"Compression Socks": 30 Small Things That People Say Greatly Improved Their Traveling

Put a geotag in your luggage. You can track it anywhere as long as you have signal. On the last trip, I can tell the moment I landed that my bag was still stuck at the connecting airport. 13 hours later I can track the bag moving and heading to my home at 3am.

I keep my toiletry bag always packed w everything so I never have to “pack” it. Basically I have two of everything… razor. Toothbrush, tooth pate, hair and face products, hair brush etc

I have a checklist that I reuse every time so I don’t forget anything important as I often have to travel at short notice.

A small case that fits into the seat pocket on planes packed with everything needed during a flight — charger, headphones, lip gloss, meds, etc. Helps me board quickly and keep track of the little stuff.

Biggest upgrade is carrying less with me.

An Anker 26k power bank. It's slim, and I can speed recharge my phone to full, 6-8 time, off a single charge.

Compression socks. For long or long-ish flights. No swelling at all. 

Having a place where my passport ALWAYS goes in. Been using the same spot for 30 years in my computer case where the floppy disk used to go.

Shower flip flops. No way am I stepping onto the likely 20 yrs of grime in the shower of my airport hotel.

If you travel a lot, keep essentials in your suitcase at all times, don’t unpack them and replace/replenish as needed.
- Charging cables
- Have an entire set of travel size toiletries ready. Toothbrush, toothpaste, hair brush, shampoo, conditioner, deodorant, lotion, sunscreen, razor
- Small pill case with ibuprofen, melatonin, vitamins, etc.

Body/hand wipes for long haul flights. Bring to bathroom and wipe your pits, crevices etc, and you’ll feel great going back to your seat!

Packing cubes. Before I bought some I thought they were superfluous, just adding weight and taking up space in my bag. But now I realize they allow me to be much more organized, which makes packing easier. Everything has it's place in the main compartment of my pack. And if I realize I packed something I need on my person, it's so much easier to just open the one cube I need to grab that particular item, and then everything just goes back in in its designated place. Before using them, I ended up having to remove half the contents of my bag to rummage around for that one item, then everything had to get refolded/rerolled to go back into my bag.

I got a second toothbrush that I always keep in my travel toiletry bag. Since I couldn’t pack my toothbrush until the last minute, I ended up forgetting it and having to buy a new one. It’s such a small thing but it soothes my brain.

I carry rolls of painters tape, as it is nonstick but super sturdy to help close lids and secure things without leaving glue residue on them. Extremely useful.

And also zip ties. A lock broke? No problem, zip tie the bag and cut it open at destination. Many uses.

"Splurging" for bottled water everywhere I go. I have a sensitive stomach and the peace of mind is worth it to me.

1. Compression packing cubes. More for the organization ability than the compression, to be honest.

2. Airplane foot hammock. The strap goes over your tray table, and the "hammock" cradles your legs or feet, holding them at a better angle than resting them on the floor during long flights. I used it while I was sleeping on a flight out recently, and while I was using my laptop on the flight back and found my legs and knees weren't nearly as sore as usual.

using plastic freezer bags as packing cubes allows you to see what's inside each one quickly, without opening them up and digging through them.

A digital suitcase scale. No more weighting myself with and without a suitcase. I take it with me and wight the suitcase to make sure I don’t pass the limit on the flight back.

Getting rid of old clothes on travel to empty your carryon for more souvenirs. I bring old shirts, pants, sweaters, underwear, socks for travel to get rid of them as I go. I hate checking in luggage and I will have plenty of extra room to bring things back.

Maybe this isn't vast, but it's something I like to do: I keep a wrapped bar of soap in each piece of my luggage. It makes the luggage smell nice when it's in storage, and then I can use it while traveling (I hate liquid soap and have a preference for a certain brand of bar soap).