This post on the Best Travel Accessories of 2021 contains references to products on my Amazon Store site. I may receive a commission when you purchase these products from my store, though at no additional cost to you. I hand-pick and recommend only the products that I am either familiar with or comfortable recommending.
Travel can be one of the most rewarding experiences you have in your life. Few other things in this world help broaden your perspective and teach you as much about the world and yourself as travel does. On the flip side, travel can also be very difficult and stressful at times. We have likely all had travel experiences that made us wonder if we’d ever get back out there and explore ever again. However, even the worst parts about travel don’t have to be that difficult or stressful. One way that you can help reduce the amount of stress that you feel when you travel and help you enjoy the experiences you have more is to have the right travel accessories with you on your trip. Having the right accessories can make you more comfortable, keep your belongings safe, and help you capture and save the special moments of your journey.
In order to help you pick out the next great travel accessory for your next big adventure, I have included the 20 best travel accessories for 2021 below for you to review. So before you go jet-setting across the world, make sure you are prepared to travel in comfort, safety, and convenience with these great accessories. If you would like to browse thru some additional travel accessories that didn’t make my list, I would suggest checking out my Amazon Store for a complete list of the travel and adventure accessories that I recommend.
Personalized Travel Map from Conquest Maps
This is my all-time favorite travel accessory, which is why you see me writing about it quite a bit. When I was a younger man, I made my own travel pin board map. I loved that map dearly, but I will be the first to admit that it looked more like a home craft project than a stylish piece of home décor. Conquest Maps hits the ball out of the park with their stylish and beautiful travel maps and decals. If you haven’t taken a look at their products yet, I strongly encourage you to do so. It is a great way to map out your adventures!
Price:$29 and Up
Beats Solo3 Wireless Headphones
I talk about my travel life in pre Beats Audio days and post Beats Audio days. That is how much I absolutely love my Beats Solo3 wireless headphones and why I think these headphones are one of the all-time best travel accessories you can buy. No more getting tangled up in your headphones cable as you scoot out of your airplane seat to use the restroom. No more needing to worry about adapters to use your headphones with your new iPhone. With the Beats Solo3 wireless headphones, keeping yourself entertained while traveling has gotten so much easier and enjoyable.
Price: $199.98
Bluetooth Sleep Eye Mask Wireless Headphones
This is one of the best travel accessories I have seen hit the market in some time. If you travel with others or frequent hostels quite a bit during your travels, you are going to love this Bluetooth sleep eye mask with wireless headphones. No longer will you have to worry about having trouble getting to sleep because lights are on or your roommates are being too noisy at night. So if you or someone you travel with has trouble falling asleep, this might be the perfect travel accessory to try out this year.
Price: $21.99
NEWVANGA International All in One Travel Adapter
If you travel a lot internationally, then you are going to really love this all-in-one international power adapter by NWEVANGA. With this adapter in hand, you will be prepared to use or charge your devices in over 150 different countries. Two available USB ports make it quick and easy to charge your phone and other USB devices while the built-in surge protector will protect your devices from electrical surges. Best of all, it’s light and compact design makes it very easy to pack.
Price: $11.99
Roku Streaming Stick Plus
Granted, the whole purpose of traveling is to get out and explore. However, there are those times when I am on the road and I have an early night where I wish I could connect to my favorite streaming services and just recharge my battery. If you are lucky, you might be staying at a hotel that has a smart TV where you can connect to Netflix, Hulu, or other streaming apps and watch your favorite shows on the TV. Otherwise, you and your travel companions are left huddling around an iPad or iPhone and straining not to miss anything. That’s why I think the Roku Streaming Stick Plus is one of the best travel accessories you can invest in. Not only is it great for accessing your favorite streaming services at home, but its small size and light weight make it a great travel accessory as well.
Price: $41.99
Sleepy Ride – Airplane Footrest
Few things are worse when traveling than the wear-and-tear that the close-quarters space in most airline’s economy class does to your body. This lack of personal space can be hard on your knees and lower back, especially on long-haul flights. When I flew to Australia this past year, I had the luxury of flying in Premium Select class with Delta Airlines because I had banked enough airline miles. Had it not been for the footrest built into the seats in the Premium Select section, my 15-hour flight from Los Angeles to Sydney would have been pure misery.
The good news for you is that you don’t need to pony up the cash for an upgraded seat to have a footrest available to you on your flights. With the Sleepy Ride – Airplane Footrest, you can bring your footrest with you onto the plane. This product is durable, easy to carry, and a breeze to hook up once you board and are seated. Not to mention, because it hooks up to your own tray table, you won’t bother others when you use it.
Price: $14.97
Portable Air Conditioner Fan
If you have traveled to a very hot destination where air conditioning is a rarity, then you definitely understand why this travel air cooling fan is on my list of the best travel accessories. Trying to get to sleep when it feels like you are in an oven is an absolutely miserable experience. So much so that I wrote a whole blog article on Ten Tips to Survive Hotels and Hostels with No Air Conditioning. While I would definitely recommend reading that article, I would also suggest purchasing this small travel fan that blows air cooling water mist to take with you as well. Believe me, you will be so glad you did.
