Last Updated on 08/01/2024 by Edy Ragnoli
Travelling is a 360-degree experience. You should enjoy it in full taking the most out of it either you go on holiday or travel for work as a digital nomad. For that, you need the best gears and accessories that will be the perfect addition to your trip.
To help you with that, I created a comprehensive list of things that can help you make your journey a memorable story that will last forever. Products that can keep you organized, safe and healthy; gadgets and devices that can save your day; technology that can improve your activities around the world (from cameras to computers passing through chargers and headphones).
Best Travel Accessories To Keep You Organized
1. Document Organizer
Many times, during my travels, I found myself at the airport with limited time at my disposal and the need to take and hold different things in a rush. It's hard to find all your stuff when you put them here and there in your different pockets and bags. It's a frustrating situation. But I found a handy way to organise my documents, money and gadgets without losing or damaging them.
Phone-Charging Passport Holder with Power Bank
This accessory can literally save your day. You can store all the important things that you need at your disposal quickly. This organizer is practical, clean, and efficient and can store cards, passport, banknotes, a power bank, smartphone and cable. This is the dream of every traveller. The model I found offers some premium features such as RFID blocking, a trendy design, zip closure, water-resistant breathable material to protect the inside from water drops.
2. Packing Cubes
Every time I travel to hot countries departing from cold wintery places such as Northern Europe during Christmas (or vice versa), my first thought is changing my clothes once arrived at destination or even during my travel when I have some stopovers. But it's so annoying when you open your bag and find out it's a big mess and the nice t-shirt you brought just for the occasion is wrinkled. Not to mention how boring can it be taking everything off because you can't find what you need immediately. But I discovered a simple yet clever solution.
eBags Light 5pc Packing Cubes
This product comes with 5 packing cubes. They help you optimise the storage space and gain more room for your things in your luggage. Your clothes stay clean and well folded. You can say goodbye to wrinkles! These packing cubes are of different sizes and stack together perfectly so that you don't waste any space. Previously, I used transparent plastic bags, but this was a rudimental and improvised solution. With this product, instead, I can pack my stuff like a pro.
3. Best Day Backpack
During your daily trips, you move from one place to another. You may visit the local attractions and heritage or just sit down on those magic spots where you can do your nomad work in total relax and inspiration. In all these occasions, you need to bring the essential and most important things with you. To make this easy and practical, I found the perfect daily bag you should always bring with you.
Osprey Daylite Plus Daypack
Osprey designed a comfortable and lightweight 20L bag with enough room to put what you need: two stretch mesh side pockets, a front pocket, a functional interior sleeve to store a hydration reservoir or a tablet/laptop (a 15″ MacBook Pro sits in perfectly and you can barely feel it). You can choose from 12 amazing colours and designs. I opted for the dark model that can match with any tastes and outfits, but the other variations are awesome too.
4. Best Hard-Shell Spinner Luggage
Have you ever lost your baggage during your flights? Are you tired of ‘breaking your bones and shoulders' carrying on big heavy luggage? These are bad experiences I don't wish to anyone, but you can avoid them. You can travel with hard-shell carry-on spinner luggage. Here’s my best pick.
Samsonite Freeform Hardside Carry-On 21-Inch
This model is ideal for frequent fliers. With a modern slick compact design, its size meets international flights on-boarding luggage rules (including the budget carriers). It’s lightweight and easy to move from one place to another. It’s small enough to be taken on board, but big enough to store all your necessary things. You won't get tired anymore carrying big and heavy luggage. And, in addition, you can save money avoiding checked baggage.
5. Best Travel Backpack
A carry-on backpack is a good alternative to hard-shell luggage. It gives pretty the same advantages. The difference? It's even more lightweight and flexible and you can keep both hands free. So, if you like this kind of freedom and you don't mind some weight on your shoulder, this is what you should buy.
Osprey Farpoint 40 Travel Backpack
My preference falls on Osprey. This 40L travel backpack offers plenty of storage room. When travelling by plane, this backpack is allowed as a checked bag. It's durable and practical and features many pockets for different storage needs: clothes, laptop/tablet, bottles, sunglasses or devices that you can keep protected in a scratch-free pocket. Furthermore, the Osprey Farpoint 40 backpack comes with a side handle for more flexible transportation.
