Intro
Here are my subjective thoughts on what the top must have travel accessories are. Each of my picks has helped me in some special way. Ranging from an AirTag saving me from losing my suitcase, to noise cancelling headphones drowning out crying babies. These are all things I won’t travel without. So please read my post on the MUST HAVE Travel Tech & Accessories to Save You in a Pinch 2022.
1. Apple AirTag
My first recommendation truly did save me in a pinch. The Apple AirTag… If you’re an Andriod user, Tile and Chipolo are also highly recommended.
I had originally never planned on buying an AirTag. But as luck would have it I was given one whilst on a business trip in Portugal. I didn’t think much of it but put it on my suitcase just in case. Luckily for me, on the way home from that very trip I almost lost my bag, and the only reason I found it was thanks to the AirTag.
Flying from Lisbon to London Heathrow on TAP Portugal, my carry-on bag was tagged before boarding the plane and cabin crew took it away to be put in the hold. Or so I thought… When arriving at baggage reclaim in London there was no sign of my bag. I raised a complaint with the baggage reclaim service but they said the barcode was not scanned at either Lisbon or Heathrow and told me it had been left behind. Meanwhile I could see (image right) my AirTag was at Heathrow through the Find My app though. I then called the TAP Portugal, who assured me my bag had not been on the flight at all.
Knowing my bag was at Heathrow, but with no way to find it, I walked dejectedly around the baggage reclaim hall. My mind was wondering how the hell I would get my bag back. Surely someone would notice it in the system and bring it around? Then suddenly I got a ping on the Find My app saying it was nearby. I found against a wall in the baggage reclaim hall, the opposite side to where bags from my flight were supposed to be delivered.
I can only guess that after taking my bag from me when boarding, the cabin crew then decided there was actually enough space in the overhead lockers. Then without telling me they put it in a locker and dumped it in the baggage reclaim hall once the plane was empty. Without my AirTag, the bag may have been lost forever since it hadn’t been scanned into the system at Heathrow. So, moral of the story is get an AirTag, even if you don’t think you’ll need it.
2. American Express Platinum Card
I made a separate post about why the American Express Platinum Card is so great for travelling here. But below i’ll go over the main perks and reasons why it’s a must have if you travel a lot. If you can’t stomach the £575 annual fee, to the right are some other good Amex cards.
- Platinum Card – Best all round for high spending
- Gold Card – Best all round for lower spending
- British Airways Card – Best for Avios
- Marriott Bonvoy Card – Best for Marriott hotels
Firstly, you can get £400 of completely free credits. £150 each at one UK restaurant and one international restaurant. Then another £100 at Harvey Nichols. This is my favourite perks, we ate a £150 for completely free and I got some nice plates from Harvey Nichols. The other perks take a bit more thought about how you’re going to use it. Free airport lounge access is great when you’re travelling, but you’ll have to check which lounges you’re entitled to use.
Also earning Membership reward points can be very lucrative, but you have to research the most efficient ways to use them for maximum value. By using an upgrade offer, I managed to earn 40,000 reward points for spending £3,000 in 3 months. These points could be worth up to £800 if used correctly. But of course you need to spend quite a lot to earn the reward, so you may want to time when you signup to coincide with a large purchase. Finally, worldwide travel insurance is also a valuable perk and can replace any existing travel insurance you have. In fact they reimbursed me for additional travel costs when my flight was delayed overnight.
3. Wireless Earbuds (Apple Airpods Pro 2)
If you’re in the air for long periods of time, the constant aircraft noise can get irritating, and even damage your ears. Therefore I highly recommend you get yourself a pair of noise cancelling headphones. What you choose really comes down to personal preference. I used to have over-ear Sony WH-1000XM3 headphones, which were brilliant for noise cancelling and sound quality. However, they were quite bulky, and I would find myself losing my situational awareness when walking around in public.
I recently switched to the Apple Airpods Pro 2. These are much sleeker and feel alot better when in public. They also have very good noise cancelling plus a transparent mode so you can switch this on to hear train announcements. I also think they’re great if you work in an office. You can wear just one in-ear and listen to a podcast without seeming antisocial.
I also find the Airpods just pair seemlessly with Apple devices. Having switched from Android to Apple recently, connecting airpods and being able to use the Find My app if you misplace them just makes your life easier. Lastly, you can customise them like I have in the video to the right. AliExpress is a treasure trove of random tat!
4. Duolingo
Duolingo. Their app is great and it’s very useful for getting familiar with the language before you visit. You can get pretty far with the free version but I use Super Duolingo, with a fee of £59.99 per year. What makes Super Duolingo especially good for travelling is that it downloads your lessons. This means you can use it even without a WiFi connection, very useful on long, boring flights. Another bonus of the premium version for me at least is you can make unlimited mistakes. On the free version you can make only 3 mistakes before you have to restart the lesson from scratch.
Some phrases it teaches you are very useful, others your unlikely to ever need. For example from the image on the right I learnt to say “the rabbit does not know how to love”. Whilst this may have some deeper philisophical meaning I can’t figure out, I don’t see myself ever having to use that phrase. But on the plus side, if anyone ever asks me why their pet rabbit doesn’t like them i’ll know what to say.
5. Muji Cabin Suitcase
I know there’s a huge range of options when it comes to carry-on suitcases, but I think the Muji Hard Case Trolley is the best. Made by the japanese budget homeware brand Muji, they’re like the Japanese Ikea. At just £139.95 it’s a bargain compared to similar products from Samsonite and Away.
I rate hard shell 4-wheeled carry-on suitcases over any other type of bag. First, the wheel make it effortless to move about with. The hard shell is very protective and provides good structue. And it has plenty of space inside. I find I can pack pretty comfortably for a 5 day holiday with this suitcase. The bag also eats cobblestone streets like a machine so it is perfect for travelling through old cities in Europe. Finally, you can use it as a seat. This utility has come in helpful at airports and bus stations when I’ve been delayed for hours.
Final Thoughts
These are just five of my top picks to take on every holiday with me. For me the Airtag has been the useful, in fact, it helped me avoid losing my suitcase just 3 days after getting it. The Amex Platinum has also provided the most utility. Being able to access most airport lounges for free, and benefitting from regular cashback offers is definitely worth it to me.
The choise of suitcase is just personal preference really. A 4-wheeled hard shelled cabin suitcase just makes life a lot easier, and you can fit up to a weeks worth of cloting if you pack light. Another relatively affordable option is the Away Carry-On Suitcase, or if you want the best of the best, The Rimowa Classic Carry-On is on my wishlist.
As for headphones, anything noise-cancelling is basically a requirement to me if you want to survive long-haul flights. My favourite over-ear headphones are the Sony WH-1000XM5 and if you want an Apple Airpod alternative, the Sony WF-1000XM4 are also a great choice.