17 Purchases You Think Will Improve Your Travel, But Won't 

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The point of a lock isn’t to make your bag impenetrable. It’s meant to be a deterrent. It signals to thieves your bag will be harder to get into than those without a lock.

Old flight attendant here. I use blue painter’s tape to wrap around the bottle necks after I put the cap on. I then put all the toiletries in a zip lock bag to be checked. I use xxx large ziplock bags for each days clothes. I put the outfit, along with underwear in a bag, folded, then I roll all the air out. They compress so well and stay clean. Just grab a bag and dress for the day. Oh! Don’t use the bags with the zipper lock. Use the ones that you have to squeeze together.

$70 for a travel pillow? Wow!! I actually sewed my own years ago. So simple. Still have them!

One thing I do is print out self-adhesive mailing labels with my family's and friends' addresses on it for sending postcards. Makes it very easy and efficient, plus once you use the label and it's gone, you don't have to wonder if you sent Aunt Suzy a postcard or not.

Decent suitcases can often be bought for $10 or $15 at Salvation Army or Goodwill.

I bring home all shampoo, soaps etc. And make bags for homeless or shelters with them. They add up fast

I use an inflatable neck pillow - it comes in a soft zippered case so it takes no space when not using it.

Noise cancelling headphones - best things I ever bought (and I only use them on planes!)

I collect hotel toiletries & soaps. Those I don't use at home are donated to the local homeless shelter.

Instead of a travel pillow, buy a washable, zippered cover for a neck pillow (yes, you can purchase just the cover). Then stuff it with a puffy jacket in cold weather, or other bulky items in hot weather. h Hook it on your personal bag & you have a 2 in 1 use.

I use and love my passport holder. It also carries my vaccinaion card. And yes always have a copy in under the lining of my suitcase. I always pack a travel towel. It is not about quality of hotel but about if i head to the lake, or need an extra for my hair etc. It takes up no room or weight. Worth it, been carrying for years.

I know what you are saying about travel pillows, but as an Australian- most of our flights are long haul so an extra pillow is actually quite nice and helps with sleeping.

For me personally a neck pillow is a must, especially on long intercontinental flights. It is far more convenient than headrests

Hoka shoes are used in hospital operating rooms. They are so comfortable and you can stand for longer. Great recommendations.

The reason I own quick dry towels is that many times on trips were taking a car between hotels and might stop at a beach or waterfall, in this case you need a towel and the hotel won't let you take one and not return it.

I like the small travel sized items. They get my trip off to an easy start and I don't have to go shopping for toothpaste the moment I arrive. I travel with a lightweight sarong instead of a towel.

I have used a Lightning McQueen toiletry bag. 😂

Use the neck pillow for upper back. Really helps me. Former flight attendant.

Always carry extra shirt or whatever in personal item bag. Put in packing cube and use that for flight pillow.

The TRTL "pillow" is the best thing every! As someone who has done hundreds of trips with long flight times, the TRTL is more of a neck support than a pillow, and it's pretty compact and flexible too!

Travel locks do work... I literally saw someone in Peru by the conveyor belt digging through stranger's stuff.

I print out my documents too! My kids think I'm nuts, so thank you for confirming that it's a good idea to have hard copies of your important traveling paperwork. Excellent travel tips. So much is marketed as "must have" travel gadgets that are simply unnecessary.

It's so funny that someone commented that your videos help with anxiety because I literally have this on while finishing up a challenging day at work because I find them soothing as well!!!!

The purpose of a luggage lock for me was mainly to stop the zipper on my soft bag from opening when loading on a plane.

I give hotel toiletries to homeless shelters. I also carry hotel soap in my bag in case I’m in bathroom that doesn’t have soap

Chris, the things I travel with are the things that work for me. I'm retired now but my position while working for the DoD caused me to travel more than I really wanted to. I traveled with a small team and all of us had various types of gear that worked for us and most of it was peculiar to the individual. For example I would never use a hard sided suitcase that I had to check. While traveling to Korea my hard sided suitcase came around the luggage carousel with one of the sides crushed. I don't mean dented I mean crushed, so that cured me of using a hard sided suitcase unless I used it as a carry on, then it worked very well. I really enjoy your show even if my travel experiences were different from yours. Another example is luggage locks, I used them for keeping my Samsonite luggage from opening and spilling my unmentionables on the ground while on my way to my destination. Also I have never had a lock pop open in 35 years of traveling for the Govt. Michael

Those sport towels you showed are great for going to the beach/pool, specially when you're trying to keep it minimal /travel in carry on.

