10 Underrated Travel Essentials To Slip Into Your Hand Luggage

From eye masks to earplugs, here are ten underrated travel essentials to slip into your hand luggage.

I start packing for every trip the same way: zip open my carry-on, Jenga a week’s worth of clothes neatly rolled into packing cubes, and slide in a quart-sized bag so clear you can easily see the green squeezable silicone containers inside. I bundle my passports and IDs, double-check I have my glasses and contacts, and tick off each item from my packing list with the gusto of a Type-A traveler. 

Then, I slip my favorite underrated travel essentials into my hand luggage. These are the items I reach for early on in a flight (so they’re tucked into my personal item and not jostling overhead in a bin). And they make each trip smoother and easier and more enjoyable.

Here are ten of my favorite travel essentials, a little list of little things that fly under the radar and make all the difference.

1. Resealable Storage Bags

One underrated travel essential you (likely) have on hand that you can slip into your luggage? Resealable bags like Ziplocs, Ziptucks, or Stashers. You can find these bags in all sizes. Some frequent fliers even turn gallon-sized Ziplocs into makeshift vacuum-compression bags for clothes. I still prefer packing cubes, but I do use resealable bags to store TSA-approved snacks, (non-liquid) makeup, a mini first aid kit, and wet beachwear (that I want to separate from the rest of my outfits). 

2. Reusable Water Bottle

Airplane cabins are often dry, so I try to hydrate as much as possible before each flight (by bringing an empty water bottle through TSA and filling it up at a water-filling station afterward). I’m based out of (and travel within) the US, where airport water fountains and water filling stations are commonplace, but depending on your destination, they might be less so. You can use the website Water At Airports to find out which airports (and airport gates) around the world have water-filling stations.

3. Eye Masks

I can’t sleep with overhead lights on, so I nap with fabric bridged over my nose and smooth silk brushing against my lashes. I see (mostly) nothing, just a pleasant darkness that helps me drift off in a packed plane. I personally still use this silk eye mask that I bought from Target years ago, but the Manta Mask with detachable eye cups is more well-loved by Passport To Eden readers and highly-rated.

4. Earplugs

My partner uses active noise-canceling headphones on flights to block out as much noise as possible. I prefer basic earplugs that passively tamp down the sounds of takeoff and landing. I can still hear every cabin announcement (and any flight attendant’s instructions), but the din of passengers feels dialed down. 

5. Travel-Sized Cord Organizer

I travel with a lot of camera gear, so my cable organizer is excessively large (but I love it and pack it on every trip). If you’re hopping on a flight with just a few electronics (phone, kindle, universal adaptor), you can keep your charging equipment tangle-free and separated with a mini travel-sized cord organizer.

6. Lip Balm

Lip balm is easily one of my favorite underrated travel essentials! My lips chap every time the weather shifts theatrically (freezing temperatures, big humidity drops, high winds), so I moisturize my lips before each flight and after. My everyday lip balm is Burt’s Bees Pomegranate. And if you’re looking for a brand that doubles as sunscreen for your lips, Coola’s balm has a sun protection factor (SPF) of 30.

7. AirTag

Travel can be nerve-wracking, and Airtags offer reassurance to those already in an Apple ecosystem. Like Tile, an Airtag is a quick way to keep track of items like passport holders, purses, and keys. You attach an Airtag to the item you want to track and then ping the Airtag (via an Apple device) to find that item. And if you have a newer Samsung device instead of an Apple device, you can use a SmartTag instead!

8. Sanitizing Wipes

Sanitizing wipes are some of my most used travel essentials. I use hand wipes after touching high-contact places (escalator handrails, seat belts, tray tables). Since wipes are pre-moistened, they don’t need to go in your liquids bag!

9. Foldable Tote Bag

A good tote bag is a versatile travel essential. You can pack any reusable grocery bag you have on hand. Just make sure it’s foldable (like the canvas bags from Trader Joe’s) because the ability to fold a tote is a space saver when packing. I typically use my tote bag when buying groceries on-site, picking up ingredients for a last-minute picnic, or packing for a beach trip.

10. Entertainment

One of my favorite ways to fight boredom on a flight is to bring my own entertainment. For me, entertainment is a Kindle loaded with lots of library books. For some of my seatmates, that’s been yarn and a knitting needle, a Nintendo Switch, or a little tray-table-sized set of colored pencils and a mini coloring book (I’m honestly so impressed by any passenger who manages to color on a shaky flight). Most of the (cheap, domestic) flights I’ve been on haven’t had in-flight entertainment, so I’d recommend bringing your own to make the ride feel cozier!

What are your favorite underrated travel essentials? Let us know in the comments below! As always, we love hearing from you.