When it comes to traveling, having the right essentials can make or break your trip. After countless vacations, work trips, and quick getaways, I’ve honed in on the items that never let me down—whether I’m jetting off to a dreamy resort like Cabo or heading out on a family adventure. These staples are not just practical; they’re stylish, versatile, and make packing (and unpacking) a breeze. If you’re tired of overpacking or forgetting the one thing you really needed, this guide is for you! Let’s dive into the travel must-haves I swear by.

I have more of my travel favorites saved in the shop here if you want to browse more.

Tried and True Travel Essentials I Swear By

Ok I want to preface this post with the fact that I am not a minimal packer. Growing up my dad worked for Delta and I always flew standby, so I always used a carry-on bag. I didn’t check my first bag until our honeymoon and my luggage ironically got lost for a few days 🙁 But now that I’m able to check a bag for free and I usually travel with work/content in mind I always pack more outfits than I actually need.

Checked + Carry On Luggage

I pretty much always travel with both a big checked bag and a rolling carry-on, plus a personal item. I don’t always need the room for the carry-on roller, but since I’ve had luggage get delayed before, I like to put my day one essentials and any items I wouldn’t want to go missing, like designer items or medications.

I’ve used the Beis luggage since 2019, and since then it has traveled 5+ times a year and is still in great shape! I have a more detailed post on the carry-on luggage you can read here.

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BÉIS Carry-On Review

If you’re on the lookout for a new carry-on to take along with you on your summer travels, I have a bag in mind for you! After several uses, I’ve become a fan of the BÉIS carry-on bag, and I’ll..

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A few things I love about it:

• it fits anything and everything you need + has a 2 inch extender
• the handle has a memory foam grip
• it rolls very easy and doesn’t fall over.
• Has one side that zips up and one side thats open – it can fit taller things like your toiletry bag or a hat for example. Keep this in mind when you open your bag up because things can move around on the open side. This is a big reason I use packing cubes!

A few things to keep in mind:

• it’s pretty popular, so I would tie something on your checked bag or use something to easily identify it at baggage claim.
• Depending on the color you choose, it will get marked up. You can get a cover, but keep in mind accidents can still happen.
• Because it’s so large, you do have to keep in mind the weight of your bag depending on what you’re allowed by your airline.
• One feature I wish it had that my Delsey luggage has is a break. This is nice when you’re on a train, for example, at the Atlanta airport I usually take a train from the parking deck and I have to be mindful of my luggage moving around.

I used to use the Delsey luggage, but it wasn’t my favorite for a few reasons. The material was pretty rough on your skin if it grazed you when carrying or lifting it. It’s also pretty heavy yet doesn’t expand or fit as much as my Beis luggage because of how it narrows at the top. It also zips on both sides which limited what I could fit inside.

One important thing to look at when shopping for luggage is how front heavy they can be once you pack and load them. Tim and I had luggage preciously and they would always tip forward on us based on how the weight was distributed, which was very annoying!

Packing cubes

I’m a big fan of packing cubes when I travel! I love organization and I just find it much easier to unpack and find things. Your items are also more protected if you or TSA need to open your suitcase for whatever reason – I’m guilty of having to redistribute weight before dropping my bag off, haha. Once I even needed to carry a little packing cube like a clutch to keep my bag under weight internationally. I usually have cubes dedicated to certain categories: bottoms, tops, athleisure, pajamas, etc.

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Weekend Trip Packing List

Heading out for a weekend getaway is like pressing the reset button, providing a welcome pause to the demands of daily life. Short breaks like these are a golden opportunity to recharge, rejuvenate, and discover the simple joys of a..

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MZ WALLACE TOTE

Again, I’m not a minimal packer, so I use this big ol tote as my personal item. It fits SO much and because the straps are wide and padded it’s very comfortable to carry on the shoulder if you need to. I usually put it on my roller luggage until I’m getting on the plane. I have a video on Instagram here of me packing it up for a previous trip if you want to see what I usually travel with inside. I recommend using your own pouches inside to keep things organized, otherwise, it can be hard to find things! I usually put a smaller handbag inside if I don’t want to pack it – take extra care to make sure your bags aren’t going to crease if you do back them up!

NOISE CANCELLING HEADPHONES

Tim and I both use these Sony headphones. These are truly a luxury to travel with because they are noise-cancelling, the battery lasts for a long time, and are comfortable to wear for hours. The sound is also superior to the Apple headphones 🙂

GO TO TRAVEL OUTFIT

9 times out of 10 I wear this comfy set when I travel, I don’t even have to think about what to wear anymore! The weight and material is usually always just right – I don’t get too hot or cold. I like to wear a basic tee underneath just in case I do get hot, but usually I don’t! I’m between a small and medium at Spanx (My waist measures a small and my hips measure a medium) and I wear a size small in the AirEssentials line. I prefer the wide leg and crew style personally, but they also have a quarter zip and taper pant option. You can use code AMANDAJOHNxSPANX for 20% off!

These white sneakers are also usually my go-to for travel, whether it’s by car or plane. They’re so comfortable, but dressier than a sneaker so I can usually wear them with dresses and outfits on my trip, too.

If you’re looking for more travel outfit ideas, I always save mine to LTK here (use the search to find what you’re looking for – ex: “travel outfit”. You can also search the outfit page here for some of my favorites from LTK 🙂 I also rounded up some of my travel outfits from last year in this IG post.

More Travel Favorites:

• Sadly I get very motion sick, so I never travel without this medication
• I keep a little stock of medications in this cute travel case!
• I like to wipe down my seat and seatbelt, tray table, and screen with these
• Always have hand sanitizer on me!
• I usually work on my computer on planes or scroll on my phone, but if it’s a really long flight I also bring a kindle to read. Ironically – I’m on a plane right now as I’m writing this 🙂
• This is my current travel steamer. I LOVE that you can remove the water tank to fill it up un-like most small travel steamers.
• For long flights, I like to wear compression socks to prevent swelling. Mine are actually from an old FabFitFun box lol. But here’s plenty of options!
• I drink these daily, but it’s especially helpful to stay hydrated when you travel.
• I love using hat clips if I’m traveling with one!

If you’re looking for specific packing recommendations, I usually round up my outfits, travel guides, and packing list here on the blog! You can browse more travel posts here.

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