We hope you love our recommendations! Some may have been sent as samples, but all were independently selected by our editors. Just FYI, BuzzFeed and its publishing partners may collect a share of sales and/or other compensation from the links on this page.
1. A pack of laundry soap sheets you won't have to slip into your toiletries bag. This way you can save more room for souvenirs than three changes of underwear for every day of your trip.
I travel just about any chance that I get and found a WHOLE lot of success with these little laundry sheets on an almost-three-weeks European vacation last summer where I carried-on only and rewore outfits several times.
Promising review: "I saw these recommended on a travel blog, and I'm glad I bought them. I used them both in a washing machine and to hand-wash some items on my trip, and in both cases, they were super easy to use and got my clothes clean while taking up a minuscule amount of space in my luggage. I would highly recommend these for extended travel." —angal2
Get it from Amazon for $7.19+ (available in four other styles, including hand soap and shampoo).
2. A portable safe you can attach to a beach chair to keep your valuables safe or to keep your passport in your hotel room in case there's no safe or the safe isn't working. (Raise your hand if you've stayed in a small hotel without a safe. ::raises hand::)
Like most people (I hope?) I’m always a little iffy about taking a dip in the water at the beach and leaving my wallet and phone on the beach. So when I booked a 2.5-week Europe trip with LOTS of beaching involved, I bought one of these Master Lock safes that I’ve put in multiple stories. It was a bit bulky in my suitcase, but I left it unlocked and put some stuff in there so it wasn’t just dead space. It came in handy at multiple beach clubs, where my friend and I stashed our credit cards, cash, and case-less phones while we frolicked in the sea. Despite lots of people milling about our umbrella while we had our fun, we felt our stuff was completely safe and could concentrate on *just* having fun.
Promising review: "Just buy it. It's smaller than I had originally thought it might be, but it's perfect none the less. Love this little lock box that you could easily use as a purse when traveling, or at a festival." —Amazon Customer
Get it from Amazon for $23.98+ (available in three colors).
3. An on-the-go Gillette razor that'll spare you some precious space in your bag without sacrificing quality.
It comes with one handle and one blade refill!
Promising review: "I bought this for a four-week backpacking trip to Europe and was so glad I did. You can absolutely get this through TSA, and the case that comes with it is excellent for protecting the blade. I shaved probably once every few days, and the blade held up the whole time I was gone, and I'm still using it after I got back. Great for travel." —Angela
Get it from Amazon for $9.99.
4. A packing list pad so you can rest assure that you DID bring everything you intended, including your water shoes for that whitewater rafting day!
Promising review: "I hate packing — I mean, I really hate packing! I am always afraid I am going to forget something, and the entire ordeal is a stressful one for me. Since I have to travel a lot, this is a game changer. No more guessing if I forgot my underwear — everything I need is on this list. I am thinking of just keeping one bag totally packed, filled with the items on the list, and just add my suit in when I am ready to travel. :)" —Dr. Oceanfront
Get it from Amazon for $7.
5. A set of Sea Bands with a little nub that targets the acupuncture point on your wrists meant to help reduce nausea. This'll be great in case you get motion sick in a budget-friendlier car, bus, or ferry ride.
Promising review: "These are amazing, as someone who has pretty severe motion sickness and carries Dramamine with me everywhere this is magnificent. I used these on an overnight cruise in Europe. The sea was particularly choppy that night and was miserable for me even with Dramamine and ginger. These did the trick! They were fairly tight on me (I am plus size) but the relief they gave me was immense." —Jena Freyermouth
Get a set of two from Amazon for $8.53 (available in adult and children's sizes).
6. A cute portable charger can fit in your pocket or bag. And you can also easily use your phone while it charges! I've taken this on two international trips since purchasing, including a day trip to Budapest where I only had my purse. And it's my favorite charger to date for capturing adorable Christmas markets in Prague to breathtaking cliff views in Iceland.
I bought this specifically for my weeklong trip to Europe in December when I knew I'd be taking a million videos of adorable Christmas markets. But! I keep it in my bag all the time, even when I'm not on vacation. I use Google Maps to get around NYC, and any New Yorker will tell you that when you leave your home on a quick errand at 10 a.m. on a Saturday, you may not get home until 3 a.m. because there's always something cool to do, and friends constantly reach out with impromptu plans. This little charger has saved me on several days while I'm out and about. No more need to bring your pal a phone charging cord when you're meeting for happy hour and searching the bar for stools near an outlet.
Get it from Amazon for $29.99+ (available in five colors).
7. Or a 3-in-1 foldable magnetic wireless charger that's compact enough for your plane seat tray or hotel nightstand to keep your precious devices (iPhones, AirPods, and Apple Watches) powered and go, go, going with you.
See it in action on TikTok here.
Promising review: "I use this product to charge my iPhone 13, AirPods, and Apple Watch. Prior to this 3-in-1 compact purchase, I have purchased three different kinds of 3-in-1 chargers — I frequently travel between school and home with carry-on bags on airlines and all of the previous stand version chargers doesn't fit well in my bags or I am always worried I would break. This is compact and folds so well that I can fit in my carry-on or in any zipper pockets without having to worry about breaking anything. Charger works really well and it is the best compact one you can find in market. Love it and been using it for two months now and no issues!!" —SBREDDY
Get it from Amazon for $33.99 (available in nine colors).
8. A fanny pack with a ton of storage room inside that has a long enough strap to wear crossbody *or* comfortably fit over outerwear for some hands-free adventures. And in case it looks familiar, TikTokers compare it to the Lulu waist bag. Yes I wore it in Iceland in February, but it'll come in handy during warm weather too!
