Items You Never Knew You Needed While Traveling

You’ve packed your clothes. You remembered your toothbrush. Your phone is charged, your passport is in hand, and your itinerary is solid enough. You’re ready, right?

Almost.

Ask any seasoned traveler and they’ll tell you: the real MVPs of any trip are rarely the flashy gadgets or specialty gear. It’s the tiny, overlooked, totally unglamorous items that save your day (and in some cases trip) when things get chaotic.

Whether you’re heading out for a weekend getaway or an international adventure, this list is here to upgrade your travel game—with a handful of humble heroes you probably never even thought to bring. And great news! They’re all pretty cheap if you’re traveling on a budget.

1. Binder Clips, Chip Clips, Hair Clips, Bobby Pins… All of It

This may sound excessive, but trust me: a few clips of any kind can solve more travel woes than you’d expect. If it can clip or hold things together you might want to strongly consider bringing it along.

• Use binder clips to close snack bags, organize cords, or even keep hotel curtains closed when they don’t quite meet in the middle.
• Hair clips and bobby pins can double as makeshift fasteners for clothes, curtains, or even broken zippers.
• A chip clip can save your half-eaten bag of plane snacks, or keep a damp washcloth hanging from your hostel bunk to dry.
• As a bonus for the most part all of these can be used in place of each other, so if you’ve got bobby pins but nothing else they can still be used to close snacks!

They’re small, lightweight, and endlessly useful. Toss a few in your bag—you’ll thank yourself later.

2. A Collapsible Dog Water Bowl (Yes, Even If You Don’t Have a Dog)

Hear us out: collapsible silicone pet bowls are a game-changer.

If you’re traveling with a pup, you already know this. But even if you’re not, these bowls are:

• Durable, waterproof, and fold down flat
• Perfect for making oatmeal, ramen, or instant soup in a pinch
• Great for rinsing small items or washing your face on a campsite
• Handy for eating snacks that you can’t just stick your hands into, whether because of design, germs, or your travel partners.

Basically, they’re an ultra-portable, zero-spill solution for any small liquid-related need or for any other food you might find yourself wanting to eat in a bowl. Bonus points if it comes with a clip to attach to your backpack.

Tip: There are also plenty made of other materials like waxed fabric or nylon, while they won’t be quite as good for liquids they’re still plenty good for everything else!

3. A Travel Spork (aka: the Unsung Hero of Impulse Snacks)

Ever find yourself grabbing a yogurt, fruit cup, or street food only to realize… you have nothing to eat it with?

Enter: the travel/camping spork. It’s part spoon, part fork, sometimes even part knife, occasionally some other miscellaneous vaguely useful tool, and often made of sturdy but ultralight materials. These little tools are:

• TSA-friendly (no sharp blades!)
• Reusable (eco win!)
• Surprisingly versatile

Whether you’re on a train platform with a pre-packed lunch or whipping up hotel room noodles, a spork saves you from awkwardly poking at your food with coffee stirrers. Trust me, just because it technically works doesn’t make the time or embarrassment worth it.

4. Extra Socks (Ideally, a Fuzzy Pair)

This one might seem basic, but it’s not just about practicality—it’s about comfort.

Airports are cold. Airplanes are colder. Hostel and Hotel floors are questionable at best. Having an extra pair of cozy socks stashed in your carry-on gives you an instant upgrade from tired traveler to snug little gremlin mode.

Pro tips:

• Pack one fuzzy pair for ultimate coziness
• Pack one dry pair in case of wet shoes, rainstorms, or sandy detours
• Tuck a pair in your daypack so you’re never stranded with chilly, or even worse wet, toes

They take up almost no space and are absolute lifesavers. Don’t sleep on the sock game, although you definitely can sleep in them.

5. A Lightweight Blanket or Oversized Scarf

If you’ve ever frozen through an overnight flight or regretted not having a pillow on a five-hour bus ride, you already know where this is going.

A lightweight travel blanket or a large, soft scarf can work as:

• A wrap when it gets chilly
• A makeshift pillow (just bundle it up)
• A seat cushion on hard benches or airport floors
• A privacy curtain in a hostel bunk
• A fashion item, depending on your vibe
• And… pretty much anything else you can think of doing with a bit of fabric

Look for breathable materials that fold down small but still offer at least some amount of warmth. The perfect one becomes your ride-or-die travel companion.

