care about bathroom smells. I have never used bathroom sprays or anything. Not when I had an ileostomy and not with my j-pouch.
Now: easy for me to say. I work from home and I’m married. I’m not navigating an office bathroom or a first time with a new partner. I also realize that maybe I should care, at least for the sake of other people!
Even so, when the folks at Wabi Whiffs reached out to me, I was excited to hear about their products. It is a woman-owned company and the products are non-toxic and contain essential oils. These are key points that matter to me when I’m choosing products.
They make a variety of products that can help freshen up the air in the bathroom. Wabi Whiffs sent me some on-the-go singles of fragrant glittery powder that I take with me when I travel. They are convenient and fun and best of all: they work!
The TooT spray is also small enough to pop into my purse or backpack, so when we go camping, it’s easy to bring along. A little goes a long way, so it seems like the bottle may last forever, even for me who “goes” 4-6 times a day.
My favorite, though, is the jar of toilet bombs that I keep in my powder room. They’re heart shaped! It is fun to open up the jar, pick out a heart, and drop it into the bowl. It makes me smile, and with the IBDs: we all need that!
There are several scents and even sprays and bombs made for kids or the “man cave,” so there’s something for everyone.
Get Wabi Whiffs Fizzing Toilet Bombs at Amazon
Get Wabi Whiffs Room and Bathroom Toot Sprays at Amazon
Get Wabi Whiffs On-the-Go Singles at Amazon
Travelon Anti-Theft Cross-Body Bucket Bag
I am so picky about my bags. You wouldn’t guess based on the number of them that are in my closet: but I am.
I sent back a few different travel bags before I landed on the Travelon Bucket Bag. I needed a bag that was big enough for me to be out sight-seeing all day. Plus, it needed to have a water holder that could flex to different sized bottles.
And, hello, it needs to look good as well.
I will say, this bag might outlive me. It is so well made and solid, I had no worries about a strap breaking or a zipper getting bent.
Plus, I could put in all my credit cards and ID and insurance cards and whatnot and didn’t need a separate wallet. I am a short person, so sometimes straps are too long. I could adjust this strap to fit me and sling it over either my shoulder or across my body.
The purple color is vibrant and even after a long vacation where I used it every day: it looks brand new. To bring it on the flight home, I folded it down flat and popped it in my luggage.
This is a bag that I’ll be able to use on all our trips so it was well worth the small investment.
Get the Travelon Anti-Theft Cross-Body Bucket Bag at Amazon
Water Bottle Carrier Bag Holder
I didn’t buy these water carriers for me, but for my children. They don’t always need to bring a bag or a backpack when traveling. I’m the mom: so I am the one who has the Tylenol and wet wipes and tissue in my bag.
But they needed something for their water. I can’t carry 4 water bottles with me all day, I just can’t. Plus, now they’re teens and they have their phones and their headphones and I don’t want to carry those, either.
These little bags are great. The kids had a place for their water bottles, for their phones, and the cross-body design was easy for them to carry. They never asked me to carry their stuff.
Plus, if they bought some little souvenir, like a keychain or a magnet, there was a space for that as well. These bags were so useful on a long vacation. I know we’ll also be using them for school field trips or days at the beach or the park.
Get this Water Bottle Carrier Bag Holder at Amazon
BKNOOU Travel Family Passport Wallet
Sometimes I buy things for a trip and then they sit in my closet until the next time I need them. My laptop bag and my luggage, as well as travel chargers, for instance.
Here’s the thing about this little wallet: I’m using it all the time now. It was perfect for travel through the airport, first off. This is because I am ridiculous and I will forget in which pocket I’ve placed my ID and my ticket. Because this goes across my body and I can put everything in it, I know where my stuff is at all times.
(Yes: I print a ticket when I can. Ever been in line and had your phone freeze up? I’m not about that mess, kids.)
Now I’m using it, for instance, for a trip to the grocery store. I don’t need the contents of my whole purse: I need my bank card and my phone and headphones.
That’s right: I listen to podcasts while shopping. I’m in my villain era.
It’s flat, so I can pop it into my backpack or luggage. Everything is zippered, so it’s not going to open up accidentally, either. Perfect: no notes.