Best Travel Essential 2026 (for carry on & long flights) ✈️ In Flight Amazon Travel Essentials

For the past year, I've been testing some of the most popular travel products on the market. From countless domestic flights, to Asia, to the Middle East, I have put these things to the ringer, and today I will be revealing the best of the best. Welcome to our Travel Essentials 2026. I've got you covered from organization, to tech, to beauty, to personal items, bags, backpacks, suitcases. And if you guys have been around for a while, I've been reviewing travel products for many, many years. I'll include my playlist here. As always, everything mentioned in today's video will be down below in the description box. However, we have our brand new Miss Louie Shop. It is a beautiful, shoppable experience where you can browse all of the items while you're watching today's video. I have the QR code here. Everything is also timestamped down below in the description box in the comments so you guys can skip around and get what you need. And be sure to grab my freebie. It is my personal collection of travel packing lists. You guys absolutely love it. It's totally free. I'll include the download link for you guys here or right here. I love you guys, and let's get started. Okay, so we're gonna start off with the big ticket items. Let's start off with suitcases. I have a crazy collection of suitcases, and I've tried pretty much most of the major brands on the market, from Vase to Away to Monos, July, Quince. And the number one winner that I've taken on the most trips is my July Carry-On Max suitcase. This was deemed the world's largest carry-on suitcase. It definitely lived up to its name. I am a maximum minimalist. I love traveling carry-on, but I still like to bring as much as possible. The expandability and the slim profile of this carry-on is just so perfect. The brand's aesthetic really aligns with me. It's edgy, it's professional, but they're so playful with color. You have a polycarbonate base with these metal riveted corners. The wheels are really slick, and the interior has this nice monogrammed lining. It's just so chic. This was my second carry-on purchase from July. I have their green glossy carry-on trunk. I have a review of that. I'll link it right here. I have never had an issue domestically with these. And when I am traveling internationally, which could be a lot more stringent in the weight and the size, I don't like to risk it. So I would recommend doing the smaller carry-on size of this one as well. But if you are looking for something more affordable, you already know I'm gonna say it, Quinn's, this is their expandable carry-on. It has so many good reviews. It has a full light polycarbonate base. It's got the expandability. The chassis is a little bit more short and squat, but it's just really simplistic and it has everything that you need. Great organization, really good wheels, about 50% less than the traditional retail market. All right, moving on to our checked big boy luggages. I have been obsessed with trunks. They're normally split like 60, 40, or maybe even 80, 20. So you have this depth on the back of the shape where you can put heavy boots, taller things. This one from Monos is their large size trunk. I believe it's about 86 liters. So it's about a medium to large size. This is a part of their hybrid series. It looks like aluminum, but it's actually a polycarbonate shell. So it's really lightweight. I hate when checked luggage is so heavy. I'm like, I'm already trying to pack that thing with heavy stuff. Like I don't want to eat up my allotment from the case itself. And you also have great organization. Oh, you have three big zipper pockets on the inside of this. Only downside if you're a heavy packer with trunks is that it's a, you know, a rigid frame. So you don't have that much wiggle room to jam pack things. And you also have some raised feet on the bottom to keep things steady. This thing is hardy, it's smooth. I really love this for the aesthetic and the functionality. I found a similar version of Bagsmart that is about 96 liters. So it's a bigger size of this in case you need more stuff and you want to try the trunk shape. And then finally, last but not least, if you want a traditional checked in suitcase, we have the bigger brother of the carry-on. We have the expandable checked plus suitcase. I've taken this to Dubai, to South Korea. This one is basically a mega size of this one. You have expandability, nice sleek shape, even though it can fit so much. And the durability of this guy is really good. Honestly, I am somebody that likes to beat the hell out of my luggage, or I want to put not too many violent words in this video. I'm someone that likes to really like live in my luggage. Like I don't care if it looks beat up. It just shows like the sign of like the love and the travels and the memories I'm making. The fact that I've taken this on several trips, like it's held up really well. There is some scratching on the metal corners, but the shells itself have really stood the test of time. Moving on to personal items, duffels, tote bags, and backpacks. The first one that I'm so excited to share because it is the most used backpack I think I've ever had on my travels. And it is the Bagsmart Blast 38 liter backpack. I did a collab with them a while back and I just have not been able to stop using this backpack. It literally has every bell and whistle you can think of. First, you have a cushy compartment for your laptop and technology in the back. You have like an open duffel clamshell opening in the front