It’s well-known that when making wedding purchases, the price of whatever you are buying is instantly at least 30% more just because it’s for a wedding. I’ve found that travel products are a bit like this as well. Throw the word “travel” in front of a product and there’s a magical price increase: Backpack = $70. Travel backpack = $100. (Admittedly, some travel specific products do have extra features that are worth the price differential.)
Yet, it can be hard to resist some of the cool travel gadgets out there (for example: these). I mean who doesn’t want an adorable travel iron or little baby cocktail kit? But resist you must. Indulging every travel purchase whim drains your bank account and fills your bag. Exactly what you don’t want to do, especially if you’ll be spending a lot of time hauling your own luggage.
I’ve made a fair number of purchases for travel over the years. Some like my travel wallet (discussed here), I barely used while others have been worth every penny. These are three of my favorite purchases that were under $25 each:
Travel Squares. I am not naturally organized. These have been a game changer. If they were a religion, I’d be an evangelist. They organize your bag, make it easier to pack and repack your bag, and make it easy to lay-out your stuff in a hotel room without having to repack everything. I use them for trips and also to help organize by beach backpack.
Lots of brands sell travel squares at different price points. I’ve been very happy with these cheap ones I bought off Amazon:
I’ve been using them for about a year and a half and they are still in great shape (and I am not exactly know for being gentle with my things.) I also still giggle at the smaller bags labeled “secret pouch.”
Travel Belt. It’s not sexy but it’s effective. On international and solo trips, I’m all about not being obvious about where your valuables are and not having all your money and valuables in one place. The travel belt helps with both of those things. In Vietnam, a Dutch traveler I met had items stolen from his backpack without realizing it but had most of his money and valuables in his money belt. He was in the middle of motorcycling the country and otherwise would have been pretty screwed.
(This is not the exact one I have but it’s close. I bought mine at WalMart [yeah, yeah, judge me])
On trips where I’ll be gone from lodging most of the day, I like using a backpack. I do not like putting my wallet in my backpack (especially the front pocket) – too easy for someone to open and grab without me noticing. I also don’t like having to deal with a lock to open and close my backpack. Travel belt is also a solution to that issue.
Hello, Kitty Travel Toothbrush. Travel toothbrushes are small and you’re not worried about losing them like you would be if you brought your Sonicare or other expensive toothbrush. Why Hello, Kitty Specific? There’s a suction piece on the bottom so you can stick it to the sink rather than having to lean your toothbrush against the edge of the sink or in a cup where it can more readily pick up germs.
There may be adult size travel toothbrushes with the same suction feature but I haven’t seen them. And, I enjoy the playfulness of the Hello, Kitty one.
Bonus: Item I Plan to Buy. One item that I have heard great things about and plan to buy before my next international flight is a travel sling for my feet for the plane. Found this one on Amazon but might even invest in a slightly more expensive larger one. Still cheaper than a first class ticket! (Which is not actually an optionJ)
Help Wanted! The one area that I still struggle with is packing toiletries. If anyone has favorite products for toiletries that don’t take up a lot of space, let me know.
