We asked flight attendants in the BuzzFeed Community to tell us about all the best travel products, and here are their recommendations! 1. A collapsible, refillable, leakproof water bottle that won't take up a ton of room in your bag when you don't need it (like when you're going through security) but expands to hold a full 25 ounces that you can fill at a water fountain. TBH, pretty much every flight attendant who commented mentioned a refillable water bottle, because it's true that flying seriously dehydrates you! — melissam4dba49ab0 "Hydrate so much! I love to drink lots of water — bring your own bottle!" — melialexander It's easy to drink from because it has a wide spout that's protected from random dirt and germs because it flips down, but it's also simple to refill because the entire lid pops up, so you have a wide mouth that can even fit ice cubes with no problem.
Both caps seal, so the entire bottle is leakproof, and it's completely dishwasher safe, like most silicone. Reviewers love it for cruises, flights, road trips, and, of course, everyday use. Get it from Amazon for $34.
95 (available in five colors). 2. Or a water bottle with a filter so you can fill your bottle at pretty much any sink or water fountain and KNOW that it's going to taste delicious, not funky or chlorine-y.
"Can’t trust that hotel water." — cecelial4d8a192cd "Always have a refillable water bottle with you. You may need water before takeoff, but we are always struggling so much to have everyone put their bags away and close the door in time that it’s not a priority for us, so PLEASE bring and fill water before getting on the plane.
" — michellee48b2133e7 This is a good option for travel because if it accidentally gets dropped, the plastic won't break, although you do have to squeeze it a little bit to get the water to come through (you can't just, like, tip it in your mouth and expect it to come out). Several reviewers specifically mentioned loving these for Disney World because you can fill them with ice and water at the restaurants and have great-tasting water all day. They do require replacement filters every two months; you can find a pack of three of those for $11.
37 . Get it from Amazon for $22.75+ (available in two sizes and three colors, and in insulated stainless steel for $31.
39+ ). 3. A resealable travel-size pack of antibacterial wipes because planes and airports can get germy, and these can wipe up a tray table and your hands before you eat, potentially saving you from someone else's cold.
Promising review: "As a flight attendant I always need wipes. These small packs are great for putting in your purse and having on the go. The bundle pack is a great value.
" — SJ1326 Get 20 packs of 10 wipes each from Amazon for $18.72 . 4.
A tube of Weleda Skin Food , which is an ultrarich, plant-based moisturizer that helps combat the dry skin that goes along with all the dehydration flying brings. While many people use it on especially dry places like their elbows, hands, and knees, others (especially reviewers with dry skin) also love it for an intensive overnight cream. Reviewers say it's incredibly thick — kind of like cream cheese — but incredibly effective on dry patches.
(Also, the company will recycle your empties for free .) Promising review: " I am a flight attendant and this is my go-to hand cream! It is a little greasy when you first start rubbing it in, but it absorbs quickly and that along with the smell (a bit medicinal) dissipates before you know it. It doesn't take much of this at all.
I rub a little on my tired feet at the end of the day as well, and trust me I have tired feet after being on them for 14-plus hours. This stuff works great for this as well. Win-win, Weleda!" — Lauren Get it from Amazon for $16.
12+ (available in three styles and three sizes). 5. And for those extra-long flights, a pack of sheet masks to help give your skin an extra boost of serious moisture and hydration.
"SHEET MASKS for long flights. Flying dehydrates you and your skin will feel dry; sheet mask and a TON of water will do the trick." — kaylab4c9863587 These sheet masks use snail secretions (yes, really), which supposedly contain hyaluronic acid (which helps your skin absorb and hold on to water), glycolic acid (which gently exfoliates skin), and collagen (which can help firm skin).
Get a pack of 10 from Amazon for $21.95 . 6.
A little collapsible travel kettle and a French press travel mug because hotel coffee is decidedly not tasty most of the time, and this lets you genuinely enjoy your morning caffeine boost. "For saving some $$$ on coffee while on the road, I’ve bought a collapsible travel kettle from Amazon and a travel French press mug and made fresh coffee in my room. Just fill a sandwich bag up with the grinds you desire; I use a foldable flask by Vapur to hold the creamer I like.
The kettle comes in different uses to make tea, oatmeal, and ramen as a backup food option." — michellee48b2133e7 Get them both from Amazon — the kettle for $33.98 and the travel mug for $22.
98+ (available in four colors). 7. An Add-a-Lock , which will give you a little extra peace of mind (without taking up much space in your luggage), especially if you end up staying somewhere with a wobbly security chain.
"For security in a hotel room, Add-a-Lock. It’s a fantastic door stopper just in case. Trust me, once you’ve had someone walk in while you're undressing, it’s pretty hard to shake.
" — michellee48b2133e7 Get it from Amazon for $17.95 (also available in a two-pack). 8.