to load in everything on the interior. It comes with some wide straps to secure everything so you could put your clothes in there. You have a bottom panel to put like a pair of shoes, water bottle pocket, security side pocket, and my absolute favorite, the quick access top zippered pocket. This is where I put like my sunglasses and my wallet, my external charger, like anything that I need immediately. And especially when this is tucked in under your airplane seat, you can just open this pocket and just grab what you need. I do have a top and a side handle for easy loading. And this thing is expandable. So you can pack into the gills. Oh, and then you have another security pocket in the back. Oh my gosh. Need I say more? This is the most functional organizer freak backpack for the size and the capability is also really light. The mesh paneling and the padded feels really comfortable. And since I've had this, they launched a pro version. So I'll link both options down below if you guys check out. Now for tote bags. My main priority is having as big as possible. I have one that looks more aesthetic like a work bag and that is the July Juliet soft work tote. I got the very first version of this. It was a super large capacity at about 26 liters. They have since removed this from the site. So I'm so sorry, but they still have the largest size of 22 liters. What I like about this is that it is just insanely massive. You have two strap options for a top handle and easy throwing on the shoulder with a lot of clearance. You have this open flap again to stuff this thing to the gills, or you can also strap this up to be more square and tight. You have kind of like a trifold pockets on the exterior and a trolley pass on the back. I think they probably removed this from the site, you guys, because this thing was so big. It does flop around, especially when it's on the carry-on. Don't feel sad that you missed out on this big size. The 22 liters I'm sure is just as great. It looks exactly the same. This is my work bag that I use every single day right now. So I love this one and it matches so gorgeously with a dark brown luggage. Then my second option is a brand that I have championed on this site before and I still love to this day is my MZ Wallace collection. I've got the backpack, I've got the duffel bag, and I also have the deluxe large tote. If you're new to this brand, they're known for their iconic quilted ripstop nylon material. It is insanely lightweight and comfortable and everything smashes down to like a really small size. The one I use the most often is the deluxe large tote. It's a big empty abyss of a Merlin's bag that you can fit so much in. And I noticed they came out with this pocketed cargo version that I'm so adept at. Aesthetically, it's a little hmm, but it looks highly practical, especially for my moms out there. The second option I really love is this gym bag because you've got triple compartments. You know, you have your wipes for your kids. You can have one side for your beauty items. And then the interior is like a nice, perfect, modular rectangle where you can put your clothes and all of your personal items. And then you can fit your laptop on the top. I love this gym bag style too. This duffel is so great. And then last but not least, for something that's a hybrid between all of these, we have the Calpac Luca. This is a very viral, popular bag. It's got the plushy, puffy nylon athleisure of the MZ Wallace. You've got some nice interior organization along with side pockets, one zippered, one open for a water bottle. And then you've got some nice plushy shoulder pads. It's not supersized like my July Juliette or my MZ Wallace big old tote bag. And the structure is a mixture of like a duffel with a work tote. And it comes in a nice array of colors. I'm also planning our July travel content. So if you guys have any suggestions on what specific packing or review videos you wanna see, leave me a comment down below. Okay, moving on to organization for all my OCD freaks. These are all the little things to organize our little things. First up, we have packing cubes. We still have my ultimate favorite, ranking supreme, the packing cube set from Trip Travel Gear. I love that it is a vertical oriented packing cube with like a top feed. And the compression works really well once you're done packing it. You have like that ripstop nylon that's super lightweight and incredibly durable. And my favorites are this mesh version because you can see everything on the inside. What makes these the best is not only do you get a wide variety of sizes in all of the sets, it comes with an odor resistant, like roll top down laundry bag that you can literally just like hang on the doorknob and accumulate it during your trip. But my absolute favorite is this accessories bag. You guys see me pack this so many times. I do my underwear, my socks, my lingerie. It is like so perfect to stack on the side rails of your suitcase. Again, light, breathable, and doesn't weigh anything. These are so good. Let's go to my favorite hanging toiletry case. It is also from Trip Travel Gear and it comes in a trio set. You get this hanging toiletry bag along with a quart size clear TSA friendly 311 pouch bag. This has been the only one I've used for the past two years. Why I love this, you can go counter free at your destination. You can just hang this up. Everything is so neatly displayed. This bottom clear panel you can snip off and also use as like liquid isolation going through security. The middle compartment you can load in the front, but if this thing