Packing Made Perfect: The 5 Most Overlooked Travel Essentials

Packing for a trip is a lot like dating—exciting at first, but if you forget the important stuff, it can turn into a disaster real fast. We all remember the basics: clothes, toothbrush, passport (hopefully), but what about the little lifesavers that get ignored until it’s too late?

Melissa Ridge

4/8/20252 min read

Here are five overlooked travel essentials that could mean the difference between vacation bliss and questioning all your life choices at baggage claim.

1. The Almighty Ziplock Bag

Ever had shampoo explode in your suitcase, creating a slippery, lavender-scented crime scene? Enter the humble Ziplock bag, your new best friend. These little plastic wonders keep your liquids contained, snacks fresh, and electronics safe from surprise rainstorms or your own clumsiness.

Pro Tip: Bring extras. You will need them. Plus, nothing makes you look more responsible at airport security than meticulously packed liquids.

2. A Portable Phone Charger (a.k.a. The Lifeline)

Picture this: You’re lost in a foreign city, your phone is at 2%, and your only hope of finding your hotel is your questionable memory. A portable phone charger saves you from this nightmare.

Plus, if you're traveling with friends, a charged phone means you're the group hero. Without one, you’re the person begging to borrow a cable in a café, looking as desperate as someone who just realized their flight left an hour ago.

3. A Universal Sink Stopper (Yes, Really)

Hear me out—this tiny piece of rubber can save your trip. Hotel sinks are notorious for missing stoppers, meaning hand-washing clothes or even filling up a sink to soak your sore feet after a day of sightseeing is impossible.

Without one, you’ll find yourself MacGyver-ing a solution with a plastic bag and prayer. Just bring the stopper. Trust me.

4. A Small First Aid Kit (Because Accidents Happen)

Blisters, paper cuts, mystery bug bites—traveling isn’t just Instagram-worthy moments. It’s also you realizing your shoes hate you, or that spicy street food wasn’t your best life decision.

Having a small first aid kit with band-aids, painkillers, and anti-diarrheal meds (because you never know when Montezuma’s Revenge will strike) will keep you functioning. And trust me, you don’t want to navigate a foreign pharmacy miming "I need help... down there."

5. A Sarong (a.k.a. The Swiss Army Knife of Fabric)

It’s a blanket. It’s a towel. It’s a scarf. It’s an emergency picnic mat. The sarong is the ultimate travel sidekick. Forget the overpriced hotel robe—this lightweight hero does it all.

Bonus Use: If you spill something on yourself (which, let’s be honest, will happen), just wrap it around you like you meant to be this stylish all along.

Final Thoughts: Pack Smart, Travel Happy

Next time you pack, don’t just throw in ten pairs of socks while forgetting the actual essentials. These five underrated items might not seem crucial now, but trust me—future you will thank past you when you’re sitting comfortably, phone charged, clothes clean, and bag NOT covered in exploded shampoo.

Now go forth and travel like the packing genius you were meant to be!