Popular items from this list:
- A wheeled carry-on bag if you have no intention of paying for a checked bag but still need to make the most of the space you have available
- Or a durable travel backpack that is, quite possibly, the perfect personal item thanks to its waterproof design
- A travel wallet for a sensible and stylish way to carry all your important documents.
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A wheeled carry-on bag if you have no intention of paying for a checked bag
Promising review: “If you are a consultant and struggle carrying big carry-ons. This is a perfect one for you. I love this purchase!!! Lightweight. Enough space for 1–3 days of travel. Thank you!” —SS
Or a durable travel backpack that is the perfect personal item
Promising reviews: “I bought this backpack for work. It’s the BEST backpack I’ve ever used. I needed one with several pockets and not too big or heavy. I found that with this backpack, I can fill it and still have room! There’s even a shoe and clothing compartment for traveling! The straps are just wide enough to stay on your shoulders especially with the snap straps in front. I also love the color, and it’s true to the picture color. If you’re looking for lightweight with tons of pockets, this is what you need!” —Kelly Miller
“This is a perfect size backpack for traveling on a plane as your personal item, especially to international destinations. You could fit rolled-up clothes in here for another week, and it has a very handy shoe bag and tons of places for your electronics. This will be an excellent addition to my carry-on suitcase. Best purchase all year. I consider myself an expert on travel bags. I have way too many. It’s smaller than it looks but so roomy.” —AP
A digital luggage scale to help you pack the essentials
A travel wallet to carry all your important documents
Promising review: “This wallet is durable, chic, and spacious. The lining is very soft and feels expensive. From the design to the material to the zippers and snaps, it’s well made. I ordered it in rose gold, and it’s a beautiful color. I travel frequently and love the boarding pass pocket. I recommended it to my sister and mom, who also love theirs! They ordered in yellow and bronze and were also happy with the color.” —Brianna graham
A set of packing cubes you’ll soon wonder how you ever traveled without
Or some vacuum storage bags when you’re a serial over-packer…
Promising review: “I’ve used these bags before, and they are so helpful. Even used the medium one for travel, and I have tons of extra suitcase room.The clothes don’t come out wrinkled at all as long as you fold them nicely before placing in the bag, then the air sucks out, keeping them safe and sound and very compact. Arrived on time, would use this seller again.” —Susie Kochsmeier
A Kindle for bookworms who keep up with their reading habit while on vacation
BuzzFeed Shopping editor Maitland Quitmeyer says: “I never thought I’d be an e-reader person, but living in a New York apartment with limited bookshelves changed my ways. I love love (love love love) my Kindle — especially for easily borrowing library books, squeezing in a few chapters on a subway ride, and of course traveling. I lit’rally read 10 times as much with a Kindle in my life.”
Promising review: “I was so skeptical about switching from actual books to the Kindle but I have loved it!!! It’s so much more convenient to read and travels well. I’ve only had it like two weeks and have only charged it once (have read three books)!! Its battery life is amazing.” —Haley
A slim and packable Trtl neck pillow
Promising review: “WOW! Literally life changing; used it on my 11-hr flight to and from Norway to SF and I usually can never sleep on planes, but this did the trick! It’s also super packable and doesn’t take up too much space!” —Julie Cox
An amazingly compact travel stroller
Promising review: “This stroller is great! So cool looking, too. I constantly have moms coming up to me asking where I got this! So easy to fold, so light, andbarely takes any space in my trunk.We took it on a flight, and the flight attendants recognized the stroller and told me that I can just wheel the baby on and put the stroller in the overhead bin. I wish I had gotten this stroller with my oldest, but I was being cheap. This stroller is so worth the money. I regret not getting it sooner! But at least my youngest can enjoy it.” —Nai Len
A set of TSA-approved silicone travel bottles
Promising review: “This little set is perfect for your travel toiletries. Instead of paying $3 for those little travel bottles, you can fill your favorite products in these. The taller tubes are silicone and easy to fill. For the circular containers, I used the little scooper to fill them. I didn’t use the spray bottles this trip, but I did use everything else, and I’m happy to say nothing leaked. Easy to clean after use as well.” —Nicole
Or a waterproof toiletry bag designed to hold tons of stuff
OR a set of magnetic Cadence containers for storing toiletries
BuzzFeed Shopping editor Abby Kass is a fan: “I recently got a set of four of these, and, wow, I love them so much. I used them on a six-day trip recently, and they were perfect. I customized the label so I knew which one was my shampoo vs. conditioner and did a general label for any other things I wanted to bring along. They do hold a surprising amount. According to the brand, they hold approximately one to two weeks of skincare products, more than two weeks’ worth of serum, two to three days’ worth of haircare, and more than 15 tablets (for medicine and such). And while two to three days worth of haircare might not seem like enough, I found it held more than that for me, but I also don’t wash my hair every single day. They were small enough to slip right into my toiletries bag and go through TSA with no problem. The container was easy to open in the shower (even with wet hands), and I had no leakage from them (like I did from my face wash bottle that will not be making the trip with me next time. SMH). These are an incredibly useful tool anyone who travels will want in their luggage.”
