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24 Useful Things To Help You Pack For Your Next Trip
We hope you love the products we recommend! Just so you know, BuzzFeed may collect a share of sales or other compensation from the links on this page. Oh, and FYI — prices are accurate and items in stock as of time of publication. 1. A helpful checklist so you can plan out everything you…
We hope you love the products we recommend! Just so you know, BuzzFeed may collect a share of sales or other compensation from the links on this page. Oh, and FYI — prices are accurate and items in stock as of time of publication.
1.
A helpful checklist so you can plan out everything you need to pack and not worry about that feeling of “What am I forgetting?”
Amazon
Honestly, that feeling haunts me no matter if I go somewhere for a weekend or a month.
Promising review: “I hate making lists trying to figure out what I need, and this is PERFECT for trying to figure that out. It has a lot more on the checklist than I would ever take on a trip, but it does accommodate for every kind of trip, from a simple vacation across state lines, to a business trip, to a wedding halfway around the world. I’m pretty pleased!” —Alyssa Kauffman
Get it from Amazon for $7.
2.
An electronics organizer with spots for all your cords, chargers, devices, and anxiety*.
Amazon
*Okay, there are not actual spots for your anxiety, but it will make you feel organized and put together!
Promising review: “This is the perfect travel companion. It fits everything including an Apple TV, HDMI to VGA converter, and multiple lightning and Micro USB cables. I haven’t been disappointed at all. Plus, it packs nicely in a backpack and goes everywhere.” —iamtheoneoff
Get it from Amazon for $14.99 (available in four sizes and four colors).
3.
A set of packing cubes, because you are so much better than just throwing your clothes randomly into the suitcase and hoping for the best. ¯_(ツ)_/¯
instagram.com / Via calpak
The set includes four packing cubes and a water-resistant pouch to hold any wet items. Plus, the mesh fronts lets you see what’s inside so you don’t have to open each one when you’re looking for that striped shirt you just KNOW you packed.
Promising review: “I ordered these to pack for a cruise. I love the different sizes as they accommodate all items. It made my packing so much more organized. And when I got on cruise, I just put cubes in the drawers. I used large cubes for dirty clothes coming home. So unpacking was organized too. I would highly recommend these for traveling.” —Mio1975
Get a five-pice set from Nordstrom for $48+ (available in seven styles) or a similar six-piece set from Amazon for $16.99 (available in 15 colors).
4.
A travel passport wallet with rfid-blocking so you not only have a place to store your important things, but also to protect them.
Promising review: “I make many trips to Canada, and this case lets me keep all my necessary items in one place. It easily holds my passport, cash, and cards that I only need when I travel. Therefore, it’s easy to just leave it all in one place and grab it again for the next trip. It makes packing easy, and I never forget anything. Plus, the product looks great and is durable.” —Brian Rogers
Get it from Amazon for $17.99 (available in 35 colors).
5.
A set of shoe organizer bags to keep both shoes together and also make sure all the gross stuff on the bottom of those shoes doesn’t get on your nice clothes.
Amazon
Promising review: “I was afraid these were going to be low quality and flimsy, but they are not. They are also large enough for my ankle boots to fit into. What I really like about these is that they have a plastic peep section so I can see what shoes are inside at a glance. It’s very convenient. I debated a lot about what brand to buy. I’m glad I choose this one.” —Melissa
Get a set of five from Amazon for $8.88 (available in medium and large and in four colors).
6.
Some packable shelves so when you get to the hotel you can simply hang the shelves up in the closet and be good👏to👏 go👏.
Amazon
Promising review: “I’ve been using this for about two years to organize my carry-on. I travel 2-3 days a week to Boston, and this thing is amazing. It takes me literally seconds to both pack and unpack. To unpack, I simply pull-up and hang in the hotel closet. It collapses wonderfully and weighs next to nothing. If you are a constant jet-setter like me this is a must if you don’t check bags. It was totally worth the cost from my standpoint.” —RP
Get it from Amazon for $33.37 (available in two sizes).
7.
A strap you can attach to your luggage to hold your carry-on or other items that are too big or awkward to pack (i.e. coat, scarf, neck pillow).
Amazon
Promising review: “I love this little gadget. I used it to attach my jacket and computer bag to my luggage on an extended business trip. It made my airport walks so much easier. Now that I’m back home, I’ve been using it daily to attach my jacket or cardigan to my work bag or purse.” —Michele
Get it from Amazon for $7.99+ (available in eight colors).