A pair of compression socks — if your feet, ankles, or legs usually swell or ache when you have a long flight, these just might help prevent it next time. "Compression socks!" — rosem443e8bba5 Compression socks may also help prevent deep vein thrombosis (a blood clot that starts in the legs and can be serious); to know if you're really at risk of that, however, you'll have to talk to your doctor. Read more about compression socks and swelling on flights at Cleveland Clinic .
Reviewers say they're tight but still comfortable ! This default pack comes with one solid black pair, one solid gray pair, one solid white pair, and one pair each in black with white accents — either stripes, polka dots, or hearts. Get a pack of six pairs of varying patterns from Amazon for $19.99+ (available in sizes S/M and L/XL, and 43 color/pattern combos; if you need a larger size option, this similar style goes up to size 6XL).
9. Some silicone earplugs so you can potentially avoid that terrible discomfort during landing and block out a bunch of the background noise without completely muting everything around you. The review below is from 2017; hopefully if a flight attendant felt sick these days, they wouldn't have to fly! Promising review: "As a flight attendant, I recommend that anybody who is a frequent traveler keep a pair of these in their bag.
I have problems with my ears because I flew while congested, and use these all the time. If you have to fly while having a cold, you should use these just to avoid the pain and problems you could possibly have during descent." — Vanessa Get a pack of three pairs from Amazon for $19.
49 (also available in packs of one, two, and 10). 10. A portable safe because besides being excellent for securing your priciest possessions (at least, those you'd bring to the beach) while you're visiting the seashore, it'll come in handy in hotel rooms without a safe.
Or could even function as a smaller secondary safe, depending on how much room your hotel room's safe has! My BuzzFeed colleague Elizabeth Lilly owns this, and says: "Like most people (I hope?), I’m always a little iffy about taking a dip in the water at the beach and leaving my wallet and phone on the beach. So when I booked a 2.5-week Europe trip with LOTS of beaching involved, I bought one of these Master Lock safes that I’ve put in several stories.
It was a bit bulky in my suitcase, but I left it unlocked and put some stuff in there so it wasn’t just dead space. It came in handy at a number of beach clubs, where my friend and I stashed our credit cards, cash, and case-less phones while we frolicked in the sea. Despite lots of people milling about our umbrella while we had our fun, we felt our stuff was completely safe and could concentrate on *just* having fun.
" Promising review: "I'm a flight attendant and really recommend this! It's amazing to keep your things safe!" — Britany G Get it from Amazon for $18.63+ (available in two colors). 11.
A perfectly clear reusable bag designed specifically for packing all your carry on liquids under three ounces so security's a breeze. It'll be both much more durable *and* at least a little bigger than that one beat-up Ziploc you've used for going on three years now! Promising reviews: "I am a flight attendant and it's perfect for my international flights going through security. I love the handle, easy to pull out of my suitcase.
" — Kristi "I travel very frequently and had never heard of a liquid travel bag like this before. I was a little worried because the back is not see through, so I brought a 1-quart plastic baggie as back up just in case. But everything I needed fit perfectly and I had no issues in TSA/China security.
So far I have been through MSP, IAD, NKG, and PEK airports using this pack already and it's a life changer! I will never again have to worry about having to scramble to buy baggies just for liquids, and it is much more durable." — Courtney Swanson Get it from Amazon for $13.99+ (available in 11 colors).
12. Or a TSA-friendly toiletries set because sometimes, you DON'T want to use the hotel's free soap and shampoo, especially when you have a very specific routine you don't want to give up while you're away from home. Why even risk a breakout when it's so simple and cheap to bring your favorite face wash you know is the only one your skin likes?? Oh, and the silicone makes it super simple to fill, squeeze out, clean, and refill later.
My BuzzFeed colleague Elizabeth Lilly swears by these, and says: "I own and love this set! it includes the zippered bag, four soft silicone bottles with leakproof caps, three compact jars, an two toothbrush caps. I've used this set on more than five trips and and for trips when I don't require body wash or shampoo (like to visit my parents) I use the extra room in the bag to shove in all my beauty products and daily contacts. Plus! It comes with labels that stay on the containers really well despite my thoroughly washing these containers between trips.
I bought this set in spring 2019 and have, admittedly, lost a container or two. But the ones that I've held onto over dozens of trips have all held up well!" Promising review: "If it wasn’t for me forgetting them in the hotels, I wouldn’t have to buy more. This is my third set and I love these things! I’m a flight attendant and these are easy to fill, use, and pack! " — Raena Hill Get it from Amazon for $9.
99+ (available in six variations). 13. A lightweight, compact, and high-speed portable charger .
Your phone takes SO much stress out of travel — between providing entertainment, helping you find a good restaurant to try, and guiding you from A to B — and this will keep your battery out of the red. — kaylab4c9863587 "A power bank! Bringing along too many cords and an international adapter is such a hassle that you sometimes leave it in the hotel room, so a power bank is my go-to power source. It’s light, compact, and can charge a lot of items on the go! I always carry mine during layovers.
