I can never travel anywhere around the world without fretting about excess baggage, or if my check in luggage and cabin luggage will exceed the weight limit.
This is especially so for students going on a semester-long exchange or study abroad programs. The question of how to pack your luggage to fit in 6 months worth of necessities is always an issue.
Everything seems essential and difficult to part with when you’re doing long-term travel. And when you manage to fit your entire home in, the weight is another problem. Right?
So today, I will share some must-have travel accessories that I thought were ingenious inventions. Not only are they lightweight, they also help maximize luggage space.
I wished I’d known about them earlier – they would make such perfect travel accessories for Europe!
Here’s a lowdown on some of the best Amazon travel accessories I’ve come to know about:
Read: 11 Lessons I Learnt From My France Exchange
At A Glance
The best travel accessories for international travel
Luggage Travel Accessories
1. Luggage Straps
2 metres long, this durable strap locks your luggage and keeps it safe.
2. Luggage Tags
Identify your luggage with luggage tags! Include your name and contact number on your tag. I don’t want to be a wet blanket, but don’t underestimate the probability of your luggage getting lost. Made of rubber and plastic material, this tag comes with a plastic strap for attaching to your luggage easily.
3. Luggage Locks
TSA-approved, they are a useful travel accessory for keeping your day bag or your cabin luggage secure.
Air Travel Accessories
4. Ear Plugs
You never know how effective ear plugs are in blocking out noise until you’re living in a hostel or sit beside a wailing baby on the plane. This can be a real life-saver especially if you’re on long flights.
5. Cabeau Midnight Magic Sleep Mask
This sleep mask is special because it is fitted with an adjustable nose bridge, allowing you to bend and mold the mask to perfectly contour to your unique facial features, guaranteeing 100% blackout.
For maximum comfort, this sleep mask has specially designed inner rounded eye liners to keep it from resting against your eyelids as you sleep or, more importantly, no more smearing of eye make-up!
It also features a sealed side pocket to hold the foam earplugs (included), making it a very useful travel accessory.
6. Cabeau Memory Foam Evolution Pillow
Plane travel accessories are not complete without a neck pillow.
Cabeau’s Memory Foam Evolution Pillow™ has a patented ergonomic design and incorporates 8 unique features, including 360° head and chin support, a washable velour cover, and a travel bag that compacts the pillow down to 1/4 its size.
Ever had the feeling of waking up from a long train ride with a stiff neck? This incredibly comfortable travel pillow puts an end to bobbing heads, and cramped, uncomfortable sleeping positions and is made with world class responsive memory foam. All hail neck pillows!
7. Cabeau Memory Foam Evolution Cool Pillow
With dual-density memory foam, innovative cooling vents and 360-degree head and neck support, stay cool while you sleep with its innovative air circulation vents. The moisture-wicking fabric also absorbs perspiration, and can be easily removed and washed. The travel case is also able to compact the pillow to half its size, making for easy packing and carrying around.
Read: How To Plan A Travel Itinerary On Google Maps
Electronics Travel Accessories
8. Multi Regional USB Adapter
The interchangeable AC sockets click quickly and easily in and out of position so that you are able to switch between regional power supplies with ease. The 5V 1000mA output makes the travel adapter compatible with charging your most phones and iPods, or any other USB-charged device.
9. Electronics Organizer Case
Instead of dumping your wires in one pouch and having to deal with messy and tangled wires, this large cable organizer bag sorts them out.
I can put now fit my electronic gadgets like my Macbook charger, phone charger, camera battery charger, extra memory cards, etc.
It’s an ideal travel accessory for business travellers, photographers or digital nomads who work with a lot of electronic gadgets on the go.
Read: Cheapest Way to Travel Around Europe
Travel Accessories Organizer
10. 6-Piece Travel Packing Cube Set
The perfect solution for organizing your clothes in your luggage. Made of nylon material, it is waterproof and washable.
Learn more about the best packing cubes for your type of travel here.
11. Underwear Storage Bag
I’d say this is one of the best travel accessories for women. It sorts your underwear neatly and prevents them from getting squashed in luggages. The last thing you want is to have dented bras when you arrive at your destination.
Read: Prevent Pickpockets and Travel Worry-Free with These 10 Easy Tips
Safety Travel Accessories
12. Waist Pack Bag Pocket Pouch
I know it can be uncomfortable to have a waist pouch around you under your (sometimes layers of) clothing on top of your travel wallet, but this is the surest way of keeping your cash and important documents safe.
I wore this in the beginning of my 6-month exchange trip to Europe when I was carrying wads of cash with me. I can say this is one of the best travel accessories for Europe travel, seeing that there are a number of pickpocket incidents I’ve heard and experienced.
Made of pure cotton mesh fabric, it wicks perspiration and moisture away quickly. With its adjustable elastic belt, it can fit any size.
13. Neck String Bag Pouch
Another option is to have your belongings hung around your neck.
Toiletries Travel Accessories
14. Matador NanoDry Shower Towel
If you ask me what my top travel accessory is that is a must have for travellers and backpackers, this would be it.
The super absorbent, full-sized shower towel is light and quick-drying. This towel absorbs 2.3 times its own weight in water.
With an anti-microbial Gold Coat and convenient silicone carry case with carabiner, you can clip it on your beach bag, backpack, or gym bag for a towel designed to go anywhere.
A snap loop is also included on the towel for hang drying. Perfect for backpackers or taking on road trips!
15. Travel-sized squeeze tubes
Store your shampoo and other liquids in these silicon bottles. This travel bottle set is TSA-approved and at only 2.8 ounce, they are safe to put in your carry on luggage. It is leak-proof, with each bottle coming with a triple sealing lid and non-drip valve.
