If You're Only Bringing A Carry-On On Vacation, You Should Pack These 12 Items

Buzz Feed

02-05-2025

1. A waterproof Kindle you can consider a pocket-size portal to another dimension. It's compact, glare-free, and has a ton of storage for thousands of books, plus a battery life that lasts much longer than your seven-hour flight — up to 10 weeks!
It also features adjustable warm light that's much easier on your eyes.
Abby: ^ Yes, that is me sitting in a pool in Hawaii holding my Kindle over the water without fear or stress that if it falls in, it will break. Truly living my best life.
Promising review:"I LOVE reading and being able to access a book anywhere with this thing. It is easy to navigate, very easy to read and adjust the brightness or how warm the light is. It doesn't auto adjust, but I don't need that feature. I've read in bright sunlight to dark rooms, and it's always been so clear. You can adjust the font and use the library to search whatever books you want. Makes packing books for traveling very easy. Battery life lasts me two weeks if I'm reading every day for a few hours." — R@L0
Get it from Amazon for $149.99 (available in three colors and with or without lockscreen ads).
2. A set of packing cubes that help you squeeze in more by keeping everything neat and compressed. You'll be amazed at how much you can fit in your carry-on, and since everything is organized into little sections, it'll be a snap to unpack and get on with your trip!
Promising review:"I travel frequently and travel light. My luggage is usually limited to a backpack that slides under the airline seat. For a two-week European cruise, I added a carry-on rolling suitcase. I've used these packing cubes twice so far, and I am hooked. One cube holds everything (including clothing) I take on a three-night trip. The cube slides into my pack, saving massive amounts of room, and everything is easy to find during travel and at the hotel. Taking out one cube and unzipping is much better than digging through a pack! I will never leave home without these!" — Gura
Get a set of four packing cubes (also comes with a laundry bag) from Amazon for $21.99 (available in 25 colors and two sets).
3. Or a Stow-N-Go travel organizer that's basically a portable closet. You can arrange everything while you pack, and when you get to your destination, just hang it up and that's it! You'll have perfectly organized clothes for the whole trip.
www.amazon.com
Abby: Plus, it has a zipper compartment at the bottom you can put all your dirty clothes in, so they don't get mixed together and you end up just washing everything when you get home (because that's usually what happens to me).
Promising review:"I just love it. I travel a lot. Now I don't have to hang anything up but my organizer. I can see what I pack and where everything is. Just love it. I can easily fit seven days' worth of outfits and three pairs of shoes in a carry-on suitcase. Just great." — Amazon Customer
Get it from Amazon for $22.99+ (available in two sizes and 10 colors).
4. A strap to keep your personal items (neck pillow, jacket, purse, etc.) together so you can easily run around the airport without worrying about leaving anything behind.
Amazon
Promising review:"I love this little gadget. I used it to attach my jacket and computer bag to my luggage on an extended business trip. It made my airport walks so much easier. Now that I'm back home, I've been using it daily to attach my jacket or cardigan to my work bag or purse." — Michele
Get it from Amazon for $7.99+ (available in six colors).
5. A splurge-worthy set of Cadence Capsules that stick together ~magnetically~ and take up way less space in your bag than big pill bottles. They'll help you condense so you're bringing what you actually need (and not overpacking); plus, they're leakproof and incredibly sturdy so you can fill 'em with whatever: creams, vitamins, small jewelry — truly anything small that you want to keep safe.
The "daily routine" set includes four medium and three small capsules as well as magnetic, interchangeable labels for shampoo, conditioner, body wash, moisturizer, cleanser, a pill icon, and a blank tile.
They also offer skincare, bodycare, haircare, and pill case sets as well as extenders that increase the size of the capsule! And if you fall in love with these and *really* want to customize your collection, head to their site to build your own unique set.
Cadence is an AAPI woman-owned small business that was founded by Steph Hon with the goal of eliminating single-use travel-sized plastics. The containers are made from recycled ocean-bound plastic.
Abby: I have a set of four of these, and, wow, I love them so much. I used them on a six-day trip, and they were perfect. I customized the label so I knew which one was my shampoo vs. conditioner and did a general label for any other things I wanted to bring along. They do hold a surprising amount. According to the brand, they hold approximately one to two weeks of skincare products, more than two weeks' worth of serum, two to three days' worth of haircare, and more than 15 tablets (for medicine and such). And while two to three days worth of haircare might not seem like enough, I found it held more than that for me, but I also don't wash my hair every single day. They were small enough to slip right into my toiletries bag and go through TSA with no problem. The container was easy to open in the shower (even with wet hands), and I had no leakage from them (like I did from my face wash bottle that will not be making the trip with me next time. SMH). These are an incredibly useful tool anyone who travels will want in their luggage.
Get the daily routine set from Amazon for $138 (available in three colors and other sets).
6. Or a TSA-approved 16-piece travel toiletries set with a container for each and every one of your tried-and-true faves so you don't have to spend more money on the travel-size versions. These are reusable and leakproof, so your products (and other stuff in your bag!) will stay protected.
www.amazon.com
The set comes with four bottles, four jars, two spray bottles, two scoopers (to help transfer creams), one funnel (to help transfer liquids), one cleaning brush, a page of labels, and a bag that everything fits in.
Promising review:"I've purchased a lot of different travel sets for my toiletries over the years. Inevitably, they are hard to fill and tend to leak. This set was magic! The wide mouth made it easy to fill from a larger bottle, and the little scoops made transferring creams to the jar containers very easy and with much less mess. The only con (hardly worth mentioning) is that once you squeeze the bottle, it takes a few minutes to expand with air again, so the sides are a bit sunken. I solved that by unscrewing the top just a bit for a quick release of the vacuum pressure. I had no leaks, and plenty of containers for every toiletry." — MDC
