I have done a lot of travel in my life. From traveling for work to roadtrips and long international trips, I’ve bought and tried TONS of different travel products, so I’ve been able to compile a list of the best things I’ve tried that helped me save money while traveling!
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Packing + Planning
The first places you’ll be spending and saving money are during your planning and packing stages. Here are some good tips for money-saving items to use when planning and packing for your trip!
Bags and Luggage
If you’re flying, most US airlines will allow you to carry on one piece of luggage and one personal item free of cost. I almost always take advantage of this by packing a carry-on sized suitcase and a backpack to get me the most packing space. While I love my Away suitcases, they’re not the best budget options, here are some other options that will help you optimize your packing space. The suitcase below is 22″x14″x9″ which is the largest standard carry-on size for most US airlines, plus it’s a hard-sided case AND it’s expandable!
Packing Space-Savers
Compression. Packing. Cubes. These will create so much more space in your bags so you can bring more of your own necessities along without having to spend premium prices at your location. The option on the left below is a set of 8 pieces, including 4 packing cubes, a toiletry/make-up bag, a shoe bag, and a drawstring bag, which is an awesome deal. For a more budget option, the set in the middle includes only 3 packing cubes and 3 laundry bags, and the set on the right includes a shoe bag, drawstring bag, and 3 packing cubes.
Pouches! I personally use different kinds of pouches for just about everything in my daily life–snacks, work bag organization, toiletries, pens, you name it. I love the bumkins brand. They’re designed for snack use and are specifically marketed toward parents, but can obviously be used for anything you need, and they come in such fun patterns. Stasher bags are also incredible leakproof options for anything you’re worried might open in your bag (looking at you, shampoo!). Their new pocket size is also a great pouch for small items like jewelry, medicines, small snacks, etc. This 3-piece pill organizer is also super versatile and can be used for not only medications or vitamins, but is great for carrying small jewelry, small electronics (earbuds, charging cords, SD cards), or other small items you need to wrangle.
Packing Toiletries
Packing toiletries will definitely save you money and convenience versus trying to find an inexpensive option at your destination. Sometimes it’s a necessity to bring your own if you’re sensitive to lotions/shampoos/etc. These travel toiletry kits are great options for bringing your home toiletries along with you and are TSA approved to bring in a carry-on, saving you money on having to check your luggage! I also love using these refillable perfume atomizers to bring small amounts of your favorite scents with you.
Necessities for During Your Trip
Making sure you have access to all the tools you’ll need while you’re on the go takes some planning but will save you so much in the long run!
Snacks
Bringing your own packable, shelf-stable snacks will help you save money on food at the airport and can help you avoid the hunger-induced over ordering out at restaurants! Any shelf-stable snacks are a great option. Just keep an eye on how much liquid you’re packing to make sure it meets TSA’s carry-on requirements. Here are some of my favorites to bring along on trips. Quest bars are some of my favorite protein bars; they don’t taste chalky, and have a ton of protein to keep me satiated for a while. These Quest minis are even the perfect size to travel with! Instant coffee is a great option for my fellow coffee enthusiasts, even better that Death Wish makes an instant coffee in individual serving size packs for easy, space saving packing. Smart Sweets are a great low-sugar sweet treat and are all individually packaged also!
Travel Water Bottles and Tumblers
Refillable water bottles can save you a TON of money on purchasing drinking water at the airport and your destination. A Brita filter water bottle is a great option if you’re unsure about the quality of tap water where you’re traveling, or if you just prefer filtered water. A collapsible water bottle is another great option for saving space in your bags. Of course, a stainless steel tumbler is a great option if you’re like me and need your drinks to be super cold. Rtic is similar to Yeti or Hydroflask, with the ability to keep your drink cold or hot for hours, but at a more affordable price.
Electronics
Electronics are necessary travel accessories, so making sure you have access to your phone is so important while on the go. I love this Anker power bank for travel. It holds tons of charge and is compatible with USB and USB-C chargers. No need to spend premium money on a fancy camera when our smartphones have incredible cameras available in our pockets! This portable phone tripod will help you take some breathtaking photos for some of the best souvenirs. Of course, an outlet converter is a necessity for international travel. This option includes adapters for outlets in Europe, UK, China, Australia, and Japan, with multiple plug-in inputs and USB ports, plus a built-in USB-C cord.
Laundry
Traveling with these items to do your laundry while on the go are another great way to keep your packing to a minimum, reducing the price you’re spending on checked baggage, and saves you the fees of having laundry done at hotels or resorts. These laundry soap sheets are a great compact non-liquid laundry soap to travel with. If you’re a bit of a germaphobe like me and don’t love the idea of washing your clothes in a hotel sink, bring along super large ziploc bags! They’re leakproof so you can put your clothing items in with some water and the laundry soap sheets to easily wash. Plus a bonus: you can use them as wet bags for anything in your bags you don’t want to get on everything else (dirty clothes, liquids, etc). A portable clothes line with clothes pins is a must for hang drying your clothes after washing. A travel size bottle of wrinkle release spray is a game changer too, to get those fold lines or wrinkles out of your packed clothes. A stain spray is also a must in all of my travel bags, and I’m not exaggerating when I say I’m OBSESSED with the Wine Away spray. It gets just about anything out of fabrics (and I’m a nurse, so have tested it on MANY types of stains). You won’t regret the $8 you’ll spend on the Wine Away.
Entertainment
Some travel-friendly entertainment items are an important consideration for me when packing all my travel items. We invested in a Fire TV Stick years ago that we use exclusively when we travel and it has been such a great purchase. It’s great to have access to your familiar streaming services wherever you have a TV and Wi-Fi access. Last, but definitely not least, a notebook and some great pens to journal about your travels!
