Just 20 Products That Are Travel Must-Haves According To Flight Attendants

Turns out, you need to listen to more than the safety instructions.

1. A simple luggage strap will hold your essentials like a travel pillow, jacket, personal item, and more as you scoot along through the airport and once you land. Here's to quickly gathering all your stuff post-screen and freeing up those hands!

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." 

2. A trifold travel wallet so all your important documents are in one place and you're not wearily holding up the line when it comes time to show the TSA agent your passport and boarding pass. 

The wallet has a passport pocket, boarding pass compartment, three credit card slots, an ID slot, a slim card pouch, slim pocket, a ticket slot, a cellphone pouch, a coin zippered pocket, key holder, and 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!" 

3. An *very popular* off-the-shoulder jumpsuit suited for just about any sightseeing needs. 

Promising reviews: "It is a favorite among our flight attendant group when we are traveling. We call ourselves the sisterhood of the traveling jumpsuit! I absolutely love it, it’s comfortable, inexpensive, easy one piece, dress up or dress down. I add a belt and it’s perfect! I am planning to purchase more colors!" 

4. A portable door lock to attach to any regular old door for your hotel, vacation rental, room in a guest house, or, well, just any door. It's super easy to install and won't damage the door. It'll be a comfort for solo travelers, especially. 

Promising review: "My best guy friend bought this for me and I love it. I’m a flight attendant and am in hotels 4-5 nights a week. Sometimes the “locks” just don’t feel sturdy enough. This device gives me an extra layer of security and allows me to sleep at night. I keep it in my flight bag."

5. A resealable travel-size pack of antibacterial wipes will wipe down, well, everything you might want to double check is sanitized.

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. " 

6. A TSA-friendly toiletries set you can easily fill, clean, and then refill with your go-to regular products. And the bag is sturdy as HECK.

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!" 

7. Or if you're not in need of containers, a clear TSA-approved toiletry bag to Lego-fit all your liquid and spreadable bbs in there with ease.

Promising review: "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." 

8. Or! A snazzier clear toiletries case the same size as a quart-sized plastic bag that you can use over and over and over again. So you probably won't have to buy another one anytime soon. But you'll want to if the opportunity arises.

Truffle is a woman-owned small business that specializes in bags and accessories that are TSA-approved or stadium-approved. 

Promising review: "I adore my clarity jetset case! I’m a flight attendant so travel organization is KEY. It was actually recommended to me by my flight attendant best friend! Love how tidy it keeps me. Now I’m off to buy the jumbo version!"

9. An electronics organizer with a place for just about every one of *your* and every member of your family's devices and corresponding cables so you don't get everything tangled up while searching for that ONE cord. 

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." 

10. A bendy travel pillow that'll help you catch up on some sleep you sacrificed for that budget-friendly morning flight. Buy that window seat, bring this versatile pillow.

Promising review: "I’m a flight attendant and I travel with this pillow all the time! In hotel rooms I use it to support my neck, on the plane I use it to support my lumbar area. When I drive it helps my lower back. I love that it has a liner that can be removed to wash. I bought my boyfriend one too and it goes everywhere we do!"

11. Or an alternate Trtl travel pillow that, thanks to its scarf-like construction, you can easily to adjust to your perfect comfort level and tilt angle to get some Zzzzzs while someone else gets you to where you're going. 

Ciera Velarde, an 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." 

Promising review: "As a flight attendant I travel all the time this makes getting stuck in a middle seat palatable. I’ve used this in cars, planes, trains, etc. It is great. My sister was so jealous on our last trip to Italy that she kept trying to steal it off me. Ordered her one for Christmas." 

12. A lightweight, compact, and high-speed portable charger so you can keep that phone juiced for entertainment, communication, and just about anything else. 

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.

Promising review: "Very handy! I’m a flight attendant and travel a lot. This has come in handy on the airplane and in the airport. Perfect size and light weight." 

