10 Overrated Travel Essentials Not To Waste Your Money On

The first travel essential not to buy is a regular, U-shaped neck pillow. Traditional neck pillows are stocky, bulky, uncomfortable and hard to pack. There are so many better, more comfortable, easier-to-pack neck pillows on the market. It’s time to ditch your cheap neck pillow and invest in one that will actually help you sleep more on flights. My favorite neck pillow is the Trtl neck pillow. With the Trtl neck pillow, I sleep so much better on flights.

The next overrated travel essential not to buy is a travel pillow and blanket set — you know, those cheap pillows that are stuffed with a blanket for a 2-in-1 travel set. In my opinion, these travel pillow blanket sets are a little gimmicky. And, while I think they could make a fun gift for travelers, I find it hard to justify spending money on one when you can just bring any blanket from home instead. Plus, if you want to use a pillow in flight (i.e. if you’re trying to sleep on a flight), you probably want a blanket too. You don’t want to have to pick between one or the other.

Another cheap travel essential that I find gimmicky is the basic cheap travel backpack on Amazon. The material is often very cheap, easily dirtied and easily ripped. Also, I hate to say it, but they look really cheap too. Instead, I think it’s worth the money to purchase a high quality travel backpack like the Beis The Travel Backpack that is durable, practical and looks more presentable in the airport.

A few years ago, a really popular luggage brand came out with a suitcase that came with a built-in portable charger that when totally viral. All of the famous travel influencers had this suitcase, and it was on every traveler’s wishlist. But, there was one problem. Portable chargers are lithium batteries, and lithium batteries cannot be checked on flights because they pose a significant fire hazard. So, if you check this bag — either at check-in or at the gate — you have to remove the built-in battery pack. Instead, opt for a reliable suitcase (I swear by my Beis luggage) and a separate cheap portable charger to carry on.

If you’re traveling with makeup in a carry on, it’s important you follow TSA’s liquid rules. All of your liquids must be 3.4 ounces or less and must fit into one clear quart size bag for airport security. Some people buy plastic fully clear makeup bags to comply. However, I find that many of the clear plastic bag makeup bags are cheaply made. Instead, I recommend buying a clear makeup bag that is lined in cloth along the zippers. I really like my Beis In-Flight Cosmetic Set for this alternative.

This next travel essential not to buy is pretty outdated: the travel money belt. Historically, these money belts could be discretely worn underneath your clothes to prevent theft. These days, money belts are, quite frankly, unnecessary in the vast majority of destinations. I’ve traveled to some of the most pickpocket-notorious countries in the world, and I’ve never worn a travel money belt. Instead, I opt for a secure crossbody belt bag so that my valuables are always wrapped to the front of my body and never out of line of sight. I really like my Beis Sport Sling for travel because it has a built-in expandable water bottle holder too.

If you’ve seen any of my other travel essentials blog posts, you know I never travel without my portable handheld fan. But, why on Earth do most of Amazon’s portable travel fans have animal ears? This is so funny to me. Haha! I’m sorry but I personally do not need my handheld fan to look like a teddy bear or cat. Instead, I like a simple foldable handheld fan like this one.

This next travel essential not to buy might be controversial, and that’s an expensive underwater action camera. Now, let me start by saying that I have a GoPro Hero 13 and love it. But, I’m a full-time travel creator. It makes sense for me to have a high-quality underwater action camera. If you aren’t trying to become a travel creator, save yourself hundreds of dollars and get one of these underwater phone pouches instead. You can still take decent underwater photos and videos on vacation with it, and the price isn’t even comparable to an underwater camera.

Another travel essential that is outdated for most travelers is a pair of ugly water shoes. If you want to wear traditional water shoes for practicality purposes, no judgement from me. But, for me personally, I think there’s a time and place for ugly water shoes (e.g. maybe if I’m scuba diving). Otherwise, I opt for cuter water shoes like my trusty Teva Verra hiking sandals or even my tennis shoe style water shoes instead. You can find all of my cute waterproof shoe recommendations here.

Finally, the last of this list of travel essentials not to buy that is overrated, in my opinion, is a large weekender bag. Large weekender bags have been very viral lately, and, honestly, I don’t get the hype. A large weekender bag only makes sense if you do a lot of overnight trips because you can’t fit more than 1-2 days worth of clothes maximum. Large weekenders are also usually too big to use as a personal item bag, which is why I never fly with my large weekender. Instead, I love my mini weekender bag. It’s small enough to act as my personal item, so I don’t have to worry about fitting all of my carry on clothes in it or carrying it through the airport.