From organizing cords and cables on long haul flights, to making sure I can fit 2-3+ weeks worth of clothes in a carry-on suitcase (yes it’s possible if you plan correctly) to having the chargers and beauty products, these items are my travel essentials!
Ruti On-The-Loose Pants are my current travel uniform pant because they are SO comfy, lightweight, roomy, great fabric, worth the price. Just THE BEST!
Essential Travel Items To Make Traveling Easier & More Organized
📣 Everything I’ve linked below I also keep featured on my Amazon Store - Travel Section.
🙌🏻 Best Backpack for Laptops + Stuff – Not only does it hold a fullsize laptop, it holds a ton of other things like your sweater for the plane and your family’s snacks, with lots of compartments, great zippers, high quality. Honestly this is better IMO than a Tumi for a fraction of the cost.
Packing Cubes – If you’re not using them, you’re missing the boat. They keep everything so much more organized and using them compacts your wardrobe so you can fit more in your suitcase.
Passport Holder – Great quality, I bought one. Then I bought a few more for everyone in the family.
Cord Organizer Wallet – Keeping all the cords, cables, and charging blocks organized is important on planes, in hotels, or Airbnbs and this one does the trick. I have the smaller size but recommend the larger size if you have a lots of cables/cords/blocks, i.e. more than 5 or so. Although see my next two items for a way to get away with bringing less.
Slightly larger cord organizer - Purchased spring 2026 and I love this! Fits all my larger Euro plugs that are bulkier, all the cords and cables,
European adapter + charger – If you only take one charger to Europe (or South America) or another locale that doesn’t use US-style outlets, this is your gadget.
Apple Charger for Phone + Watch – A great combo that’s connected together to make for less messy cables.
Lululemon fanny pack DUPE - Great when I need more space but don’t want to carry a purse and my running/walking belt (see below) is too small. Think Disney Day, museum day, sightseeing and exploring day. Easily fit your phone, battery pack to charge it, chapstick, small stick sunscreen, credit cards, bit of cash, keys, pack of gum, Tylenol, etc. A “long day out” of the hotel or Airbnb and exploring, this is great.
Running/Walking/Day Belt – This fits very close to your body (great when traveling to prevent pickpockets) and can hold chapstick, a full size large iPhone, ID, credit card, a little cash. I go for daily walks and runs with this, I’ve ran marathons with it, and have toured European churches where they say you can’t bring anything in. Super practical.
Compact Flat Iron – Love this thing. Very small but mighty! Extremely slim. It’s also great to keep in your gym bag, daughter’s after-school sports bag, or gift idea. Inexpensive at under $15 and powerful.
Collapsible Hair Dryer – 1875 watts so you don’t need to spent an hour drying your hair! The best compact dryer I have tried and beats those that are 3x the price of this one! This is one of those travel essentials for anyone who needs a blow dryer and you don’t want to count on your hotel or Airbnb option (which have been around since 1982, tend to sound like a dying beetle, and have about that much power).
Zote Bar Soap - You may need to wash your socks, underwear, and maybe a shirt or two in your hotel shower or sink and this soap is great! No one in my family breaks out from it, yet it’s strong enough to clean your clothes, bar formula so it doesn’t count as a liquid, and I always have a bar of it in my suitcase.
The Best Suitcase (and the only one we use)
Best Suitcase EVER – Saved the best for last. This suitcase has been to 3 continents over the last 8 years including a month’s worth of possessions for South America during the pandemic; 3 weeks in Europe in the summers of 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025. With just this and the Best Backpack I’m set for 3 weeks. This suitcase is expandable, and it’s a CARRY-ON, and the wheels are stationary.
It’s super high quality, it has so many pockets and compartments, it’s just a super solid piece of luggage. My daughter and I both have had our suitcases for 8+ years and they’re still going strong with tons of travel later. Suitcases, like purses or wallets, are very personal and for me, this is so much better than a Tumi based on the actual available interior size compared with the exterior footprint.
Best of all, it fits in overhead bins on domestic airlines like Southwest (sometimes the bins can be smaller) and it fits in the overhead bins when traveling on long haul flights internationally. Only on very small planes, like “commuter” planes, have I ever had an issue and then the airlines will gate-check it for you, no problem.
