The right travel gadgets and accessories can make a holiday more comfortable, convenient and organised, though it is easy to over-pack on gadgets you will not use. This guide covers the travel gadgets and accessories genuinely worth packing. Focus on the items that solve a real problem or add real comfort for your kind of trip, and leave the rest at home, so you carry useful kit without weighing yourself down with unnecessary gadgets.
A universal travel adaptor
A universal travel adaptor is one of the most useful accessories for travelling abroad, letting you charge and use your devices in different countries' sockets. It is essential and easily forgotten. Packing a good travel adaptor, ideally one that covers multiple plug types and has USB ports, means you can keep all your devices powered wherever you go. This is a near-essential item for any trip abroad, so it tops the list of travel accessories worth packing, as being unable to charge your phone abroad is a real inconvenience.
A power bank
A portable power bank lets you charge your phone and devices on the go, which is invaluable for long days out, travel days, and when your phone holds your boarding pass and maps. Keep it in your hand luggage. Our guide on carry-on essentials covers carrying it. Bringing a power bank means you are not caught with a flat phone when you need it most, whether navigating, sightseeing or boarding. A reliable portable charger is one of the most practical travel gadgets, especially given how much we rely on our phones when travelling.
Charging cables and a multi-charger
Pack the charging cables for all your devices, and consider a multi-port charger to charge several at once from one socket, which is handy when sockets are limited. Forgetting a cable is a common frustration. Bringing all your cables, and a multi-charger to power several devices together, ensures you can keep everything charged conveniently. A multi-port charger in particular saves juggling sockets and adaptors, making it a useful accessory for anyone travelling with several devices, so include your cables and consider one in your packing.
Packing cubes
Packing cubes help organise and compress your belongings, keeping your luggage tidy and making the most of the space. They are popular for efficient, organised packing. Our guide on how to pack a suitcase covers using them. Including packing cubes helps you pack neatly, find things easily and fit more in, which is useful for any trip and especially when travelling light. While not essential, they are a genuinely helpful accessory that brings order to your luggage, so they are well worth considering among your travel kit.
A reusable water bottle
A reusable water bottle lets you stay hydrated and save money and plastic, filling it up after airport security and at your destination where the water is safe. It is practical and eco-friendly. Packing a reusable bottle means you always have water to hand, which matters for staying hydrated while travelling and sightseeing. A collapsible or lightweight bottle takes little space when empty, making it an easy, useful accessory to include, particularly for active trips and hot destinations where staying hydrated is important.
Travel pillow, eye mask and earplugs
For comfort on flights and journeys, a travel pillow, eye mask and earplugs help you rest, particularly on long-haul or overnight travel. They make a real difference to arriving rested. Our guide on surviving a long-haul flight covers comfort. Packing these comfort accessories, suited to the length of your journey, helps you sleep and stay comfortable in transit. For long flights especially, a travel pillow and the means to block out light and noise can transform the journey, making them worthwhile additions for longer trips.
Luggage scales
Portable luggage scales let you weigh your bags at home and even at your destination before the return trip, helping you avoid excess baggage fees. They are small and inexpensive. Our guide on how to pack a suitcase covers weight limits. Bringing or owning a set of luggage scales means you can check your bags are within allowance before reaching the airport, avoiding charges and last-minute repacking. For frequent travellers especially, this small gadget pays for itself by helping you stay within your baggage limits both ways.
Padlocks and luggage tags
Practical accessories like luggage padlocks and tags help secure and identify your bags, with padlocks deterring tampering and tags helping reunite you with lost luggage. Use approved locks where required. Including a luggage lock and clear tags adds a little security and makes your bag identifiable, which is useful if it goes astray. These small, inexpensive items are easy to overlook but genuinely helpful, so consider adding a suitable padlock and luggage tags to your travel accessories for peace of mind.
Headphones
Good headphones, especially noise-cancelling ones, make journeys far more pleasant for music, films or simply blocking out noise on flights and transport. They are a popular travel comfort item. Bringing headphones you find comfortable, ideally ones that reduce noise, enhances your entertainment and helps you relax or rest in transit. For anyone who values their own audio and a bit of peace on a journey, a decent pair of headphones is one of the most-used travel accessories, so they are well worth packing.
An e-reader or tablet
An e-reader or tablet lets you carry plenty of books, films and entertainment in one light device, ideal for travel and downtime without the weight of physical books. It is great for relaxing. Packing a single device loaded with reading and entertainment saves space and weight while keeping you occupied on journeys and at your destination. For those who like to read or watch on holiday, an e-reader or tablet is a compact, versatile accessory that replaces a stack of books, making it a smart thing to pack.
Do not over-gadget
While gadgets can be useful, resist packing every gadget you own, as many go unused and add weight and clutter. Take the accessories that genuinely suit your trip and leave the rest. Being selective about which gadgets and accessories you bring, focusing on those that solve a real problem or add real comfort for your particular holiday, keeps your packing practical. The best approach is to pack the useful few rather than the gadget-laden many, so you benefit from helpful kit without the burden of things you will not use.
Match gadgets to your trip
Choose your gadgets to suit the trip, as a beach holiday, a city break and an adventurous trip call for different accessories. Pack what fits your destination and activities rather than a standard set. Our guide on the ultimate holiday packing list helps you cover the essentials. Tailoring your travel gadgets and accessories to where you are going and what you will do, rather than bringing the same kit for every trip, ensures the items you pack are genuinely useful. The right accessories for your particular holiday add real value without unnecessary clutter.
In short
Travel gadgets and accessories worth packing include a universal adaptor, a power bank, your charging cables and perhaps a multi-charger, and packing cubes. A reusable water bottle, a travel pillow, eye mask and earplugs, luggage scales, padlocks and tags, headphones, and an e-reader or tablet are all genuinely useful. Focus on the items that solve a real problem or add comfort for your kind of trip, and avoid over-gadgeting, so you carry helpful kit without unnecessary weight.
Find more in our Packing & Before You Go guides.