Great information - lots of common sense stuff. You mentioned Paris as a place where a multi-day pass might be worth it. You can get a specific museum pass. My wife and I bought the 5-day museum pass - not only did it allow us to skip the lines of people waiting to get tickets, it allowed us to feel free to come and go and not feel obligated to see every last piece of art in the Louvre in one visit!

Yes! Zip ties! It will not prevent someone from getting into your luggage but it will tell you if someone got into your luggage. If you zip tie your zippers to the handle then people won’t be able to used the zippers to close your bag if they used a Bic pen to open them.

Definitely bring home the hotel toiletries and re-use the bottles with your own shampoo, etc. I bought a pile of vacuum bags for the house, but find them pretty useless for anything but keeping dust off whatever you put in them. They fail all the time and the closures are a real pain. If I'm away, I figure out an outfit for each day plus one extra or a couple of things I can dress up. I put each complete outfit, including underwear, minus shoes and jacket/coat, folded, into an XL freezer bag, preferably the non-zipper kind. I usually carry a down coat with me anytime I go away, even in summer, and it works as a great blanket on cold aircraft and draughty airports or just an extra layer on the bed. They lay pretty flat in the suitcase, but usually everything comes out just fine (unless it's linen ...). I put each pair of shoes or jacket into a separate medium to XL freezer bag. I also put my entire toiletry bag into an XL freezer bag and liquid items within that in a smaller freezer bag with plenty of space for hotel toiletries, which will probably be binned if you don't take them. I prefer the non-zipper kind, because they close right up - the zipper kinds always have a gap at the top. This way of packing keeps me organised and it saved my entire suitcase of clothing one time when a glass bottle of perfume (I know ...) got smashed (airline luggage handlers!) and spilled. Because the perfume was like water, it still leaked out, but my clothes, etc, were fine in their own bags, but my suitcase smelled very strongly of CK1 throughout the stay - expensive air freshener. I use a small freezer bag inside of my make-up bag all the time, which means never forgetting one at the airport, although I avoid airports like the plague these days. After the WEF have stopped us flying and driving cars, they'll probably go after freezer bags - they've already managed to ban plastic straws ... If the airport "loses" your luggage, never accept their "offer" of a pitiful amount to buy what you need on your trip. I was once offered £50 by Air France, having flown from Scotland to Paris (an hour!) and they "lost" my luggage. I kicked up a fuss and got my luggage back, delivered to my hotel, in the early hours. If I had accepted their "offer", I'd have lost a fortune and it wouldn't have been possible for me to replace anything of mine at very short notice. As it was, it was a very bad start to my break. Basically, their "offer" is a contact and if you accept you've sold the entirety of your suitcase for whatever paltry sum the give you. It's unlikely you'll get it back. Pretty sure it's an extra income stream for them and they do it deliberately.

Packing cubes are my way to pack, in so many ways. All good advice😊

Chris - I was surprised by your comments on travel insurance. While I don't buy from the airline or cruise line, I think its an absolute must for international travel and not a bad buy for domestic as well given the increased frequency of cancelled flights. Most domestic insurance doesn't provide coverage outside of the US. It can cost $50K to $250K just for medical evac for example if you need to be brought back to the US for a serious medical condition. You do need to shop for the best coverage specific to your needs. My wife and I purchase an annual policy from Allianz that provides up to $5K for trip cancelation for non refundable losses, $250K for medical evac and $50K for emergency medical. The premium for both of us is about $700 a year. You can select your coverage amounts for each coverage area. We travel 15 to 20 times a year by air both domestic and international and I consider cheap protection in case of emergency. I appreciate your work - thanks for helping us!

I not only use the luxury hotel shampoos, I have been known to chase the housekeepers down the hall to get extras!! 😝

I agree with Chris about the quality of Egyptian cotton - I bought some Egyptian cotton towels when my fiance and I moved out in our early 20s. I'm talking plushest mall dept store I could find for my budget. JC Penney. 25+ years later and my now ex was still using them. Yeah, they were worn, but not so faded out and definitely not threadbare. There weren't any holes and definitely still more plush than cheap towels. My only complaint was that they shed like heck for the first 6 mos to year and always had to be washed separate. Lol.