8.
A dirty laundry bag to put those smelly and gross clothes in to protect them from touching your still good, perfectly clean ones.
Amazon
Promising review: “I love this bag for travel. It’s the perfect size. Unlike so many travel laundry bags, this one is the perfect size for clothes and undies. So many are too small like a lingerie bag or too big like a bag to take to the laundry mat. This is cute and folds up into itself.” —N. Newman
Get it from Amazon for $7.99+ (available in six colors).
9.
Or some laundry soap sheets so you can do your laundry and wear your clothes again, thus having to pack fewer clothes.
Amazon
Promising review: “This came SO in handy during my vacation to Europe! I was making lots of different stops to places with different types of weather. With these laundry soap sheets I was able to wash my clothes in the sink — letting me pack just the right amount of clothes for all the different places I went.” —Katie Fujarski
Get it from Amazon for $4.95+ (available in five styles).
10.
A tie and cufflink traveler, because you can’t hide a wrinkled tie no matter how hard you try.
Uncommon Goods
The case can hold up to four ties, two pairs of cufflinks, and two pairs of collar stays (which are included, score!).
Get it from Uncommon Goods for $45.
11.
A TSA-approved toiletry bag so you can easily stash your liquids and be ready when you go through security and not hold up the line, because everyone hates that.
Amazon
Promising review: “This bag held surprisingly more than expected. I put tiny travel jars for my skincare creams and other small toiletries in it with room to spare. I definitely feel like it was easier to pack and was also easy to grab out of my bag for security. It feels sturdy with nice, thick vinyl. The double zipper moved easily, and I was pleased that it opened completely for ease of getting the items I needed out of it.” —Mrs M Tate
Get it from Amazon for $12.86 (available in 11 colors).
12.
A carry-on garment bag for nice clothes you don’t want to get wrinkled. Plus, it has three interior zipper pockets and one mesh pocket to hold all your other essentials.
Amazon
Promising review: “I recently purchased this bag to be able to accommodate a couple of suits for business trips without having to check a large garment bag. This worked perfectly! It was easy to pack, I had no issues placing it in the overhead bins, and my suits were in great condition when I unpacked at the hotel. Overall, it’s a great value.” —PSTEENSON
Get it from Amazon for $49.95+ (available in black and grey).
13.
A packable nylon backpack you can use on your vacation if you have any day trips and need to stash a water bottle, change of clothes, etc. inside. And it’s also great if you go a little overboard while getting souvenirs and need a way to get them home.
Elizabeth Lilly / BuzzFeed
BuzzFeed editor Elizabeth Lilly says, “I bought it for a trip to the Greek Islands that included a very sweaty hours-long hike (who am I even?!) and several beach trips. I was able to fit giant water bottles, a towel, a change of clothes, a pair of shoes, sunscreen, and other essentials in here comfortably. It’s easily folded up (I swear) and fit into my suitcase NBD. Plus, it was super easy to wipe all the sunscreen and sweat off of it. I’ve since taken it to the park and beach several times stateside!”
Get it from Amazon for $17.82+ (available in 16 colors and two sizes).
14.
A digital luggage scale to prevent you from paying an overweight baggage fee ever again because sometimes it’s hard not to overpack, OKAY?!
Amazon
Promising review: “This luggage scale is so handy and is great for weighting your luggage. I was a little concerned before I got it because I wasn’t sure how accurate it would be. When I used it when I went on vacation, it was dead on to what the airport said, so I highly recommend this. Plus, it’s easy to pack in your bags.” —Teresa Daniels
Get it from Amazon for $10.99.
15.
A travel cup that fits both your toothbrush and toothpaste because, be honest, how many times have you only remembered to pack one or the other, but not both?
Amazon
Promising review: “This is great for traveling, and it doubles as a cup. You can’t beat it! I know people said they have issues opening it, but as long as you have two functioning hands, I can’t imagine you’ll have the slightest issue.” —Mr. Phoenix
Get it from Amazon for $9.99.
16.
A set of silicone travel bottle labels to help you remember exactly what is in each bottle. You don’t want to end up mixing your lotion and shampoo together when you refill them after six months when you don’t remember what’s in which bottle anymore.