6. Best Camera Backpack for Travel
Do you like to take photos during your trips? Either you are an amateur or professional photographer, for great results and catch the best cityscapes, landscapes or wildlife, you must carry all your preferred gears and keep them safe in all conditions. Here's the best camera backpack for that.
Lowepro Whistler Backpack 450 AW II
The Lowepro Whistler mid-volume backpack is durable and robust, resistant to water, rain, snow, dust, and sand. It's one of my favourite medium-high-level backpacks and has room for almost everything. You can store your DSLR camera, 3 to 5 lenses, camera grip, flashes and there's still space for more such as your laptop (you need it if you're a digital nomad), jacket, and several external gears thanks to multiple attachment points (snowboard, tripod, etc.).
For more information, visit this guide with all my tips on the best travel photography equipment or the best travel luggage, bags and backpacks.
Best Travel Accessories To Keep You Comfy
7. Travel Pillow
When I travel and take long-distance flights, I love – and need – to sleep well. I still remember how bad it was to feel sleep-deprived and with pains all over my neck and shoulders after a long rough trip. Now I avoid it using a good neck pillow.
BCOZZY Chin Supporting Travel Neck Pillow
You can use this pillow to hold your head and support the neck and chin comfortably either on plane, train, bus, car or boat. The shape is customizable and adapts to all your sitting positions. It's so versatile that you can use it even at home (working on the computer, sitting upright on the couch or bed watching the TV). And what about wearing it as a scarf during winter?
8. Ear Plugs
During your flight, you may be concerned about too much noise and the effects of altitude change on your ears. Some people may ignore them, others may get extremely irritated and nervous, especially if this is combined with the fear of flying. But this cheap and simple yet innovative item can save your day.
Mack’s Flightguard Airplane Pressure Relief Earplugs
These earplugs help you reduce or avoid ear popping and pressure discomfort associated with altitude change. They're soft and safe to wear. You can feel more relaxed thanks to a high cabin and engine noise reduction rate (26 decibels). During take-off and landing, you can say goodbye to ear pains.
9. Sleeping Mask
Sleeping during travel can be challenging for somebody. Personally, I fall asleep quite easily even on a 12-hour flight, but some travellers can be less lucky. Last time, my trip companion spent the next two days after the flight in ‘zombie mode' because he couldn't sleep well on the plane. That's why a good eye mask is important.
MZOO Sleep Eye Mask
Some airlines provide you with a sleeping mask, but will it be effective for you? It's better to have a plan B and bring your own mask on board. The MZOO sleeping mask is soft, ergonomic, and adjustable. It features memory foam, nose contour, perfect light blocking, and zero pressure to eyes. If you wish to flight and feel like heaven, purchasing a sleeping mask is the first step you should take.
10. Microfiber Towel
Being a nomad traveller and adventure lover doesn't mean giving up on useful things and funny activities. One of the items you can't forget is a microfiber towel. Who doesn't need a towel, after all? I use it even at the airport and on the plane. But the one below has much broader use.
Rainleaf Microfiber Towel
Rainleaf designed a microfiber towel specific for travel and sports. You can use it at the beach, for camping and at the gym. It dries fast and is super absorbent. This model is pretty compact and lightweight and putting it in your backpack is peace of cake.
11. Water Purifier Bottle
Where do you like to travel to? What kind of journey are you most passionate about? Some places are super developed and full of services, some others are like ‘paradise' but may lack basic things like drinkable water. But we are nomadic life experts and know that there's always a solution to any situation. So, when you visit remote areas, water purification can be vital to your survival.
GRAYL Ultralight Water Purifier
The GRAYL Ultralight purifier bottle with filter is compact and easy to use: just fill, press, and drink tasty clean water. It can remove waterborne pathogens and keep you safe from Hepatitis A, Rotavirus, and Norovirus, Protozoan Cysts (Giardia, Cryptosporidium), bacteria (E. coli, Salmonella, Cholera, etc.), particulates, heavy metals (lead, arsenic), chemicals (benzene, chlorine) and so on.
Best Essential Gadgets for Travel
12. International Travel Adapter
When you leave home for your big adventure as a digital nomad, you probably want to keep in touch with the world and get assured you can work properly without wasting of time. You better get a multi-charger, then. How many gadgets do you need and use? A smartphone, tablet, laptop, camera, Bluetooth earphones, smartwatch, and so on? Keeping all of them charged at the same time is a kind of blessing and this is what you need.