I use: simple clear zipbags for toiletries which take up less space and easy to see items and same for cords, blow up pillow so stores flat, a slim RFID sleeve over passport and just take it off while in security line, foldable tote/daybag, thin down jacket in pouch, raincoat in a pouch, wrinkle resistant clothes and just in case a toiletry size sprayer with cap filled with Downey Wrinkle Release...

I use the plastic bags that sheets, blankets and other fabric items come in with zippers. By the time it goes south my wife has purchased something else with this type of packaging.

As far as packing, I I like to use XL Ziplocks, for makeup, toiletries, and underwear. I also like to use the bright colorful suitcase skins that cover my plastic rimowa case, because I can easily spot it when it comes off the conveyor...then toss it in the wash when it gets grimy. Thanks. You always have good tips.

*For the passport, we just use a pencil case that has 2 pockets, the passports go in the front & printed paperwork & a small notepad & pen in the larger back pocket. We also have a padfolio that we keep in our carry-on that we can keep that pencil case in. We do have the 'digital' but it's still always best to have the paper as a 'backup' for the same reasons you mentioned. *Toiletries, I do have a 'cube' toiletry case that was a gift that I've been using for 20 years & love it! For the bottles themselves, once we get where we're going, we find a Walgreens, Walmart, or any store like that & get the regular size, we both use it through the trip so by time we're getting ready to go home, those bottles are near if not empty, so we just toss on our way out the door. *Vacuum bags... No. We're going to try the packing cubes on this next trip but I tried the vacuum bags years ago for 'out of season' things & yes, the wrinkles were just a pain & yes, they also leaked. And no, even without the vacuum bags, we don't roll our clothes for the same reason, they always wrinkle. We take (and share) each a suitcase & large garment bag, fold clothes & layout/hang the dressier stuff in the garment bag. The suitcases themselves, are nothing out of the ordinary & we have the colored labels so we can spot them when they come through the baggage claim. Neither is the 'hard case'. *New shoes... 2012 we went to DC, and I wanted them to stay so nice & clean for our trip so I didn't break them in... Ya, THANK HEAVENS FOR BANDAIDS! *Take a plastic bag with you, a plastic shopping bag so when you have to put your bag under the seat ahead of you for take-off & landing, it won't get all grimy. Also a pair of socks in a plastic bag for going through the TSA, you do NOT want to go through there barefoot! *Rental car, check with your insurance agent, our guy gave us a code to use when renting a car on our last trip, saved a lot! *The big sun hat you can pack upside down in your suitcase & put stuff 'in' the part that goes over your head, but yes, even without already having issues with melanoma, you will definitely need something for sun protection. They're really not that hard to pack & even with sunscreen, 'warmer climates', especially the tropics, the sun's UV rays are stronger & before you even start to feel it, you'll already be getting sunburnt.

If you partially empty the original bottle of shampoo/soap, make sure you DO NOT put it in your carry on. TSA rules go by the volume on the label not by how much you think you have in the container.

#Iam Irish … I bought a Samsonite Silhouette 17 21" Carry-on Expandable Softside Spinner as it has handles on all sides … one handle carry ones don’t cut it for ease of lifting into overhead bin. Don’t over stuff this case and you won’t be flagged for “must gate check”… 10 year warranty too. This is my carry on for a few days to a few weeks… I also agree with Chris the compression bags are a waste… packing cubes absolutely help with separating socks, undies, tops or outfits for the day.. thanks for this video. Very helpful Chris!

💚♥️💜my TUMI luggage & cross body bag. I’ve had it for 7yrs. & I travel 2-4X a year. I 💚traveling!!

We keep our toiletry bag filled 100% of the time and if we had a fancy one we would use it until it exploded. I don’t judge people for what they chose to spend money on.

Nalgene travel bottles are the bomb for toiletries! And leak proof. They are especially good if you aren't checking a bag. (I get them at the Container Store -- they are sturdy, inexpensive and last forever.) And I can't do without my neck pillow!!! Do I just have a weird neck? IDK, but I totally sleep better with one. I even like the cheap blow up ones when space is an issue.

I always keep the hotel lotions. I keep travel size bottles to refill my favorite lotions, conditioner etc. But always buy the sealed mouthwashes!

Highly recommend trying some of the new bar shampoos and conditioners. They are really nice products, last for months, no plastic waste and the best part is TSA friendly.

I thought I was the only one to print out all my travel docs… thanks for the confirmation… I print and put into a silicone zip bag and that goes with me in my travel purse… very handy… thanks!!!

