Heading home for the holidays? Don’t forget these 13 travel essentials
By Macy Meyer | Published: 2025-11-03 19:40:00 | Source: CNET
The holiday season is approaching, and for millions of people, that means planning a visit home to see friends and family. Whether you’re packing everyone in the car for a road trip, or planning to hop on a flight, packing the right items can make a big difference. From a Reusable water bottle To keep you hydrated, and portable power packs that ensure your phone never runs out of juice, there are a few essentials you should always have with you.
After a lot of trial and error — and forgetting socks more times than I care to admit — I’ve built a list of travel must-haves that are now always at the top. These aren’t just your usual clothes and toiletries, but the smart little extras that help avoid airport hassles, hotel surprises and last-minute convenience store runs. If you’re looking to pack smarter and travel easier, start with these basics.
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For more travel tipsGet to know The best way to pack a handbag The best time to book flights with the cheapest tickets.
1. Hygiene supplies and medical prescriptions
On your travels, the last thing you want to forget is any essential health or medical items. Although you can easily grab extra deodorant to stay fresh during your trip, it is very important to remember which medications will be difficult to replace once you reach your destination. This includes Contact lensesContraceptives, eyeglasses and any medications.
For women, most of the time we can plan a trip around our menstrual cycle, but sometimes life happens. Taking a trip without sanitary gear can be very expensive and inconvenient, especially when you need it. So, make it a habit to pack a few. Having them and not needing them is better than not having them and not needing them.
Also don’t forget to pack sunscreen when you travel in the summer or if you’re visiting a particularly sunny or tropical destination.
2. Reusable water bottle
Bringing a reusable bottle saves money and keeps you hydrated.
If you spend hours walking city streets or going on a full-day hike in a national park, you’ll need to hydrate frequently. Water isn’t always easy to access in certain destinations — not to mention how hot or extremely humid they can be in certain climates — so taking a refillable bottle with you always comes in handy.
Sure, you can buy bottled water at your destination, but water is often expensive in tourist centers or popular hotels, and grocery stores or convenience stores aren’t always close by, especially in rural or forested areas.
Here’s a list of Some great water bottles. If the tap water at your destination is undrinkable, consider A Water bottle with built-in filter.
3. Portable power banks
When you travel, you’ll likely use your phone more – pulling out your boarding passes, looking up places to go and directions to those places, keeping in touch with friends and family back home and taking hundreds of photos. All of this drains your battery, and it can be frustrating to interrupt your busy sightseeing itinerary to charge your phone. Additionally, access to power outlets is never guaranteed.
That’s why it’s always a good idea to bring a mobile device Power bank with you. Power banks put power in your pocket for easy access and are usually very inexpensive. I recommend investing in a device that is not only reliable, but can also charge your phone multiple times before it needs to charge itself.
4. Towels
Wet wipes allow you to sanitize your hands and some “high-touch” items.
While bus tours or subway rides can be a lot of fun, they are not always the tidiest of places. While you travel, you will likely have to hold “high-touch” objects such as remote controls, light switches, phones, doorknobs, faucet handles, etc. Therefore, it is important to observe hygiene to prevent diseases.
Washing your hands may not always be an immediate option, so pack some towels with you. Additionally, small wipes should pass through security checkpoints without a problem.
5. Quick dry towel
Towels come in handy and you never know when one can save the situation. Maybe your clothes have spilled or been caught in a rainstorm and need to dry quickly. Or maybe you arrive at your hotel or Airbnb to find that they don’t provide towels.
Quick-dry towels aren’t the most luxurious option, but they are lightweight and easy to store while traveling. Most importantly, they dry super fast so you can clean them and pack them in your bag without much waiting.
6. Plastic bags
If there’s one travel necessity I swear by, it’s a plastic bag. Need to pack your muddy shoes? Plastic bag. Do you want to separate your dirty, worn out clothes from your clean items? Plastic bag.
Although plastic bags or trash bags aren’t the most glamorous travel item, they have many uses and won’t take up a lot of space in your luggage.
It is available in four colours: grey, dark grey, blue and black.