Universal Travel Adapter for USA EU UK AUS
When you move to different countries this travel adapter is like gold. With 1 Type-C port, 4 USB ports and 1 AC socket, you can charge up to 6 devices simultaneously with high speed. It covers 150+ countries thanks to US/UK/EU/AU plugs. For the price, it's worth the purchase.
13. Multi USB Charger
So you left home for your big adventure as a digital nomad. You probably want to keep in touch with the world and get assured you can work properly without wasting of time. You better get a multi-charger, then. How many gadgets do you need and use? A smartphone (often more than one), tablet, laptop, camera, Bluetooth earphones, smartwatch. The list can go on for long. Keeping all of them charged at the same time is a kind of blessing and here's what you need.
RAVPower 6-Port USB Charger
RAVPower USB charger has a smart and quick charge to optimize the output and get your device up and running in 35 minutes. It's compatible with the most popular devices, from Samsung Galaxy to iPhones, from Huawei to iSmart devices. Six ports allow this desktop portable charger to give power to all your devices at once.
14. Power Bank
As a traveller, you are often on the road and a desktop charger can become useless without a power socket. What if you are hiking Mount Kinabalu in Borneo, Malaysia and your device is dead before coming back home? Technology is on your side and can help you with power banks.
Portable Charger Anker PowerCore 20100mAh
This portable charger has a high power capacity and can keep your device charged for days. The battery is not the most lightweight, but you have to expect that given its capacity. Do you have an iPhone 8? It'll charge it seven times.
15. Mobile Wi-Fi Hotspot
Another useful gadget when you travel is a Wi-Fi hotspot. It lets you connect multiple devices to the Internet and save your smartphone battery and data plan. This is very handy when you travel with friends and you love the sharing spirit.
Huawei 4G LTE Mobile WiFi Router
My choice is the Huawei 300Mbps mobile pocket WiFi. You can use it all around the globe getting 4G LTE coverage in Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, and 3G worldwide. The removable battery has 3000 mAh capacity and can last up to 12 hours (700 hours on standby).
Best Travel Accessories To Keep You Healthy
16. Hand Sanitizer Gel
We all should know the importance of hand sanitization to limit or avoid virus and bacteria spread. Viruses have always existed. But now, with Coronavirus spreading all over the countries, maybe humans have started to be more aware of this importance. Anyway, regardless of COVID-19, bringing a hand sanitizer gel with us during our holiday has always been a recommended procedure.
Eco Finest Hand Sanitizer Gel
What I suggest is a product with at least 75% alcohol, a portable size, and a safe formula that doesn't damage your hands and skin, but still keep them moisturizers and clean. I like deals that offer a multiple-items pack so that I don’t have to purchase them continuously.
17. Mosquito Repellent
You may visit cold wintery places where insects are the least of your problems. But the story changes when you travel during the hot season or stay in tropical countries. Mosquitoes can then become not just annoying, but a serious nightmare that threats your life. So, always keep a good repellent with you. This is a must-have against ticks and biting insects.
Ben's 100% DEET Mosquito, Tick and Insect Repellent
Ben's 100 DEET contains the maximum DEET concentration. It gives protection for 10 hours and repels mosquitoes carrying Zika virus, West Nile, and Dengue Fever. It's odourless and TSA-Compliant. With this product, we can enjoy hiking and nature much more.
18. Melatonin
Melatonin is a hormone we can find naturally in our body and helps regulate night and day cycles. That's why Melatonin is used against insomnia and to improve sleep. Two examples are jet lag and change in the sleep-wake cycle due to travelling to and living in a different place and climate. You can find it on sale in the form of pills and take it as a supplement.
Natrol Melatonin
Natrol Melatonin is a 100% vegetarian drug-free dietary supplement. It's available in strawberry-flavoured tablets that dissolve fast without the need for water. So you can take them anytime anywhere. Natrol Melatonin helps you fall asleep faster, sleep longer and feel more energetic and focused while you're awake.
