After many years of traveling, testing out endless travel essentials, I’ve compiled a list of the top things to travel with. I’ve gone through several different products that have been lifesaving and some that are a complete waste of money.
In this post, I put together the best essential things to pack for traveling. Everything on this list I use for every single trip I go on. It’s perfect for a weekend getaway or a backpacking trip around the world.
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, which means if you buy something through those links I will receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. Thank you so much for your support!
Table of Contents
Slash-resistant travel purse
Sometimes when traveling, you will come off as an easy target. I highly recommend getting this purse I bought on Amazon. It’s slash-resistant so if a thief wants to slash your purse straps off (which has happened to a few people I know), they will not be able to do so. It has a main lock compartment so you can lock your purse in crowded spaces – that way no one can easily put their hands in your purse. It also has RFID blocking card and a passport holder to protect and secure your cards and information.
I also recommend always wearing a crossbody purse. I know a lot of people who have had their purses stolen off of their shoulder because they had an over the shoulder bag.
Comfy neck pillow
I’ve gone through a lot of neck pillows in my life and I’ve never found one that I could sleep with without waking up with a stiff neck. That is… until I found the Cabeau neck pillow. My friend had her eye on this pillow for some time and bought it in the Bali airport. I did no research at all, but felt how comfortable it was so I also bought it. Now my sister and a lot of my friends have it. It’s such a comfy neck pillow that’s made out of memory foam. I never wake up with a stiff neck anymore! It’s my favorite. You can also roll it up in a ball so it’s easy to take with you traveling.
RFID blocking passport holder
My sister and brother-in-law got me this as a Christmas present. At the time, I wasn’t familiar with RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) and how I should have RFID-blocking products. Passports and some credit cards have RFID chips that allow to transmit information wirelessly (think: contactless/touch payment with your credit card). Unfortunately there are scammers that can easily scan your passport/credit cards and steal your information. By having a RFID-blocking product, you can block scammers and protect your information.
I’m so glad they introduced me to this and I have this now! I really like this passport holder. It’s a decent size and can hold credit cards, money, and boarding passes. It also gives me peace of mind knowing that my personal information won’t get stolen.
Foot rest
Where my shorties at?!? I’m 5’1″ (154 cm) and my feet barely touch the floor sometimes when I’m on the plane. I love being able to rest my feet, especially on long flights. You can do two things: 1) put your feet on your bag underneath the chair (but this might ruin your stuff inside your bag) or 2) buy a foot rest. When it’s a shorter flight, I don’t use the foot rest. I just use my personal bag, but it sometimes gets uncomfortable because it’s not a smooth surface. This foot rest is nice and small. It fits perfectly in your bag and you can easily blow it up. I don’t bring the pumper with me though.
Packing cubes
Once you experience packing cubes, you will never be able to understand how you ever traveled without them before. Packing cubes makes traveling and packing SO much easier. I used to have these ones, but my favorite ones are the compression packing cubes. Especially if you’re backpacking, these are perfect to compress your clothes and free up more space in your bag. If you don’t want to compress the cube, you don’t have to. It’s perfect and my absolute favorite. Trust me… you should never travel without packing cubes. They’re amazing!
Quick-drying travel towel
Every traveler must get a quick-drying travel towel. Especially if you’re on the go and traveling in hostels. Not every place you’ll stay at will provide a free towel. It’s important to get one that is quick-drying and compact so you can take it with you and your bag won’t get all wet when you move to your new location.
Laundry bag
There are tons of different laundry bags you can use, but I just use this compression sack as a laundry bag. You can stuff a lot of clothes in there and it’s easy to pack while you’re traveling. It also makes laundry day so much easier having all your dirty clothes in one bag.
Camera
If you’re like me and hate carrying around bulky things, this Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark III camera is the best! I spent several days and hours researching on the best camera to buy and the Olympus was the best option. It’s Wi-Fi enabled, 4K video, it’s easy to carry, and it’s light. I’m always out sightseeing and don’t want to carry a lot of things. This camera fits perfectly in my purse. I also love how you can use different lens for it too. I started off with the kit lens (14-42mm).
Zoom lens
A zoom lens is essential for traveling, especially if you’re going on a safari or want to take pictures of far away scenery. I love having the ability to change the lens and capture photos of wild animals or far away things. It’s lightweight and easy to carry too.
Toiletry bag
This is my favorite toiletry bag/make up bag. It’s perfect because you can hang it up in the hostels. It also is waterproof and leak-proof which is essential when traveling so your items do not leak onto your belongings. It’s my favorite bag that I take everywhere I travel to.
Travel size toiletries
Travel size toiletries are essential when traveling. The ones I have are leak-proof, travel size and silicon tubes. I love the different colors they come with too.
Travel adapter
I usually like to bring the small individual ones since I’m backpacking, but this option is also perfect because it has 4 USB so you can plug multiple devices in. Make sure that whatever option you get is compatible with the countries you’re traveling to and is compatible with what you want to charge. It is not a converter. For me, it works with everything I need it for – phone, laptop, camera. All my necessities and is perfect for traveling to multiple countries.
Sleeping mask
A sleeping mask is something I never leave without. I value my sleep so this is essential when traveling, especially if you’re staying in hostels. Sometimes people will turn on the lights when you’re sleeping so having a sleeping mask definitely helps. These sleeping masks are my favorite because they have room so the eye mask isn’t shoved against my face. It’s also comfortable and comes in a pack of 3.
Ear plugs
If you’re a light sleeper, definitely bring ear plugs. Whether you’re staying in a hostel, hotel, or house, each location will have new sounds. From honking cars, barking dogs, disruptive roommates, or loud neighbors, ear plugs have been my lifesaver. These ear plugs are my favorite. They fit perfectly in my ear.
Amazon Storefront
There are tons of more items that I absolutely love on my Amazon Storefront. I have more travel items I use on there, along with some other things too. Everything I list on my Storefront is everything I actually use while traveling and have made my life so much easier. I know you will love these items on my Storefront so go check them out!
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