Travel Accessories To thank me For + one’s To Run From

TravelLifestyle

Dec 8

airplane, holiday travel, what to take traveling, accessories

Travel accessories, gadgets, gimmicks, and “OOOOO Shiny” buys, lure me in all. The. Time!

You can thank me at the end of this post for my years of wasted gimmick buys in the name of research for travelers everywhere.

There are REALLY COOL TRAVEL GOODIES + gadgets that aren’t worth the space in your suitcase, to make your life easier on travel day.

Even if just a handful benefit from this travel wizardry, then my decades of traveling and searching will all be worth it.

If you missed your travel invitation in the last post of What to Wear on Your Travel Party Day, click on over and get your RSVP.

Travel Accessories:: The Buy It + Not Worth It

There are a lot of travel accessories out there waiting to jump into our suitcases, carry-on bag, and Boyfriend jean pockets. But not all are worth it, and some you can get FOR FREE.

Ready?

1/ carry-on Suitcase - Yes

Of course you’re not going to stroll through the airport with your pajama’s stuffed in a Trader Joe’s reusable bag, but two things are important with your roller bag::

STURDY 360-roller wheels
Hard case {protect and spill-proof protection}
4-wheel stand alone {to slip your carry-on bag on top}

2/ Tumi voyager/Trolley Bag -Yes

I’ve had three trolley bags and this one is my favorite! {But I’ve heard Target has one out that’s getting pretty good reviews if you’re shopping around}.

This Tumi nylon bag is my Mary Poppins travel nanny.

It fits everything!

It has two side pockets {one zips close}, a side water bottle holder, and ID tag that you can register with Tumi in case it gets lost.

Only downside is for the ultra-organized person who shudders at the idea of throwing things into the deep middle hole of a carry-on bag abyss…this inner-big-bag organizer might be your organizational dream come true to drop inside the trolley bag.

3/ Portable Multi-charger - Yes

I’ve toted this one around for years and it charges everything {phone, airpods, ipad…}It never leaves my carry-on bag for trips. This year a smaller + magnetic player entered the game. If you have a MagSafe phone case this may be the better {smaller choice for you}

4/ 3-in-1 charging station - Yes

I know - who needs two chargers? You chose which fits your style best. I use this in the hotel rooms and only have to bring one charging cord {comes with it}. Most importantly, it FULLY charges all three devices over night. 100%! Not 86%, not 92% – 100%

5/ Travel Hair Dryer - No

Never have I ever taken a hair dryer on a trip, so I’m out of my depth when it comes to travel dryers. If my hotel or vacation rental doesn’t have one, then it’s an air-dry day.

No shoes left behind is my motto!

Packing a hairdryer would mean picking a pair to sit home, and how could I do that. 😟

6/ + 7/ Water Bottle 1 | Water Bottle 2

I love my hydro flask for long drives, but if I don’t have the room in my carry-on, water bottle 1 {collapsible} one saves space.

Airports have water filling stations throughout the terminal so you can refill on the other side of security.

Water bottle 2 is the “mini” Stanley cup and I don’t need to go to the gym 6x/week to lift it. Drinking out of a straw makes water taste more satisfying

8/ Portable Espresso Maker - Maybe, but not yet

I’ve been tempted for years to get one of these, but haven’t hit the buy button…YET. It stays on my travel radar, though.

Can I even say I’m a true coffee lover if I don’t have my own travel espresso maker?

This one sits in both categories for me right now {worth it, and also not🤷🏻‍♀️}

8.5/ Salted Caramel Pour-over Coffee Packets

Not sure I need to say anymore here if you’re a coffee lover.

I recently discovered these packets that fit perfectly inside my suitcase to use in my room {not a fan of the room coffee usually}. They don’t take up any space AND the creamer packets don’t need refrigeration + made of milk and sugar and THAT’S IT.

Don’t want the coffee, only the CREAMY, NOT COLD, milk and sugar sweetness? Depending on where I’m going, sometimes I take only the creamer packets.

Might be me, but I hate pouring cold milk or half-n-half into my steaming hot coffee. My morning cup of roasted goodness chills to lukewarm brown water - 😵 – That is NO WAY to start a trip.

