There are so many travel accessories out there, but finding the best carry-on friendly travel accessories can be difficult. In my experience, less is more when it comes to packing for a trip abroad and there’s a huge difference between just packing light and packing smart.

These carry-on friendly travel accessories are sure to help you on your next trip abroad. I have personally used each one of these accessories and as someone who loves traveling light, can confidently recommend them to you.

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The Best Carry-on Friendly Travel Accessories on Amazon

Laundry sheets

When you pack light, you have to expect that you’ll wash some items while you’re gone. In Europe, we were lucky enough to have washing machines in a couple of our Airbnb’s. In Southeast Asia, we just used our bathtubs. Either way, these laundry sheets will be your saving grace after you fall in a drain in the middle of an outdoor market in Thailand (true story).

Why do I love them? They are compact, light, and non-liquid. In today’s travel world, even powders are having issues getting through airport security. You won’t have any issues with these and they go a long way.

Protein bars

“You’ll never go hungry in Asia. The food is so good!”

While I agree the food was amazing, there were a few times I was glad to have a protein bar in my bag.

Need an example? It took us almost two full days to travel to Cambodia from Atlanta, Georgia. We were living on awful plane food and not-so-nutritious airport lounge food. On the last leg of our journey, I was not feeling great. My stomach hurt and I just felt like I needed something substantial. Thank goodness I had a protein bar available in my bag to help me out. It really made a difference in how I felt by the time we arrived in Cambodia.

Speaking of Cambodia, our days exploring temples brought us to some sketchy restaurants on the side of the road. The second day, I could barely eat the food. We had been wandering temples for more than 10 hours and I was fading by the time we got to our last temple of the day. Luckily I had a protein bar in my bag which almost instantly took me from feeling like I was going to pass out to feeling much better.

Moral of the story: Whether you feel like you can’t eat the food at a place you are taken to or just feeling like you need something to get you through 3 flights across the world, you will be glad to have some protein bars in your bag.

Electrolyte packets

If there’s one thing that scares me more than missing a flight it’s food poisoning. We are always extremely cautious when eating food in other countries (especially in third world countries). But food poisoning can strike at any moment.

These aren’t only helpful in times of food poisoning. Exploring tropical places or cities in the summer can be hot. If you’re constantly sweating, water may not be enough to fully re-hydrate you. Having a way to combat dehydration is essential and these packets are such an easy way to do that.

These electrolyte packets are in powder form so they can be brought in your carry-on. All you need is a bottle of water to mix the powder in, then you’ll be on your way to re-hydration. Read my tips below on how to safely carry food products on a plane.

Non-aerosol dry shampoo

Dry shampoo has become increasingly popular in the past few years. It should be no surprise that it is a favorite travel accessory of many adventurers. When you’re traveling for over 48 hours without access to a shower, having something to help you not look or feel like a mess is truly amazing.

The tricky part is finding a dry shampoo that is carry-on friendly. Most come in aerosol cans, which is fine as long as you can find a travel sized can. If you want to ditch the aerosol all together, this is my absolute favorite dry shampoo for traveling.

It is a loose powder which does take a little practice to apply. But you only need a small amount to transform your hair. The scent is lavender and very light (I barely notice the scent). Also, it’s 100% natural and organic which is perfect for an eco-friendly adventure.

Mosquito repellent wipes

In 2018, we traveled to several places with warnings about mosquitos. The illnesses that can be transferred by these pesky flys are scary and something you definitely do not want to bring home with you.

Make sure you’re protected with a strong mosquito repellent. The wipes below will make sure you are covered and can easily be brought in your carry-on. We used mosquito repellent wipes in Southeast Asia and Costa Rica and hardly noticed any bites at all.

TSA approved toiletry pouch (for liquids)

I know what you’re thinking, “is this really necessary?” In my opinion, yes. I will not travel without mine now.

In the past, I would go the cheap route with a quart-sized freezer baggy. However, I saw this on Amazon and thought it would be useful for all of our trips. It is a game changer. I can fit so much more in this pouch than I ever could in my baggy and there’s no risk of it ripping mid-trip. I love that travel sized bottles fit perfectly upright and I can stick the smaller containers along the top.

The best thing about this travel accessory is that it is always easy to repack. If I need to get to my lip balm or hand lotion mid-flight, I don’t have to spend 15 minutes trying to get everything to fit back in the bag without ripping it.

GoPro +Accessories

We recently decided to purchase a GoPro for our Southeast Asia trip. We knew we would be doing a lot of activities involving water and wanted to make sure we had a way to capture the incredible moments without worrying about ruining my DSLR.

Fast forward to now, we’ve used our GoPro for so much! We were able to use it for snorkeling in Bali, spending a day with elephants in Thailand, and for all of our adventures in Costa Rica. We are so glad to have a camera that we can literally take anywhere.

We have the GoPro Hero 5 black and love it. We also purchased this accessories kit and this waterproof housing. The HERO5 is already waterproof, but we wanted added protection since we would be in salt water quite a bit.

Travel razor

Who knew something so simple would be one of my favorite travel accessories? I did a random search on Amazon one day for travel accessories and stumbled upon this razor. Not only is it smaller in size, but it comes with a nifty case to prevent you from slicing your finger when you try to find it in your bag.

They take normal sized razor heads so you probably already have replacements sitting in your house. This is another item I never travel without anymore!

Battery pack

I can’t stress enough how important it is to purchase a quality battery pack for a trip abroad. This is one travel accessory we use the most when on the go.

Not only does it save you when you’re in the middle of the jungle and your phone is about to die, but it also charges things lightning fast. I actually prefer to use this rather than the charging ports that come in the seats of the plane.

Keep in mind that the pack does need to be charged before you can use it. It takes a very long time for it to reach a full charge, but once it does it will last a couple of days. Also, it does not come with a cable for your phone, but you can use any phone cord you already have. So make sure you 1) fully charge it before you leave and 2) pack a charging cable.

Tips for bringing food or edible items abroad

In our world of heightened security, it seems like there’s a new rule added to what you can and can’t carry on a plane every day. To be safe, I put every edible item in my carry-on in a clear gallon-sized freezer baggy and take it out of my backpack whenever I go through security.

It makes it so much easier if all of a sudden I’m asked by someone at security if I have any food in my carry-on. The answer is, “yes and it’s all in this bag”. Easy, no stress, and I never have to figure out where I put all my food at a moments notice.

 

What are your favorite carry-on friendly travel accessories?

-Bisous!

Lauryn

 

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