7. Packable backpack
I always pack a lot of luggage in my carry-on bag. I want to bring cameras, a hat, sunglasses, a change of clothes, and some toiletries in case I lose my back. But all of these items pile up quickly to leave very little space in my bag. Usually, I don’t want to take them all with me while touring the destination I’m visiting.
I suggest you take another smaller backpack with you preferably a foldable one that you can use during your tour. This will prevent you from having to pack and repack your carry-on bag. Additionally, you can use it to hold the souvenirs you pick up.
8. Bottle protectors
I return from almost every trip I take with a bottle of wine or specialty beer as a souvenir. I love bringing home a special bottle of beer, liquor, or wine to share with friends and family as I tell them about my adventures.
But before that can happen, the bottle must make it through the journey home. This means you will need to bring some form of protection. Many people swear by the method of putting a wine bottle in a sock or wrapping bottles with their clothes, but I prefer to pack an actual protective bag for the bottle. I recommend a protective bottle bag with padding and a zipper top that helps protect your clothes.
9. Drying sheets
Stinky shoes? Just use a dryer sheet.
For me, this is a no-brainer. When you walk miles and miles through train or bus stations, airports and different cities, you will be putting in a lot of effort. And your shoes will likely pay the price.
Bring several dryer sheets with you to help mask the smell of your shoes. When you return to your hotel or Airbnb at the end of your day, simply place a dryer sheet in each shoe to help air it out.
10. Universal plug adapter
A travel adapter is a must.
You probably already know this. I’ll remind you anyway: if you’re traveling abroad, you need a plug adapter. Outlet sizes in the United States differ from outlets abroad, which means if you plan to use electronic devices in a different country, you’ll need an adapter.
You can try to buy one at your destination, but they can be expensive and difficult to find. It’s best to pack one with you before you go to save time and money.
11. Travel router
Okay, this may seem like a stretch, but a travel router has saved me on more than one occasion. Internet connection is not always reliable when traveling or in certain rural areas, creating a network Wired connection It will always be more reliable than wireless (especially in hotels). I feel safer while traveling because I know I have a stable connection to call in case of an emergency, keep up with the group I’m traveling with, or communicate with loved ones back home.
Here’s more good news: Travel routers are usually small, affordable, and easy to pack. You can buy one for anywhere from $20 to $100, and it’s usually not much larger than a wall adapter.
12. Packable rain or down jacket
No matter if you’re heading to a tropical destination or wandering the streets of a European city, it’s always wise to bring an extra down jacket or rain jacket (or an umbrella if you have the space). Even if you check the forecast carefully, you could still get hit by a freak rainstorm or have a colder night than expected.
One of the best options that won’t weigh down your bag is to bring a packable or easily foldable rain jacket. Trust me, it’s better to be safe than sorry.
13. A way to document memories
I’m quite the shutterbug. I love documenting my travels with photos and videos and sharing them with my friends and family. I also love being able to look back and reminisce about my many adventures, the people I’ve met along the way and the key memories I’ve made. To do this, I need a way to document it.
Most people probably only use their iPhone, but if you’re like me, you quickly run out of storage space with the thousands of photos taken each year and need another option. I prefer to shoot with a film camera, but since one scan from an airport security CT scanner can destroy unprocessed film, I found another camera that quickly became a travel essential.
My favorite camera is Camp Snap digital camera. It’s lightweight, rechargeable, and screen-free but still provides that old-fashioned film look that I love so much. It’s also compact enough to fit into any checked bag or carry-on bag, making it the perfect vacation camera to capture all your important moments. No matter which method or camera you choose, always make sure you have something that can help you remember your trips meaningfully.
Final thoughts
Traveling can be a life-changing experience and create memories that last a lifetime. But before you can experience the magic of cities around the world, you need to pack your bags. Packing the right way can make a big difference by reducing stress and saving money in the long run. While everyone may have a different idea of what travel essentials are, the 13 recommendations above are what I’ve found most helpful during my own travels.
If you’re planning a vacation and are nervous about preparing, we have plenty of resources to help you. Get ready for your next trip with these tips and tricks.
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