Thank Me With Coffee For These Travel Accessories + The Not Worth it Ones
Travel accessories, gadgets, gimmicks, and “OOOOO Shiny” buys lure me in all. The. Time!
So you can thank me at the end of this post for my years of wasted gimmick buys research with a date to that coffee shop on the corner with those butter-soft, plush leather chairs that are made from an animal I should feel really horrible for wanting to melt into with my coffee cup and a book. But I’m an imperfect human — and I love cushy soft chairs — please don’t judge me.
Hopefully you’ll see past my imperfections once you see the REALLY COOL TRAVEL STUFF {and the things to dump from your suitcase} to make your life easier on travel day.
Even if just a handful benefit from this travel wizardry today, then my decades of traveling and searching will all be worth it.
If you missed your travel invitation in the last post of What to Wear on Your Travel Party Day, click on over and get your RSVP.
Travel Accessories:: The Buy It + Not Worth It
There are a lot of travel accessories out there waiting to jump into our suitcases, carry-on bag, and skinny jean pockets. But not all are worth it, and some you can get for free.
Ready?
1/ carry-on Suitcase
Of course you’re not going to stroll through the airport with your pajama’s stuffed in a Trader Joe’s reusable bag, but two things are important with your roller bag::
- STURDY 360-roller wheels
- Hard case {protect and spill-proof protection}
- Stand alone {to carry your trolley bag for you}
2/ Tumi Trolley Bag
I’ve had three trolley bags and this one is my favorite! {But I’ve heard Target has one out that’s getting pretty good reviews if you’re shopping around}.
This Tumi nylon bag is my Mary Poppins travel nanny. It fits everything! It has two side pockets {one zips close}, a side water bottle holder, and ID tag that you can register with Tumi in case it gets lost.
Only downside is for the ultra-organized person who shudders at the idea of throwing things into the deep middle hole of a carry-on bag abyss…this inner-big-bag organizer might be your organizational dream come true to drop inside the trolley bag.
3/ Portable Multi-charger
4/ 3-in-1 charging station
I found the portable charger AFTER this 3-in-1 charging base. You can be even more chic and compact than me by just packing the portable multi-charger, since it plugs right into the wall and charges on-the-go.
5/ Travel Hair Dryer
Never have I ever taken a hair dryer on a trip, so I’m out of my depth when it comes to travel dryers. If my hotel or vacation rental doesn’t have one, then it’s an air-dry day.
No shoes left behind is my motto!
Packing a hairdryer would mean picking a pair to sit home, and how could I do that. 😟
If you’re a two-shoes-packer and want a good blowout on your trips, go with the safe choice and pick one with the most positive Amaon reviews.
6/ + 7/ Water Bottle 1 | Water Bottle 2
I love my hydro flask, but if I don’t have the room in my carry-on, the collapsible one saves space.
Every airport I’ve been to have water filling stations throughout the terminal so you can refill on the other side of security.
8/ Portable Espresso Maker
I have been tempted for years to get one of these, but haven’t hit the buy button…YET. It stays on my travel radar, though.
Can I even say I’m a true coffee lover if I don’t have my own travel espresso maker?
This one sits in both categories for me right now {worth it, and also not🤷🏻♀️}
9/ Sony Camera
I hear you talking to the screen right now:: “Why would I carry a camera when I have the {insert cool cell phone brand here}?”
If I haven’t said it before, I’m a photographer, and trust me when I say THERE IS A DIFFERENCE.
Yes. Your cell phone takes great memories of your trip, but there are some trips where I tote along my travel camera {at least I left my big girl camera at home}. I have this Sony mirrorless with a different lens, and it’s light to carry all day + fits in my small travel backpack.
10/ Airplane Pillow
NOT the neck brace pillow you bought last second in the airport. Donate that to the last person who told you to buy it for the plane.
This wrap-around, gimme-a-neck-hug pillow lets your neck lay instead of propping your neck up on a spike.
FREE OPTION:: If you’re a minimalist minimalist packer, you can always use your sweater or jacket {as long as it’s faux fur or fleece. Leather jacket buckles look cute to wear, but they’re a medieval torture device as a pillow}.
11/ Selfie Stick + high end selfie
I hate selfie sticks. I cringe every time someone clamps their $800 phone to a $5 disaster-stick and hovers it over the Trevi Fountain/top tier of the Colosseum/boat tour on the Seine River/at the peak of Camelback Mountain in Arizona.
Yep, seen it happen at all of those places — When they say a picture is worth a thousand words, they’re wrong! Very few words pop out of their mouths as the phone drops –or plops– and if a word does — I won’t it type here.
I’ve gasped myself — in mock-horror — while watching the impending photo-less doom play out. I’ve seen it happen so many times I feel like I should tap Tommy-the-Tourist on the shoulder and offer to take the photo for them — or from the distance, tap B on the shoulder and say, “There it goes, waaatch for it…”
Pick a place — any high, over-water place — and somehow people lose their ever-instagrammable-brains and think, “I paid money for it {from the vendor racing past me fleeing the last person he sold a selfie-stick to}, this’ll work great for a photo over the clear blue fountain water!”…
…until you’re staring at your $1,000 phone camera mirroring your best horror-show-face as it lays at the bottom OF THAT fountain next to the Euro coins. {I can’t make this up — I’m not that good of a storyteller}
Bet I know what their phone-drop wish was to that fountain.
{By the way, that same Rome street vendor is now selling umbrellas for — you guessed it — $5, because now it’s raining. You could stop and ask if he can conjure up a bag of rice to put your fountain-phone in and see if that trick works. Just an idea}.
Here’s another unasked-for suggestion:: if we spend an obscene amount of dollars on our cell phones, maybe spend the extra moolah on the device HOLDING THE PHONE.
12/ Travel Makeup Bag
Have it — Love it — End of this story
13/ RIFD Card Holder
Also have it and also love it.
A free travel accessory alternative would be to ask your bank for extra RIFD blue sleeves for each card when you travel.
14/ Lululemon Everywhere bag
I use this traveling and not traveling. It’s big enough to hold your phone, small wallet, chapstick, hand sanitizer, car keys, and gum.
15/ Airtags
Do you check your luggage? Have you ever forgotten your purse, phone, bag somewhere?
When you walk up to the baggage desk with your claim ticket, you’ll be able to pull up the ‘find my phone’ app and show them exactly where it’s been lost, since you put your new airtag in your luggage. 🤯 {mic drop!}
Where are you traveling to next?
If you’re looking for ideas, here are a few past travels to explore with your new travel accessories::
Cheers to all your travel adventures and FUN!
P.S. Grab your coffee cup or wine glass and scroll on by each month in the Chapter 50 Digest. The Coffee Chat + Wine O’Clock emails delivered to your inbox with all the great stuff coming for us in Chapter 50!
Andrea ~ The Next Chapter Blogger
A Glimpse of Good
Global Gallivanter • SmileRaiser • Lifestyle Blogger • 50+ Style Peacock • Book Buff • WW Wine Taster • Queen of Quirky
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“I have this” — “I love this” — “It’s changed my travel life for.ever”…Some of these glorious travel goodies are links that may give me coffee money at no extra cost to you. And the “NO’s! on this list are the mistakes I’ve purchased over the years and I’m saving you lots of moola by NOT letting you buy them 😉😊
