Choosing the right travel accessories can make packing easier, journeys more comfortable and arriving at your destination considerably less stressful.

But you don’t need to fill your suitcase with gadgets.

The best travel accessories solve genuine problems, whether that’s keeping your phone charged, organising your luggage, sleeping more comfortably on a long flight or making sure you can use your electronics abroad.

Instead of recommending individual products that can quickly become outdated, we’ve put together a practical list of travel accessories that can remain useful trip after trip.

Here are 12 worth considering for your next holiday.

1. Universal Travel Adapter

A good travel adapter is one of the most useful travel accessories for anyone regularly travelling abroad.

Plug types vary around the world, so your UK three-pin plug won’t fit sockets in many destinations without an adapter.

Multi-country travel adapters can be particularly useful if you visit several regions because one compact unit may support multiple socket types.

Some also include USB-A and USB-C charging ports, allowing you to charge several devices without packing multiple plugs.

Before travelling, check:

Plug type at your destination
Voltage requirements
Maximum adapter rating
USB charging output
Whether your devices support the local voltage

Remember that a plug adapter doesn’t necessarily convert voltage.

Check your device specifications before connecting electrical equipment abroad.

2. Power Bank

Phones now handle everything from boarding passes and maps to hotel bookings, translation and payments, making a power bank one of the most practical travel accessories you can pack.

However, there are important aviation rules to follow.

The UK Civil Aviation Authority says power banks must be carried in cabin baggage rather than checked luggage.

Current rules also limit passengers to two power banks per person. They should be individually protected when not in use and must not be recharged onboard the aircraft.

Power banks up to 100Wh can generally be carried without airline approval, while those above 100Wh and up to 160Wh require approval from the airline.

Always check your airline’s requirements before travelling.

The CAA’s Pack Right guidance provides current information about travelling with power banks and lithium batteries.

For most travellers, a compact power bank with enough capacity to recharge a phone during a long travel day is more useful than an unnecessarily large model.

3. Packing Cubes

Packing cubes aren’t particularly exciting, but they’re among the travel accessories that can genuinely make living out of a suitcase easier.

They allow you to separate items into categories such as:

T-shirts
Underwear
Swimwear
Evening clothes
Children’s clothing
Laundry

This makes it easier to find something without emptying the entire suitcase onto the hotel floor.

Packing cubes can also help keep clean and worn clothing separate during longer trips.

Compression versions may reduce the volume occupied by soft clothing, although they don’t reduce its weight.

If you’re flying with a strict baggage allowance, remember that squeezing more into your suitcase can still push it over the airline’s weight limit.

Our guide to avoiding excess baggage fees has more advice on keeping luggage costs under control.

4. Reusable Water Bottle

A reusable water bottle is one of the simplest travel accessories to take on a trip.

An empty bottle can normally be taken through airport security and filled afterwards where drinking-water facilities are available.

A lightweight bottle is usually best for sightseeing because you’ll be carrying it throughout the day.

Options include:

Stainless-steel insulated bottles
Lightweight plastic bottles
Collapsible bottles

Insulated bottles can keep drinks cold for longer but are generally heavier.

A collapsible bottle takes up less room when empty but may be less robust.

Choose whichever works best for the type of travelling you do.

5. Travel Pillow

A travel pillow can make long flights, coach journeys and train trips more comfortable.

Traditional U-shaped pillows remain popular, while newer designs use different shapes or internal support to reduce how much your head moves while sleeping.

The best option depends heavily on how you naturally sleep.

Look for:

Adjustable support
Washable covers
Breathable material
Compact storage
Low weight

If you’re travelling with limited cabin baggage, consider how much space the pillow occupies when you’re not using it.

Some compress into a small travel pouch or attach to the outside of a backpack.

6. Noise-Cancelling Headphones

Noise-cancelling headphones are among the best travel accessories for frequent flyers.

They can reduce the constant background noise of aircraft cabins and make music, podcasts, films and audiobooks easier to hear without turning the volume unnecessarily high.

Over-ear headphones generally offer good comfort and noise isolation for longer journeys, while noise-cancelling earbuds take up much less luggage space.

Whichever you choose, consider:

Battery life
Comfort
Weight
Charging connection
Case size
Wired connection option

Wireless headphones contain lithium batteries, so check current airline and aviation guidance when deciding where to pack them.

The CAA recommends taking common lithium-powered devices such as wireless headphones in your cabin baggage.

7. Luggage Scales

Portable luggage scales can potentially pay for themselves the first time they prevent an overweight baggage charge.

Airline baggage allowances vary considerably, and exceeding your booked weight allowance can become expensive.

A small digital luggage scale allows you to check your suitcase before leaving home and again before returning from your holiday.

That second check can be particularly useful if you’ve bought clothes, gifts or souvenirs while away.

Don’t aim for exactly the maximum permitted weight.

Leaving a little margin reduces the chance of differences between your scale and the airline’s equipment causing a problem at check-in.

Of all the travel accessories on this list, luggage scales are particularly useful for travellers who regularly use low-cost airlines or travel with checked baggage.

