How to Choose Travel Accessories

By REI staff

In This Article

• For Your Luggage
• While in Transit
• At Night
• Just in Case
• For Your Electronics
• Other Travel Accessories

A few well-chosen travel accessories can save you time and hassle when you're on the road. However, you don't want to bring so much that your luggage is heavy and awkward to carry. When packing, think about what you really need and what will just take up space.

Here are some travel accessories you'll never be sorry you packed.

For Your Luggage

These accessories make it easy to pack by keeping clothing and personal items organized.

• Mesh ditty bags come in a variety of sizes and styles for packing and organizing T-shirts, underwear and small, miscellaneous items. These inexpensive bags make it easy to find your last clean pair of socks or keep your laundry separate from your other gear.
• Folders hold several dress shirts, slacks or blouses and keep clothing wrinkle-free. Multiple folders simplify packing and unpacking by keeping clothes organized.
• Toiletry kits keep all your personal items in 1 place. They can be as simple as a small bag for soap, shampoo and toothpaste, or have features such as special pockets, holders and containers for a variety of personal-care items.
• Locks include small padlocks to secure the zippers of your pack together. They're also convenient for keeping your gear in hostel lockers. The Pacsafe, a stainless-steel web that locks around your bag to eliminate access to pockets, provides more comprehensive security. It allows you to secure your bag to fixed objects with the locking system to deter theft.

While in Transit

While you're on the road, these accessories can come in handy.

• Daypacks include small backpacks, shoulder bags, waist packs or organizers. A daypack is a must for any trip. It can be small enough to hold just your money, credit cards and passport, or large enough for a camera, water bottle, book and jacket.
• Security pouches/wallets are designed to be worn under your clothes and are the safest way to carry your money and passport.
• Extra insoles for your shoes or boots provide additional support and cushioning, which is important for comfort when you spend a lot of time on your feet.
• A water bottle is nice to have if you're traveling in an area with safe drinking water and would rather refill from the tap than buy expensive bottled water when you're sightseeing during the day.

At Night

To make sleeping in a new place a little more comfortable, pack these accessories.

• Sleeping bag liners are convenient if you plan on staying in hostels, since many charge extra for sheets. Even if the hostel provides sheets, a silk or cotton travel sheet will feel more comfortable than the hostel bed linen. Having your own sheets can also make you feel more at home, especially if you're sleeping in a new place every night. Since bag liners take up such a small amount of space, they're a luxury worth packing.
• An alarm (either as a travel clock or on your watch) is necessary for making sure you're up in time to catch your plane, train or bus. Watches that illuminate at night are especially handy.
• Ear plugs are items you won't think you need until you're sharing a hostel room with an enthusiastic snorer, and by then it will be too late to buy some. Even if you'll be staying in a hotel, pack ear plugs. They take up almost no space and they help ensure you'll have a decent night's sleep despite noise in the next room.
• A small flashlight is useful for reading, finding your way to the bathroom at night or getting dressed in the dark when you're staying at a hostel and it's too early (or too late) to turn on the overhead lights.

Just in Case

These accessories come in handy for minor emergencies when you're traveling.

• A sewing kit can be as simple as a needle, thread, safety pin and extra button, or as comprehensive as the Outdoor Research Backcountry Repair Kit. A basic needle and thread is all you need to make small repairs on clothing and gear while you're traveling, but the Backcountry Repair Kit will help you fix most of your gear in the wilderness while on extended backpacking, mountaineering or trekking trips.
• Multi-tools are available with many different options and tools. Some are small enough to fit on a key chain while others have nearly every tool you could want. At the very least, a knife and bottle opener are handy for picnic lunches or dinners.
• Extra shoelaces can be used as a clothesline for drying laundry, an emergency belt and, of course, as replacement shoelaces. Again, they take up a small amount of room and could come in handy when you'd least expect it.
• Clothespins can be used with your extra shoelaces for drying clothes or for closing food bags. You only need 2 or 3 to anchor your laundry when it's windy out.

For Your Electronics

Other countries provide electricity of different voltages through differently shaped electrical sockets. So if you'll be traveling with electrical appliances or your computer, these accessories are a must.

• Electronic converters/adapters are necessary if you'll be taking items like hair dryers, electric shavers and travel irons overseas. They convert foreign voltages to the US-standard 110 volts with plug adapters to fit most of the world's outlets. Some styles automatically sense and select high (1650 watt) or low (50 watt) settings depending on the appliance used.
• Computer/modem adapters are necessary if you'll be traveling with your laptop and plan on using your computer's modem overseas. Most laptops are dual-voltage, so they can use any standard wall current worldwide. If your laptop is dual-voltage, all you'll need is a surge protector and the appropriate adapter plug. If your laptop isn't dual-voltage, you'll also need a converter for areas that use 220-volt wall currents. To use your computer's modem overseas, you'll need the appropriate telephone jack adapter for an analog line. For digital lines, you'll need a converter that reduces the voltage to a safe level for your modem.

Other Travel Accessories

If you can't leave home without it, likely there's a travel-size version that will take up less space in your luggage. Other travel accessories range from mini curling irons and hair dryers to clip book lights and travel radios. Whether you pack these accessories is up to you. If you'll be staying in urban areas, aren't worried about carrying extra gear and prefer to have all the conveniences of home while you're on the road, they could be worth bringing. Otherwise, consider taking a vacation from appliances by leaving them at home.

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