Best Digital Camera for Photo & Video
19. The Best Digital Camera For Traveling
There are many reasons we decide to travel. We can be occasional travellers or long-term nomads. We may travel just for fun, sports or work. In all cases, there's something that everyone does: taking pictures and videos of what we see, do, feel, and experience. Sometimes, your smartphone can be not enough. So, I'm going to tell you what are the best travel cameras to take awesome landscapes and memorable videos.
Best Compact Camera for Traveling: Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 VII
A giant into a tiny body! Big power in a small weapon! This is the true nature of this high-end Sony RX100 VII compact camera. It's small and lightweight (smaller than your smartphone) but features one of the widest focal lengths. This makes it perfect for travellers, vloggers, creators, and professional photographers who want to take high-quality photos and videos in total comfort. The features are amazing and give remarkable results. See by yourself.
Best APS-C Camera for Traveling: Fujifilm X-T3
This is a versatile mirrorless camera with high-speed performance. Like any mirrorless cameras, it's smaller and lighter than DSLRs. Therefore, it's ideal for photographers and videographers on the go. A new processor and image sensor along with an excellent lens grant high-quality photos and video recording. I suggest it with a classic 18-55mm lens. This bundle I found includes interesting accessories too. Check it out.
Best Full-Frame Digital Camera for Travelling: Sony α7R IV
The Sony α7R IV mirrorless camera is the high-end flagship camera in the Sony family. It's probably the best for landscapes. It features a compact body, stunning 61MP resolution with high-speed continuous shooting, 5-axis stabilization, vibration-free shutter, accurate colour reproduction and rapid focus. The details are incredible. See the examples from real users.
Best Camera to Make Videos: Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5S
Here's another mirrorless camera perfect for those who look for mobility, durability and professional cinematic and anamorphic smooth 4K video production with multiple aspect ratios. This camera is superb with low light and shadow. It also enables high-grade stereo recording with attachment. In a few words, a best-buy for travel videographers.
20. Action Camera
There are many kinds of travellers. Among them, the most adventurous and dynamic are eager to experience thrilling moments and make history. Nowadays, what's best than a video for that. But it must be wonderful and of high-quality. For these people, a GoPro Action camera is like water for fish.
Best Action Camera: GoPro Hero 8
The HERO8 model has 3 levels of stabilization, a feature as precious as gold when you want to catch amazing actions getting extraordinary high-quality images. Additionally, it allows live streaming in 1080p and super-stabilized time-lapse videos. Are you a vlogger, aspiring creator, pro filmmaker, biker, surfer, skier? Check this out!
21. Drone
Our planet is full of beauty from whatever angle you look at it. For both amateurs and professional photographers and videographers, taking a special look from the sky allows them to capture gorgeous aerial shots for a more immersive and global experience. If you recognize yourself in this description, a drone is an essential gear for you.
Dji Mavic 2 Pro Drone
DJI Mavic 2 Pro features a 20MP 1-inch CMOS sensor and a new camera technology that ensures smooth stable footage in any situation. It can reach a 44 mph max speed but has a low-noise design that grants more discretion. Colour details are stunning and performance in low-light environments have been improved. Last but not least, the Mavic 2 Pro is small yet powerful and travelling with it is so easy. Watch the results some users obtained.
For more information, read this article with all my tips on the best travel camera or the best travel photography equipment.
Best Travel Accessories To keep You Safe
During travel, security is a must. There's no joy if they rob you and you lose everything. But two accessories can help you keep your money and luggage safe.
22. Travel Security Money Belt
Money Belt
It's designed for men and women and helps you keep thieves far from your cash thanks to the zippered hidden money pocket that offers a lot of room. You can hide even keys and flash drives. Why do I like this money belt more than other models? It's not just functional but also stylish and I may wear it every day.
23. Padlocks
Fosmon Luggage Locks
Your belongings are important and losing them is always annoying and frustrating. This lock is made of a sturdy zinc alloy material and is TSA approved. Suitable for travel bags and suit cases, it allows authorities to inspect your luggage without damaging it. The built-in alert indicator informs you your bag has been inspected.
Best Travel Accessories To Keep You Entertained
24. Noise Cancelling Headphones
Imagine you’ve left home and are travelling by train, plane, bus or boat. Unless you love to work all the time, you need – and deserve – some relax listening to good music. High-Quality headphones are the first item you should buy. But remember to take care of your ear and use them wisely and with moderation.