If you use most of bottle but the bottle is bigger than 100ml, even though it’s practically empty they will take it from you, personal experience. The bottle itself must be 100ml or less.

Enjoyed this video ! I totally agree with your 17 purchases not worth buying. Being a Canadian I'm looking forward to your trip to BC Canada. Thanks Chris

I always learn a few tips from your video . Thank you 🙏 I really appreciate it 🙏

Currently, Aldi has Crane brand socks made of 53% merino wool, 44 % nylon and 3% elastane. Available in low cut, crew and compression. You may not fancy the color choices and styles though. But you can't beat the price. They're only $4.99.

I always take paper copy and always take a folder. It keeps me organised with everything I do step by step. Even what I will be videoing step by step for my channel.

Inflatable neck pillow. Been using mine for over 20 years. Put down tray table put down pillow out for the flight. Or if setting up prevents that horrible neck wobble. I’ve also used it on car trips when I am the passenger. Takes up no room.

I've always had a passport case. I recently upgraded to one that is more like a wallet. It has space for money, credit cards and extra Sim cards. It's not that much of an inconvenience to pull the passport out and replace it since it's only the back cover that slips in. the travel wallet is just too big for just me traveling. I've also had luggage locks for years. I use it more for my backpacks for when I'm in crowded public places. I have a cruise coming up so I plan to use my luggage as a safe verse the actual safe just to ensure that I don't forget anything. I got some reusable bottles because if I take the larger size ones, I will have one luggage just for my toiletries. Decanting products is my new hobby. Hotel bottles are too tiny for my needs. I do take the $1.25 Tree products in tubes and use a giant syringe to decant my products in them and use a label to let me know what's in it.

Someone in the live session pointed out that it is less easy to overstuff a hard case, than a soft one. While that is true, I prefer a soft bag as a carryon for a different reason. It is easy to understuff, thus making my carryon fit into a smaller space than a hard carryon.

I travel a lot for work and I love my Away suitcases!

I disagree with your ban on small containers. All the bottles add up quickly. I do recommend solid shampoo and conditioner though. It's light, compact and doesn't spill.

Loooove your videos. Thanks so much. Looking forward to your vid feat. Paula & Dale... They are so cute~~~

California Linda is late to this post, but I appreciate the microfiber travel towels for snorkeling when I go on cruise excursions. If you cruise Royal Carribean, there is a $25 charge for lost towels, and on any cruise line, wet towels are heavier to carry back to the ship. Compression packing cubes are the best and I always carry and print out documents in a sheet protector in a half inch binder. Last year in Phoenix, the internet was down at our gate, and everyone needed a paper ticket ... 30 seconds later ... we were set, and others passengers had to scramble to find a ticket counter for a print out. Not ODF, just well traveled and I always take my small travel pillow, best REI purchase.

Hi Chris. Thanks for the useful and valuable info. I also take the hotel toilet items home too. I figure since I pay resorts fees, I might as well get as much as I can for it. LOL. Thanks for sharing and take care.

Thank you for the suggestion to place a passport copy in suitcases. Never thought of it, but such a practical and smart idea that can come in handy just in case.

Thanx for explaining these potential traveling tips!!!!

I agree with the person who commented about the middle opening on hard suitcases. I believe Hayes luggage came out with a traditional opening on a hard suitcase.

I take a tiny piece of Saran Wrap over the bottle top before screwing in the lid. Then wrap the bottles in strapping tape. (Only works one way... hahaha) then put in zipLock also.

This is a great video, just discovered your channel and enjoy it. Keep it up!

For documents I just use a sheet protector with printouts slid inside. Adds no extra bulk

I have to agree with the shoes tip! Last month, I bought a cute pair of trainers for a trip to London. I put them on, walked a few miles and was in terrible pain. Thankfully, there was a Skechers store nearby and they saved my feet! Also the car insurance tip….a few years ago, we had a giant rock fly into the windscreen of our rental car. We were on our way to the airport to fly home. We made a claim with AmEx and they took care of the entire thing.

Enjoyed your content 👌🏾. Very relevant.

I've stopped traveling with toiletries. And what I'm doing is staying at hotels that already have them. Also, since my hair is pixie short, I don't go through a lot of trouble with it.

I got a quick dry travel towel and washcloth because I stay in hostels, which don't supply towels. The towel is also good for at the beach.

Thank you for sharing because I agree on all of these!

I keep the travel size toiletries in a basket in my guest bathroom for overnight guests to use.

My favorite toiletry bag is a gallon ziploc bag. Works a peach and you don't have to worry about anything leaking.

