10 Best Travel Accessories for Your Vacation

My little sister got married this year so we’ve been planning her shower, bachelorette and crafting for the wedding.  I was racking my brain trying to figure out what to get her for her shower.  She and her husband already own a home so she has things for her house.  Besides, I wanted her gift to be special and thoughtful.  I truly enjoy giving gifts because I really try to think about what will make the person happy.

I finally decided on a gift that I thought my sister would like and one that I was pretty excited to put together.  Since we are big on traveling, I decided to get her a bunch of my favorite travel items.  With each item, I added a tag saying what it is and why I like it. 

She is heading to our timeshare in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico for her honeymoon so everything I ordered for her will come in handy. Hopefully she will find these items as useful as I have!

Where to shop for Travel items

Most of the purchases I’ve made for traveling have come from Amazon. I love that things come to my doorstep in just a couple of days and their return policy is fantastic. Plus, it’s nice to have reviews to help me decide on what products are best.

TJ Maxx and Marshalls are two of my favorite stores.  I’ve found some really great deals on travel items in the past, from pillows and blankets to bags and luggage tags.  They have great prices already, but I’ve hit the jackpot on clearance items.  They are also my favorite stores for home items. 

I found this super cute box that has a watercolor maps on it.  I have a Cricut and wanted to add to the box so I added a the saying, “You mean the world to me” in gold permanent vinyl. The box is the perfect size to hold all of the travel goodies! Plus, I found an adorable “adventure fund” piggy bank that was a nice added item.

These are a few of my favorite “Travel” accessories!

When it comes to traveling, I like to have my bags packed as early as I can! There are several items that I use on almost every trip we take. These are my absolute favorite items that keep me organized, save me space in my luggage and come in handy when we travel.

Packing Cubes

These are my number one travel recommendation!  Not only do they keep you organized, but they compress your clothes and allow you to fit a little more. These are the ones I ordered for my sister so they matched her gift, but I also have two sets of these. They’ve held up well over the last few years and I wouldn’t pack a suitcase without them now! You can check out this blog post to read all about how we use our packing cubes!

Toiletry Bag

We purchased this bag a few years ago and I love it! It easily fits all of our toiletries, but also lays flat in my luggage so it doesn’t seem to take up as much room.

Makeup Bag

I’ll be honest, I loved the flamingo design on this bag and it matched the packing cubes I got my sister so I order one for my sister and one for me.  I’ve already used it for a few of our trips and love it! It fits a ton and lets me see all of my make up rather than having to dump out my bag to find what I am looking for. There is a zippered area that is perfect for brushes and eye liner and it also has Velcro separators that keep your makeup sectioned off.

Jewelry Bag

I wear a lot of long necklaces and they always seem to get tangled when I pack them. This bag fits a ton of jewelry and has a bunch of zipper pockets.  This bag lets me put each one in its own pocket and keeps them from tangling.

Waterproof Bags

I bought these bags when we went to Jamaica and climbed Dunn’s River Falls.  They are compact and completely waterproof!  We had our passports, phones and money in them and they were bone dry even being completely submerged in water. These are perfect whether you’re at the beach, on a boat, on a water ride, etc.

Blanket Scarf

I love things that are multi-purpose!  When we go on cruises, we typically dress up in the evenings for dinner.  I am usually in a sundress since it’s warm outside, but I tend to get cold in the restaurants.  This scarf/shawl comes in handy because I can wrap it around me if I am chilly.  I also keep this in my carry-on bag when we fly because it has been a blanket for both me and my kiddos.  And my nieces actually just used it on our Dolphin Cruise in Gulf Shores to cover up and block the wind.

Contact Case

But this ISN’T for contacts!  I don’t like taking all of my expensive make up on vacation—what if my bag gets lost?  I love using contact cases for my foundation, face lotion, etc.  It fits a good amount and lets me keep my full-size products at home.  Plus, it saves me space!

Neutrogena Make Up Remover Towelettes

Certain hotels provide these makeup remover towelettes and they work really well.  I bought the individually wrapped Neutrogena ones, which are perfect to throw in my makeup bag.

Mesh Travel Bags

Mesh Bags: I got these at Target’s Dollar Spot.  They were $3 for two bags.  The ones I have are very similar, but I found them at TJ Maxx.  They hold pretty much anything. They keep me organized and since they are see through, I can easily find what I need.  I’ve used them for snacks, tissues and toiletries, charging cords, etc. You can find similar ones on Amazon too in different colors and sizes.

Passport Cover

When you travel internationally, you need to have your passport accessible. This passport cover not only holds your passport, but also has slots for credit cards. It also has a pen, which comes in handy when you need to fill out your customs paperwork on the plane as you enter the states!

I also ordered this version for my next trip–it’s a different shape and is my favorite color–turquoise!

Dog Toy

This has nothing to do with traveling, but my sister’s dog is like her kid so I wanted to make sure Zoey had something to comfort her when mom and dad are on their honeymoon.

What are your favorite travel accessories?

What are some of your go-to travel items?  Are there things we should try?

Need some suggestions on what to pack when flying with kids? Check out this post for recommendations!