If you are tired of lugging around heavy and cluttered suitcases every time you travel, then it’s time to pack smarter, not harder with the best travel gear! After 3 years of full-time travel, we’ve learned some strategies that make packing and unpacking while traveling to multiple cities so much easier.

So, in this article, we’ll share with you our top 15 travel gear recommendations that will make your next trip more comfortable, convenient, and stress-free. Whether you’re a frequent flyer, an outdoor enthusiast, or a budget traveler, these travel tips are sure to enhance your travel experience.

And if you want to make packing even easier, you can download our Ultimate Packing Checklist below. This checklist is a great way to make sure you don’t forget any of the essentials when you travel.

The Best Travel Gear

Having the best travel gear can really make a huge difference in how organized and comfortable you are while you travel. It’s hard to be at ease when you can’t find anything, and it’s hard to feel comfortable when you are ill-prepared to handle various international power outlets. The travel accessories below solve these issues and more! Let’s dive into them!

1. The Wayfarer Toiletry Bag

When it comes to the best travel gear, one of our absolute favorites is the Wayfarer Toiletry Bag. We love how they have different bag models for men and women. The gray model is for the ladies and does a great job of organizing our face and body wash, make-up, and hair supplies all in one package. Plus, the gray model has a jewelry organizer on the back side, which is so useful for keeping all of your earrings and necklaces in order.

For men, you can try the black model, which doesn’t have a jewel organizer (sorry fellas) but does have plenty of space for shaving cream, razors, and eye contact solution.

The best part is that once this toiletry bag is packed. You never have to unpack it. It’s so well organized that you just put the bag in the bathroom and take what you need directly from the bag. This makes packing and unpacking so much easier as you travel.

You can pick up one of these toiletry bags for yourself here!

2. Electronics Bag

Next, it can be hard to keep all of your electronic cords well organized and in good condition while you travel. There’s nothing worse than when a cord gets damaged floating around your bag unprotected and can no longer charge your device because of it. That’s why we love this electronic bag. It organizes our cords, and various chargers perfectly so that they are easy to locate all in one place.

Inside, we store our cell phone charger, computer charger, camera chargers, SD card adapters, USB adapters, and universal travel adapter. That’s another item that we highly recommend. You can pick up one of these electronics organizers here!

3. Universal Travel Adapter

A universal outlet adapter is a travel accessory that every international traveler needs. This adapter allows you to plug into multiple outlets around the world. I was even surprised when it could adapt to outlets that I didn’t even know existed like the slated ones in Argentina. But this adapter allows you to rotate the prongs so you can fit many types of specialized outlets.

I must admit this adapter is not completely universal though. It did not fit in Chile where they have the three-pong rounded outlets. But, it has worked perfectly in every other country we have tried and is so small and compact, so it’s very easy to travel with. Get your international outlet adapter here!

4. Travel Surge Protector

If you travel with a laptop as we do, it’s nice to have a mini surge protector with you to protect your computer from any electrical surges. Plus, one travel adapter is not going to charge two computers, two cell phones, and three cameras every evening.

That’s why I’m glad we found this travel surge protector that has six outlets and three USB ports, so it makes device charging so much easier every evening. Plus, with this set-up, we only have to use one outlet in our whole accommodation. So, if you are ever in a situation where your room doesn’t have many outlets available, this one plug strategy may be very useful for you.

You can get this travel surge protector here!

5. Power Bank

If you ever run out of juice on your phone in the middle of the day, especially because you are taking thousands of pictures, then it’s best to carry a power bank with you. Power banks are portable charging stations that allow you to recharge your phone on the go so you won’t miss any opportunities to take pictures.

Plus, a fully charged phone is essential for navigating to your destination and avoiding getting lost. So, try a power bank for yourself here!

6. Samsonite Luggage

For luggage, we always use the Samsonite brand because they are so durable, and we haven’t had one break on us yet (knock on wood). You can also easily find the Samsonite brand in most luggage stores.

We found some heavily discounted Samsonite luggage at TJMaxx many years ago, and those bags are still going strong. We started off with a 24-inch suitcase case. Now, we use a smaller 20-inch expandable case for all of our travels. Just make sure the case has two separate sides instead of one big compartment. With the two-sided suitcases, it’s much easier to see and organize your belongings. Plus, I don’t know why, it just seems like I can fit a lot more in this way.

You can shop for your next piece of Samsonite luggage here!

7. Compressible Packing Cubes

Another way to fit a lot more into your luggage is with compressible packing cubes. We upgraded to the compressible packing cubes about a year ago, and I don’t think I’ll ever go back to the standard packing cubes. They really do a great job of compressing your clothes saving you a lot of space inside your luggage.

Plus, these travel accessories make unpacking at your destination a breeze just remove your three cubes, put them in the closet, and essentially you are unpacked. You can put your luggage away and forget about it until it’s time to check out and head to your next destination.

Check out this video to see just how much smaller compressible packing cubes are compared to the standard cubes.

Compressible packing cubes are one of our favorite travel hacks and you can get yourself a set here!