" — fritziebeatricen This highly-rated slim option holds about 2.25 charges for iPhone 12, 1.6 charges for Galaxy S20, and 1.
2 charges for iPad Mini 5 and comes with a Micro USB cable (to charge the charger) and a travel pouch. Get it from Amazon for $15.99+ (available in two colors).
14. A Velcro-powered Trtl travel pillow that you can easily adjust into the *perfect* position to help stop your head from doing that painful slow bobbing nod as you try to somehow sleep while sitting up. Promising review: "As a flight attendant for a major airline I have heard from passengers how much they like this pillow.
So I ordered it...
I LOVE IT. I lost my U-shaped memory foam pillow recently so I thought I would give this a try . It's smaller than a U-shape pillow and easy to pack up.
Lots of fun colors to match your outfits. But most of all it works. It's cheap enough to give it a try.
..so just do it.
" — Franny Ciera Velarde , a former editor here at BuzzFeed, also loves this! She says: "I've used this for the past few years and swear by it! Before this, I always found traditional neck pillows uncomfortable and would end up ditching them halfway through the flight and getting frustrated. The Trtl pillow is adjustable — you wrap the pillow around your neck and secure it with Velcro, and if you find it's too loose, just make it a bit tighter! I've truly never slept better on a plane than with this pillow. " Get it from Amazon for $64.
99+ (available in five colors). 15. A weighted sleep mask so you can block out even the tiniest bit of light from your seat mate's overhead light, and get a little bit better sleep even in generally uncomfortable circumstances.
Plus the weight could help you destress, like a tiny weighted blanket! Promising review: "I am a flight attendant and have a wacky work schedule. I frequently have to sleep during the day. These are SO comfortable and cool as well.
I have ordered and tried out at least 10 eye masks off of Amazon and have found these to be the best. They are SO comfortable and do not have Velcro on the straps, for which I am thankful, because I usually sleep on my back and am sensitive to the thickness of eye masks that have the Velcro straps." — sw Get one from Amazon for $14.
99 . 16. A trifold travel wallet big enough to hold your phone, credit cards and cash, passport, boarding pass, and whatever other travel documents you need, all while keeping them easy to access at your fingertips, ready to pull out the very moment they're needed.
It comes with *deep breath*: a passport pocket, a boarding pass compartment, three credit card slots, an ID slot, a slim card pouch, a slim pocket, a ticket slot, a cellphone pouch, a coin zippered pocket, a key holder, and a pen holder. Promising review: "OMG I totally love this! First of all, it’s such a pretty pastel pink color and pink is my favorite color. The quality is also so lovely with all the right amount of pockets to store my IDs and passport and other relevant documents.
I’m a flight attendant so this is the perfect size of travel wallet for me. This definitely exceeded my expectations!" — Pravena Jay Get it from Amazon for $12.99+ (available in 31 colors).
17. An Amazon Fire TV Stick — it's especially useful if you travel regularly, because all you need is an HDMI port to turn any room's TV into your personalized smartTV. "To keep up with my TV bingeing, I love that I bought an Amazon Fire Stick.
Just plug it into the TV and connect to the hotel Wi-Fi and you’re set to go. Almost all hotels have flat screens with HDMI ports now." — michellee48b2133e7 If you have Amazon Prime, it gives you access to literally thousands of TV shows and movies.
This version lets you stream in ~4K~, which means you get a true HD picture. Get it from Amazon for $33.74 .
18. And of course a Kindle Paperwhite because it lets you carry dozens of books with you at once but weighs just a little over 6 ounces — *and* can 100% handle it if you want to take it in the bath with you. "E-readers are awesome to have a book with you on the go without taking up too much space.
" — michellee48b2133e7 Yes, that means it's waterproof! Its black-and-white screen reads like paper, even in direct sunlight. If you're a Prime member, you get free access to over 1,000 books and magazines. Get it from Amazon for $149.
99+ (available in three colors, with 8 GB or 32 GB of memory, and with or without lockscreen ads). 19. A pair of Clarks heels so you can look plenty professional but still stay comfortable on any business trips.
..even if you have to stand in a long line when you get to the airport and an even longer line at security.
"Clarks shoes have been the best, hands down, for all-day footwear and comfortable heels !" — michellee48b2133e7 Promising review: "I've been wearing these heels every day for work as a flight attendant for the last year and a half. I do get them shined and polished in the airport every few months or so. They are by far my favorite pair of heels for work.
I always get questions from other FAs asking if they are comfortable and my answer is always "after breaking them in for the first week or 2 so the leather stretches a bit, Yes!" If you are a flight attendant looking at these heels I will say to buy half a size larger than you normally would because you will swell with the constant elevation changes and just in general as the day goes on." — Ashton Get these 3-inch Clarks from Amazon for $44.61+ (available in sizes 5–12, including half sizes and wide options, and two colors, although not all sizes are available in all colors).