is closed off and you need to quickly throw something in your bag, you have a quick access exterior entrance to load in your last minute skincare. There's something about the nylon material that makes things so pliable where you can really pack things to its maximum. And because it's so lightweight and durable, and honestly, even though I got the white color, it still looks really good. And then as you can see, I clearly use the quart size bag a lot. What makes this one unique is it comes with a clip off on strap. So you can also hang this up at your destination. This quart size bag goes with me in my personal item all the time for all my miscellaneous crap. So the investment in this trio set will give you multifunctionality. Absolutely love it. Most used toiletry bag of my entire life. I've done extensive reviews on this trip travel gear in this video that I'll link for you guys. Then moving on to makeup, it's actually upstairs in my office. I have also used this makeup bag religiously for the past 18 months. This is a easy Amazon find. It is a nice cylindrical shape. And when you open it up, it folds out flat and you get quick access to all of your things. The middle compartment I love for my brushes. I'm able to stack multi palettes on either side and you have smaller compartments for like my lip balm and my Q-tips. It is insanely impressive, the capacity for this thing. And I love it so much. I'm not even looking at it. I can just tell you from memory. I use it every single day. The companion I use for this is also a great affordable find. It's a silicone fold-out flap brush case. The only downside is I'm not able to fit my large size brushes into this bag because I have so much stuff in it. Or for some other great makeup alternatives, we have the classic Quiana leather two-piece set. I've had this for literally many years. These make great gifts and I'll also link the quince dupe down below. If any of this is too expensive, I'll include some affordable alternatives over on our shop page for this video, which by the way, you can shop right now as you're watching this video from your phone. I'll include the QR code right here. This is a super chic, also stand on the countertop, wide mouth option for cosmetics or makeup. And it's incredibly chic. Or for an affordable option, I have loved these clear cases. It has a quilted, super soft nylon edging. And then you have the clear front and back panel. Compared to my more expensive truffle collection, which I showed you guys before, I'm actually surprised these really affordable ones haven't had any of that like foggy scum on the clear panels. And they are a fraction of the price. They come in a two pack. You have the small size and the large size, super high capacity. They come in a lot of cute colors. You have a top handle. It's also incredibly lightweight. These literally feel like absolutely nothing compared to the higher quality leather, which has some weight to it. Moving on to miscellaneous pouches and cases. These are all like Amazon-y finds, but let's start off with stuff for you and your baby. We have the Bunkins and also this other brand Twinkle Twinkle. These are simple clear pouches. I've had these for me and Clark for several years now. You can tell they're dirtied up, they're loved, they're lived in. These are super minimal, lightweight organizers. And the clear front panel gives you quick visual access to see and organize your things. In addition, I also have their snack bags. If you have like dry snacks or even like tangerines, I organize me and Clark's snacks in here. And then you also can do the swim wet bag. This is so great for in case you have any accidents on the road or you have the last minute swim. This can isolate your wet items for the rest of your clean laundry. I have so many organizing bags and sizes here and they are completely flexible and compressible. Literally the possibilities are so endless. You can micro-organize your little things in here. If you're not into the highly aesthetic bulkier pieces and you just want pure practicality, I love these till this day. Okay, then moving up the stack, if you want something a little bit more high volume, I found these zippered pouches. I think this style is like very viral online, but I like that they have a nice wider bottom and just a really big open area to just dump stuff in. I use these to pack my heavier duty items like my big power bangs or like my laptop cables in here. For smaller items, I have this set. I think it came in a set of six. These are actually I think made for jewelry organization, but I like to use them for my little matcha sticks for my electrolytes, anything micro-organizing. These are so great to isolate. Need the tiny bags to fit into the mini bags into the medium bags into the large bags. Then for my prescription glasses, my sunglasses, I found these really great like coin purse style slim line protectors. So you have hinges on two sides and then you just, boop, like a wide mouth fish and you have your reading glasses. I have the dark one for my sunglasses, the light one for my reading glasses and then I also have this larger size one if you wanna stack two glasses into one. Then we have the bulk utility option that you can also use at home, especially for like kids' toys and miscellaneous. I really like these like cross-hatched, bulk size, pocketed pouches. Sorry, I don't got a better word for it. You can find these at Daiso in the Japanese dollar store, but I still find these highly useful. I've got ones where you can fit your shoes. They're also great to organize like