Price: $39.99
Travelwise Packing Cube System
If packing for a trip is your worst nightmare, then the Travelwise Packing Cube system will be your new best friend. Not only do these travel cubes make it easier to pack your suitcase efficiently, but they also make it much easier to keep your suitcase organized while you are traveling. One of the smartest uses of the travel cubes that I have seen while traveling is one family that had one large suitcase on their trip with each person getting one large travel cube within that bag. Absolutely genius! I have been using these travel cubes for a few years now and consider them one of the best travel accessories I have ever purchased. That is why I feel very confident in recommending them to you.
Price: $15.99
Inflatable Wine Protector Bags
On my list of the best travel accessories to purchase last year, I included some padded wine protectors that you could purchase and take with you when you travel. This recommendation was a big hit and I have had a lot of people reach out to me and thank me for the suggestion. This year, I am presenting to you an even better alternative for protecting the wine purchases you bring home from your travels. These inflatable wine bags do an even better job of protecting your wine treasures than the padded wine protectors do. They come with a small device that allows you to easily inflate the bags around your wine bottle, keeping it nice and safe until you get home. These bags are so innovative that they may just be my favorite new accessory for this year!
Price: $21.99 for 50-Pack
Anker PowerCore 20100 Portable Charger
If you are a travel photographer or just have lots of electronics that you carry with you when you travel, then this portable travel charger is going to be a lifesaver for you. Not only does it allow you to charge two devices at once, but its 20,100mAh capacity means that you can charge devices over-and-over before you have to recharge your portable charger. This can be a game-changer on long trips where you will need to recharge your phone or camera batteries while on the go. That is why I consider travel chargers to be one of the top travel accessories you can invest in and why I absolutely cannot live without my Anker PowerCore 20100.
Price: $45.99
Purell Sanitary Travel Wipes
The past few years have been unprecedented years in travel. The COVID-19 pandemic has had a devastating effect on the travel industry and left many travelers wondering what the future holds for international travel. While I recently wrote about some of the good signs that travel might be opening back up in my post on the Top Travel Destinations for 2021, it is understandable that many travelers want to be extra-cautious as they start to venture out again. That is why I think these disposable travel sanitary wipes from the reputable brand name Purell will be one of the top travel accessories for this year. They are effective, easy to carry, and allow you to not only clean your hands after touching surfaces, but allow you to sanitize surfaces as well. With these wipes, you can sanitize your airplane seat tray, hotel TV remote and countertops, and other high-traffic surfaces you may interact with during your travels and have the peace of mind that you won’t get sick.
Price: $19.50 for 20-Pack
Aokin Phone Camera Lens Kit
If you love to take pictures when you travel, but don’t want to spend the money on an expensive DSLR or new camera, then this is a great option for you. With this amazing iPhone lens kit, you can take your photography game to the next level with just your iPhone camera. There are lenses that allow you to zoom in more than your phone alone allows and wide-angle lenses that allow you to get those wide shots of buildings that your phone alone is just not good for. And at this price, it is an absolute steal.
Price: $29.99
Master Lock Portable Travel Safe
This travel accessory has frequently been on my list of the best travel accessories to buy, and it isn’t hard to see why. When it comes to securing your belongings, nothing is really better than using a hotel safe. They are secure and quite convenient if your hotel offers them. However, what are you to do if you are staying at a hotel, hostel, Airbnb, or other accommodation that doesn’t offer the use of a room safe? This Master Lock portable travel safe makes that problem a thing of the past.
Simply place your valuables in the small, light-weight travel safe, fasten the connected cable to something in the room that is unmovable, then lock the safe before you leave. Not only is this a great alternative to a room safe for those who are traveling without access to one, but you can also lock your valuables up inside your backpack, fasten the safe to your bag, and further secure your belongings in your backpack as you travel as well.
Price: $15.12
BUBM Travel Electronics Cable Organizer
As an avid travel photographer, I tend to travel with a lot of photography gear. If I am traveling on a plane, I tend to also carry a tablet, headphones, and a portable charger for entertainment purposes as well. Having this much gear means that there is typically a lot of cables to organize. Keeping those cables organized while traveling can be a real challenge. Even if you aren’t carrying a bunch of photography gear, keeping your phone charger, tablet charger, foreign power adapters, etc… all organized can be a hassle.
That is why I love having a cable organizer with me when I travel and why I think a good cable organizer is one of the top travel accessories, not just for travel photographers, but for any traveler. I keep most of my electronics in the cable organizer, which helps me keep track of them. Gone are the days when a cable goes missing in my backpack or my suitcase. As an added bonus, it also allows me to have all of the electronics that I will need on a plane in one convenient, easy-to-access spot. I just unclip the cable organizer from my bag (I attach mine with a climbing carabiner), place my bag in overhead storage on the plane, and keep the cable organizer in the seatback pocket until we are at cruising altitude and I can take my headphones out and start watching movies.