20. A hydrating skin mist to help your skin hold on to moisture through long layovers — and to give yourself a moment where you can feel super fresh and maybe even relaxed. "For skin hydration, I’m a fan of spritzing throughout flights (just bring your fave.
..I’m loving ones by Mario Badescu).
" — melialexander The Mario Badescu sprays each have slightly different scents and ingredients, although they all have aloe for hydration — the pink has rose water, the green has cucumber and green tea, the purple has lavender and chamomile, and the orange has orange blossom and sage. Get a travel-friendly pack of four Mario Badescu sprays from Amazon for $22 . 21.
A reusable, lipstick-sized travel perfume atomizer so you don't have to carefully wrap up your prized fragrance bottle in layers and layers of clothes, hoping it doesn't break mid-flight, OR spend $ on a travel-size version. Bonus: it'll weigh less in your suitcase, too! My BuzzFeed colleague Elizabeth Lilly uses these all the time, and says: "^ That's me pumping my signature perfume into one of these travel atomizers I've been using for about a year. As the reviewer down below mentions, it's great to just throw in your purse on the reg for a fragrance re-up throughout the day.
As you can see, i t's about the size of my thumb and therefore takes up very little room. Plus! It's smaller than most rollerball travel fragrances you can pick up. This first one is working so well, that I just have the other three in storage.
But if this one bites the dust this summer during travels, I'll be OK about digging into my stores to use one of the remaining three...
especially at this price point." Promising review: "Perfect scent options for a flight attendant! These are perfect for travel and putting in your purse. You can put different scents and the little bottles hold up well.
You don’t need the tiny funnel. Just remember which scent you put where! Definitely recommend." — Britney Get a four-pack from Amazon for $6.
99 . 22. A tiny pack of 150 hand soap sheets because you never know when you'll run into a bathroom with no soap and be incredibly grateful to pull these out of your bag.
Just one sheet is enough to get a nice and sudsy wash! Many reviewers note that you'll want to pull the sheet out of the container *before* you get your hands wet, though! Promising reviews: "Love them. So convenient. I give them as presents to my friends I fly with.
Being a flight attendant in these changing times you never know what to expect at the hotels. Soap on the go." — Mona "Exactly what I wanted! Hands feel very clean after wash! Highly recommend! Each sheet of soap produces enough soap to give the comfort of knowing your hands are throughly clean.
" — Clippin4You Get a pack of four from Amazon for $5.49+ (available in four colors and various multipack/set options). 23.
A simple luggage strap to latch on to anything that you want to keep right at hand so you don't have to dig it out of your bag (or cram it in there if it doesn't quite fit). Some examples: your travel pillow, a personal item bag, or that heavy coat you needed getting to your airport, but *definitely* won't need even a little when you land in Aruba. Promising review: " Definitely what I needed for my luggage as a flight attendant.
Very heavy duty and perfect for me. Works great with my extra luggage and lunch bag to hang on my suitcase. Thank you so much.
Will definitely buy again." — Mary Get it from Amazon for $8.99+ (available in six colors and in two-packs).
24. An electronics organizer so when you're jet-lagged on day one, it's about a billion times less painful to find your phone charger — or the one specific cord for your kiddo's Nintendo Switch that they've been asking for incessantly since you got to the hotel. You'll know exactly where each cable is stashed, and won't have to spend any precious vacation time detangling wires.
Promising review: " I am a flight attendant and I LOVE this organizer! I keep my iPad, passport, cords, paperwork, and hand sanitizer in here. It keeps me organized! Definitely recommend to anyone who travels and needs to keep organized." — amazonislife Get it from Amazon for $19.
99+ (available in four colors and two sizes). 25. A set of Sea Bands — they feature a little plastic button designed to press into the acupressure point on your wrists that might help eliminate (or at least cut down on) nausea.
May as well keep them on hand, because carsickness, seasickness, or other travel-related motion sickness can pop up at any time! Read more about acupressure and nausea at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center . Promising review: " FLIGHT ATTENDANT APPROVED! They work. 100% of the time.
" — Jessica Get a set of two from Amazon for $8.49 (available in six colors and sets of four). 26.
A mini lightweight flat iron perfect for keeping your hair looking exactly how you like it to, no need to shove a full-size, heavy hair tool in your bag when you're planning to just bring a carry-on. It also comes with a heat-resistant pouch for easy carrying! Promising review: "This fits perfectly in my toiletries travel bag that I take with me as a flight attendant . Anything that comes in a small size and still works well is perfect for me.
" — Kathy S Get it from Amazon for $16.99+ (available in three colors). Responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.
Not all products were recommended by Community users..
