Travel days stretch long and are often paired with chaos, delays, discomfort and low-grade panic.
You can’t mute out every inconvenience, but you can pack smarter and ease some of the pitfalls.
These travel gadgets may not save the whole day but they will make it bearable.
Gadgets you should never travel without
A digital luggage scale
One of the greatest dreads of travel is arriving at the airport with fingers crossed, hoping your suitcase weighs in under 50 pounds.
What’s worse is the trip home – bags now crammed with souvenirs and sweaters you swore you’d wear.
But there‘s one small device that can ease the guesswork: a personal digital luggage scale.
Weigh your bags before you ever reach the airline counter and travel with a little less weight on your shoulders.
Price: $7.64
Kindle
If there‘s one thing every traveler needs, it’s a Kindle. The slim device lets you carry an entire library without adding weight to your bag — and the battery lasts longer than most airport security lines on a holiday weekend.
It’s made for long travel days. Easy to pull out in the airport, on a bus, or while waiting for your rental car that was supposed to be ready an hour ago.
Instead of doomscrolling, you can add to the culture of your trip — soak up some fiction or non-fiction, whichever you prefer — and never find yourself bored as you wait for the next train to arrive.
Price: $159.99
Wanderlust compression socks
Anyone who’s endured a long flight knows the misery of trying to squeeze swollen feet back into sneakers.
Air travel is never kind to circulation. Hours of sitting in recycled air can leave your legs feeling twice their usual size.
Avoid the discomfort and do yourself a favor: pack a pair of compression socks. Think of them not as medical gear, but as your special travel socks — cozy, essential and a small way to romanticize travel with a small act of self-care at 35,000 feet.
Price: $18.95
myCharge Fast Portable Charger
If you’ve ever used a fast-charging cable, you already know — this one‘s a no-brainer. After watching your battery jump from 8% to 75% in just a few minutes, there‘s no going back. In fact, go ahead and consider it the new standard expectation, especially when traveling.
You might only have a 30-minute bus ride to recharge your phone before relying on it again for maps, tickets or Google Translate.
Without it, you’re left to your own mental navigation — a concept the modern day traveler isn’t exactly at ease with.
Price: $79.99
Sweet-smelling hand sanitizer
Whether you’re coming or going, the last thing you want is to bring home more than souvenirs. Airports, train stations and tightly packed tour buses aren’t exactly known for their cleanliness.
Stay prepared and smell good in the process with a travel-size hand sanitizer that does both. When you’re on the move, a two-in-one is always a win.
Fight off germs and wear a scent that feels like a small luxury.
Price: $30.00 for 3
A travel iron
Let’s be honest. These days, the travel fits and Instagram posts carry nearly as much weight as the trip itself.
In a world ruled by the influencer lens, the photo matters. So if you’re going to prioritize the perfect outfit abroad, at least do it right.
Iron the shirt. No one wants to see the reality of wrinkles. They want curated, polished, unrealistic perfection that so many have mastered.
Pack a travel iron and give the people what they came to scroll for.
Price: $29.99
One way to avoid losing your luggage while traveling is to keep it simple: pack a carry-on and keep it close.
But for those aiming to maintain influencer-level fits, a carry-on simply won’t do. If you fall into that category, plan ahead and tag your checked bags with a luggage tracker.
After all, if you’ve spent weeks curating the perfect fit, the last thing you want is to spend your trip in your travel sweats, waiting for a suitcase that may or may not arrive.
Price: $19.87
A portable white-noise machine
Firsthand experience makes a strong case for packing a white-noise machine. You may assume you would drift off easily in a quiet Italian village — until the clock strikes 1 a.m., when a band kicks up just outside your window and plays for the next three hours.
While a white-noise machine won’t entirely drown out the melodic surprises of a new city, it can soften the edges enough to give you a fighting chance at some sleep.
Price: $23.99
iMangoo Charger Carrying Case
Organization. Every traveler likes the idea of it, but it’s hard to maintain when you’re living out of a suitcase.
Instead of surrendering to the inevitable tangle of cords and chaos, why not attempt to impress your travel companion with something rare: pristine order.
A charger carrying case keeps the cables for your phone, camera and laptop all in one place, neatly zipped and strangely satisfying.
Price: $7.55
Colgate Wisp Portable Mini-Brush
Last but not least, one small item can make traveling immensely better for everyone involved. Here‘s a hint: it fits in your pocket and saves you from spinach-in-teeth shame. Few things can ruin a good travel moment faster than bad breath and a rogue pepper flake.
Stay fresh and pack a few Colgate Wisp Portable Mini Toothbrushes for yourself and a few to share. You’ll quickly become everyone‘s favorite travel companion.
Price: $13.36