Whether you’re traveling for a weekend or for a year, these 15 travel must-have items are a game changer.
Prior to beginning my full-time travel journey, I did as much research as possible to be ready for anything and everything that travel can bring. There were definitely tips online, but they tended to be redundant and not very unique.
These are my tried and true travel must-haves that I would recommend to all of my family and friends!
1. GoToob+
The first travel must-have is life-changing for me. I can’t explain how much I love all of my GoToob+ products. Truly, I’m not sure how I was able to travel so long without these.
I am currently traveling with 5 of the large sized tubes (3.4 oz or 100 ml) and they are fantastic. They’re leakproof, made of food-grade materials, clearly labeled with the liquid amounts for TSA and just transparent enough to be able to see what’s inside.
The things I use gotoob+ for: shampoo, conditioner, micellar water for makeup removal, hair gel and dish soap.
As someone who has a lot of hair, little hotel bottles of conditioner never seem to do the trick. Many times on our travels, I’ve found that hotels only offer shampoo and body wash which doesn’t work for my hair! I also like to refill the tubes when I’m in a hotel that has a large pump shampoo or conditioner mounted on the wall.
I also carry dish soap because I like being able to clean my water bottle whenever and wherever. Especially when staying at hostels or airbnbs and doing your own dishes, having a personal dish soap can be very nice.
2. the knot dr. for conair hairbrush
The second travel must-have is a GAME CHANGER. Finally, a good hairbrush with a case! I was so tired of shoving my hairbrush in my luggage, smooshing the bristles down and having it get stuck on sweaters.
Then I found The Knot Dr. For Conair hairbrush. The brush itself is gentle on your hair, but also gets through thick hair. What sets this brush apart is the hardshell case.
I am able to squeeze the brush in my luggage with full confidence that both my clothes and my hairbrush will come out unscathed. This is one of the packing hacks that I wish I could shout from the rooftops. Anyone looking to travel with a hairbrush should purchase this hairbrush!
3. My favorite travel backpack
The third travel must-have is my faithful, trusty backpack. I saw SO many travel influencers traveling with this backpack, so I wanted to try it for myself. I initially tried it on a 1-week trip to Iceland and loved it, so it came with me on my 7-month travel journey and it’s safe to say that I’m completely obsessed.
This backpack is sleek, water resistant, has tons of hidden pockets, a laptop pocket, two easy access points to get into the main backpack compartment and stores tons of stuff. After 7-months, it still looks new and has held up tremendously.
4. The best versatile shoe
These Tevas are my fourth travel must-have as they are truly an unsung hero. I was never a “Teva-Girl”, but when packing for long-term travel I needed a shoe that could be extremely versatile. Whether it be walking through a river, hiking to waterfalls, walking on the beach or more these shoes have been through it all with me on this 7-month journey.
I love the monochromatic look, the platform is very trendy and comfortable and they have great traction. There are tons of colors to choose from. My only tip is that they do run a bit big, so maybe size down!
5. The best travel hiking boot
The fifth travel must-have is phenomenal. Say goodbye to packing your heavy and clunky hiking boots. These lightweight, water-proof hiking boots are incredible for travel and especially great when packing with limited space.
After walking through mud, hiking through icy cold rivers and doing traditional hikes in the woods I can say these are my tried and true favorites. The boot is very flexible and collapsable which makes it perfect when packing.
6. Shower caps… For your shoes!
Thank me later for my travel must-have number 6. This is one of the greatest travel hacks. Rather than your shoes getting your clothes dirty when traveling simply put a reusable shower cap around the shoe. Just place the soles of the shoes flat down on the bottom of the shower cap. The cinched perimeter will hold the shoes in place and together.
Not only does it keep your shoes together but it keeps everything else in your luggage, including the luggage itself clean. I love the feeling of wrapping up my muddy hiking boots and being confident that they won’t get everything dirty. These shower caps are a game changer for less than $10 – they are a steal.
7. A good durable journal
Travel must-have number 7 is my personal favorite. I have absolutely fallen in love with the Leuchtturm1917 Notebooks and can’t imagine traveling without them now. The dotted pages are the greatest – in my opinion – as they keep your handwriting in straight lines and it looks very clean.