8. Cable and Electronics Organiser

Phones, smartwatches, headphones, cameras and tablets can result in a surprising collection of cables.

A small electronics organiser keeps them together.

Use one for items such as:

Charging cables
USB adapters
Memory cards
Headphone cables
Watch chargers
Plug adapters

It also makes it easier to check you’ve packed everything before leaving a hotel.

Rather than searching several pockets for a missing cable, you have one place where your smaller travel accessories belong.

Keep the organiser reasonably small.

The goal is to organise the technology you’re actually taking, not encourage you to pack every cable you own.

9. Travel Document Organiser

Many travel documents are now digital, but a document organiser can still be useful.

Depending on your journey, you may need access to:

Passport
Boarding documents
Driving licence
Car hire information
Insurance details
Visa documentation
International Driving Permit where required

A slim organiser keeps physical documents together and makes them easier to find at airports, border controls and rental desks.

Don’t carry unnecessary sensitive paperwork, and store important documents securely while you’re at your destination.

Our pre-holiday checklist covers the documents and other essentials worth checking before departure.

10. Eye Mask and Earplugs

Sometimes the cheapest travel accessories are among the most useful.

A comfortable eye mask and a pair of earplugs take up almost no luggage space but can make sleeping easier on:

Overnight flights
Trains
Coaches
Bright hotel rooms
Noisy accommodation

They’re also useful when travelling with somebody who wants to stay awake reading or watching television.

Choose a breathable eye mask that doesn’t put uncomfortable pressure on your eyes.

Reusable earplugs can be convenient for frequent travellers, while disposable versions are easy to keep in several bags.

11. Foldable Day Bag

You probably don’t want to carry your main cabin bag everywhere once you’ve reached your destination.

A lightweight foldable backpack or day bag gives you something smaller for sightseeing.

It can carry:

Water
Sun cream
Light jacket
Camera
Snacks
Travel documents

When you’re not using it, a packable design can fold into your suitcase without taking up much space.

Check the security of the pockets if you’ll be visiting crowded cities or using busy public transport.

For beach holidays, a lightweight tote or waterproof bag may be more useful than a backpack.

Choose travel accessories around the trip you’re actually taking rather than trying to create one universal packing setup.

12. eSIM or SIM Setup

Not every useful travel accessory needs to be a physical object.

Reliable mobile data can be invaluable when you need maps, transport information, hotel details or translation tools.

Before travelling, compare:

Your UK network’s roaming charges
Travel eSIMs
Local SIM cards
Wi-Fi availability

If your phone supports eSIMs, you may be able to arrange mobile data before leaving the UK without changing your physical SIM.

Our guide to staying connected abroad explains the different options.

Setting everything up before departure can save you from trying to understand unfamiliar mobile packages immediately after landing.

What Travel Accessories Do You Actually Need?

You don’t need everything on this list.

The best travel accessories depend on where you’re going and how you’re travelling.

For a weekend city break with only a small cabin bag, you might only need:

Travel adapter
Power bank
Earbuds
Reusable bottle

For a two-week long-haul holiday, packing cubes, a travel pillow, luggage scales and a document organiser may become much more useful.

And for a road trip, your priorities will be different again.

Before buying something, ask yourself:

Will I use it on this trip?
Will I use it again?
Does it solve a genuine travel problem?
Is it worth the luggage space and weight?

If the answer is no, leave it at home.

Travel Accessories to Avoid Overpacking

There’s an entire industry built around convincing travellers that every minor inconvenience requires another gadget.

It doesn’t.

Be particularly careful with bulky travel accessories that perform only one very specific task.

A gadget may look clever online but become dead weight once you’re actually travelling.

Also consider whether something you already own can do the same job.

Your smartphone, for example, can replace a separate:

GPS
Alarm clock
Translation device
Travel guide
Entertainment player

Downloading offline maps and useful information before travelling can reduce the need for additional equipment.

Check Airline Rules Before Packing Electronics

If your travel accessories contain lithium batteries, check the rules before packing them.

Current CAA guidance says power banks and spare lithium batteries belong in cabin baggage rather than checked luggage. Power banks are limited to two per person and must not be recharged onboard.

Airlines can also have their own requirements, so check with your carrier before departure if you’re uncertain about a particular device.

This is particularly important for larger batteries and unusual electronic equipment.

The Best Travel Accessories: Final Thoughts

The best travel accessories aren’t necessarily the most expensive or technologically advanced.

They’re the things that make travelling genuinely easier.

A universal adapter keeps your devices usable, a power bank keeps your phone running, packing cubes organise your suitcase and luggage scales can help prevent unwanted baggage charges.

A travel pillow and noise-cancelling headphones can make long journeys more comfortable, while a reusable bottle and foldable day bag remain useful once you’ve reached your destination.

Start with the travel accessories that solve problems you regularly encounter and avoid filling your luggage with gadgets you’ll barely use.

Good packing is ultimately about taking what you need and leaving behind what you don’t.

For more help preparing for your next trip, read our holiday preparation checklist and international packing guide.

You can also find flights, search for hotels and compare car hire through TravelHype.

The Best Travel Accessories for Every Traveller