Get it from Amazon for $9.99+ (available in eight colors).
7. A Hackwith Design House shirt because there's nothing more travel-friendly than a top you can wear *five* different ways (that we know of — but you might discover more playing around with it). It's timeless because you can always change how you style it, and it's made from a high-quality fabric that's soft, breathable, and can last for years.
Hackwith Design House is a woman-owned small business that creates made-to-order apparel. This shirt can be worn as a V-neck, off-the-shoulder, boatneck, V-back, and even open as a jacket. And the color is simple, which means it can be paired well with many different bottoms.
BuzzFeed Shopping editor Chelsea Stuart says:"I have this shirt and I *love* it. All credit for its discovery goes to TikToker @jennifer.bianca who I happened to stumble across on my FYP. It checks all my boxes: black, comfortable, versatile, and durable. My initial worry was that I wouldn't feel secure in it (I have a 34G chest and most wrap tops/dresses I've tried haven't stayed where they're supposed to), but I haven't had an issue with this! I've worn it tied in the front giving me a square neck (like the middle picture) and tied in the back giving me a V-neck up front (just like the photo on the right) — both were super comfortable, and I didn't have to adjust myself at all. As someone whose weight fluctuates, I also appreciate that this piece can handle pounds gained and lost. The fabric is medium weight, so I'll be wearing it season to season, and there's just enough elasticity in the arms that if you roll up your sleeves, they won't fall back down. All that is to say trust that I will be buying additional colors!"
Get it from Hackwith Design House for $145 (available in women's sizes XS–4X and in three colors).
8. A 2-in-1 hair tool that curls and straightens so you can achieve the perfect balance of texture and shine with just *one* tool. It's easy to pack for trips, *and* it's dual-voltage so you can have gorgeous hair no matter the country you're visiting.
Amazon
Promising review:"Don't be fooled by the tiny price or size, this little baby is serious. If you are looking for a small travel option rather than lugging your big straightener and giant curling iron around the world, than I think you'll love this. It performs really well, turning my frizzy wavy hair into a smooth and sleek style. The curling iron option also creates shiny, silky lasting curls! It's easy to transition between both. I also like the grippy handle and the fact that the curling iron clip is a different color than the straightening bars because that helps me see how I should be maneuvering it around. The voltage goes up to 240m, so you are good using it internationally without a converter (but you will need an adapter just to fit it into various foreign outlets). At this price, definitely give it a try and flaunt your tresses abroad." — Christine
Get it from Amazon for $39.99 (available in two colors).
9. A portable rain hood to pair with *any* jacket so you don't have to try to cram in your practical raincoats. You can keep it in your bag for any impromptu downpours!
Amazon
All it is is a hood attached to a vest you can wear under *any* jacket to protect yourself (and your hair) from whatever the weather has planned.
Promising review: "I love this! The quality is very nice and it fits great. Wore it last week in the rain with a coat I love that doesn't have a hood and it was perfect. It slips right under your jacket so all you see is the hood, so it pretty much blends in with your jacket. Such a great idea! Wish there were more colors and patterns, I'd order more." — Jill Hammel
Get it from Amazon for $29 (available in two sizes).
10. A flying USB port with four spots to plug in your gadgets so you don't have to pack different power adapters. And bonus: This allows you to make the most of that one working outlet you managed to find at the airport!
Multitasky
Multitasky is a woman-founded and -run small business that began in 2020 as a way for founder Julia Xu to create products that were both functional and cute.
Promising review:"It does as it says it does, allowing my Dell XPS15 to operate a pair of USB devices from my lightning port! The laptop has two USB ports, one of which is always occupied by my USB mouse dongle and the other by my protected USB drive. If I wanted to plug in my phone to switch data or add another thumb drive to transfer a device, everything might have to be disconnected, but not anymore. It was really worth it." — Liberty
Get it from Multitasky for $25 (available in three colors).
11. A Subtl Beauty Stack to condense up to nine makeup products into one small stack. You can customize yours with anything from lip tints to face powder. And as convenient as it is for travel, it's also perfect to keep in your purse for any on-the-go touch-ups!
Subtl Beauty
Each stack also includes a mirror lid, a base, and a mini brush.
Promising review:"I absolutely love how compact this product is. I have been pleasantly surprised at how natural the makeup feels and I love the natural look it provides. I originally purchased it for traveling, but have been using it daily and love it!" — Paula Bowie
Get the Starter Stack from Subtl Beauty for $60 (available in 19 tones), or customize your own stack starting at $12+ per layer, with up to nine product types available.
12. A skyline mini wallet emergency kit packed with the practical items that are easy to forget (like hair ties, tampons, Tylenol, and more!) while still being small enough to fit in your purse — so it definitely *won't* take up too much space in your carry-on.
Anne Cate
Anne Cate is a woman-owned small business based in Cleveland, Ohio that handmakes minimalist keepsakes with a skyline from more than 100 cities and colleges around the world!
The kit includes a hair tie, ChapStick, two floss pics, a sewing kit, bandages, emery board, two safety pins, two earring backs, a makeup wipe, two bobby pins, two mints, a deodorant wipe, a Shout wipe, a tampon, hand sanitizer, and Tylenol.
Promising review: "I'm heading to Rome this fall with my best friend and our husbands. I thought this would be the cutest little emergency case to bring along so I got each of us one. I am so excited to give it to her. She will love the Rome skyline and all the goodies inside." — Jen
Get it from Anne Cate for $25 (available in 96 skylines).