Seeing the world doesn’t require a million fancy gadgets or curated products, but there are a few things out there that help you get a bit more out of your trip
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Packing Essentials
Packing cubes help you keep things organized and gives you the ability to easily shift between checked and carryon luggage when you need to keep an outfit handy. These cubes have a double zipper compression that makes them smaller than standard cubes when full.
Keeping track of all your cables, adapters, chargers, batteries, and other necessary tiny things can get disorganized quickly when traveling. This organizer helps you keep these things organized and gives you a quick visual of anything you’re missing so you don’t leave it behind!
This handy little hanging organizer has served me well on shorter trips. When you only need to pack a few things, throwing your clothes in this with a few toiletries is all you need. Plus it only takes a couple minutes to be totally unpacked!
Knowing where your things are doesn’t always help when you can see they didn’t make it to the same place you did but it does make you feel a little more optimistic that you’ll be able to get them back! I keep one in every single bag – even my carry on and backpack.
These locks have been indispensable on some of my trips. I lock a packing cube with a change of clothes to my suitcase when I need to leave it with a hotel. The flexible neck can go through the packing cube zipper then around your suitcase handle to keep the cube secure your things together.
Airplane Essentials
This allows you to use your Bluetooth headphones with any airline’s entertainment center (except some business class seats that provide specific headphone jacks). Handy to not struggle with cords if your seatmate needs to scoot by for the restroom.
These are the most affordable high performance headphones I’ve found. The noise cancelling is excellent and they’re extremely comfortable. After several travel related ear infections, I try to stick to over hear headphones at my doctor’s advice!
This hoodie is so warm and high quality. There are pockets everywhere that fit passports, earbuds, IDs, and snacks. Perfect if you’re going to wear lounge clothes on the plane which often don’t have pockets!
Depending on airline and seat class, you may get an eye mask on your flight but these silk ones are much more comfortable and easier on sensitive skin. They’ve also come in handy in a few downtown hotel rooms with less than great curtains.
Obviously, you don’t need to have the super cute snack bag to carry snacks with you but it makes it more fun! I usually stock this with the snacks they’ve given me on flights that I didn’t eat right away.
Travel Essentials
This thin tote bag folds up to a super small pouch you can stash almost anywhere so you have the option to bring home some trinkets from your travels without having to plan for that space in your suitcase. It’s also great if you prefer a backpack on planes and trains but would rather have a tote to carry around a city.
A good international adapter is essential for a frequent traveler. Ideally, you want one like this that folds the prongs into the unit so it’s unlikely to get damaged or broken along the way. Although many hotel chains and airports will have a way to charge via USB instead of an adapter, you’re not likely to find that everywhere so this guy is an absolute must have.
This battery is super small but super powerful. Mine charges my phone to full way faster than my clunkier external battery that required a charging cable. On short trips, I’ll sometimes just pre-charge 2 of these and take them with me instead of a traditional external battery. Keep in mind you do need a magsafe phone case for it to stick to the phone!
Traveling is a great chance to catch up on your reading list! I have a couple different Kindles and this one is my favorite for travel – it’s super lightweight, comes in fun colors, and small enough to not compete with my laptop for space in my backpack. Mine has over 200 books on it right now so I know I’ll never run out of something to read!
This slim wall charger is ideal for packing. Like the outlet adapter, the prongs fold into the unit so there is less chance of breaking it. This pairs well with the adapter since there isn’t really a way to make a ‘slim’ adapter, you can make up for its bulkiness by having a slim charger! It also fits well into one of the pockets in the tech organizer so you’ll always know where it is.
Planning Essentials
EXPERIENCES
I use Viator to book day trip and activities in cities. My favorite first trip to book in any city is a food tour – they are a fantastic way to get familiar with a city’s vibe and learn a bit from a local before deciding where to spend more of your time while there.
TRAVEL INSURANCE
Faye Travel Insurance has one of the easiest quote processes I’ve found and really is competitively priced. Their app is super easy to use. It’s worth checking if your work might offer perk or purchasing programs that might include Faye – that’s how I found them!
PET & HOUSE SITTING
I’ve used Trusted Housesitters for every trip since 2021. It’s almost like home exchange. Other than a small per sit booking fee, there’s not cost to either side and everybody gets something out of it: you get a sitter and they get to stay somewhere they’ve wanted to visit!
COUNTRY TOKENS
I collect a few things to track my travels – I try to keep them small or functional enough to be more than just clutter. The Wander Club makes small tokens with country flags that fit onto a keyring. I keep mine on my backpack and it’s been a great conversation starter!