26 Things That Will Improve Your Next Trip

Aug 04, 2023

We hope you love our recommendations! Some may have been sent as samples, but all were independently selected by our editors. Just FYI, BuzzFeed collects a share of sales and/or other compensation from the links on this page.

Consider these small yet mighty improvements.

BuzzFeed Contributor

Promising review: "There are so many options with this travel pillow. It can move in any direction to your liking and it feels very soft and cushy. There is the metal coil inside of it, but you can only feel it if you were to squeeze it really hard. I keep the pillow in my car at all times and it has been a lifesaver for long car rides. I would definitely recommend." —Tammy Zevenbergen

Get it from Amazon for $24.99+ (available in six colors).

Get it from TheHennyStore on Etsy for $8+ (available in six colors, as passport case, luggage tag, or combo).

Promising review: "I bought this for my wife whose phone battery drains quickly. This small, lightweight backup battery fits comfortably into her purse and gives her plenty of reserve power. Unit has enough reserve power for several day's use. It does take a while to be recharged, so be prepared and maybe recharge it overnight." —asgood

Get it from Amazon for $25.99+ (available in three colors).

Check out our closer look at the LifeStraw for more.

Promising review: "I frequently hike and camp in the backcountry all over the United States. Carrying the amount of water that I need to survive during these trips is just not feasible due to the weight. I recently took a LifeStraw out for a test on a backcountry hike in the Rocky Mountains. Every stream, lake, and every other water source that I came across I stopped for a drink. The one drawback to the LifeStraw is that it does take a bit of suction to start and keep the water flowing. When you're at high altitudes in the mountains this leads to longer 'drink breaks' since you can get winded pretty easy while trying to suck up water through the LifeStraw. However, its size and weight advantages when hiking in mountainous terrain vastly outweigh this minor drawback." —Charlie

Get it from Amazon for $16.59+ (available in four styles and two pack options).

Promising review: "Love these! At first I was annoyed by how soft they were, but it is actually helpful for getting the last bit of product out. They are very easy to fill and clean." —ylifactory

Get a pack of four from Amazon for $18.99.

Promising review: "It’s ridiculous how much I love these! The push part is on a spring so it stays closed when you aren’t pushing it, and of course it perfectly fits in the cup holder of our vehicles. Pro tip: a quart-sized Ziploc is the perfect size to add as a liner and fold over the top to keep the inside clean!" —Chaos Coordinator

Get it from Amazon for $7.19+ (available in four colors).

Promising review: "The perfect razor for traveling! Easy to use and very practical, Totally recommend it; the razors might be a little expensive, but at least you don't have to change the whole razor every time." —Maria Claudia

Get it from Amazon for $9.99.

Promising review: "I can’t believe how well these worked. Sleeping pills and things to help me sleep haven’t been very helpful in the past. So being skeptical, I took twice the dosage. I ate four of the gummies instead of two. I figured it would help me get a much-needed nap and instead it might as well have caused me to go into a coma. LOL. I don’t know what you guys created but...I’m a huge fan. Knocked me right out! P.S. Only take the correct amount." —Austin M

Get it from Amazon for $9.61.

Promising review: "This works so well for camping for a quick coffee craving! Took this camping over the weekend and used it a few times at the office. Depending on the grinds you use, it's good for a light single espresso shot or if you reuse the same grinds and purge three capfuls of water through the filter, you'll get a full cup of coffee. Works great without lugging a glass press around in your backpacking or camp gear! Easy to clean and store away with the retractable priming handle." —WallyMonkey

Get it from Amazon for $54.90.

This thing has all the benefits of four makeup items and all the fun of those four-color clicky pens. Click to your heart's content and travel with a lighter load.

Get it from Alleyoop for $25 (available in three shades).

Promising review: "We travel frequently and have two children. As any parent knows, packing for yourself and your children can be overwhelming (especially for trip longer than a few days). I have found this list to be a lifesaver and I also give it as a gift for other traveling families. It is easy to plan, organize, and list out items that are easily forgotten. You can also list the quantity of each item needed. It has a variety of clothing options and space to add more. Overall, wonderful purchase and has likely saved me many forgotten items!" —I-really-bought-this

Get it from Amazon for $7+ (available in three styles).

Promising review: "I packed enough shampoo, conditioner, and toothpaste for a week. I was afraid they would leak but surprise, they didn't. Love the small size. Would hold more than a weeks worth of product." —maryd

Get a pack of four from Amazon for $10.99+ (available in six colorways).

Promising review: "This was the best travel pillow ever. It worked perfectly on the plane and while we were cruising on a motor coach around Spain it came in handy again. I wanted to tell people on the plane using different brands that they were missing out but I decided they would notice how relaxed I was with my travel pillow." —AnitaW, Los Angeles, CA.

Get it from Amazon for $29.95 (available in three colors).

Get it from Shapeways for $17.77.