6. Sanitizing or Cleaning Wipes

Germs don’t take vacations. Whether you're wiping down a questionable tray table or refreshing yourself after a sweaty hike, cleaning wipes are your best friend.

Travel uses:

• Disinfecting high-touch surfaces (airplane seat, hotel remote, gas pump)
• Cleaning sticky hands after street food adventures
• Wiping down shoes, phone screens, or even your face–as long as they say that they’re safe to have near your eyes–after a long day

Choose wipes that are gentle enough for skin but effective enough for surfaces. If you’re extra minimalist, pack a small pack of both sanitizing and baby wipes.

Bonus tip: you can rehydrate slightly dried-out wipes with a splash of water in a pinch.

Honorable Mentions: Other Weirdly Useful Travel Finds

While the above are must-haves in our book, here are a few more small items that often fly under the radar but make a huge difference:

Plastic Zip Bags or Reusable Snack Bags

Don’t underestimate the power of a good zip bag. These come in handy for:

• Organizing your suitcase: Use one for cords, one for snacks, one for toiletries, one for “things that might explode in flight.”
• Protecting important documents: Keep your passport, boarding pass, or vaccine card safe from spills.
• Stashing trash: Whether you’re on a hike or stuck in a car, you’ll always be grateful for a clean place to stash wrappers, tissues, or food waste.
• Containing wet or dirty clothes: After a beach day or rainy adventure, it’s great to isolate damp items from the rest of your stuff.

Reusable snack bags are also a great eco-friendly alternative and come in fun patterns that make them easy to find in your backpack.

Travel-Sized Fabric Refresher or Mini Febreze

Let’s be real: laundry isn’t always an option, and not everything can go multiple wears without getting a little… lived in.

That’s where a travel-size fabric refresher comes in.
Use it to:

• Revive clothes between washes, especially after long travel days, hikes, or being crammed in a bus seat for eight hours.
• Refresh your travel blanket or scarf, especially if it’s been used as a pillow, towel, or napkin.
• Spruce up hotel pillows or musty rooms—a few spritzes can go a long way toward making a strange place feel fresher.

Opt for an unscented or lightly scented version to avoid overwhelming small spaces (or fellow travelers).

A Small Carabiner

You don’t need to be scaling cliffs to benefit from this classic piece of outdoor gear.

A simple clip-on carabiner can help:

• Free up your hands when your pockets or bag are full—clip your reusable water bottle, shopping bag, or hat to your backpack.
• Secure small items in a hostel or shared space where things could get knocked around.
• Keep key items easily accessible, like your room key, face mask, or hand sanitizer.
• Bundle things together, like shoes or headphones, inside your suitcase.

Look for a durable, lightweight one (not necessarily climbing-grade!) and clip it to your bag before every trip.

Dry Shampoo or Travel Powder

Showering isn’t always easy on the road—maybe your layover’s too short, the campsite has no facilities, or your Airbnb’s hot water is playing games. Enter: dry shampoo.

• Soaks up oil and adds a bit of volume to flattened hair after flights or humid hikes.
• Makes you feel instantly fresher, even if you’re a few days deep into your trip.
• Comes in compact, carry-on–friendly bottles, and some even double as deodorizing powder.

If aerosols aren’t your thing (or not allowed in your luggage), there are great powder-based options that work just as well and last longer.

Bonus tip: Baby powder can double as dry shampoo and prevent thigh chafing or help remove sand after beach days. Multipurpose wins all around.

The Takeaway: Small Stuff, Big Impact

The best part? Every item on this list is compact, light, and inexpensive—but together, they can drastically improve your travel experience. When you’re far from home, it’s these thoughtful little things that keep you comfortable, calm, and ready for whatever curveball your adventure throws at you.

So next time you're packing, leave a little space for the oddballs. Because while they might not be the first things you think of… they might just be the ones you miss the most when you need them. If you want any ideas of where to travel next to try some of these things here’s a list of places!