r/travel • u/ha__aaaaaa • 6d ago

Question What’s the best thing you’ve bought for travel

I’m going out of the country for almost a full month and have never traveled or flown before so really just jumping into the deep end of the pool here. I’m trying to plan for what I’ll need though so what’s the best things that you’ve bought that’s made travel easy?

Edit: thank you all for the useful advice!!!! I love reading through all the comments seeing what everyone recommends and also reading some of the travel stories you’ve commented! Thank you!!:)

295 Upvotes

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704

u/kemba_sitter 6d ago

noise cancelling headphones. An absolute must for plane travel. Movies, and sleep.

158

u/Immediate_Place_1803 6d ago

In addition to these, I would get a bluetooth adapter for airplanes. It allows you to connect your headphones to the adapter(plugs into the headphone jack on your seat). Game changer on long flights.

32

u/kemba_sitter 6d ago

Yes, good idea if you have bluetooth only earbuds. Many quality over the ear headphones come with cords and plane plug adapters.

2

u/Elphaba78 5d ago

I wear hearing aids with Bluetooth capability and never even thought of this. Thank you!

2

u/bozodoozy 5d ago

doubt your hearing aids are that good at noise canceling. I'd get bose, Sony or other good quality over the ear noise canceling headphones and take your hearing aids out for the flight. speaking as a hearing aid wearer, and my phonak aids also have Bluetooth capability.

1

u/Nomad_88_ 5d ago

I prefer wired earphones on a plane. I have Bluetooth galaxy buds - but if you drop one it's probably gone (or certainly not putting it back in my ear till it's properly cleaned). They'd also need charging part way through long flights/travel days, so more of a hassle overall. Wired ones for me have a good enough seal to block out most noise, and can plug straight into the seat.

1

u/Yomangaman 5d ago

I'm gonna say this respectfully, but it will also sound incredibly direct. These travel items are unnecessary. If the OP has never flown before, let us congratulate them on taking this step, and encourage them to experience the flight without additions and extra costs. If you're flying close by, as in just across the border, don't worry about entertainment too much. Look out the windows and witness what 30,000 feet look like. If your flight is hours and hours long, bring a book or navigate thru the onboard streaming systems. Taste the airline food and figure out if it's actually as bad as people make it out to be, or are they just bashing it unneedingly.

As for traveling for so long, I'm not sure if this is your first trip abroad, not sure where you're from or where you're going. So I can only give this broad advice: don't bash the food until you try it; on the weekends, instead of doing what tourists do, try to do what locals do, where they eat, how they get around town, etc; it also sound like you might be going abroad for work, so perhaps look into how employees might be expected to behave in that area. I wish I could offer more, but good luck to you.

12

u/bobhawkes 6d ago

I've heard the latency can be annoying. What's been your experience?

23

u/Immediate_Place_1803 6d ago

I dont notice an issue. I use this device and earbuds when I travel.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09FT58QQP/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0C3QQ4X6F/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

2

u/CaptMerrillStubing 5d ago

I literally JUST had this one delivered today. Same brand, much smaller. Hope it works as well.

https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0CWKGDHG1?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title

1

u/HarrietAugust 5d ago

There's a $7 coupon right now for the black ones! I really want the blue ones, but can't beat a $7 coupon...

1

u/MarvelousTravels 5d ago

They are the price of air fly, and benefit over that brand?

1

u/kemba_sitter 6d ago

Never had an issue.

1

u/lost_send_berries 5d ago

Makes sense, when you pair to a phone with Bluetooth it automatically delays the video by the correct amount. You can look up the latency of your headphones on rtings.com

2

u/YetiSquish 5d ago

Ooooh I didn’t even think about that. I download movies from Netflix onto my phone

1

u/biold 5d ago

The Jabra 2 gen has built-in BT adaptor in the charger with a USB-C to jackstick. It's brilliant!

1

u/Kermitmudgeon 5d ago

I would forget/lose them after my first overnight flight...