9/ Sony Camera - Maybe {but I do carry both}

I hear you talking to the screen right now:: “Why would I carry a camera when I have the {insert cool cell phone brand here}?”

If I haven’t said it before, I’m a photographer, and trust me when I say THERE IS A DIFFERENCE.

Yes. Your cell phone takes great memories of your trip, but there are some trips where I tote along my travel camera. I have this Sony mirrorless with a different lens, and it’s light to carry all day + fits in my small travel backpack.

If a camera phone is all you carry, then click into my weekly email series to get new iPhone camera tips for better photos. {It’s free}

10/ Airplane Pillow - No, if you’re a compact traveler

NOT the neck brace pillow you bought last second in the airport. Donate that to the last person who told you to buy it for the plane.

This wrap-around, gimme-a-neck-hug pillow lets your neck lay instead of propping your neck up on a spike.

FREE OPTION:: If you’re a minimalist packer, you use your sweater or jacket {as long as it’s faux fur or fleece. Leather jacket buckles look cute to wear, but they’re a medieval torture device as a pillow}.😉

11/ high end selfie - best one, if you must

I hate selfie sticks. I cringe every time someone clamps their $800 phone to a $5 disaster-stick and hovers it over the Trevi Fountain/top tier of the Colosseum/boat tour on the Seine River/at the peak of Camelback Mountain in Arizona.

Yep, seen it happen at all of those places - When they say a picture is worth a thousand words, they’re wrong! Very few words pop out of their mouths as the phone drops –or plops– and if a word does – I won’t it type here.

I’ve gasped myself – in mock-horror – while watching the impending photo-less doom play out. I feel like I should tap Tommy-the-Tourist on the shoulder and offer to take the photo for them - or if we’re across a crowded fountain, tap B on the shoulder and say, “There it goes, waaatch for it…”

Pick a place - any high, over-water place - and somehow people lose their ever-instagrammable-brains and think, “I paid money for it {from the vendor racing past me fleeing the last person he sold a selfie-stick to}, this’ll work great for a photo over the clear blue fountain water!”…

…until you’re staring at your $1,000 phone camera mirroring your best horror-show-face laying at the bottom OF THAT fountain next to the Euro wishing coins. {can’t make this up - I’m not that good of a storyteller}

Bet I know what their phone-drop wish was to that fountain.

{By the way, that same Rome street vendor is now selling umbrellas for - you guessed it - $5, because now it’s raining. You could stop and ask if he can conjure up a bag of rice to put your fountain-phone in and see if that trick works. Just an idea}.

Here’s another unasked-for suggestion:: if we spend an obscene amount of dollars on our cell phones, maybe spend the extra moolah on the device HOLDING SAID PHONE.

12/ Travel Makeup Bag - Yes

Have it - Love it - End of this story

13/ RIFD Card Holder - Yes {or free below}

Also have it – also love it.

A free travel accessory alternative is asking your bank for extra RIFD blue sleeves for each card when you travel.

14/ Lululemon Everywhere bag - Yes

I use this traveling and at home. It’s big enough to hold your phone, small wallet, chapstick, hand sanitizer, car keys, and readers. Who needs to carry more!?

15/ Airtag - {Do you check bags? - Then Yes}

Do you check your luggage? Have you ever forgotten your purse, phone, bag somewhere?

When you walk up to the baggage desk with your claim ticket, you’ll be able to pull up the ‘find my phone’ app and show exactly where it’s been lost, since you put your new airtag in your luggage. 🤯 {mic drop!}

16/ A Bad Book - No

Never bring a brand new unread book on your trip. Read the first few chapters to see if it’s one that’ll last the whole trip so

You’re not wasting packing space that could have been used for an extra pair of shoes
You have nothing to read all flight/car ride long

Here are the books I read and enjoyed in 2023 in case you’re looking to peruse a few chapters before your next travels.

17/ New Shoes - No

Don’t break in new shoes on your trip. It never ends well. Unless you’re a stockholder in moleskin or second-skin brands of gel foot pads, Then try it.