13. A weighted sleep mask that'll help block out the reading light and/or sunlight from your neighbor's open airplane window shade while you catch up on some of that sleep you sacrificed to get the early flight. Oh, and it's weighted!

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 eyemasks which have the Velcro straps." 

14. A set of Sea Bands with a little nub that targets the acupuncture point on your wrists meant to help reduce nausea. This'll be great in case anyone gets motion sick in the car or on a boatride.

Promising review: "FLIGHT ATTENDANT APPROVED! They work. 100% of the time." 

15. A soft faux-leather tote will be the perfect personal item on the plane so you don't even have to pack it in your carry-on! And it would be useful as a day bag (of course keep your valuables zipped up concealed and tucked away inside) with plenty of room for your souvenirs. 

Promising review: "Bought this bag last minute for a uniform compliance as a flight attendant, and it’s sturdy and a great bag. For the material and the price, it’s a great purchase. I’ve had it over four months." 

16. A portable safe you can attach to a beach chair to keep your valuables safe or to keep your passport in your hotel room in case there's no safe or the safe isn't working. (Raise your hand if you've stayed in a small hotel without a safe. ::raises hand::)

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 multiple 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 multiple 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!" 

17. A pocket-sized, refillable travel perfume atomizer you simply pump on your normal size perfume bottle to keep you smelling like your signature scent while you're on the go. Yes, I paid all that dough for a Le Labo but no I won't pay more dough for their (still v pricey) travel bottles. 

^ 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, it'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." 

18. A mini lightweight flat iron to help you get your signature smooth locks, or at least tidy up your blowout you're really banking on lasting for a few days.

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."

19. A mini-steamer to keep you looking super pulled together once you get to where you're going (and looking fab). Packing cubes are GREAT for packing...not so much for keeping your clothes wrinkle-free.

For more on why this particular one's great, read a BuzzFeed editor's mini steamer review. TL;DR: This steamer's incredibly useful: it heats up in about 90 seconds, steams about five garments before needing refilled, and is all around perfect for anyone who doesn't want to wait too long or work too hard to get the wrinkles out.

Promising review: "This steamer is very compact, easy to use, and well-made. I am a flight attendant so this has helped my life tremendously. I never even pick up an iron anymore. It works extremely well on my uniform and also just to get wrinkles out of my clothes while on layovers. The best part is that it doesn't take up too much space in my bag. I hate ironing with a passion, so I am so glad that I found this product!" 

20. An airplane footrest that loops over your tray table so you can kick back, relax, and hopefully head off to Snoozeville as soon as you get comfy in your seat that was most definitely the cheapest on the plane. (We're birds of a feather, you and I.) 

Promising review: "I’m a flight attendant and travel A LOT! This is a game changer! Folds up super small in the cute bag they provide and really makes a difference when on those long flights. The people in front of me had no idea I was using it. Thanks for the great product!!!"

21. A set of affordable, highly popular wireless Bluetooth earbuds some reviewers compare to AirPods for significantly cheaper. I was able to wear mine comfortably under my bucket hat while I slept on a very rocky bus ride from the Snæfellsnes Peninsula in Iceland. And while I was out exploring, the charging case easily fit in my coat pocket. 

These come with a wireless charging case that provides up to 14 hours of charge (with the earbuds able to play for four-plus hours with each full charge). 

I also use these on the reg in my everyday life to listen to Spotify and podcasts, and even talk on the phone. I have to charge them about once a week and always keep them in my coat pocket. 

Promising review: "I am a flight attendant and use this headset so much. Using FaceTime, making phone calls, listening to music, or watching a movie." 

22. A waterproof Kindle to let you bring a TON of reading material (without a stack of books hogging space in your carry-on) for your time sipping a mimosa near the gate, then on the flight when you can't fall asleep, during layovers, on downtime during your travels, you get my drift. 

Promising review: "Love it so far ! I am a flight attendant and I love to read so it’s so much easier to have a kindle instead of carrying around multiple heavy books. The charge lasts what seems like an eternity. And I love that it’s waterproof because I leave to read while on the beach or by the pool."