Best Travel Essentials 2026: Top 10 To Never Leave Without

I used my Beis mini weekender bag as my personal item bag on my recent long-haul trip to Japan, and I must admit that this bag is now my go-to personal item bag. It’s large enough to fit all my in-flight personal item essentials with plenty of space leftover. Plus, my favorite part, the bottom compartment is perfect for cosmetics or shoes you want to keep separate from your other belongings. I chose to store all of my cosmetics (skincare, makeup and haircare) in the bottom compartment, and this system freed up so much space in my carry on. From now on, I’ll be using this mini weekender as my personal item on any trip where I don’t need my camera backpack. I love my beige version so much that I also purchased the pink version.

I had no idea how much I would love these next travel essentials when I first traveled with them this year. Now, I’m obsessed. Fillable bag charms are a secret way to pack more, save luggage space and stay organized without overpacking your bag. This is because these bag charms are large enough to fit several mini travel essentials, but, as a keychain, they don’t count toward your personal item or carry-on bag allowance. I love my Beis micro weekender bag charm for small essentials like hand sanitizer, earbuds, and a chapstick or lipgloss. I also just purchased the Beis micro roller charm for small essentials like jewelry or medication, as well as the Beis mirror charm for quick mirror checks en route. Because the charms will be chained to the outside of your personal item, the essentials are naturally easily accessible in flight too.

Packing cubes not only allow me to pack two weeks worth of outfits in a single carry-on suitcase (check out all my best carry-on packing tips here), but they also keep all of my clothes perfectly organized throughout every trip. I particularly love that packing cubes enable me to pack, unpack in my hotel, repack for departure and unpack at home in just seconds. The Beis compression packing cubes are definitely the most durable packing cubes I own. Although, I have used the Well Traveled packing cubes from Amazon as well, and I like those too.

Beis luggage is the luggage brand I have personally used and recommended for the past almost three years. And, I’ll continue to use and recommend Beis throughout next year. This hardshell suitcase comes fully equipped with a built-in TSA-approved lock, built-in luggage scale, as well as a clamshell interior that has compression straps on one side and a zipped half on the other. Furthermore, it comes with a snap-in compression flap and two laundry bags coined by Beis as “dirt bags.” You can read my in-depth review of Beis luggage here.

Honestly, I wish I would have bought noise-cancelling headphones sooner. I had no idea how loud the airplane engines actually were until I purchased noise-cancelling headphones and turned off the noise-cancelation in flight. The noise actually hurt my ears! I have these Apple Airpods Max, which provide crisp, clear audio. Additionally, Apple’s famous noise-cancelling feature blocks out all of the chatty passengers, crying babies and airplane engine noises on every flight. However, the Apple AirPods Max are expensive. So, the Bose QC45s and Sony noise-cancelling headphones are great more affordable alternatives.

After our hot long-haul flight home from Japan, I will never travel without my mini portable fan again. This fan literally saved my sanity in the hot plane while sitting in the middle seat of economy for 11 hours. While I find most plane rides to run cold, you never know when you’ll wind up with a hot, stuffy flight. Moreover, this fan keeps me cool in hot destinations, at every beach and pool, and on warm hikes. Bonus, I love sleeping with fan noise, so the foldable tabletop feature of this fan ensures better sleep for me in hotel rooms. I’ll never travel without a fan like this again. (Disclaimer: I have broken and repurchased this fan a couple times. The cheap plastic seems to break easily, so be care not to drop or crush it when traveling.)

Next, one thing to know about me is that, unfortunately, I suck at sleeping on flights. However, with the Trtl neck pillow, I am able to sleep more on flights than with any other neck pillow I’ve tested. Neck pillows are often stocky, bulky and near impossible to stuff inside your carry-on or personal item. But, the Trtl neck pillow folds flatter while providing more neck support. Even when my carry-on bags are full to the brim, I’m able to use the Trtl’s velcro wrap to wind the pillow around my personal item strap or luggage handle to easily travel with it through the airport. Bonus? It’s machine washable. Game-changer!

Like many of these 2026 travel essentials, I don’t know why I traveled so long without wearing knee-high compression socks. Thanks to these COMRAD knee-high compression socks (gifted), my legs no longer feel antsy or achey on long-haul flights. Why? Because compression socks promote blood flow throughout the body even when you’re sitting for long periods of time. In particular, I love my white pair because the white socks look more like normal socks when they peek out under my pants.

Although many travelers have sworn by Kindle e-readers for a long time, I’m new to the Kindle world this year. And, let me tell you. There’s no turning back. While I was in college, I never wanted to read for fun. I had enough mandatory reading to do as is. But, after I graduated, I gradually started to enjoy reading again. Now, I love reading. So, I love traveling with my Kindle because it packs flat, is lightweight, isn’t bulky like physical books, plus I have basically an unlimited amount of books that I can read on my flights, road trips, and beach or pool days. I love the leather Kindle case I got to match too.

Lastly, the Beis Sport Sling has become my new favorite airport essential this year. And, it will definitely be coming with me on all of my trips in 2026. First of all, it has plenty of easy-access room for your wallet, passport and travel documents as you walk through the airport. Likewise, it’s small enough to slide into your larger personal item before boarding, so it doesn’t have to count toward your personal item and carry-on bag allowance. But, what makes this crossbody exceptional is the hidden water bottle holder, which is perfect for travel days out and theme park days.