We put copies of our passports into every suitcase and leave a copy with our relatives back in Australia. We have never had a lock broken. We would never leave our cases open. We also lock them in our hotel/apartment. Only use the refillable Mini bottles if we are going for less than three weeks. Otherwise, the semi-full bottle travels in our luggage well wrapped. Have seen the plastic version of the sort of case you displayed with a large hole in it. Since we always for 5 to 6 weeks at a time, we always check at least one bag. Insurance - always read the fine print and see that it relates to your age! Most City Passes are for a single day and the number of museums/attractions you have to see in a day means that you are mearly looking at the attraction from the outside and moving on to the next. You do not see anything and are exhausted by the end of the day and have no idea what you have seen.

Someone complained that your volume was too loud. Honestly, I prefer it to be loud than low. At least I can lower it from my end. But it's not as easy the other way around.

You are correct! I bought a neck pillow that snaps so I can turn in it around otherwise it pushes your head forward instead of supporting it on the sides

The three rotor travel locks are useless. One sharp pull and they come apart. They at least can help stop a lock from opening accidentally, most of the time.

Awesome thanks learnd a lot thanks going to know .. happy travels 🧳

These towels are for RVs camper, vans and campers and they’re wonderful

What’s with that “ssshhhhh ha” start at 0:00 😂

Smartwool socks are life changing! I wear them year round! Best wishes

There are packable sun hats available. I’m in love with my wide brimmed Tilley hat that goes with me everywhere there is a lot of sun. It’s a bit pricy but there are plenty of packable, washable alternatives. These days a big hat and sunscreen are a must for sunny locations

Love this video. super useful

Sketchers are the only shies I've ever brought that don't need breaking in

I love the half and half. Especially if,you are carrying gifts or heavy coats.

Wow Chris I think we are on the same page. I always have two paper copies of of my itinerary, and tickets. No New Shoes!

Thank you. Another informative video.

I like those TSA locks. They’re also good to lock purse zippers shut to deter pickpockets.

I am one of those travelers that take my own linens (towels and pillowcases from home) whenever I travel. I just feel more comfortable knowing that I know how clean my personal linen is , also I think I've watched too many blacklight exposes over the years one can be and often is found on hotel linen. I bought a pair of sneakers before a trip to d Dallas in 2018 and broke them in for a couple of weeks by walking home from work, of course where I was working at the time, a preschool was a few blocks from my house.

I enjoyed my Vegas pass. I went to the places you suggested and it worked out to save a bit of time and money. Thank you.

The travel pillow that is worthwhile is the inflatable one that you hold on your lap and lean forward and rest face down. I can actually sleep on a plane with that thing. It is a game changer if you're in economy on an overnight flight because you don't need to lateral space to get comfortable. If you're normally not a back sleeper, you can't really sleep leaning back so this is more like sleeping on your stomach. When it is uninflated it isn't very big so fits right into your backpack.

I’ve been travelling for over 40 years and always use a passport cover. It keeps the passport in good condition, I can store a few notes, spare atm card, some atm size pieces of paper for note taking

I love my travel pillow. I have neck issues and it helps. I travel a lot and i also use it in the car.

I enjoy your vids champ. Keep em comin.👍

About half of the things you said don't buy, are things I find absolutely essential.

I agree those towels are useless! I brought one on a trip and found it doesn’t even dry fast. I ended up leaving it behind. I DO bring my own hair towel only because I like thin towels for my hair and I also colour my roots on my trip (usually gone a month) and don’t want to hair colour to transfer onto the hotels/home stays towels.

We used a vacuum bag once by packing my husbands stuff in it including a few old pieces of clothing that he was going to get rid of, wearing them near the start of the trip and then disposing of them. It meant he could squeeze two weeks of clothes into a backpack and we could skip checked bags.

I made the new shoes mistake when I visited NYC a few years ago. Bought them a week before my trip and I got blisters on day one of the trip after walking around manhattan all day.

I was great full having a copy of my passport when i lost my passport in Japan when I went to the embassy. I have a blowup pillow so it lays flat when not used. I bought a Hawaiian print suitcase to help identify my suitcase. It has really helped on luggage turn style. I have a Charles Schwab card used it heavily in Japan and Australia.

Vacuum bags are great for one purpose: If you need to bring a memory foam pillow. But use the ones for vacuums. You can get a travel one, but they're not as good as a regular vacuum. Cheap, though.