If you prefer this suitcase with 4-swiveling wheels, it exists. I personally don’t like it when all four wheels move because I think it’s harder to wheel over cobblestones and it may roll with a mind of its own while on trains or buses when you don’t want it to, but wheels are personal preference.
How Do You Get Everything Into Just a Carry-On for 3+ Weeks?
My tips, thoughts, and tough love advice about packing for nearly a month in just a carry-on is as follows:
Rule of Thumb: If you can’t carry your own bag up a flight of stairs, it’s too big. Those huge suitcases that I see people with are basically impossible in many parts of the world on cobblestone streets and winding staircases and tiny European elevators that are the size of an old-fashioned phone booth if you’re lucky enough to even have an elevator.
The smaller the bag, the easier your life while traveling actually becomes. I don’t assume someone is carrying my bag for me, ever. We lift and carry our own suitcases up steep staircases in Portugal, hoist them into water taxis in Venice, and haul them over cobblestones in Greece, and into Metro stations in Paris.
Use packing cubes. They’re the only way.
Use travel size products for all your favorite beauty products, compact brushes for makeup and hair, and compact beauty tools like flat irons and blow dryers. You can buy more shampoo, conditioner, deodorant, etc. at your destination. All liquids must be 100 ML or less, which is about 3.4-3.5 ounces.
If you’re going to Europe, make sure your liquids fit in a 1-quart ziplock bag, no exceptions. And especially if you’re traveling through Heathrow in London, put all liquids in one quart size bag. This is small. Plan ahead and do it at home! If you don’t comply, security will either take your liquids or you’ll have to exit security and check your bag, which isn’t always an option given connections, layovers, distance in the airport, and other factors.
Plan your wardrobe well. Don’t bring a dress you “maybe” will wear or 2 extra tops you’re not really sure about or some jean shorts (or name an item) that look cute in California (or your home city) but impractical on a trip to the Vatican. If you’re bringing it, you plan to wear it. Make sure you’re not bringing that one skirt that’s a wee bit too tight and you never reach for it at home, you’re not reaching for it on your trip either.
Stick with a neutral color palette and things you can mix-and-match. Black, gray, white, beige, khaki, and maybe some denim if you’re a denim person and it’s appropriate for where you’re going. Keep the loud prints and big, bold colors at home. Plus, a neutral palette will help you blend in, and not stick out like a tourist and/or an easy pickpocketing target.
You will repeat outfits. It’s okay and the only way. Get used to it! So make friends with that same beige dress - but you can make it look different with a white or black cardigan, a scarf, or little belt. Do I even try? Nope. I accept that I will repeat outfits.
In Paris July 2025: Luxembourg Gardens, in a ferris wheel in the Jardines Tuileries, and The Louvre. Same dress.
You will need to have access to a washing machine in an Airbnb or hotel; or use a laundry service such as a cruise ship laundry service, or laundry service in a town where you’ll be.
Plan to wash out your socks and undies in your hotel sink or shower with Zote Bar Soap.
Depending on your destination, the plans you have while you’re there, and the time of year, your mileage will vary. But I stick with 4-6 tops (2-4 casual like tanks and tees, and 2 that are dressier), 3-4 bottoms (two shorts, 1-2 knee length skirts, 1 black pants that are not athleisure) and 4-5 dresses (a mix of knee length and longer and never short dresses; and tank style on top or shoulders and arms fully covered on top). In most churches, you have to have your shoulders AND knees fully covered so make sure one of your dress options fits that bill if you’re going anywhere that you may tour a church. One of my dresses is always black and longer and can go from day-to-night for fancier dinner night out.
Don’t go crazy with more than 3-4 pairs of shoes. Walking shoes that are cute enough AND comfortable enough to walk around a city all day; a pair of dressy sandals that you can still walk in and can go from day-to-night; and one other pair you love - or two. I do not recommend heels whatsoever. Europe, South America, Asia, the roads are bumpy and lumpy and you do not want to twist your ankle. If you really foresee yourself going to a hotel gym or running outside and you need running shoes, okay bring them (wear them on the plane since they’re the bulkiest) but they are space hogs.
Tell me about your favorite travel items and what you do to stay organized when you’re traveling!