These can be reused for up to two years. To rejuvenate, simply place the bags in the sun once a month for at least one hour. To learn more, check out a review of the bamboo charcoal shoe deodorizers.

Promising review: "I was skeptical about these when they arrived because I've never used anything like it before. I did NOT want something to cover up odors or make my feet smell like a robust dryer-sheet. I just wanted the odor gone. We've been having temperatures here over 100 degrees lately and although I wear socks with my Vans, they were getting a bit "pungent". I slid one of these into each sneaker and hoped for the best. Less than 12 hours later, the odor was gone... GONE! When a product works like it says it should = happy customer. I've only used them for about a week now, so I haven't had to recharge them yet, but I'm really happy I bought these." —C. Welte

Get them from Amazon for $9.95+ (available in single, two-, or three- packs)

Promising review (hair dryer): "As a flight attendant, I can't always be sure my hotel has a hairdryer so I bought this one and it hasn't disappointed me! It folds up to about the size of a roll of toilet paper so it doesn't take up much room. It's powerful too!" —Billy H.

Promising review (straightener): "This does the job and is small enough to keep in my toiletries bag so it's always there when I travel. Ordered it while I was away, arrived quickly and saved the day!" —Cathy L

Get the hair dryer for for $14.99+ (available in two styles), or the straightener for $11.99, both from Amazon.

One set = four different packing cubes, each a different size that accommodates to different items.

Promising review: "I am officially sold on packing cubes!! These things are amazing! I can believe I've been packing without them my whole life. The mesh lining allows you to peek inside, and I was able to pack all my clothes, shoes, and toiletries for a 10-day trip to Europe (full contents listed below). I packed them as I normally would first, and then packed them in the packing cubes. There was SO much more room in my luggage after packing everything in the cubes! Items I fit in the cubes and bag include two jackets, one jean vest, four pants/capris, two pairs of shorts, one romper, four dresses, one maxi skirt, seven tank tops, four shirts, three camisoles, three pajama sets, 15 undies, six pairs of socks, and four pairs of shoes. But why are you still reading?? Go buy these cubes!" —Tiffany

Get them from Amazon for $21.99 (for a pack of five, available in ten colors).

Promising review: "This product was a lifesaver!! Unfortunately I didn’t get to try this out in the rain but it DEFINITELY protected my new white shoes when I went to a music festival where there was lots of dirt, rocks, sand, and other people near by to step on my feet. As you can see my shoes were perfectly preserved! I didn’t get any blisters or uncomfortable rubbing around my ankles which was nice since I was wearing those for about 10 hours straight!" —Aly

Get them from Amazon for $13.99+ (available in sizes S–3XL and ten colors/styles).

Promising review: "I'm impressed with the adapter. Worked perfectly so far. Sound quality is excellent. Please note there are many sound quality settings to rotate. Yes, it's annoying to be dealing mostly with a single button to do things, but that is inevitable to keeps costs down. Assuming it lasts long as it should, the device is excellent." —Uva

Get it from Amazon for $29.99 (available in black and white).

BuzzFeed's Emma McAnaw says: "My Dagne Dover duffle fits soooooo much more than it seems (especially when you fight to the death to fit everything like I do), and it's a super easy carry-on! I just put it under the seat so I don't have to fight people to get the overhead bin space. Also, I've gotten away with bringing it for free on airlines that try to charge for carry-ons because it looks so small."

Get it from Dagne Dover for $125+ (available in five sizes and seven colors).

This adapter covers over 150 countries. Keep in mind this is not a voltage converter!

Promising review: "Used this on a trip to Sweden and London. It worked great. Charged three things at a time with no problems. I love the compact design and not having to keep track of all the adapters." —tiffanyann7

Get it from Amazon for $17.99+ (available in three colors and various styles).

Get it from Uncommon Goods for $35.

BTW — Wine and Whiskey Co is a small biz creating clothes, phones cases, and car accessories!

Promising review: "I had to remove the foam wrap that was on it for it to fit in my cup holder, but now it works perfectly. No more having my water bottle in the seat next to me, rolling on the floor, or spilling 'cause I forgot to close it! Yay!" —Etsy Reviewer

Get it WineandWhiskeyCo from on Etsy for $12.99 (available in multipacks).

Promising review: "I couldn't be happier with this light. I use it for reading in bed and when I travel. It's comfortable, has multiple settings, is easy to use, and the battery stays charged for a long time. You can turn on either one or both sides of the light and its flexibility allows the light to be adjusted easily. I highly recommend this light for reading in bed, for outdoor walking at night, and for doing close work that requires good lighting." —Jean G

Get it from Amazon for $21.99+ (available in eight colors).

Get it from ECOParadiseGoods on Etsy for $13.10+ (available in four colors).

Get it from Iconspeak for $32 (available in sizes S–XXL and five colors).

Reviews have been edited for length and/or clarity.