I wear a size L/XL in clothing and sometimes waist bags just don't work out so well for me. With this one, I can confirm that it fit around my waist comfortably without outerwear, across my chest without outerwear, *and* over a thick coat and several layers. The pockets inside are so handy and I even had room to spare throughout my Iceland trip. This was the only purse I brought for the whole trip and it performed its job flawlessly. Just make sure that you zip the zipper ALL the way because the zipper goes down pretty far on the sides for easier access to contents. Having my hands free was wildly convenient for a number of reasons, including crawling around inside of an ice cave and putting out my hands for some extra balance while walking on sheets of ice along cliffs. Oh, and it comes in so so SO many colors.
Promising review: "Bought this for a trip to Europe and it was perfect. Wore as a crossbody. It was comfortable and held a lot of things plus my iPhone Pro Max fit with no problem." —Maine
Get it from Amazon for $18.98 (available in 26 styles).
9. A digital luggage scale will make sure that you aren't slammed with an overweight luggage fee (ugh) or having to move stuff from your checked bag to your carry-on to avoid said fee (also, ugh).
You can also switch between pound and kilogram measurements.
I tested this digital luggage scale out when packing for a trip to Iceland — check out my demo of how it works on TikTok!
Promising review: "We used this on a six-flight trip across Europe and it made it easy to know that we repacked our bags according to the various weight limits. Some bags were a 10-kg limit and some were a 50-lb limit so it was convenient to switch back and forth between units (even though dividing by 2.2 isn't exactly rocket science)." —Robert
Get it from Amazon for $9.39+ (available in five colors and a two-pack).
10. A portable door lock to attach to any regular old door for your hotel, vacation rental, room in a guest house, or, well, just any door. It's super easy to install and won't damage the door. It'll be a comfort for solo travelers, especially.
Note: This can get flagged with going through security, so you may want to put it in an easily accessible place in your checked bag to be safe.
Promising review: "I went on a solo trip to Europe and Africa and used the door lock to boost security. The lock fits and secures the lock. It's very easy to use. I would just suggest you watch the video and practice at home before your holiday." —Jaye
Get it from Amazon for $14.99+ (also available in a two- and four-pack)
11. FTLO, an actually cool travel group, you can book now and look forward to for months to come. It'll give you a chance to have someone do a chunk of the planning for you and meet like-minded people who wanna explore without waiting on flaky friends or partners who keep putting off that bucket-list trip.
12. A Beis backpack that zips open like a suitcase without *looking* like one of those backpacks that does that. I used this and a space vac bag to pack ALL my belongs for my Iceland trip instead of paying $100 to check a bag. (That's how the discount airlines get you!)
Béis is a woman-owned travel accessories brand founded by actress and entrepreneur Shay Mitchell. You'll find carry-on rollers, weekender bags, packing cubes, and more practical goods for your next trip!
Check it out on TikTok here.
BuzzFeed editor Chelsea Stuart also owns this backpack and said: "I just bought this bag for a five-day cross-country road trip and it came in so clutch. First, I flew with it and was able to stow it under my seat so not only did I not have to check a bag, but I didn't even have to deal with overhead storage. Then, it traveled through 10+ states and various hotels with me. My absolute favorite parts of the bag are the compression straps and the fact that it fully unzips. This makes it *SO* easy to pack, unpack, and take through airport security. I was able to fit ~four pairs of leggings, four T-shirts, two sets of pajamas, two pairs of shorts, two bathing suits, a sweatshirt, a week's worth of undergarments, travel toiletries, an iPad, my wallet, and more odds and ends."
Get it from Béis for $78 (available in three colors).
13. Or an anti-theft backpack because yes you should always be aware of possible pickpockets, but the main compartment's zipper facing your back will help you focus a bit more on La Sagrada Familia instead if your wallet is still in your bag.
Not only does the backpack open from the inside, but it also has a phone pocket, document pocket, front zippered pocket, and an exterior side pocket. It's also made of nylon, so it's waterproof and has a strap to change it into a shoulder bag.
Promising review: "This is a must-buy for international travelers! I cannot say enough amazing things about this backpack. It’s surprisingly spacious for how small the bag is, which makes it portable/practical and comfortable while having it on. This backpack lasted an entire trip through multiple airports and layovers, and all across our trip through Europe. It was amazing. Because the main zipper sat against my back, I never worried about getting my items stolen. But I also had the luxury of having the two front zippers that were also surprisingly spacious to hold nonprecious items such as water bottles or cheap sunglasses, etc. This backpack also is extremely durable. It was the perfect day pack to gather knick-knacks and souvenirs for friends and family and hold whatever I shoved in it! Can we also take time to appreciate how cute this backpack is as well! It went with all my outfits due to the neutral color and had the side strap if we went out to a fancy restaurant. I could easily turn it from a backpack to a purse in seconds! A MUST-HAVE!" —H Bradshaw
Get it from Amazon for $26.99+ (available in two sizes and eight colors).
14. A 3D-contoured sleeping mask that'll let you comfortably bat your lashes awake like Sleeping Beauty in your middle economy seat that ended up being a great, affordable idea for blocking out light. Less money on your flight = more money for Croatian wine.
Plus, it comes with a set of earplugs to block out all the noise around you!
Promising review: "I purchased this sleep eye mask for my trip to Europe. With the flights being 10+ hours each way, I wanted to block all light for some serious sleep time. This mask served its purpose. I was very pleased with it. I was a little concerned with the fit due to my small head. Some reviewers said it might be a problem, but thankfully it wasn't. It also came in handy for jet lag naps. I'm a side sleeper, so it takes a bit of getting used to against the face. However, judging from my deep sleep I seem to have gotten used to it quite quickly. The softness was an added bonus. This was a good purchase." —Carrie Wils
Get the set from Amazon for $21.99+ (available in seven colors).