I love hearing about gadgets or items others use to make travel a little easier, or a little safer. Below is a list of items that my family and I use that we love and that are very useful to us. Not everyone will love every item on this list, but I do, and we personnally own and have used every single one. I’m sure there are so many more great gadgets out there that I haven’t come across, so I would love to hear about them. If anyone has any favorites they would like to share, please be sure to tell me about them in the comments section.

1. TRAVEL PACKING CUBES by Ebags

I never really understood why fellow travelers loved these so much until I started using them myself, now I can’t live without them! For me, tshirts and shorts go in one, underwear, bras, and swimsuits go in another, pajamas sets and socks go in a third, and so on. The possibilities are endless and it is all up to the person packing. In the end the cubes fit neatly into my suitcase, and I can’t even put into words how fast it makes unpacking! I simply pull the cube out unzip it and put it in a drawer. It keeps my items from ever having to actually touch the inside of the drawer (you never know whose or more importantly what belongings were in there previously). There are many different brands out there and I’m sure many are great, but I use ebags because they are extremely durable, and the colors of the bags do not ever transfer onto clothing. These are the packing packing cubes I use but there are plenty of sizes, sets, and colors available.

2. T-SHIRT FOLDING BOARD by Box Legend

Ok, let me say that at first I didn’t understand why this was needed, because I folded my tshirts just fine on my own. However, I kept hearing about how travelers, especially those who use packing cubes benefit from this little plastic contraption, so I figured it was inexpensive enough that I would give it a try, and I am really glad I did! First off, it makes folding shirts, really fast, at least for me. Also, it helps me perfectly fold my tshirts so that they are all the same size, which makes them neater to pack in a packing cube, which also helps prevent as many wrinkles in the shirts afterwards. Some of you may think this is not necessary, but I really love mine, and found it was worth every penny! My son was so intrigued by it, he actually wanted to fold his own shirts using this, that’s a win for me! There are many different styles and price points but this is the folding board I purchased.

3. CRUISE LUGGAGE TAG HOLDER

My favorite form of travel is cruising, especially on Royal Caribbean. I love the convenience of printing our cruise documents and luggage tags from our computer. Unfortunately, because the luggage tags are printed out on our regular printer paper, that means they are not durable at all. This also means there is a greater risk of the tag ripping off of the suitcase, causing the suitcase to get delayed or even lost. These little plastic tag holders are great protection against lost luggage tags. The tags slip into the plastic sleeve, and then the sleeve is attached to the suitcase using a steel hoop. That steel hoop works so much better than the tag holders that come with a plastic loop, because the plastic loops break off almost as easily as the paper tags do. These are the luggage tag holders we use for our Royal Caribbean luggage tags. We are very happy with the quality and durability.

4. METAL TRAVEL LUGGAGE TAGS by Nuolux

My family uses these metal luggage tags for all of types of travel, airplane, cruise, etc. They are very durable because the are made out of metal and so is the loop that connects it to the suitcase. Some people dont like that the information card is inside the tag because it can’t be read unless the tag is disassembled, but I like that my information stays private. Because we are a family of four, and we use the exact same luggage, we also add one of these initial bag tags to each of our suitcases. They help us identify whose suitcase is whose. We don’t write any information on the card other than our last name, because our info is on the metal luggage tag.

5. NEOPRENE LUGGAGE HANDLE WRAP GRIPS by Hibate

I have seen people use various types of ribbons, belts, tape, and some other very interesting ways to help make identifying their bags easier. No one wants to grab the wrong bag, and no one wants their bag taken by accident. We used to use ribbons too, and then we found these handle wrap grips and they have worked great for us so far! Our suitcases are black, so these make our bags easier to identify, and sets them apart from the sea of other black suitcases.

6. JETTSETTER DIGITAL LUGGAGE SCALE by Tarriss

I don’t know of anyone who wants to go over the weight limit on a suitcase. Just a few ounces over the 50lb limit, will cost dearly. The surcharge on an overweight bag can be $150 or more! This luggage scale works great. We don’t just use it to weigh our luggage before our trip, we also take it with us so we can check the weight of our bags before our return flight. Everyone’s bags are heavier after they’ve been filled with all kinds of souvenirs! As a side note, I once took a different luggage scale with me on a trip. It had a big hook on the bottom, so maybe the TSA thought it was some kind of a weapon, and they searched my bag. This digital luggage scale has no hook, and it has an easy to read LCD screen.

7. WATCH TRAVEL CASE by Watchpod

I don’t bring much jewelry with me when I travel besides what I wear daily, but I always bring one nice dress watch. But I don’t want to have to pack the big, bulky, box the watch comes in, especially because I usually pack it in my carry on. This travel watch case is perfect because it is light, less bulky, and holds two watches so my husband and I can store ours together. It protects the watch without taking up too much space.

8. DOUBLE SIDED TRAVEL LED LIGHTED MAKE-UP MIRROR

The travel mirror I have, is no longer available on Amazon, but looks exactly like this travel mirror. This compact type mirror can open and expand upward. The LED lights make it nice and bright and it has both a regular mirror and a magnifying mirror. Some hotel rooms have lighted magnifying mirrors, but most do not. The lighted mirrors in cruise cabins are not the best in my opinion. Having a compact, bright, lighted mirror anytime I need is very convenient. This mirror also came in handy recently when I forgot my book light and used it to read at night on my trip.

9. WALLET CASE FOR CELLPHONE

Using a wallet case for my cellphone is a must, especially when I am on a cruise. I do not carry or even bring a handbag on a cruise. I do however need somewhere to carry my cellphone, my sign and sail card, and perhaps a few dollars for tips. A wallet case is perfect, and even comes with an optional wrist strap to make it even easier to carry. This is the cellphone wallet case I use, because I have a Samsung S8+. Please be sure to find the case that fits the right phone for you.

10. RFID BLOCKING CARD SLEEVES

Security is very important, especially traveling through airports, cruise ports, or really anywhere these days. Protect your identity with these RFID card sleeves. I use them for all my credit cards, and anything that contains a Radio Frequency ID chip, like passports. Even school id’s need to be protected because many if not all contain a chip. I don’t take a chance, I even put my driver’s license in a sleeve, even though it technically doesn’t have a chip…yet.

I hope this list helps some people discover new items that can make travel a little easier or a little safer. I’m sure there are lots of things I have forgotten or dont know about yet, so tell me about them in the comments section.