Right now I’m writing this from a hotel room in rural Scotland on a trip that’ll bring me to Northern Ireland and England, and last month I bounced across France and Switzerland, so I’ve had plenty of time recently to reflect upon, reinforce, and improve my choices in travel gear that I use. Everything below I’ve used extensively, usually because I bought it.

Not every piece of worthy gear makes the recommended list, because you should travel light. But even if you don’t bring everything on this list (and you probably won’t need to on just one trip) just a few of these last-minute buys could make your traveling much less of a headache, just as it has for mine.

1. sleep in hotels without neck pain

The Therm-a-Rest Compressible Travel Pillow is filled with firm-ish chunks of compressible foam, which provide a lot more neck support than most hotels’ floppy pillows.

Give me a crappy hotel mattress and I can sleep just fine as long as the pillow isn’t trash. Most of the time, though, it’s about as thick and fluffy as a tortilla. Ever since I’ve started packing my Therm-a-Rest Compressible Travel Pillow, I’ve slept a lot better at hotels. Unfurl it at least an hour before bed to let it puff up a bit. Word to the wise: the small is miniscule, and the medium is small. Get a size large.

2. snooze on the plane in comfort

I’m awful at sleeping on airplanes. The few times I’ve managed to do it have been with a Travelrest Nest Neck Pillow around my neck to keep it supported so that I don’t wake up with a painful, stiff neck.

Those floppy pillows that airlines hand out don’t do anything for my neck. Unless I want to look like Frankenstein when I wake up, if I’m even able to fall asleep with nothing supporting my head, I use the Travelrest. Its foam is covered in soft microfiber and compresses down into a bag that I clip to the outside of my carry-on.

3. The Right carry-on

When I travel, I almost always reduce my footprint to what I can fit in my trusty, old Travelpro Maxlite 4 carry-on that’s still kicking after nine hard years of use. I’ve checked out and compared the newer Travelpro Maxlite 5 in person, though, and I still think it’s the best sort-of-budget carry-on you can buy.

For carry-ons, I prefer two-wheel rollaboards rather than four-wheel spinners. Rollaboards’ wheels are larger and more robust, less prone to damage from uneven cobblestone streets and wooden staircases. They also weigh a bit less and provide more interior space.

4. use your own headphones for in-flight movies

The Twelve South AirFly Pro 2 plugs into jetliners’ seatback screens’ headphone jacks and connects your Bluetooth earbuds and headphones.

Airlines lend (or sell) you crappy headphones, but you brought your nice ones. Why can’t you use ’em? Because the seatback screens won’t connect to them over Bluetooth, that’s why. The AirFly Pro 2 bridges the two for you so that you can use your nice earbuds or headphones to watch that in-flight movie.

5. Door blocker alarm

Don’t entirely trust the lock on your hotel? The Sabre Door Stopper Alarm sits against your hotel room door. If someone opens it while you’re home, it’ll keep the door from opening and sound a 120-decibel alarm to wake you up. That’s loud.

I’ve stayed in some sketchy hotels and motels. Having a door blocker alarm has given me the peace of mind needed for me to actually be able to sleep without, you know, waking up murdered.

6. heal those heel blisters

If you think you might get blisters on your trip, you need to pick up a box of Band-Aid Pro Heal Blister Bandages. They’re bulletproof, magical, and the best blister treatment I’ve ever used.

My idea of a fun vacation is a week spent covering 100 miles or so while hiking or mountain climbing. These things are my secret weapon. I discovered them in Seattle in 2017 after a three-day climb in bad boots chewed up my heels so bad that I couldn’t leave the Airbnb. They’re so watertight I’ve gotten three days out of a pair, including showers and plenty more walking, without them peeling.

7. keep your phone charged when there are no power outlets

There’s a universal rule of traveling that applies everywhere in the world: If you need a power outlet and are looking for one, you won’t find it. Give your smartphone two to three extra complete charges with my current favorite power bank, the Belkin 10000mAh 20W Slim 2C Power Bank w/ Digital Display.

This is what bumped off my old Anker this year as my favored power bank for most excursions. While I’d bring a Belkin BoostCharge Pro Power Bank 20K (also in my guide to the Best Power Banks) if I were aiming to keep a laptop charged, this 10000mAh unit is plenty for a smartphone, as I explain in my review.

Related: EDC Items I Carry Every Day

8. wash your clothes in your hotel room

Finding a laundromat while traveling sucks, and washing clothes in the sink is even worse. Use the Scrubba Washboard Bag instead.

The Scrubba is a flexible, watertight bag that you fill with sink water and laundry detergent. Then you pop your dirty clothes inside and seal it up. Rubbery nubs the interior of the bag helps scrub away dirt and stains as you knead the bag like bread dough. This is one piece of gear I haven’t used yet, but it’s a must-buy for my next road trip.

9. fold your clothes without wrinkles

Bringing a nice jacket or dress, or just don’t want your shirts to arrive more wrinkly than the California Raisins? Put ’em in a suiter, like the Amazon Basics Travel Garment Bag.

Garment bags, or suiters, are bags that go inside your luggage. You zip your clothes into them, and they have a pair of horizontal foam bars that let you fold the whole thing, clothes and all, into thirds. That keeps the fabric more taut, and thus more wrinkle-free, than just folding them. I’m talking from years of experience both using and not using garment bags. There are pockets for organizing socks, belts, and other things, too, in order to keep a suit’s ensemble all together.

