What I Pack in My Travel Backpack
Whenever I travel, I take both a suitcase and a travel backpack.
I’ve used a number of different backpacks over the years, but last year I upgraded to an actual travel backpack and I LOVE it.
You can tell it’s actually been designed for travel, with a safety pocket that lies against your back for your wallet or passport, a sleeve so it sleeps over the handle of your suitcase, a retractable clip for your keys, a felt sunglasses pocket, a waterproof laptop pocket, a waterproof pocket for anything liquid, and a million other well-designed pockets and spaces that make traveling so easy.
In fact, I’ve literally stood in the airport and thought “Did I forget my laptop?” because it holds so much without being heavy!
It comes in a bunch of colors and I’ve had men and women alike stop me in the airport and ask me what brand this backpack is because it’s just so good!
When I’m headed on a trip, here’s what I generally pack in my travel backpack:
- A travel pillow. I store this in my travel backpack all the time. I love that it isn’t as big as a doughnut style travel pillow and works 100x better for me. My in-laws bought us these travel pillows as birthday gifts last year and they were so good that we bought ones for our older girls before our Australia trip.
- Kindle. I never travel without my Kindle! I own both a Paperwhite Kindle and a basic Kindle, but when I’m traveling I always choose the basic Kindle because it’s smaller and lighter and fits in my tiny crossbody bag I use during the day when we’re exploring on a trip.
- 1-2 physical books. One of my favorite travel traditions is taking a physical book along to read on the airplane or at the Airbnb and then leaving it at the Airbnb for the next visitor! (I love when an Airbnb has a fun collection of books to read while you’re staying there!).
- Wallet. I use a tiny wallet like this that easily slips in and out of my backpack and fits in my daily crossbody bag.
- Phone. I doubt I need to explain to you why I take a phone. I always put it in the water bottle pocket of my travel backpack because I almost never take a water bottle with me when I travel.
- Big and small travel chargers. I have a big bar charger that I keep in my backpack plus two small travel chargers that I swap between in my daily crossbody bag so I can charge my phone during the day when we’re out exploring.
- Sweatshirt. I always have a sweatshirt in my travel backpack, even in the summer, because I’m often freezing in the airport or airplane. I have two of these sweatshirts (one white and one black) and it’s always one of these in my backpack – they’re my very favorites!
- 2 pairs of sunglasses. I HATE being without sunglasses so I always bring along two pairs just in case (in Paris, my sunglasses broke about halfway through the trip, so I want a backup pair always!). My #1 favorite pair of sunglasses is this pair and this is my second favorite pair (and the second one is better for working out on vacation because they’re a little tighter!).
- Earbuds. I tend to listen to a LOT of audiobooks on flights (while I play literal hours of Water Sort Puzzle or Block Puzzle). So I’d never leave home without my earbuds!
- Bluetooth connector for airplane movies. Some planes now let you directly connect your own Bluetooth headphones to the seat screen, but this little gadget means you never have to use the cheap, uncomfortable headphones they pass out on the plane!
- Cord organizer. I bought this for Bart for Christmas and after seeing him use it on our last few trips, I ordered one for me too! So nice to have all your cords, chargers, and adaptors in one easy-to-access place!
- Throat spray. The souvenir I do NOT want to bring home from my trip is a cold and I swear by this throat spray. I toss a little bottle of it in my travel backpack and use it everyday (including on my kids!) while we’re on the go.
- Hand Sanitizer. I’m not a germaphobe in general but when you’re traveling and touching a million very public things, hand sanitizer is something I’ll always make room for in my travel backpack. I love these because they’re so flat and small!
- Stain Remover. I took this on our Australia trip and it immediately earned a permanent place in my travel backpack. It took out everything from a (giant!) Nutella stain to red pepper juice to a smear of curry sauce. My affiliate code is EVERYDAYREADING.
- Small toothbrush and mini toothbrush. I have a small bamboo toothbrush and tiny toothpaste that I always keep in my travel backpack so I can brush my teeth in the airport or airplane bathroom.
- ARMRA travel packs. I take ARMRA colostrum every day (keeps my digestion really regular) and I definitely don’t want to skip it when I’m traveling! I take the travel sticks and just keep a stash of them in my travel backpack always. My affiliate code is JANSSENBRADSHAW.
- A snack or two. I usually make a quick stop at Trader Joe’s or Target for a few fun snacks before we go on a trip. My #1 favorite travel snack are these chocolate covered mini graham crackers!
- Mini sound machine. I’m a HUGE sound machine lover (we sleep with one every night) and I don’t love burning out my phone having it run all night long as a sound machine. This one is tiny, has a terrific battery and great sound options and easy to toss in my travel backpack!
- On-the-go crossbody bag. I always bring a small bag to use during the day while we travel so I can leave my travel backpack at the hotel or Airbnb and this is my current favorite one (my two oldest girls have ones too and we all love them!). Small but holds all the essentials like my wallet, phone, mini charger, Kindle, and sunglasses!
Any other questions about my travel backpack or what I keep in it? I’m happy to answer any questions!
And if I’m missing any items I shouldn’t be traveling without, let me know!
Does the travel pillow have neck support? It doesn’t look like it but I was curious.
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