Best Travel Accessories - Virginia Vacation Guide

I love to travel. Over the years, my destinations have been as varied as the deserts of North America, the glaciers of the Arctic, the jungles of Africa, and the mountains of South America.

When I venture out on my next adventure, I always make sure I bring along some of my favorite travel accessories. And I want to share these favorite travel accessories with you too!

I always make sure to take these items with me, no matter where I’m headed next. All of the below products are ones that I personally own, and they’re products that I’ve owned for years.

These travel products tend to be affordable and durable. I hope they help you on your next adventure, too!

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Best Travel Bags

Mountain Top 40L Hiking Backpack

This is my go-to favorite backpack! I’ve brought it all over the world. It has a rain cover, lots of room, plus it’s super durable and comfy.

This backpack makes an excellent carry-on. It’s also great for day trips and hikes. I have taken this backpack on day trips to Disney World, on boat trips in Vietnam, and even in the jungles of Uganda.

This backpack successfully stayed completely dry when I got caught in a rain storm, thanks to the rain cover, which folds inside the bottom of the backpack when you don’t need it.

There are lots of great compartments too, including a place for your laptop and/or iPad, and water bottle holders on each side. You can even fasten the backpack around your waste, which is great for more strenuous hikes. This bag has it all!

Running Belt Waist Pack

This waist pack is kind of like an updated, speaker fanny pack. You can use it when you go on a run, a long walk, or for smaller hikes.

The pack is thin and sleek. It’s generally big enough to fit a large cell phone with case (I can fit an iPhone 12 Pro Max with a hard case in it). You can also fit hotel room keys and credit cards without issue.

Reusable Bags

This product is technically my reusable grocery bag, but I’ve brought a few of them on trips, and they are great! They’re so versatile, yet light and small for easy packing.

I have used them to put anything from snacks to dirty laundry (not in the same bag of course!) You can also use one as your personal item on a plane.

Best Travel Electronics

Portable Charger

For long trips, this is perfect to make sure your phone stays charged. It’s a little bulky, but it comes with a lot of power. It can easily keep your phone charged all day long.

Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones

These Bose headphones are a little more pricey, but they are perfect to help drown out the sounds of travel. I wear them on plane rides, and can’t imagine traveling without them. Not only do they block out the sounds of the airplane engine, but they also make it much easier to listen to movies on planes.

I personally prefer the wired headphones. The cord allows you to plug the headphones into a planes entertainment system, so that you can easily listen to movies on planes.

Panasonic Lumix FZ1000 Camera

This is my go-to camera. It is a little pricey, but it is generally much cheaper than a DSLR with lens would be. As a point-and-shoot camera, it is also much more compact, which is great for packing and traveling.

The camera has 20.1 megapixels, and takes great pictures in a variety of different settings. It is particularly great at taking landscape shots and close-ups of objects like flowers and butterflies.

My favorite feature of this camera, though, is that it takes incredible 4K video. I often take videos of wildlife, and it has done a great job of taking videos of gorillas, polar bears, penguins, and lions, to name just a few.

Another great bonus with this product is that it comes with lots of extra equipment, including a bag, a lens cleaning kit, an extra battery, and much more.

Portable External Hard Drive

This might not be an item that you need to bring with you on a vacation, but it is still a great travel and home accessory. This portable external hard drive is incredibly small, and yet comes with 1 TB of disk space.

I often use it to take backups of my memory cards during trips when I know I’ll be taking a lot of pictures. If you’re traveling with a group, you can also use it to swap photos with fellow travelers.

Best Travel Sleeping Gear

Cabeau Evolution S3 Travel Pillow

This is one of the best travel pillows I’ve found. It has memory foam, which makes it incredibly comfortable. It has a really cool design that can wrap around your neck, plus straps to hold it in place around a plane seat. These features keep your head in place and keep your neck nice and well-supported.

I highly recommend this as the only travel pillow you’ll ever need.

Earplugs

I never leave home without my earplugs. I tend to be a light sleeper, and so earplugs are a must-have travel accessory for me. They are great for planes, trains, and hotel rooms. Plus, they’re a cheaper alternative to noise-canceling headphones.

Best Travel Beach Gear

Water Shoes

I love these water shoes! They’re incredibly versatile. I have used them on boats, on beaches, in pools, on rocks, and even on muddy hikes in Puerto Rico.

These watershoes feel really comfortable, like wearing slippers. But they also have a firm rubber bottom that will give you a great traction, plus protect your feet in any condition.

As a fun added bonus, the shoes come in a ton of great designs.

Waterproof Bag

This is another great item to have near the water. I have used it for boat rides, on beaches, and by pools to help keep my belongs safe, particularly phones, cameras, and credit cards.

The bag is excellent quality too. I have never had an issue with water leaking in. All you have to do is fold the top over a few times and then snap it shut.

Speedo Futura Biofuse Goggles

These are my go-to favorite goggles. They’re pretty much the only brand I’ve found that doesn’t leak or fog up.

I love bringing these on beach trips, because you can actually use them for impromptu snorkeling. Even if you don’t have a snorkel or fins, you can use these goggles to check out amazing marine life swimming underneath.

Best Travel Cold Weather Gear

Columbia Women’s Newton Ridge Lightweight Waterproof Shoe Hiking Boot

I own these hiking boots, and they are incredibly durable, with great ankle support, and excellent traction for slippery surfaces. Plus, they’re waterproof for extra protection. I have worn them in arctic hikes and on Virginia trails, and they have been excellent in all conditions.

Despite their strength, these boots are incredibly comfortable too. I wore them for about 2 weeks straight while on vacation. They are equally great on trails and in cities.

Merino Woll Hiking Socks

These socks are very affordable, and yet very warm for cold weather conditions. I tend to get very cold feet, and yet these were incredible in both Antarctica and the Arctic.

Hand Warmers

I tend to have very cold hands and feet, and so these hand warmers are life savers to keep my hands and feet feeling warm, even in extremely cold conditions.

They are especially great if you are going to be in a cold environment and outside, or on the water, for extended periods of time.

You can technically stick the hand warmers in your boots to warm your feet as well, or you can buy separate feet warmers.

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