8. Water-resistant Backpack

Because we like to travel with our laptops, I really like to protect them from the elements with Samsonite’s water-resistant backpacks. These bags hold all of our electronics, drone, vitamins, journals, and computers; all the things that would be disastrous if they got wet.

We have both the large one pictured above if you would like the extra space, and the smaller one pictured to the right if you like to travel light.

You can find the smaller water-repellent backpack here, and the larger water-repellent backpack here.

9. Foldable Day-Pack

Foldable day-packs are so useful because sometimes we go on hikes or on excursions to the beach where we need space to bring lunch, water, a light jacket, towel, sarong, and our cameras. My purse is just not big enough to hold it all, and I don’t necessarily want to bring my large backpack for my laptop to the beach with me.

That’s why I like to carry this foldable day-pack with me. It’s not as big and excessive as my waterproof backpack, but it gives me the space I need on the occasions that I need it. I don’t need a daypack every day, but when I do need it it’s so helpful.

Get your foldable day-pack here!

10. Microfiber Travel Towel

One thing that often goes in this foldable day-pack is this travel towel. This towel has served us well at the beach and at different hot springs around the world. It’s super absorbent, but it’s also quick-drying. Plus, it folds down so small making it really easy to travel with.

A lot of times I will even avoid carrying big bulky hotel towels to the beach as this travel towel is much smaller and lighter to carry. If you would like to try this travel towel for yourself you can click here!

11. Travelon Bags

We also really love my Travelon bags because of their large capacity and their anti-theft features. This cross-body bag has a lot of space and can fit my DLSR camera, GoPro camera, wallet, phone, and passport. It’s a purse that makes it easy for me to stay organized, plus it has a lot of anti-theft benefits like a slash-proof body and straps so thieves can’t slash your bag to quietly take your wallet without you knowing.

This bag also has RFID-blocking technology so hackers can’t steal any credit card data as well. My favorite feature is that the bag has security clips that make it that much harder for pickpockets to get to your valuables.

Travelon also has nice day-packs for men too that can really help your wallet stay more secure in crowded buses and subways where pickpockets are especially active.

I’ve had this style of bag for 8 years now and it’s one of the more durable and perfectly organized bags that I have ever used.

You can try Travelon for yourself here!

12. GoPro Waterproof Camera

If you love the water as we do, we highly recommend getting a GoPro waterproof camera to capture all of your underwater memories. It’s a shame to see such beautiful fish, coral, and turtles and not be able to document them. That’s why the GoPro is one of our favorite travel accessories.

Plus, the GoPro makes for an excellent everyday video camera. It’s not my favorite for photos, but if you want to capture excellent video from your trip. The GoPro is excellent both in and out of the water for that. And it’s the camera that we use the majority of the time when we make all our YouTube videos.

Try GoPro for yourself here!

13. Waterproof Sneakers

When we travel, we’re walking about 5-10 miles a day so having good footwear is essential. For us, the most important piece of footwear that you can buy is a pair of waterproof sneakers.

I find waterproof sneakers are the most versatile footwear that you can buy. They are tough enough to go hiking on rugged trails for days at a time, yet light and breathable enough that you will feel comfortable wearing them around the city. Hiking boots just can’t do that as they are too heavy and unbreathable. And regular sneakers just can’t manage the trails or inclement weather very well. This is why waterproof sneakers or hiking shoes really are the best of both worlds.

We do not have a brand preference for shoes so much. Waterproof is the only important criterion for us because with waterproof hiking sneakers, you really are traveling with the best travel gear.

14. Waterproof Hiking Sandals

We also like hiking sandals because they are great at keeping you cool on hot summer days, yet you can still walk miles in them without trouble. We love how durable and waterproof they are. They really help you go the distance!

We’ve worn a variety of brands and honestly believe that waterproof sneakers and waterproof sandals are the only two pairs of shoes you will need as you travel. The only exception is maybe one dress shoe for nights out at the theater or at a nightclub. But by limiting the shoes you bring, you make your luggage so much lighter and allow more space for other travel accessories.

15. Safety Wing Travel Medical Insurance

Last but not least, we never travel without travel medical insurance. Travel insurance gives us peace of mind that if we experience an unexpected trip cancellation, lost luggage, sickness, or an injury while we travel, that we can get reimbursed for any of these expenses with SafetyWing.

SafetyWing is one of the most affordable travel medical insurances that we’ve ever used and really easy to sign up for a plan no matter how long or short your journey is. You can click here to get a free quote to see just how affordable peace of mind can be.

Our Final Thoughts on the Best Travel Gear

These 15 travel accessories have made our journey to 50 countries and counting so much easier and more enjoyable. They save us time and space, and they are quite affordable as well. We hope you try these items out for yourself and see why we call them the best travel gear ever!

Now that you know about the best travel gear for easy packing, learn even more travel tips from the articles below!

The Best Travel Apps for quick and easy trip planning
How to Pack a Suitcase
How to Plan a Trip Like a Pro

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