In the months before our international trip to Vietnam and Thailand my wife and I spent a lot of time looking for products that would make travel easier for us.
Our trip involved long flights from the United States and back, as well as multiple flights across Vietnam and Thailand.
We wanted to be as prepared and comfortable as possible. After all, we would be in no one place for more than four nights. We’d be unpacking and repacking often, and we would need to sleep on some of the flights.
This is the list of things we bought to make international travel easier. I think you’ll find them helpful as well.
You can also browse this list on Amazon.
Teppy Pocket WiFi
One of the most important things to me when I embark on international travel is having service on my phone. There are many places around the world that have WiFi networks, but if you want seamless and reliable connection I highly recommend renting a Teppy Pocket WiFi.
Teppy Pocket WiFi is a piece of hardware that is similar in size to a phone, but slightly thinner. All you have to do is turn it on and connect to the WiFi hotspot it creates. This was a lifesaver when we were in Vietnam and Thailand, since we could look things up on the go.
Read my full review of Teppy Pocket WiFi.
External Battery
The last thing you want to do when you are out and about in a foreign country is get caught with your phone or other electronics drained of battery in the middle of the day. An external battery is a must.
I bought and recommend the Anker PowerCore 13000 Portable Charger. This battery is powerful enough to recharge your phone multiple times, but what I really love about it is the two USB ports. You can charge two phones at once, but what I often found myself doing was charging both my phone and Teppy Pocket WiFi at the same time. Super useful and not too bulky considering how much of a charge it carries.
Noise-Cancelling Headphones
Noise-cancelling headphones don’t block out 100% of the noise around you, but there is a huge difference between noise-cancelling headphones and earbuds. Besides blocking out noise on the plane, it also helps protect your eardrums because it naturally makes it so you don’t have to listen to your audio as loud as with earbuds. I’m always surprised more people don’t use them when flying.
I admittedly didn’t buy mine for flying because I use them when I’m working. Unlike some of the things on this list, noise-cancelling headphones have a use outside of your international travel. They also aren’t as expensive as you might think. I love these Boltune bluetooth headphones and they only cost about $50.
Clothes Organizers with Compression Built-In
On most of my international trips where I am only staying at one location the entire time I haven’t had to worry much about having my clothes super organized. But on our Asia trip we were packing and repacking often, so I wanted to make sure we had everything as organized as possible.
These Lermende Compression Packing Cubes were a big win. They come with a handful of bags in different sizes. There is compression built-in with how the zippers are set up, and it was easy to divide up clothes based on type or leg of the trip.
Neck Pillow
I’m a light sleeper, so sleeping on flights is something I rarely do. But when you think about a long international flight, especially a red-eye, you have to at least try to sleep for part of the flight.
What made a big difference for me was a neck pillow. This is a basic travel necessity, but at the same time an essential one when we are talking about international travel.
I recommend this memory foam neck pillow that costs around $15.
Medicine Organizer
I take allergy medicine regularly and typically like to have ibuprofen and benadryl on me in case I need it. The problem with traveling is that it’s annoying to bring multiple bottles of pills.
Until recently I would bring my pills in their prescription bottles or in little plastic bags. My wife found these pill organizers and they worked really well. I also used a label maker to label each section.
These compartments are small. If you have larger pills you won’t be able to fit a ton, or will need to fill many of the compartments with the same pill. For most pills, though, the organizer will work well.
One thing I will warn about this is that you could run into issues if the country you are entering has some rules around pills needing to all be in labeled bottles. I didn’t read deep into this topic so I’m unsure what countries, if any, would cause issues. I had no problems and it was super useful having such a compact organizer in my bag.
Finally, always make sure to have copies of your prescription information.
Water Bottle
Having a large, quality water bottle can make your trip more comfortable – you don’t want to run out of water right away on a long flight.
A travel water bottle should also have a covered mouth piece, for obvious reasons. I admit at one time my water bottle didn’t have a cover and it’s pretty gross to think about.
We went with this 32 ounce Hydracy water bottle. I don’t like fruit in my water, but this water bottle does come with a removable fruit strainer.
Rewards from Credit Cards – Free Flights and Credits towards Travel Expenses
We’ve been using travel rewards credit cards and cash back credit cards for nearly a decade to save money on flights, hotels, and more.
For example, our flights to and from Asia cost only about a hundred dollars from taxes and airport fees, and we also saved money on hotels through travel credits we gained through our credit cards. I go into more detail in this post.
Besides free flights and savings on hotel stays through travel credits, another credit card rewards we really value is a credit for Global Entry, which includes TSA PreCheck. There are a few cards that offer a credit for Global Entry or TSA Precheck, including the Capital One® Venture® Rewards credit card which offers up to a $100 credit. The Capital One Venture Rewards card also has a one-time bonus of 50,000 miles once you spend $3,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening. These 50,000 miles equal $500 in travel, which is a huge perk.
Electronics Organizer
Chargers. Batteries. USB cables.
The amount of cords and electronics can get a bit ridiculous. That’s why I decided to purchase an electronics organizer for when I go on trips. This helps keep all your cords and equipment in one spot. I went with this BAGSMART Electronic Organizer, which may have a little too much space since I got the double-layered version. The single-layer is likely enough for most people.
Tablet & Accessories
For years I went back and forth on whether to get a tablet or not. Typically it’s not that big of an issue to bring my laptop with when I travel. Yes, it can be a bit bulky, but if I’m not constantly on the move it doesn’t matter much to me.
I finally decided to get a Microsoft Surface for our trip to Asia. We were going to be traveling often throughout the trip and a laptop didn’t seem practical. The Surface was a bit more expensive than some lower-cost tablets, but it has Microsoft Office on it which I use all the time.
I also bought a couple accessories including the Microsoft Surface Go Type Cover, this screen protector, and this case.
Backpacks
Luggage works just fine for many trips, but if you are on the go it can help to have a large backpack. I went with this Kelty Coyote backpack, which has an 80 Liter capacity. There are many opinions on what size of a bag is needed, so it’s worth noting that 80L is a pretty big bag. My wife went with a smaller 55L/65L backpack.
I’m not going to lie, when you have these bags packed full of stuff it can be a bit heavy. But that has more to do with what you pack versus the bag itself. I think it would be challenging to fully pack an 80L bag and walk around with it for an extended period of time.
Here are some other things we bought that are worth checking out:
- Silicone Rings – Men’s and Women’s – Even if you have insurance on your rings, there is no reason to make yourself a target when traveling internationally. Buy these inexpensive silicone wedding rings and leave your expensive rings at home.
- Waterproof Phone Case – When you are close to the water don’t risk your phone getting wet, use one of these waterproof cases. One warning is to make sure that the case is clean if you are taking pictures. And since I mentioned that, check your camera lens, too. Mine got dirty on an excursion and a bunch of the pictures are a bit blurry.
- Charcoal Pills – Charcoal pills are becoming a popular way to combat digestive issues while traveling.
- Adidas Soccer Pants – One of my greatest travel purchases were these pants. Yes, a pair of pants. These pants have zippers on the side which makes pickpocketing way more difficult. They also are tapered and super comfortable. I wish I had bought these years ago.
Hopefully you found this list useful and have some ideas of things that will help make your next international trip easier. If you have anything you would add to this list, please drop a comment. We are always looking for new products that will help make traveling a breeze.
Don’t forget – you can browse this list on Amazon.
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All great tips and product my favorites are neck pillow and water bottle!!!