20 Must-Have Travel Items (Domestic + International)

The more I travel, the more I get it down to a system- how to pack to maximize space, what the essentials are versus what I can leave behind, how to get through the airport as quickly as possible and how to be most comfortable. I narrowed my list down to the twenty things I think you need most when you travel, a lot of which you can find for cheap on Amazon. To this point, I’ve managed to get to my process down to two bags, one carry on and one personal item and I can fit all of these items plus about five or six outfits, one or two extra pairs of shoes and then underwear, swimwear and maybe an extra purse and accessories. If you want to know what all I think is essential to travel, read below.

1.Portable Charger(s)- When I started traveling this was the first thing I purchased because I never wanted to be anywhere and not be able to contact someone if I needed to. I carry two with me now so my phone has never died while I’m in the airport or out doing an activity on a trip.

2.Passport- This goes without saying because you can’t travel to most international destinations without it. If you already have your passport, then you want to make sure it’s not expired.

3.Copies of Important Documents(Vaccination Proof, Negative Test Proof, Passport, Birth Certificate, Driver’s License, Social Security Card)- Copies are a recent addition to my essentials because I take most trips by myself. I met a woman who had lost a driver’s license right before a flight and she was explaining how much of a disaster traveling became. Having copies of all your ID either in your personal item or your luggage or even on your phone can at least help identify yourself to authorities if you ever lost your license or passport.

4. Charger Converter/Adapter and Cords- I haven’t been anywhere yet that i’ve actually had to use these, but it’s important to have them because you never know when you’ll need them. The two that I have are Type B&Internationalwhich you can purchase on Amazon.

5. Currency/Credit Card(s)(Some cash for domestic travel, correct currency for international destination)- Whether you exchange at home or once you arrive to an international destination really depends where you’re going. Before I went to Cuba, I exchanged at home, but for Colombia and Mexico I exchanged once I arrived because I could use my regular bank card to withdraw pesos from the ATM. Regardless, you probably should have at least a few USD in case you can’t find an ATM and you also should travel with one or two debit/cards as well. Don’t forget to notify your bank of your travel plans!

6. Jacket/Sweatshirt

Airplanes and airports are always entirely too cold for me so a jacket or at least a long sleeve shirt or sweatshirt is an essential for me.

7.Sturdy Luggage- I always only travel with one carry on and a personal item because I don’t want to have to check baggage. I have a really great carry-on from Amazon, but also a really great one from Away as well. For my personal item, I always carry this Marc Jacobs tote bag with me because it’s the perfect bag for anything I need to access quickly.

8.Earphones(adapter or headphones without lightning connector for plane)- my earphones are for listening to music but also because I generally don’t want to be talked to at 4:30 in the morning on a plane. I think i’m the only person on earth that still uses the Apple earphones with the cord because I know for sure I’m going to lose Airpods. You can purchase these headphones from the dark ages here.

9. Hand Sanitizer, Travel Lysol, Travel Antibacterial Wipes- I use hand sanitizer often when I travel, obviously to clean my hands, but I also use it for things like cleaning a cut or soothing the itch of mosquito bites. I spray entire hotel rooms/airbnbs with travel lysol and then of course I clean sinks, toilets, etc, with antibacterial wipes. My mom was super anal about cleaning on vacation and I think she passed it down to me genetically.

10. Electronic Devices(Phone + one other form of communication like an iPad or laptop)- Generally, I like to travel with my phone, laptop and my iPad. The phone is for obvious reasons like communication and photos, I work on my laptop and then the iPad is one of those backup plans I have in my head where I’d be able to contact someone from it in case I ever misplaced my phone.

11.Book or In-Flight Entertainment- I always travel with a book no matter what, but if i’m in the airport for a while or have a pretty long flight then I don’t want to read the entire time so having in-flight entertainment like a movie or game on an iPad or laptop is helpful as well. I have a list called The Book Club on my Amazon Storefront if you want to check that out for some really good reads.

12.Sunscreen- You should wear sunscreen everywhere anyway, but you’ll definitely want to have it when you travel to really hot places. Right now I’m going between Black Girl Sunscreen and Dr. Brandt’s Liquid Sun Shield. I’ve also heard Supergoop! is amazing.

13.The perfect quart sized toiletry bag- I’ve recently seen so many people get kicked out of line at TSA for having way too many toiletries and it’s got me puzzled why people haven’t figured out this part of flying yet. If you designate one quart sized bag of your own then you won’t even be tempted to overpack a duffle bag of just toiletries. Make sense? Here’s one from Amazon.

14.Travel wallet- My regular wallet is pretty bulky because I keep a lot of stuff in there so this travel wallet comes in handy because I can put only the necessities and there’s room for actual documents plus my passport. Since we now have to take printed proof of a negative covid test and some countries require pre-registration forms, it’s helpful to be able to keep them all in one place.

15.Reusable water bottle- It’s not safe to drink the water in certain countries and even if it is, you don’t always have access to bottles of water if you’re out doing an activity. I carry this filtered water bottle with me now and it really comes in handy especially in really hot destinations.

16.Camera- I’m at the point where I hate taking photos on my phone now so I carry my camera with me everywhere I go. Right now, I’m using the Sony a7iii and it’s definitely my baby. Every vlog you see and most of the pictures you see here on my blog are taken with that camera. Purchase it here.

17.Face Towel/Facial Wipes- These are an essential for me because I don’t like oily skin or sweat on my face. If you travel somewhere really hot, you will inevitably end up drenched in sweat everyday and it can be a pain if you don’t have anything to wipe your face with. I always throw these in my bag or use an eco-friendly wash cloth.

18. Waterproof Phone Case- You can either go the route of buying these are putting your phone in them or you can buy a waterproof go pro so you can capture photos even in aquatic places.

19. Travel Blanket & Neck Pillow- I used to never travel with a neck pillow or blanket until Airlines decided to mimic the arctic on flights and I was waking up feeling like I had whiplash. Now I’m better prepared with these items and certainly more comfortable.

20. Socks, Slippers, and/or Comfortable Shoes- Comfortable shoes are necessary because you never know when you’ll have to get through the airport quickly or far you may have to walk from one gate to another. The right shoes are also important because there’s nothing worse than someone holding up TSA because they decided to wear combat boots that are laced 34 times and double knotted. Here are some great options that are comfortable and slip on and off: Crocs, New Balance 993, Birkenstocks, Cross Band Slide Slippers, UGG Slippers