your kids' toys that have like a bunch of parts in it. You can isolate outfits in here too. They're just really affordable and you can get just simple black or you can also get rainbow colored if you want to multi-organize and again, you can fold them really flat. And last but not least, for organization, this is for organizing things at your destination or on the go. I literally cannot live without my Bagoo reusable bags. I have an insanely disgusting collection of these because they have the funnest like colors and collaborations. Basically, this is a large capacity shopping bag. Just have something on the go whenever you go shopping, impromptu souvenirs, grocery shopping. You will not believe how handy these things are. And because they fold down to practically, you know, nothing and they're super lightweight, they just become so valuable. Even if you need like an impromptu shoe bag or isolate your swim or wet stuff, they're reusable and washable. There are countless reasons to have these. So I could just throw one of these into the backpack, nook and cranny of your suitcase. And if you're interested on my techniques on how to pack like a pro, I will link those videos for you right here. Okay, next let's talk about one of my favorite topics, beauty and wellness. The first is gonna be my favorite cleanser slash soap. It's the Dr. Bronner's 18-in-1 Castile Soap. This is like the miracle product because you can clean your dishes, your laundry, your hair, your body. I love the lavender smell. It has come in clutch with me so many times, even when you go to the hotel and you want a more rigorous hand soap. Even your dishes, it's so great for like camping or road trip. Instead of packing a thousand different liquid products, you can just have this one and it smells so good. I love the lavender and the peppermint. Been using that for years. Then the second beauty essential has got to be hypochlorous acid. I know it's taken over the market. I am an avid, obsessed user. I cannot live without this. So right here, I have the really popular Tower 28 SOS Spray. It comes in this great little mini size. Helps with acne, rosacea, like any skin issue you could possibly think of. It is like the miracle spray. I cannot live without it. A little hack. Whenever I use this and I need a refill, I have this one that I use obsessively. I'm literally on my third bottle. It's a great value size. I just refill all of my travel ones. You can use it for you and your kids. I mean, it's just the best. And then the third to end the Holy Trinity is of course a cream. I love an all-purpose cream that you can use, again, for all over your body, your face. For my K-beauty selection, we love the Astora Ato Barrier 365. And then for a Sephora American Pick, we have the First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream. Both of these are wonderful, incredibly hydrating, very skin sensitive. And I always have one of them on hand to take care of any ashy, crackly skin needs. Now, if you wanna bring some of your favorites from home, but you don't wanna carry the full-size versions, I'm happy to report that I still use my Cadence Capsules. I did a review on these a couple years ago on my whole collection, but really I take just a couple of them with me. The main ones are the small size 0.56 fluid ounces. I keep balms in here, and then I use the larger one for my cleanser. And hack, I love a powder cleanser because it reduces your liquids and it lasts a lot longer. This one's got like a papaya enzyme, so it's great at breaking down your dirt and grimes. Next for hygienics, I have been obsessed with these Guru Nanda Ready-to-Go Butter-on-Gums Disposable Toothbrushes. It is pre-loaded with toothpaste. You can just start brushing and it feels really thorough. And then you have a toothpick on the other side. If you're just like on the go, you need a refresher, you need to get somebody. They're fluoride free and I just love them. Next, I don't have it here with me, but I'll show it on screen. The Clean Skin Club has taken over the beauty market the past few years, and I also religiously use them. I have the big super-size pack at home and I have the great 10-piece travel set. This is a biodegradable, purely clean face towel. I've noticed a huge difference in my breakouts by utilizing these towels. I also love for my girlies that get nausea or migraines, my Boom Boom Sticks. These are like natural inhalers for aromatherapy and just to help open up the sinuses. This is super great on the planes or road trips or boats. Also love a nice little sunscreen stick here. I have just a mineral-based one for me and Clark. And then moving on to like supplements, I also cannot travel without my Peak Life Sun Goddess Matcha Sticks. If you guys are matcha girlies, this is the best quality, super compact version. I also love using these just to save money. Instead of getting a full matcha latte, like I just need to get hot water anywhere. I'll dump this in and I'll get my fix in the morning, okay? We also have the electrolytes for beauty that I really enjoy too. I'm literally like a maniac if I don't pack these. Let's go on to like supplements and wellness. I wanna talk about pill organizers because I feel like every woman and mom needs these. The super-sized version I have here, this is so affordable. This is a fold-out pill organizer that has multi-compartments for different sizes. It has a magnetic clasp, so it shuts. This has been my absolute favorite. It's really lightweight, it's plastic, it's easy. And if you want something more premium, I don't think you can get