Hey Friends! Hope you had a great weekend! Today I thought it would be fun to share something a little different. As you know, we recently got back from a vacation in Beijing, China. Before we left, I did a ton of research on what to do, what to bring and what to be ready for. Part of that research included what we needed to have handy while touring the city. As you saw in all of the photos I posted on Facebook and Instagram, I had a cross body bag attached to me at all times. I thought it might be fun to share “What’s In My Bag: China Edition” to show you what I carried around with me during our trip. Even if you have no plans to visit China, I’m sure you can find some ideas for other trips you may be planning in the future!
First let’s start with the bag. I knew I would have several things to lug around and I wanted to be hands-free. A crossbody seemed like the best way to go because I could keep my eyes on it at all times (even in large crowds) and this one ended up being perfect! While this exact bag is no longer available, this one is very similar and is designed with the same compartments. Speaking of compartments, I love the number of pockets in this bag including a secret one where I could hide our passports. The bag was also large enough to carry everything I needed on the plane to and from China including my Kindle! I highly recommend it if you’re looking for a good bag for your next trip.
Now let’s get to what I actually carried around while we were in Beijing. Here’s the list. If you have any questions about anything mentioned below, don’t hesitate to ask. Enjoy!
- Wallet Including Chinese Currency – This is obviously no surprise!
- Passports – We were required to have our passports with us at a couple of tourist attractions.
- iPhone 8+ – Used to take all of our pictures. The camera on this phone is awesome!
- Sunglasses – An absolutely must! It was sunny and beautiful the entire time we were there and I think my husband and I wore sunglasses the entire time. These Ray-Bans were nice and lightweight and the case didn’t take up too much room in my bag like some of my other sunglasses.
- Beautycounter Countersun Mineral Sunscreen Stick SPF 30 – this was perfect for on-the-go and easy to apply as needed. I love it because it doesn’t leave a white residue and provides protection without harmful toxins and chemicals.
- Beautycounter Peppermint Lip Conditioner – I was definitely dehydrated after the long flight over to Beijing so my lips felt dry th first couple of days we were there. This lip conditioner was great to have on hand to keep my lips moisturized as I adjusted from all of the travel.
- Beautycounter Lip Gloss in Fig – I ALWAYS have lip gloss in my bag and this one is a new favorite! It makes me happy to know there are no harmful ingredients and the consistency of this stuff is great! Not too sticky and just the right amount of shine. There are so many beautiful colors (I want them all!) but I wore “Fig” during our trip which is a nice sheer plum color.
- Tissues – Everything I read prior to our trip said I should be prepared with tissues at all times because many of the public restrooms would not have toilet paper. You better believe I stocked up and made sure I had a couple of packs in my bag at all times! Plus it’s always good to have tissues anyway.
- Antibacterial Wipes – I also read that the above mentioned restrooms may not be the cleanest or may not have a place to wash hands so it would be best to keep antibacterial wipes on hand. Thankfully, we didn’t encounter anything too bad and had hand washing facilities everywhere we went but I wasn’t going anywhere without wipes! I’m actually a bit of a germaphobe and usually travel with wipes anyway because I always wipe down my seat and tray table on the airplane every time we travel (yes, I’m one of THOSE people!). For this trip, I got a few more packs just in case!
- Snacks – I wasn’t sure what the food situation would be like so I made sure to carry snacks in my bag too. Our tour guide actually took us to several really nice places to eat so we had no issues but our tour days were long with lots of walking so it was nice to have a little snack mid-morning or late afternoon. Kind Bars and Granola Bars were the perfect on-the-go snacks!