I'm A Professional Travel Writer—These 6 Items Are My Non-Negotiables

Forbes

04-04-2025

After three decades of covering travel and luxury—from private island resorts in the British Virgin Islands to a sleepless night on a borrowed piece of cardboard on Australia's Fraser Island, battling ants and dingoes—I've learned a few things about getting around this fascinating world of ours. Through trial and error, I've figured out the best travel gear that actually holds up. The travel hacks that help. The things that make flying, packing, sleeping, and staying safe a little easier.
I promise, this isn't a list of trendy TikTok finds or sponsored fluff. These are products I've personally used across thousands of miles and dozens of time zones—things that still make it into my bag after all these years.
The Trtl is a travel neck pillow that keeps your head from doing the "wake-up bob" at 36,000 feet.
You know what I love about those bulky U-shaped pillow you see at airport gift shops? Nothing. They don't help you sleep and I always end up leaving them at hotels since they take up so much room in my luggage. There is a better option: The Trtl (pronounced "turtle") is a soft, lightweight scarf-looking neck pillow with hidden internal support that actually keeps your head upright and your neck aligned so you can sleep on planes. I think of it as neck brace in disguise—but in the best, coziest way.
To use it, you place the brace part where your head naturally falls—usually against one side of your neck—then wrap the fleece scarf around it. That's it. No bobbing, no jerking awake 40 times mid-flight with your mouth open and your neck tweaked.
My wife and I both love the original Trtl. But on a recent nine-hour overnight flight, I upgraded to Trtl Pillow Plus, which adds high-density foam and moisture-wicking fabric to keep you cooler and more comfortable. I didn't overthink it—I just slept. For seven hours. In coach.
Unlike other travel pillows, like the BCOZZY or FLYHUGZ popular on Amazon (apparently, funky spelling is a thing in the neck-pillow world), the Trtl compresses down to nearly nothing and slides easily into a carry-on or personal item. It's also machine washable, which is more than I can say for some airplane blankets.
SCOTTeVEST's Action Adventure Shorts have so many pockets, it's like wearing your luggage around your waist.
I will not lie—I'm a sucker for pockets. The SCOTTeVEST Action Adventure Shorts have 17 of them, and I've used just every single one. These things are a labyrinth: zippered compartments hidden behind other pockets, stash spots I forget about until I find a passport or melted chocolate bar. They're water-resistant, built with rugged zippers, and tough enough for trails, beach days, or navigating the most hectic street market. I've worn them in downpours and in 98-degree heat—they hold up and I don't worry about pickpockets.
When I need something less 'Indiana Jones on vacay,' I go for the Hidden Pockets Cargo Pants. They've got a cleaner, sleeker silhouette but still manage to hide eight thoughtfully placed pockets. Perfect when I want to carry everything (phone, passport, earbuds, reporter's notebook, battery pack, snacks, receipts and cash) without looking like I'm wearing my luggage.
Scott Jordan, the founder of SCOTTeVEST, famously told the Shark Tank investors they were 'out'—and honestly, he didn't need them. His gear has made millions because it solves a real travel problem: how to carry all your essentials safely, and without schlepping another bag. These pieces have saved me more than once when I didn't want to deal with a backpack. Just don't forget where you stashed your stuff.
Loop Quiet earplugs look like jewelry (not traffic cones) and won't make you feel like you've got packing peanuts in your ears.
I've used the cheap day-glo foam earplugs from drugstores for years—Mack's, CVS specials, whatever was in the travel-size bin. And they're fine. Until you try to roll over and it sounds like someone's crumpling packing peanuts inside your head.
Then last year, my wife bought me a pair of Loop Quiet Earplugs, and I've been a convert ever since. They're elegant as jewelry, reusable, and somehow manage to block out noise without creating that weird internal echo chamber effect. The design is clever: soft silicone ear tips and a small loop that makes them easy to pop in and out. They come with multiple tip sizes, they don't stick out like you're wearing traffic cones in your ears, and they actually look kind of cool. (Never thought I'd say that about earplugs.)
