Travel is a passion of mine and I make sure to take a major trip at least once a year. It gives me something to look forward to, appeases my need-to-plan-and-organize nature, broadens my world view, and ironically, really gives me an appreciation of home.

Fortunately, there are a plethora of products out there made for the frequent or hard-core traveler. And this last trip I took to India really tested my mettle. We were going to do a lot of traveling on the road within the Rajasthan region of India, so we needed to travel light. But we also needed to bring a lot with us, since we wouldn’t necessarily have access to the usual amenities. (Saline solution anyone?)

So here’s a list of my must-have travel products, tried and tested for two weeks in India. Trust me, you won’t find me traveling in the near future without any of these items.

MyTagAlongs The Handywoman’s Kit

Like a chic version of a Swiss Army knife, but about the size and width of a credit card. Scissors, a nail file, tweezers … you can’t go wrong.

Murad Matte Perfection Collection

This travel size kit includes the oil control mattifier with SPF 15, which solved the dilemma of how to protect my oily T-zone from the sun while keeping my skin oil-free as I slogged through the crazy streets of Chadni Chowk in Old Delhi. Then, after a day of gawking at ancient sites and battling bovine traffic, I treated myself to a mini facial with the one-use packets of the pomegranate exfoliating mask, Murad’s newest product.

MyTagAlongs Onetime Anytime Towelettes

In the madness and chaos that is India, I’d often find myself in the middle of some amazing fort or some dust-ridden street, hot and tired, my makeup and sunscreen slowly melting off. These one-use towelettes saved me. Sunscreen, hygiene towelettes, even deodorant! Genius.

MyTagAlongs Sunhat To Go

I’ve finally given in. I may have strolled the bougainvillaea-filled alleyways of Positano, swum with sharks in the Seychelles, and backpacked through Southeast Asia, all without any form of headwear and minimal sun protection. But long gone are my bohemian, tan-loving days. These days, the only sun I get is on my commute home during Daylight Savings Time, and then I use a hand fan to keep any lingering UV rays at bay.

So this time, while traveling through India (they had their hottest October in years — go figure!), I had no choice but to don a wide brimmed hat. This roll-up travel hat saved my face. It rolls up into a little tube so it was actually really easy to throw into my travel bag. (That meant I didn’t have to actually wear it until I got out into the blazing sun.) I may not have looked cool, but hey, my skin remains one less sunspot-free. And at my age, that’s important.

And yeah, while I suppose it could remind some of an Asian farmer hat, I choose to see it as more Audrey Hepburn a la Holly Golightly. I’m sure if Miss Golightly went to India, she too would don the appropriate head gear. And look way more chic than I doing it.

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