Traveling is one of my favorite things to do and I’ve picked up some things along the way that make traveling easier and more comfortable. I’ve narrowed down my must have items and am sharing them with you today.

My absolute first must have is this portable charger. Even though most airports are equipped with charging stations or plugins at the seats now, it’s never a guarantee (looking at you, Miami). It’s about the size of an iPhone Pro Max. When it is fully charged, it gives my phone multiple full charges and has several cord options already connected so you don’t have to carry extra cords. I can charge my phone and AirPods at the same time.

Do you have trouble keeping to the 3.4 ounce liquid rule when flying? Try these empty lip gloss tubes. It won’t work for all of your liquids, but for the ones it does, it can really lighten your liquid load. Label them with a sharpie and you’re good to go. Also, I love this Calpak toiletry case! It’s TSA approved and sits upright.

You never know what noises you’ll encounter in airports and hotels. I do like my noise cancelling AirPod Pros for flights, but I can’t sleep in them. I always have a simple pair of ear plugs for sleep. Pair it with a white noise app for something extra if you need to drown out noisy neighbors, loud air conditioner units or early morning garbage trucks.

I might be showing my age with this one. 😉 But, do you get tired legs when traveling? Compression socks or sleeves work wonders. These are great for circulation and keep the tired legs at bay. They also help with recovery if you’ve walked a million miles exploring or in theme parks.

Love your perfume, but don’t have a small bottle? Grab an atomizer and take your favorite scent with you. Again, another good way to lighten your liquids! I know a lot of scents can be found in travel sizes, but this is great for ones that don’t.

*Side note: This is the second time you’ve seen Laila appear in this post. If you’ve been to Epcot in Walt Disney World, you’ve likely encountered this scent. It’s located in the Norway pavilion and is the fresh scent that you notice when exiting the gift shop after riding Frozen Ever After.

Depending on where you are staying, you may find there aren’t enough plugins or they are not in convenient places. This extension cord power strip has come in handy so many times. Amazon has many to choose from so pick the one that fits your charging needs best. *Keep in mind that if you are going on a cruise, some lines do not allow these.

I know many people love the square, travel jewelry boxes but I don’t. I find my jewelry still gets tangled. I found this foldable jewelry organizer about a year ago and love it! It has different compartments and keeps my jewelry separated and easy to get to. The place I have my bracelets is supposed to be for rings. I’m not a ring person and sometimes even use a silicone wedding band for travel, leaving my real wedding set at home. Use it how it works best for you!

I’ve only recently started using the large compression cubes from Calpak. Compression cubes are great, especially if you are trying to pack carry on only. I mainly use the large cubes, but you can find medium and small ones. Amazon also has other options for compression cubes. If you plan to iron your clothes once you reach your destination and wrinkles don’t matter: roll your clothes, stack them in the cubes and compress. If you are heading out on a cruise, they do not have irons in the room. So I recommend ironing at home, rolling and packing loosely - don’t compress. You can still use them for organizing. However, once you start accumulating dirty clothes, roll them tight and compress. You’ll have more room for souvenirs on the way home. 😉

• The first image below - This shows the clothes are rolled and packed without compression cubes. There are 4 pairs of jeans, 2 sweatshirts, 2 long-sleeved shirts and 5 tee shirts.

• The second image - clothes are being packed into a large compression cube.

• The third image - everything but one pair of jeans and one sweatshirt fit into the compression cube. You can see using the compression cube made more room. You could pack more clothes or as you can see, I had enough extra room to fit a pair of platform Converse shoes.

As you can see in the above images, I’ve come to really enjoy a top zip suitcase. If you have to remove anything from your suitcase in the airport or hotel lobby, it’s so much easier and more discreet than the clamshell design. I pair it with the Calpak Luka Duffel (pictured below) and that’s the only two items I use 90% of the time. The Luka Duffel has a compartment for shoes and multiple interior and exterior pockets.

*Not an item, but if having to remove items in the security lines is stressful for you, TSA PreCheck is 100% worth it. I haven’t had to remove liquids, laptops, etc. in years.

I hope this post gave you some ideas to make your next adventure easier and more comfortable. Do you have any must haves that I should try? Let me know!

Need ideas for places to go? Here are some of my favorites:

Glacier | Grand Teton | Yellowstone | Cody

East Coast Road Trip

Ozark Mountains

Washington, D.C.