as bougie as the Ikigai cases. These are 100% metal pill organizers and they have such a weighty, high-quality feel to them. You have this tactile thumbprint here to slide things open. This is the nano with a single compartment. I mean, you literally can hear it like, shh, it's like a blade. The only thing I'll say is that they are a little heavy, but in terms of quality, like you can't beat these. They come in gorgeous metallic colors. And then I will also link some other favorites I have. I think I've just collected these over the years from Daiso. The main things I look for are ones that are detachable, so you can create your own sets of compartments. Or my favorite one is this dual one where I can have one for my headaches, one for my lactate pills, something like that. If you guys have some secrets, super versatile beauty essentials to share with the community, please let me know down below in the comments. I wanna know. Okay, next we have technology. I have some favorite gadgets to show you guys. Let's start off with the external battery banks. I have three different sizes. First one is the heavy hitter. This is so great for anyone that works remote or has to do dual device charging. This is a monster. You have a long retractable USB-C cord on one side and then a short like tethered one on the side here. So you can charge two devices at once. It does have like that lightning fast charge. So you can get juice really quick. You also have this awesome panel here. It displays the battery life and also the speed of charging. On the side, you'll have USB and USB-C outputs here. I love this thing. It is a little bit heavy, but for the 25,000 like juice power that you get, I think that it's a very compact, incredibly useful, especially if you're traveling long distances. You can get you and your partner at the same time. I have really loved the investment in this one. The second option, this one I love because you can charge this thing directly into a wall outlet. So you have the prongs right here that retract on the side. And then you have the USB-C cable that's attached. And it also is looped together so you can kind of hold it like this. And then you have the IQ lightning port here. This one is a 10,000 mAh. And the little button gives you the display for the exact percentage it's charged. And for my girlies that are going out, we also need a super portable one. This one is about 4,500. This is like a quick little jolt to call your Uber at the end of the night. This is just really simple. You can just plug it into the bottom of your phone and it's really compact. So you can just fit it in your everyday purse really easily without taking up too much weight. And then you just have like a simple little dot charge up to see where it's at. The only gripe about this one is that it does take a while to charge considering how small it is. But the compactness is really what the point is. Okay, moving on to like bricks or extension cords. I've had this one for, I think, two years now. It's a wraparound extension. It's got like, what, maybe a couple feet here. Plug this into the wall. You have two USBs, a USB-C, and then you have a two-prong and a three-prong option. So it's like a little mini power strip. I also like that this coils up to be really compact and then the plug plugs into itself and then you have a rubber band to seal the cords together. I even use this thing at home to give us extra ports and plugs in a simple outlet. And it has never failed me. I love this thing. Now for a simple brick, this is also from Anker. This one is a retractable two-prong plug into the wall. You have an IQ lightning speed USB-C. This thing charges so quickly. I'm able to charge my laptop without bringing my whole big old lasso laptop charger. Then moving on for a nice little cell phone tripod. I have the MOF Origami Magnetic Tripod. I love this thing because it's literally the size of a credit card. This can easily slip in your purse and your clutch. And when you're on the go, you can just magnetize your phone right here and then the legs pop out like a triangle and you're able to do complete flexibility in the angling and it just gives you a nice display. And then because it's summertime, I also love to travel with a portable fan. Any hot weather situation, I love these cute little ones from Amazon. I have the bare one which pops out like this or I have this nice flat one. I just like the bare one because it has a USB and a USB-C. And last but not least, a travel steamer. This one has been my favorite the past few years. This is the Rowenta Pure Pop. I like that it's very simple. It packs on really flat. It's not too heavy, but it does have the heat power to really iron out the wrinkles. I also have the Nori Press, which I love. It's just that it's a little larger and slightly heavier. This one is a press iron that it looks like a pair of tongs. I use this actually more at home, but I wanted to show this and give it a thumbs up because it's also highly effective. All right, guys. So all of today's items, again, are listed down below in the description box. It's also here on the shop page. I hope you guys enjoyed this comprehensive roundup of my favorite travel essentials. I'll include my travel playlist right here for you guys to catch up on all of my decades worth of travel content. I'll see you guys in the next video. Bye. The weir, the weirs. Guys, I'm sorry. There's so many gnats in the studio right now from our plan. So if I'm doing this, it's because I'm trying to kill them. Okay, so unalive them. Excuse me, we can't say that word.