The wide mouth makes it easy to pour in any liquids such as shampoo, conditioner, soap, lotion, sunscreen, body wash, face cream, mouth wash and even condiments such as syrups, ketchups and dressings. The owl shaped bottle’s eyes are actually strong suction cups which will stick to mirrors, glass, and most flat smooth surfaces.
Read: Montserrat, Spain; Day Trip from Barcelona
Outdoor Travel Accessories
16. Matador Droplet Wet Bag
Regular waterproof bags take up space. This bag though is compact enough to fit like a tear drop and yet large enough to stuff dirty or wet clothes in. Whether it is your sweaty gym clothes or wet swim suits, this bag can keep the wet in, or out depending on your needs. Perfect for boating, fishing, swimming, camping and snowboarding.
17. Matador Mini Pocket Blanket
This is one unique travel accessory that you might not have come across before, and a cute one too!
Water repellent, puncture-resistant and extremely compact. At 37 grams and 110cm x 70cm in size, it’s large enough for it to act as a picnic mat. It’s the perfect complement for taking a lunch break on a long hike or for lying down to read a book in the park.
18. Matador Pocket Blanket
The slightly larger sister of the Mini Pocket Blanket, this piece measures 160cm x 110cm, making it large enough for big groups to chill on. Ideal for hiking, parks, picnics, beaches, festivals, concerts, and more.
What would you consider to be the best travel gadget, or your must haves for travelling? I would love to hear them in the comments section below!
Read other useful posts about packing:
- Summer Packing List; All You Ever Need for Every Summer Holiday!
- Winter Items You Can’t Live Without
- Christmas Travel Gifts (+ Free Postcards From Me!)
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All of them are quite useful!!! I’ve been buying them little by little, can’t purchase it all at once. I really need Electronics Organizer Case though! And the packing cubes for clothes – made my life so much easier! Definitely essential for traveling 🙂
Thanks for these ideas. As my travel frequency has increased I have felt the need of useful accessories such as these. I am bookmarking it for reference the next time I go shopping,
These are some genius travel accessories. We recently got the pocket blankets and love them so much. Thanks for all these great ideas.
The pocket blanket was amazing. I loved the six pack bag organizer as well. Everything will be properly organized. Really helpful.
So many of them and so very useful. I have been looking for a good foam pillow and this one seems really good. i also like that electronic wires organizer. Seems so useful and compact. Thanks for sharing these.
What a great list of very useful (not to mention cool) items! As a keen lover of the great outdoors, I also do a fair amount of camping and hiking and many items here are really practical for those situations as well. Thanks for the many ideas and links to these items.
That blackout mask looks like something I need – I can never fall asleep on planes. And the underwear organiser would really save me digging around at the bottom of my bag trying to find clean undergarments. There are several things on this list that would really make my life easier.
4, 8 & 9 are musts for me. Now #11 is an interesting idea. Never heard of that before!
I feel so unprepared when travelling now. I just throw a few clothes into a suitcase or backpack and head off. Should try some of these to see if the flight would be more comfortable. I usually fall asleep as soon as I am on the plane, but I wouldn’t mind a bit more comfort
Other than a travel adaptor I actually don’t use any of these! I can totally see why they’d be useful to some, but I’m so low maintenance these days that I’m more of a “chuck 2 outfits and some clean underwear in a bag and go” kind of gal. I could definitely do with an underwear storage bag though for any extended trips – will have to look into that before I head off next time!
Some of these I have never used or needed, but the ones I do use I wouldn’t travel without. The adaptors for the electronics and my packing cubes keep save lots of time and space.
These are useful tips. I just purchased an electronics organizer for my last trip since I have a DSLR, gopro and drone now, which have a lot of little cords and batteries.
Really neat stuff! Most of it I have not heard of before. I especially think those mini towel and blankets are super awesome! Just today, I saw someone talking about how to pack bras…I never really thought about it much. I wish I had known about the package for underwear then!
Hope I helped to share some of these beneficial tips before your next trip! 🙂
Wow I did not know there are so many accessories for travelers! I need a few of these especially that pillow and ear plugs – great for long travels. The luggage tags and locks are so handy too, so I use them a lot too!
They’re all pretty handy so be sure to get them before your next travel! 🙂
Such great useful travel necessities. I am a sucker for any sort of organizational accessory. It definitely helps with keeping you organized while not overpacking. Like you said, it’s hard not to pack your whole house while heading on a 6 month exchange program.
It helped me during my exchange program, too! And yes, these definitely are useful organizational tools for everyone 🙂
Great tips and reminders. Ear plugs! I always forget earplugs. But I always wish I’d remembered to stock up and pack them. It’s so true. Those little things can actually make a big difference when traveling.
Haha, so true. Be sure to pack and check thoroughly next time 😉
I think you have covered everything. Some of these things though simple can lead to complications if we forget to have them. Simple things like proper tags and locks can make a whale of a difference.
So true. I think they help me make my travels a lot better, too!
I bought one of those zip pouches for cables and cords for my husband for Christmas, and he absolutely loves it! Anything we can use to save space is a plus, and we hate to ever travel with any more than a carry-on!
I agree! I found it highly helpful, too 🙂
I love the pillows, they look so comfy!
They definitely are 😉
I have to get the metador pocket blanket now. They look very useful. Thanks for such a comprehensive list.
I’m doing a giveaway for that on my Instagram soon!
I think some have merit, but personally I see others as a bit gimmicky.
Money belts/pouches are useful against perhaps pickpockets, but if someone is going to mug you, it’s really no secret where to check for such things these days.
Most if not all full service carriers (airlines) offer earplugs and face masks these days as well, so you can always save yourself some money and use/keep them!
You’re right! I guess we all have to practice discretion every now and then, too. 🙂 Thanks for the tips!