If you’re looking to jet set in 2023, you’ll find these travel essentials will up the game! There’s nothing more fun than the anticipation leading up to a trip, and having these products makes the routine of it all just a little more luxurious and easier.
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I’m a big believer in trying to pack as lightly as possible, so most of the tips below lean toward helping you pack lightly/only in a carry on! This post goes into more detail on how I pack lightly (seriously – I picked for six weeks into a carry on and a backpack) if you would like to really tighten up your packing this year.
Backpack
I’ve had this backpack for almost five years, and it’s perfect for travel. If you don’t fill it too extremely full, it fits below your seat as a personal item, but if you want to use it as your only bag, it expands enough to hold a lot. I use it on longer trips when I can’t fit absolutely everything in my carry on, because the way it zips all the way down when you lay it flat is really handy for packing.
Packing cubes
My number one tip for being able to pack in a carry-on only is using packing cubes. You will be amazed how much these can condense what you’re packing, and if you’re strategic in what you put in each one, they’re really handy for staying organized without unpacking fully once you reach your final destination.
I especially love these I’ve linked to because they have tightening straps on the inside to zip your items up even more.
TSA-approved liquid storage
This is a necessity for packing in a carry on only – being limited on liquids is one of the only unfortunate aspects of not checking a bag.
Kindle
This is an obvious necessity to me – you all know I love to read and that’s especially true while I’m traveling! I love a good physical book, but traveling with a kindle just makes more sense if you know you’re going to get through at least 2-3 books.
Airpods Pro Max
These have to be my newest and best travel necessity. I used to get so overstimulated by all the noises on planes, but the noise cancellation on these makes the whole experience so much more peaceful. I also love that it’s really easy to make the sound transparent when you do want to speak to your travel companion or the flight attendant.
I have to say, I used to have the Airpods Pro (not max), and the Max are a lot better for noise cancellation in my opinion! If you have the Airpods Pro though, they also help with cutting down on unpleasant sound quite a bit.
Cord Manager
This might not be a universal travel necessity, but we’re usually traveling with at least one laptop, an iPad, our airpods, phones, kindle, etc., and having cords flying around everywhere can get out of hand. This really helps keep us straight!
Universal Outlet Adapter
I had one of these a while ago but have misplaced it during our move. I went to order another one and almost just ordered one for the UK since that’s our next destination, but then I remembered how game changing these universal ones are!
Travel tripod
If you’re tired of only getting selfies or well-intentioned photos from strangers, this travel tripod will help you get great photos on your own time. My only tip here is to not use it in a really crowded place where theft is known to be common!
Pill organizer
I love trying to keep my routine as normal as possible when we’re traveling, and being able to take just enough of my vitamins, allergy pills, advil, etc. in this compact container is really nice!
Passport holder
This passport holder makes it a lot easier to find those slippery things when you’re in a hurry and it’s fallen to the bottom of your bag. The one I’ve linked here is really nice because it also holds your drivers license!
Another pro tip – try to print out a photocopy of your passport and put it in an entirely different bag than where you’ve stored your passport in case that bag gets lost or stolen.
Travel size beauty products
Since I can only take a restricted amount of liquids, I have to be really specific about what items I’m taking. I prioritize dry shampoo, shampoo (the hotel stuff just doesn’t work the same for me), perfume, and various makeup products that I have in travel/smaller size. I also have to take my acne medicine and face wash, but I didn’t link that since it’s really personal preference.
I hope this post helped you find some new products to make your next travel day easier or inspires you to use some items you’ve already got! Comment below if there’s a travel must that I missed below!
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