The Container Store
Promising review: “Without my glasses on, I have a tough time separating the shampoo from the conditioner when they are in the same size travel bottles without labels. I leave the conditioner as is without a band and put one on the shampoo, by feel I can now easily identify which one I have in hand.” —SimpleHappyLife
Get a pack of four from The Container Store for $5.99. And if you don’t have a set of travel bottles, you can get those from The Container Store for $0.89+ (available in six sizes).
17.
Or a shampoo bar so you can avoid using whatever they have at the hotel — without adding more liquids to your TSA-approved bag.
Amazon
Promising review: “I was definitely skeptical about a bar shampoo and conditioner, but I travel a lot and really wanted to cut down the use of plastic products as much as possible. I honestly am in love! I got the Heali Kiwi shampoo bar and the Wonderbar conditioner, as well as one of their eco-friendly bamboo and sugar cane storage containers, and my very long, fine oily hair, which I do have to wash daily looks and feels great. I recommend anyone on the fence to definitely give it a try! It works! So wonderful for travel too!” —M.A.
Get it from Amazon for $16 (available in eight scents).
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A reusable water bottle with an attached pill organizer so you stay hydrated (and medicated, if applicable) the whole trip.
Amazon
Promising review: “I really love this! It is great for travel. The pill tray slides out for easy filling and the cap has a flat edge so it can be used as a cup! The bottle also has feet on the side so it can rest on the table while you take the pills out. Fantastic design! The bottle is made out of thin plastic, so I would be careful with washing.” —Amazon Customer
Get it from Amazon for $11.95+ (available in five colors).
19.
A jewelry organizer to keep your necklaces from becoming a tangled mess, because that somehow always happens, no matter how far you travel.
Amazon
Promising review: “I would give this more stars if I could. It’s exactly what I’ve been looking for forever!!! It has plenty of room for my chunky jewelry, and enough separate pouches that things don’t get tangled. I LOVE it.” —Carrie Minturn
Get it from Amazon for $10.75.
20.
A curling and flat iron cover with a heat-resistant liner so you can make your hair look perfect and yet not worry about waiting for it to cool down before packing it away.
Amazon
Promising review: “I love this product. I should have bought it years ago. It would have eliminated a lot of hassle while traveling. The best part is that it fits my very fat curling iron. Also, the pocket for the cord is a huge help.” —Amazon Customer
Get it from Amazon for $25 (available in 23 styles).
21.
A compact lightweight travel blanket that won’t take up your whole carry-on bag but *WILL* keep you warm when it’s -7 degrees on your flight.
Amazon
Promising review: “This blanket is the perfect size and weight. It even fits in my briefcase. It has truly become a travel necessity, and I use it on every trip I take.” —Melissa Anne
Get it from Amazon for $29.99 (available in three colors).
22.
A felt bag organizer to turn your purse or carry-on into a neatly organized place where you can find everything you’re looking for instead of the black hole of disaster it usually is.
Amazon
*Takes 10 whole minutes to search through bag looking for ear buds.*
Promising review: “LOVE LOVE LOVE this felt organizer! It’s strong, yet lightweight and has many, many pockets to stash and organize the contents of my bag. I use mine for when I travel and need quick access to my items. My only issue is that I should have chosen a color other than black because my tote is black, my organizer is black, and most of my items are black! Buying the green would have offset my items deep inside the tote. Other than that, I LOVE LOVE LOVE!” —Kathy D
Get it from Amazon for $13.88+ (available in five sizes and 16 colors).
23.
A set of space-saver bags that work miracles when it comes to squeezing your clothes to basically nothing so you can pack even more! Yay!
Amazon
Promising review: “These were life savers! We took a 10 day trip to Europe and were able to pack only in a carry on using these! I used two medium in my carry-on and my husband used three in his carry-on. I packed all my under garments, five dresses, four pairs of jeans, multiple blouses, three pairs of shorts and a few other pieces of clothes. And still has room for my shoes. These will definitely be used each time we travel now. Well worth it.” —Amazon Customer
Get a pack of eight from Amazon for $17.95.
24.
And a book with different scenarios to help you get the job done, no matter what kind of packing job it is.
Amazon
Promising review: “This little books gives the traveler lots of suggestions of what to pack for various locations as well as how to pack. It was full of great hints that I plan to add to my packing routine.” —Susan R
Get it from Amazon for $9.39.
TBH sometimes just packing yourself would be easier than packing for a trip.
Endeavor Content
Reviews have been edited for length and/or clarity.
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Allison Krausman / Via BuzzFeed
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