Price: $19.99
Four Port USB Charging Station
If you tend to travel with other people, then you probably aren’t foreign to the epic hotel room and hostel battles over power outlets for charging devices. When there are a limited number of power outlets and many devices to be charged, the squabbles over who gets access to charge their devices can get heated. That’s why I am adding this innovative new device from Amazon Basics to my list of the top travel accessories for travelers to consider. You simply plug this device into a power outlet and it allows you to charge four USB devices at once. So, whether you are a travel photographer that needs to charge a lot of devices yourself, or traveling with others and have many different devices to charge between you, this device can help keep everyone’s devices charged and the mood happy.
Price: $19.99
Addalock Portable Door Lock (Great for AirBnb)
If you are concerned about safety when you travel, and we all should be to some extent, then the Addalock Portable Door Lock is something you will want to check out. A while back, I wrote an article on the best ways to keep yourself safe when traveling. I definitely recommend reading that article before you go on your next travel adventure, but I also recommend you check out this amazing travel accessory for Addalock as well. This simple, one-piece device gives you added security when you are in your hotel room or inside your rented Airbnb. You can sleep a lot more confidently with the added security, and at this price, it really is a no-brainer. You can’t put a price on safety, which is why this travel door lock is again on my list of the top travel accessories.
Price: $17.95
Anntrue Collapsible Water Bottle
If you are like me, then you really like to stay hydrated when you travel. After all, staying hydrated is one of the best ways to overcome jetlag after long haul flights. If you don’t keep your body hydrated, a bad case of jetlag can sideline you for a few days. It has happened to the best of us when traveling. Besides, apart from just overcoming jetlag, staying hydrated is also a very important part of staying healthy when you travel. That is why I love to carry my own water bottle with me when I travel. I can fill up for free at drinking fountains and I can make sure I always have some water ready when I need it.
As much as I love to carry my own water bottle, sometimes finding the space to carry it in my carry-on can be a challenge. That is why I really love this collapsible water bottle from Anntrue. When I am not using it, it condenses in size so that it can easily fit into a small compartment in my bag. When I am ready to use it, I can expand the water bottle so that it can carry more water. It is an ingenious solution to a common packing problem and I love it.
Price: $9.99
Mpow Universal Waterproof Cell Phone Case
If you are planning on being around water when you travel, then you are going to want to make sure you have a way to protect your electronics. This is especially true for cell phones, which for many travelers also acts as their main camera while they are on vacation. One big splash of water and it could mean the end for both your cell phone and your vacation photos. While the Mpow Universal Waterproof Cell Phone Case won’t let you go swimming underwater with your phone (at least I wouldn’t recommend it), it will protect your phone from water if you are bringing it with you when kayaking, or on a snorkeling cruise, or anywhere else where it may get wet. Believe me, this will be the best money you ever spend if it saves your phone just once from being ruined.
Price: $8.49
Portable Travel Wi-Fi Hotspot
In today’s interconnected world, one of the challenges of traveling a lot is staying connected with the people back home. This can be especially challenging when you are traveling with a group of people and you are all fighting over bandwidth. Fear not, because with this nifty portable travel Wi-Fi hotspot, the days of being in the dark while you are on the road are over. With the ability to support up to fifteen connected devices and a long-battery life that will give you up to 6-hours of access between charges, you won’t ever have to worry about missing out on important family updates while on your adventures anymore!
Price: $57.72
The Trtl Pillow
In my opinion, this pillow is going to revolutionize the way that travel pillows are designed from here on out. Not only is it comfortable and fashionable, but its ergonomic design helps make sure your neck and back are always in the most comfortable and healthy position when you are getting some rest on an airplane, bus, or even on a bench in the airport. If you haven’t checked this pillow out yet, you are definitely missing out.
Price: $29.99
Zoppen RFID Travel Passport & Documents Wallet
When you are traveling, there are few things more important than keeping your travel documents safe and organized. Without your passport, your immunization forms, your credit cards, your driver’s license, and other important documents, your trip can turn into a disaster really fast. However, in today’s information age, it isn’t good enough to just keep the documents out of the hands of strangers. With RF scanning devices, your information can get stolen from you without ever leaving your hands. That is why this great RF Scanning Proof Passport and Documents Wallet is such a valuable travel tool. It will help you keep your important information safe and secure from all threats.
Price: $18.99
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We have those footrests but everything shut down before we had a chance to use them. If COVID spikes don’t ruin our trip to CA in a month, we’re definitely going to try ’em out!
Awesome!!! I have one and absolutely love it! Came in real handy on the long flight to Australia 😀
There are some nifty items in there! I have a few, but there are others I didn’t know existed. Thanks!
You are very welcome! Thank you so much for reading!!