I personally love choosing a fun new colored journal and keeping all of my thoughts, memories and day-to-day experiences jotted down to look back on.
My travel journals are some of my most prized possessions and they are such a fun memento to have at the end of an adventure.
8. The hp sprocket
Travel must-have number 8 relates back to number 7 and for good reason. I should probably be a brand ambassador for this printer at this point. After people see my travel journals, they love this idea and want to do it for their upcoming travels. Turning a travel journal into a scrapbook makes it much more exciting to look back at after your trip is over. The machine can fit in your hand and prints instant color 2×3″ photos straight from your phone via bluetooth.
The paper that the image is printed on has a peel-off back to make it a sticker – perfect for your travel journal! Any time I show family or friends my travel journals they are blown away by the photo aspect.
I also have found that when I don’t include photos throughout my journal I’m far less likely to go back and read them.
9. Outlet adapters
It goes without saying but travel must-have number 9 is something you can’t live without so why not have the best. This is the only travel adapter you’ll need! In the past I’ve purchased the classic cheap adapters for the specific place I was going to, but now I’ve decided to upgrade to a more universal adapter that allows me to charge 5 devices at once.
Just simply slide the pronged piece into the back of the charging box that corresponds to the charger you need.
Not only is this great for travel, but you can use it in your home country as well and charge multiple devices at once.
10. Carabiner Clips
Travel must-have number 10 I think is pretty unique. Carabiner clips have become one of my favorite organization tools for travel. This last minute purchase has been a lifesaver packing hack. I brought three; one mini and two regular sized and they’ve all been completely worth it.
From hanging wet swimsuits on the outside of my backpack, to dirty shoes or baseball hats – the larger clips have been amazing.
The mini one is such a sneaky packing hack. I use it to hold hair binders, so they don’t get misplaced during our travels. As someone who has traveled with sisters, it’s so easy to start a trip with 5-10 hair binders and find yourself digging through your bags by the end of the trip looking for one.
11. Packing cubes
A controversial travel must-have for number 11. I never knew if packing cubes were overrated – but now I’m sold. I love these ones specifically because they’re color coded, durable and inexpensive! One of my favorite things about using packing cubes is that in allows you to actually find all of the clothes you’ve packed rather than resorting to what you can find first.
These are also compression packing cubes so once you have everything packed away and zipped up, there’s a second zipper that sucks everything tightly together to really maximize the amount of stuff you’re able to fit in your luggage.
12. Plastic Folders
Travel must-have number 12 is for my fellow organized travelers – or wanna be organized travelers. Traveling with a plastic folder tucked away in the laptop holder in your bag/backpack is one of my favorite travel hacks. Whether you need to store important papers like copies of your passport, visas to enter certain countries or vaccination records, or you if want to keep postcards, memorabilia or pieces of art from your travels safe and protected these are your answer!
Making sure you have a way to keep everything together, dry, and crinkle-free always gives me peace of mind.
13. Spray hand sanitizer
Travel must-have number 13 is to keep the germs away! This is the perfect travel and everyday hand sanitizer. Step aside leaky bottles of hand sanitizers and ones that smell nauseatingly sweet. These hand sanitizers are thin and compact for travel, come in a variety of great scents and actually moisturize your hands rather than drying them out.
They fit perfectly in a purse, backpack or fanny-pack which has been amazing for any and all situations arise when you may need a little hygiene refresh.
14. Toilet Paper on-the-Go
No need to be embarrassed by travel must-have number 14. It’s far more embarrassing to realize there’s no toilet paper after the fact rather than being proactive! This may seem excessive, but truly you never know when a situation may arise. Whether it be used as tissues or as toilet paper or to even clean something up – it is so smart to have.
One of my best friends gave me a few packages of this before my travels and I can confidently say I never regretted packing this.
15. Medication or vitamin organizer
Last, but not least, is travel must-have number 15. I recommend this travel medication organizer to everyone. The folding design with magnetic flaps is perfect. I love carrying different over-the-counter medications like Tylenol, Advil and Tums so they’re easy to access, and I don’t have to carry around a bunch of different bottles. I like to take a picture of the label of the package or rip off the information on the packaging and put it inside the containers so I have information like expiration dates, dosages, etc. readily accessible.
Kym says
These are great!