I've worn them on red-eyes, in hotel rooms with mystery HVAC systems, and once during a solo breakfast next to a pair of ten-year-olds watching a WAR MOVIE! at full blast with no headphones. These things saved me from confrontation—and from chaos. Highly recommend.
Once a skeptic, I became a Birkenstock convert after several big trips.
For years, I dismissed Birkenstocks. To me, they were the uniform of Deadheads, bodywork therapists, and Dusseldorf exchange students named Lukas. But before back-to-back trips to South America and Europe last year, I needed something different than the Australian Blundstones I'd been traveling with for too long (they made my feet sweaty). I neeeded shoes that could handle cobblestone streets, museum afternoons, dinners out, airport security, and maybe even a beach. And just like that, Birkenstock became my ride-or-die travel footwear.
I started with the Pasadena, a low-profile, laced-up classic that somehow walks the line between sneaker and casual dress shoe. I wore it to galleries in Rio and to dinner in Bologna and never once felt underdressed—or under-supported. Then I picked up the Oswego Midnight, which is like if a Chelsea boot and an ankle sock got together and made something more stylish. It's slip-on, city-appropriate, and absurdly comfortable. It became my go-to for airport days, walking-heavy afternoons, and any scenario where I wanted to look pulled together without actually trying.
The Florida Exquisite is a new arrival and excellent for both casual and dressier travel moments.
My wife has her own lineup: the Almina Leather Black for when we're heading somewhere chic, the Florida Exquisite for easy, stylish slide-on days that edge toward elegance, and the Bend Low Leather White, which somehow matches everything and never gives her blisters—even on 25,000-step days. All of them have that magic Birkenstock footbed that molds to your feet and saves you from the post-travel limp, earning a permanent place in our carry-ons.
For me, Epicka has become the go-to adapter for virtually every travel charging situation.
In a Brazilian airport recently, my entire family huddled around a single outlet like it was a campfire—and somehow, everyone got a charge. iPhones, iPads, AirPods, a laptop.... All from one Epicka Universal Travel Adapter. It was like watching a magician pull rabbits out of a socket.
This little $20 block handles most global plug types and has enough ports—four USB-As, one USB-C—to charge your entire digital life at once. It's compact, feels solid, and even comes with a backup fuse (a nice touch, in case you wander into one of those hotels where the power grid sounds like it was built by Dr. Frankenstein).
No travel adapter is truly 'universal,' and yes, this one's a bit bulkier than those tiny plug-only options. But if you're traveling with family, multiple devices, or any intention of avoiding a charger fight in a shared Airbnb, this thing earns its keep fast. I never thought I'd be emotionally attached to a plug adapter, but here we are.
Just enough sustenance to get you through those middle-of-the-night jetlag blues.
You think you've adjusted. You're fine. You've made it through dinner in Tokyo, walked off the flight, maybe even stayed up till 9 p.m. like a globetrotting pro. Then at 3:07 a.m., jet lag taps you on the shoulder and whispers, You were wrong. Suddenly you're ravenous and wide awake in a hotel room where the mini bar is stocked with $20 gold-leaf sake jelly.
This is why I always pack Nature's Bakery Fig Bars. They're soft-baked, real-fruit-filled, and just sweet enough to feel like comfort without the regret. They're plant-based, dairy-free, nut-free, and TSA-friendly—which is more than I can say for some of my snacks. Each little twin-pack is perfect: one for right now, one for that next inevitable middle-of-the-night existential crisis.
I'm partial to Raspberry, but I've also stashed Apple Cinnamon and Blueberry in backpacks, jacket pockets, and side compartments of my suitcase. As travel gear goes, it's a lifeline at altitude, on tarmacs, or when the only thing open near your hotel is a vending machine full of squid chips.