A collapsible water bottle
And if you can’t survive without caffeine, a collapsible coffee cup
Stojo is a small biz founded by three New York dads who wanted a better way to get their convenient coffee fix without all the waste. Now they make stylish collapsible essentials in a variety of sizes and colors, including bottles and food storage containers.
BuzzFeed Shopping writer Danielle Healy has this and loves it. She says: “This is of the first zero-waste swaps I made and I’ve never looked back. If you buy to-go coffee – whether you’re jet-setting or just grabbing a mid-day pick-me-up — this cup is a must-have. So long as you remember to bring it, it’s all the convenience of to-go coffee with none of the waste. It’s leakproof and, when you’re all done, it collapses down teeny tiny and can be tossed back in your bag. Oh! And it comes with a straw, so all you iced coffee lovers can get in on the action, too.”
A space-saving laundry bag
Promising review: “As a frequent traveler, this bag has been great for packing dirty laundry on the return trip home. It will hold much more than I usually put in it and compresses nicely in the suitcase. I toss it in the washer along with the clothes, and it has held up for well over a year now.” —CC
A travel pill organizer
A pocket-sized, refillable travel perfume atomizer
Promising review: “I bought these due to traveling a lot for work and needing to cut down on the size of things in my carry-on bag for flying. I can bring four different perfumes now instead of one big one. They’re super easy to fill and haven’t leaked so far, but I keep them in a sandwich baggie while traveling just in case. I would 100% buy them again.” —Emily
A small jewelry case with enough space for your daily wear items
A pack of laundry soap sheets
A genius hanging packing cube
Promising review: “I just love it. I travel a lot. Now I don’t have to hang anything up but my organizer. I can see what I pack and where everything is. Just love it. I can fit easy seven days’ worth of outfits and three pairs of shoes in a carry-on suitcase. Just great.” —Amazon customer
Or a carry-on garment bag
Promising review: “I recently purchased this bag to be able to accommodate a couple of suits for business trips without having to check a large garment bag. This worked perfectly! It was easy to pack, I had no issues placing it in the overhead bins, and my suits were in great condition when I unpacked at the hotel. Overall, it’s a great value.” —PSTEENSON
A travel umbrella
A three-piece luggage set
Promising review: “My family travels internationally, which means lots of airplane transfers, rail, ferry loading and unloading. Each member has their own set. Only one cosmetic scuff has appeared. About to order another set for my mother as we are taking her to London, Scotland, and Ireland for the holidays. We rarely use the middle size. The small size we carry on, and the largest size we check. Very pleased with maneuvering and durability of wheels on various rough surfaces. The retractable handle makes for easy storage on ferries and railway. We’ve had zero issues with locking mechanism. We are a family of four with kids ages 8 and 12.” —ChiefLaughALot
A shoe bag that’ll hold a few pairs if you’re always questioning how to fit ’em all
A packing checklist to replace that feeling of panic with calm
A mini lightweight flat iron that is truly the perfect size for traveling
Promising review: “This fits perfectly in my toiletries travel bag that I take with me as a flight attendant. Anything that comes in small size and still works well is perfect for me.” —Kathy S
A retractable lint roller
A fold-up duffel
Promising review: “We bought this to take with us when we visited our daughter who is studying abroad for four months. We figured she would not have enough room in her luggage when it was time to come home. Folded up, this bag was so compact and lightweight it took up almost no room in our own luggage for the trip over. Then, sure enough, she had a ton of clothes and shoes to send home with us and packed this bag full. We checked the bag and it made it through two international flights without a scratch. The BEST feature is the side strap that allows you to slide it over the handle of a rolling suitcase so you don’t have to carry it. This is probably the most practical and the best-value item I have purchased in years.” —Tosa Mom