What's In My Backpack?

   As a former Disney College Program Cast Member, I would pretty much go to the parks on my day off. Rest assured I would always have my backpack ready to go when I needed to catch a bus and head out the door. (These items are exclusive to myself only. As a 22 year old girl, I didn't have kids or a family with me, so what is in my backpack is meant for one person.)

Essentials:

Umbrella- I would always carry a mini umbrella in my backpack. Florida can be unpredictable with weather, so it really does pay to carry one.

Make-up Bag/ Emergency Kit: This is unique to everyone. I would carry foundation, extra contacts, a small perfume spray bottle etc.. Although there are a couple items that everyone should carry. A travel sized bottle of sunscreen, and hand sanitizer. These came in handy very often for me.

Empty Refillable Water Bottle: Now this is something that I will go over in a future money saving post, but carrying a empty refillable water bottle that you can bring from home can save you tons of money! Every quick service restaurant gives out free ice water. All you have to do is ask! I would then dump the water from the paper cup, into my water bottle, and Wallah! Free cold water. But why do I have to dump the water in a bottle? Why can't I just drink it from the cup?  Well for 1) You don't have to carry it, you could just keep it in your backpack, and it won't spill and 2) Most indoor queue lines don't allow food or beverage, so you would be asked to throw away your cup before you could enter. So keeping it in a water bottle in your backpack is key!

Wallet and Phone: Pretty self explanatory. As a cast member, I would always need to carry my ID and Main Entrance Pass so I could get into the parks for free.

Sunglasses: Florida is the Sunshine State. You have to keep the sun out of your eyes.

Extra Items:

Extra pair of Flip Flops: I would usually wear flip-flops around the park, and I would carry an extra pair, just incase mine decided to break.

Digital Camera: I would carry one of my small digital cameras with me just incase my phone died, or I wanted to take a really nice picture.

Autograph Book and Pen: If you are into meeting a lot of characters, like me, than having an autograph book on you at all times is essential. You never know when a rare character might pop out, so you want to have it with you at all times.

Trading Pins: I would keep a small plastic bag full of extra pins that I didn't like and use them to trade with cast members if I saw one I liked.

Portable Phone Charger: I would constantly use my phone when in the park. Either for a quick photo or to use the My Disney Experience App to look at wait times or change a reservation for something. This phone charger would be my back-up incase my phone decided to die.

Snacks: As a College Program Cast Member, I couldn't always afford to buy food in the park, so bringing a couple snacks along saved me money.

So those are my items I would always carry in my backpack. Again it is unique to each person, but hopefully this gives you an idea of what to carry with you! My next post will be Money Saving Tips! Until next time...

-S