Beats Solo Pro
They're wireless and foldable. The music experience is immersive thanks to a super clear sound and an active noise cancelling that adapts to external noise. But you'll still stay aware of what's happening around you (for example, in case of emergency).
Bowers & Wilkins PX7
Like the previous ones, these headphones are wireless and has adaptive noise cancellation. You can listen up to 30 hours of music (it's a flight from London to California). They are smart and automatically stop the music when you lift the ear cup. The sound quality? It's clean and clear with bass on point and a wide soundstage.
25. Headphone Jack Splitter
When you wish to share your travel experience with your friends or family members, you may listen to the same song or watch a movie together. Imagine you are travelling by train, flying over Europe to land in Tokyo or passing the night at a motel room before arriving at your final destination. A headphone splitter would be very helpful.
Belkin Rockstar 5
It features 5 jacks for headphones or iPods plus a hard-wired connection for your main MP3 player. It also works with DVD players and each connected MP3 player can mix and control the sound (a blessing when each person has different ear taste and sensitivity).
26. Amazon Kindle
Reading is one of the most frequent activities we can do during our travels. In the past, we had paper books (still fascinating and attractive though). Today, especially when you commute, you can save space and fatigue bringing with you hundreds of stories that, all together, weight as low as a single pocket-sized book. Welcome to the era of ebooks.
Amazon Kindle Paperwhite
The Amazon Kindle is probably one of the most popular ebook readers in the world. It’s a device with no frills that gives an amazing reading experience. Thin and lightweight, it’s designed specifically for ebooks with a display that reads like real paper even in sunlight.
This model is waterproof so you can enjoy your preferred romantic, fancy or thriller stories on the seashore or during a relaxing bath at the end of your working day. In addition, 8GB of storage let you bring hundreds of books with you…and you may even read them all at once thanks to a long-lasting battery (one charge can last for weeks).
27. iPad
Do you like having a broader entertaining experience (reading ebooks and magazines, playing games, doing graphic design, watching videos, listening to music, doing work, etc.). If you are an eclectic digital user and also need support for your remote work, tables can be your best choice. Among them, I suggest the iPad because of its high performance and durability.
iPad PRO 2020
This model offers a generous 12.9-inch edge-to-edge Retina display that gives you a very rich experience. I suggest the Wi-Fi version with 256GB storage space which is quite enough for any traveller's needs. Personally, I don't like using it to make calls because I find it pretty weird. This is a great device for nomad workers (especially digital artists) who need proper speed and long battery life.
28. Laptops & Notebook
During our life, we travel for many reasons. We may do a quick 2-week holiday, go on a business trip or just leave home for years to live a nomad yet adventurous exciting life. In both cases, you need a good laptop because a smartphone will never be enough performing and complete to meet all your needs.
Imagine you are a photographer who takes and edits thousands of photos, a travel blogger who write millions of words every day or a digital illustrator who draws amazing pictures and characters all day long. Can you really do that just on your smartphone? For that, I recommend you get a laptop and here’s my best selection.
Best Overall: Dell XPS 15
This is a great device for creators. It features a stunning 15.6″ 4-sided InfinityEdge 4K+ display, 16GB RAM, an Intel Core i7 processor, and the NVIDIA Geforce GTX 1650 Ti graphics. The visual experience is really outstanding and performance can meet most of the professional requirements. Click below and discover all the features and reviews. You'll judge by yourself.
Money No Object: MacBook Pro
Are you an amateur or professional digital worker (graphic designer, music producer, video maker, photographer, etc.) and money is no object for you? The new Apple MacBook Pro is your best buy. With an 8-Core Intel Core i9 Processor, 1TB storage, 16-inch Retina display, a powerful graphics, and large battery capacity, the MacBook Pro will help you do big, fast, and beautiful work even on the go.
Best Entry Level: Huawei MateBook D14
When you don't need massive performance for your job or entertainment activities, an entry-level laptop can save your money while it still lets you do the daily work with decent performance. The Huawei Matebook D14 laptop is smaller than the previous two computers thanks to its 14″ screen. It offers a good balance between gaming and productivity. Therefore, it’s ideal for long-term travellers.
What do you like to do most during your journey? Do you prefer working or having a lot of fun? Do you like improvisation or planning? Whatever your answer, this is my list of some of the best travel gears and accessories. Which one do you already use and suggest?