10. make sure your electronics will work in every country

Not all of your North America electronics will work in another country’s wall outlets, even with a plug adapter. Some countries’ buildings use a 110/120 volt system, and others use a 220/240 volt system, and they’re not compatible. Electronics like your phone and laptop charger, electric toothbrush, and electric shaver will all work in any country’s electrical outlets, but if you bring, say, your hair dryer or clothes steamer from the US to Europe, it won’t work. The Ceptics 220V to 110V Voltage Converter 2000W will make them compatible.

Here’s the thing, though: Most voltage converters are 200W or thereabouts. That’s not enough wattage to work with hair dryers and irons. That’s why I’ve included this 2000W model, which is powerful enough to run those. I haven’t used this particular voltage converter. The one I had briefly, until I threw it out, was a Radioshack one bought in Cairo just before the pandemic. Ceptics has a solid reputation, and I like their travel adapters. I’d expect better quality from it.

11. Keep your wifi usage safe

This is the VPN I called my favorite overall VPN in my Best VPNs guide. I’ve been using and testing VPNs strenuously for the past 10 years, and NordVPN has been rock-solid and fast for (at least) the last seven years.

When you’re logging into airport, train station, airplane, café, or hotel WiFi, you’re opening your internet use to all sorts of data thieves who can snoop on what you’re doing, potentially stealing your information and identity. Use a VPN to keep your browsing private on these public WiFi networks. Want more detail on why I like NordVPN the best? Check out my NordVPN review for more detail.

12. tag your bag

Your bag needs a tag. It’s cheap insurance to make sure that if your luggage gets misplaced, the airline can get it back to you quickly. The Samsonite Leather Luggage Tag (Two-Pack) is the most durable one I’ve used; I have four.

Having had lesser luggage tags ripped off my bags, either in a jetliner’s belly or on a bus’ overhead rack, spending a bit more for these robust leather tags was (eventually) a no-brainer for me. I haven’t lost one in four years since I bought them.

Also, include a laminated piece of paper or a second luggage tag inside your bag where it can be easily seen as soon as someone opens the bag. In case the luggage tag outside the bag gets torn off and your bag is lost, the airport folk know who it belongs to (and how to contact you) when they open it up.

13. don’t forget the plug adapter

Make sure you can plug your plug into another country’s differently shaped wall outlets with the Ceptics Universal Travel Adapter.

Not sure what plug type that country uses? Just bring this. It works for plug tapes A I, C, and G, which covers more than 200 countries.

14. weigh your airline luggage

I’ve had a Samsonite Manual Luggage Scale for 10 years, maybe longer, and I use it to make sure my bags are within weight allowances before I fly. It needs no batteries, and it’s been pretty damn accurate.

Once you fly outside North America, airlines are real sticklers for your bag’s weight, both checked and carry-on. They will weigh it and charge you extra if it’s overweight, and most airlines don’t allow you much weight to begin with.

15. keep yourself clean from hostel bedsheets

Hostels aren’t all nasty, but plenty of them are, and you don’t typically know for sure until you’ve arrived. Slide into the Sea to Summit Comfort Blend Sleeping Bag Liner inside your bedsheets to keep yourself warm and your skin clean.

This is the exact sleeping bag liner I bought earlier this summer, and the Tencel/polyster fabric is both incredibly soft and fairly cool. Tencel tends to feel cooler than other fabrics in hot weather. It also includes a cover for a pillow.

16. track your luggage in case it gets lost

Quit worrying (as much) about losing your luggage. If it walks off, an Apple AirTag 2 inside will help you find it.

I put one of these into every piece of luggage I take nowadays, especially if I check a bag onto a plane or train. It’s worth it for the peace of mind alone. The AirTags 2 are 50% louder and have a 50% farther range than the original AirTags.

17. get some shut-eye

Need to sleep when it’s bright out? The Alaska Bear Silk Sleep Mask is the best I’ve used, forming a lightproof but comfortable seal around my eyes.

I used this sleep mask to nab some Z’s just a few days ago on a redeye flight to the UK. It’s silk, so it’s super soft, with an easily adjustable headband. It’s also washable. I like that the parts that go against my eyes are concave so that they don’t press against my eyeballs, and the gel is soft and contours against my forehead.

18. bring along some white noise

When the hotel is too loud, you’ll be glad you have a Adaptive Sound Technologies LectroFan Micro 2 to generate a little white noise to help drown out the ruckus and lull you to sleep.

I’ve not tried the Micro 2, but I’m a big fan of the original LectroFan. I use a LectroFan Classic every night during the winter. Out of all the digital white noise machines, that one has the most natural-sounding (and therefore least distracting) white noise of all.

19. Organize your suitcase

Need a way to stop losing all the little items in your bag? The Amazon Essentials 4-Piece Packing Cube Set comes with four differently sized bags to keep it all separated.

Most of the time I use gallon Ziploc bags to organize my toiletries and prevent spills from leaking onto my clothes, but I know there are those who want more organization in their suitcases to separate their small items.

20. steam your clothes instead of iron

Even at home I don’t like to iron. That’s why my go-to ironing alternative is the Conair Turbo ExtremeSteam 1875W Fabric Steamer that I own.

I’ve learned it the hard way, repeatedly. Not every hotel will have an iron and ironing board available for you to de-wrinkle your clothes, and there’s no way you can pack an iron. Just don’t forget an appropriately rated voltage converter if you’re traveling overseas.

21. bring your tv streaming to your hotel tv

Don’t rely on the local stations or wonky streaming on your hotel TV. Bring all your TV shows and movies with you on a Roku Streaming Stick 4K.

Few hotel TVs have the stations and streaming channels (if any) that I want. If you bring along a Roku Streaming Stick 4K and plug it into the TV’s HDMI port, you can watch your regular streaming channels wherever you want.