Post Summer Travel Necessities

It’s barely september and summer vacation already feels as if it were ages ago, which means it’s the perfect time to start daydreaming about your next trip. But what to bring along to make sure everything goes smoothly? While I passed through Central American jungles, Red Sea beaches, and the Portuguese countryside over the last few months, these products and services proved absolutely indispensable. I imagine you’ll find them just as valuable.

Revolut

The first and most important item on my list is a fantastic personal finance and banking app called Revolut. What’s great about Revolut is its simplicity and ease of use. Once you create an account—actually a UK-based bank account—you’re sent a debit card. The Know Your Customer element is relatively straightforward, requiring basic info, an ID card like a driver’s license, and facial recognition matching you to your ID. Once that’s done, link your existing bank account to your Revolut account and transfer in some funds.

Besides foreign transaction fees, the way banks truly gouge their traveling clients, is through inflated exchange rates.

But your Revolut funds can be converted, without charge, into dozens of other currencies. For instance, you can deposit $100 USD and convert $25 to yen, $25 to euro, and $25 to pesos without paying a dime. Wherever you happen to be, just use your Revolut card as you would a normal debit card and the funds will be taken out in the currency of the country you’re in. There are no hidden fees. Using Revolut is a no-brainer for traveling or living abroad.

Bonus tip: When a merchant machine asks if you’d like to charge your card in USD or the local currency, never choose USD. That USD amount will typically have a 5-10% mark-up on the exchange rate. A great app for checking current exchange rates is XE.

Moscot DAHVEN Sunglasses

Sure, summer’s over, but you’ll still be out and about in the early fall, and few things are better than sunglasses that look and feel just right. After years and years of trying everything from cheap corner store to designer sunglasses, I finally found the pair that feels like home. Moscot glasses are just different. From the weight to the texture to the tint on the lenses. Once you start wearing Moscot, you immediately sense the high quality. And with their array of styles, you’ll likely be able to find the design that’s right for you. I’ve fallen so hard for Moscot that I bought a second pair of sunglasses and a pair of eyeglasses. Five big stars, all day.

Birkenstock Arizona Sandals

Birkenstocks never truly go out of style. In fact, at this point, they may be beyond style. The high-quality materials and simple styling make their sandals noticeable without standing out. Plus, they’ve always been consistent with their pricing. I bought my first pair of Arizonas 18 years ago for $110—and they’re about the same price today. That’s a sign of consistency and integrity, particularly in this era when pretty much every signature shoe will run you $200 or more. Every living soul (pun intended) knows that shoes are dirt-cheap to make, and keeping their prices steady for two decades shows how Birkenstock respects their customers, which I deeply appreciate as a consumer. Of course, none of that matters if Birkenstocks are terrible shoes. But they’re pretty much the most durable and comfortable sandals you can find, and they’ll be my go-to until my feet are six feet under. And who knows, maybe even then too.

Apple AirTag

Whenever I travel, I always put an AirTag in every piece of luggage that isn’t by my side throughout my journey. It’s like insurance: you hope you’ll never need it, but the day your bag is lost you’ll thank the heavens you decided to spend the $25. Nowadays I feel discomfort on the rare occasions I forget to place an AirTag in a checked bag, certain that’s the bag that will be lost.

Recently my wife’s flight was canceled and the airline booked her on a new flight but forgot to include her baggage. The airline gave us the runaround for days about the location of her luggage. Lucky for us, via AirTag, we were able to update them on its movement. I can’t be sure this sped up the process, but I do know the airlines lost the bag for a short period while we never did. A week later, we got the bag back. The point is, don’t be like the airlines. Get an AirTag, and always know where your bags are.

Nintendo Switch

You’ll be hard-pressed to find a man under 40 who doesn’t own a Switch. My video game days are largely behind me, but the one place I still bring out my skills is on a plane. Assuming you’re  not into the hot travel trend of “rawdogging,” it can be a struggle to entertain yourself on long flights. There’s only so many movies that I can watch. And sometimes you’re just tired and uncomfortable enough that you can’t enjoy a good book. This is when the Switch earns its keep. Diving into the game world can turn hours into minutes. And for someone who has a hard time sleeping on flights, nothing’s more valuable 30,000 feet up than making time fly. Most Switch games are available as apps, but conserving phone battery is always a travel priority. Also, the larger screen of the Switch is good for aging eyes. ■

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Dan Wilhelm is a Business Development Consultant who has been working abroad since 2014. His journey started on the shores of Nicaragua and eventually took him to the coast of Portugal. Dan and his wife enjoy traveling to lesser-known parts of the world, when they are not catering to their chow chow, Olivia.