We are preparing for our very own bucket list trip – 41 days in Europe to travel, work, and see Dave Matthews Band. I’ve been busy researching some travel items I want to try out. I’ve put together a list of both travel items I LOVE, and a few I’ll be testing in the next week ahead of our trip.
Go-To Travel Items:
Away Bigger Carry On
I love my Away carry on, and I do think it’s worth they hype. My husband has had the regular carry on for a few years, and I picked up the carry on flex last year on black Friday. The flex has already been with me to Mexico, Las Vegas, and a few weekend trips. What I love about is the built-in compression. I used to use compression packing organizers, but those are no longer needed with this bag. The compression straps help you pack down a lot more stuff – but it does get heavy, so may not be the best bet with the low cost European airlines that weigh your carry on bags. Everything I’ve read online and seen on tiktok says this bag should be ok with the discount airlines. They rarely run sales, but anyone that owns an Away bag can provide you with a referral code for $20 off.
Osprey Backpack
Wheeled luggage can be hard to manage in some European cities, but I didn’t have any issues in Paris, London, or Lisbon recently. That being said if you can travel with a backpack, that’s the way to go. We ordered the Osprey Fairpoint and Fairview backpacks for our upcoming trip after several recommendations from friends.
They make a daypack or travel pack that attaches to the front as well!
Packing cubes are great for organizing everything whether its in a suitcase or backpack. We have these compression style ones. These allow you to get a lot more clothing in a smaller bag.
Peak Design Cord Bag
My husband and I both have this cord bag and have traveled all over with it. It has a nice sturdy design, is well made, and well organized pockets. I keep everything I need handy in my carry-on including: all my charging cables and blocks, clutch charger, earbuds, chapstick, lotion, advil, bandaids, a pen, hair ties, etc. During the flight I can just pull it out and access everything I need.
Several colors to choose from!
These are a must for long haul flights. I generally put them on after the meal service before bed. They help reduce swelling and keep your legs and feet refreshed. Added bonus – put them on before bed after a long day of walking around Europe when your feet hurt. I promise you will wake up feeling better and ready for another day!
I have these and they work great
We don’t fly anywhere without this. We always weigh our checked bags in the US before leaving for the airport. In Europe, they are much more strict and will weigh your carry-ons too. This will help eliminate any surprise fees at the airport and help you plan ahead! This model works great.
These can be found anywhere and there are hundreds to choose from. This one is memory foam, and rolls up smaller into a travel bag. We’ve taken it on several long haul flights and it works great.
Clutch Charger
I’ve owned many charging banks, but the clutch charger is my favorite. It’s small and slim, and works with magsafe to attach to the back of your phone. I plan on bringing 2 with me to Europe, one to have with me at all times and another charging back in the room.
We just tried these out for Vegas and Mexico! This adapter lets you use your wireless bluetooth earbuds with the standard headphone jacks they have in the plane seatbacks. Works great!
Travel Adapters
Everyone will need one of these. We purchased these in 2022 to go to Portugal and they worked great. You will need a different one for the UK, Ireland, and Scottland.
This larger one should work in all of the countries.
Selfie-Stick
If you’re hitting a lot of sites as a couple, there’s no shame in using a selfie stick. They also work as a tripod and will help you get the perfect shot. For this trip I’m order a few magsafe ones to try out:
This one is nice and cheap and will do the job:
We’ve used anti-theft bags from Pacsafe and Travelon for many of our trips in the past. Just depends what cities you are visiting and your comfort level. Travelon has a ton of styles to choose from!
Packable Down Jackets
When we went to Thailand in 2018, we both invested in Eddie Bauer packable down coats. These have been a GAME changer and come with us on almost every trip, even if we are flying somewhere warm. These coats are warm and puffy. They pack down and can fit in a small compression bag or cube for storage. While on the plane, they make a great blanket too. If you’re going to the first leg of the tour, I would consider getting one of these.
My husband has had his Vapor water bottle for as long as I can remember and it is still going strong. This small packable waterbottle will fit in any carry-on or bag. Once you pass through security, fill it up!
These are a few reliable and trusted travel items that I hope will make your travels smoother! I haven’t recommended anything above that we ourselves have not ordered ourselves or owned 🙂
This post contains affiliate links. Should you purchase something from an affiliate link, I may earn commission, at no cost to you. Thank you for your support of my work!