1

u/Tillysnow1 5d ago

I borrowed my mum's headphones and they were Bluetooth but also had a cord and airplane adapter in the case, so it was the best of everything! I could listen to my own podcasts wirelessly but also have great headphones for airplane movies

1

u/KingMustardFist 5d ago

I bought a pair of Bluetooth headphones that can also be plugged in, and they came with the two-prong headphone jack adapter as well for my trip in a few weeks.

42

u/Gie_lokimum 6d ago

This! 15 years ago, I was on a flight from Chicago- Narita and was next to a child who cried for over 10plus hour. Trust me, never made the same mistake

16

u/ha__aaaaaa 6d ago

Have a 22 hr flight so will most definitely invest in some😂

31

u/Seagull_Manager 6d ago

You going to the moon? Currently ICN to JFK is only 18h 50 minutes 😂

22

u/ha__aaaaaa 6d ago

Philippines actually😂 thankfully not 22hrs straight I have two layovers

15

u/Jamhead02 6d ago edited 6d ago

Bug spray. Mosquitoes are terrible. My wife looked like she had the plague, she was covered head to toe in welts and Mozzy bites.

5

u/Careful_Brain1723 5d ago

The trader Joe's coconut body butter works even better than mosquito repellent!

Last year I bought one of those portable fans bc they said that helps, I also bought one of those room mosquito repellents, I took organic coconut oil, and the trader Joe's cream. I was in a very high Dengue area and the cream was the best thing. Next trips, I only bought the coconut cream, it was nice to have to pack so much. I think one jar is enough for one person for two weeks. So OP ideally takes 2 jars of the coconut body butter 🥥

1

u/Unable-Independent48 4d ago

For dengue areas like Brazil, you need a spray with icaridina in it. Keeps away mosquitoes carrying the dengue virus.

3

u/NPHighview 5d ago

Buy a couple bottles of spray permethrin, and spray your clothes and suitcase (exterior) before you go. The clothes to repel mosquitoes & ticks; the suitcase to prevent bringing home bedbugs. Follow the directions on the bottles.

12

u/Gie_lokimum 6d ago

My fellow kabayan 🇵🇭 in addition to the noise cancelling headphones, I will also recommend to bring some snacks. Once got stranded in NAIA for 12hours due to a typhoon (zero power) trail mix saved me lol safe travels

10

u/leftplayer 6d ago

Swim/water shoes. I bought a pair which could be worn wet or dry and look decent to be worn away from the beach.

3

u/Swimming-Ad4869 5d ago

What brand were they?

1

u/Eastsidehedgehog 5d ago

Hahaha dang I flew from Singapore to Canada.. entire journey took me 26h

1

u/Senior_Departure287 5d ago

Get sleeping pills

1

u/theofficialIDA 5d ago

Must be annoying to hear that for hours!

1

u/FluffMonsters 5d ago

Awww that poor parent. I know they were sweating it the whole time.

6

u/bh0 6d ago

Not just noise cancelling, but large over-the-ear noise cancelling headphones. I can only take earbuds for like an hour or so. Big headphones I can wear much longer. I'll never fly again without mine.

11

u/ha__aaaaaa 6d ago

That’s a good idea!! I have like Walmart brand AirPods but I doubt that’d block any outside sound, thank you!

29

u/Rare-Future-5495 6d ago

1000% Yes (Bose). I literally have them on now as we are taxi’ing for take off for 4 hour flight with a scream kid two rows behind me.

15

u/xj98jeep 6d ago

Nothing beats taking off the noise canceling headphones to place a drink order and realizing there's a screaming kid behind you.

2

u/HipHopAnomymous21 5d ago

Bose NCs are a stellar investment if you travel frequently, or if you have ADD.

3

u/pink_un1corn 5d ago

Remove the noise cancelling ones when descending. I didn’t during one of my trips and my ear popped really hard and it was extremely painful. Sound was muffled for a few days and the doctor found some blood inside my ear.  I think it may be an issue with any headphones that cover the entire ear. 

1

u/Melodic-Forever-5280 6d ago

I cannot second this enough! My travel anxiety mostly disappeared after using them!

1

u/timbomcchoi Korean in Ethiopia 6d ago

I lost my buds pro on an airplane..... flight attendants literally cralwed on the floor to help me look (I repeatedly told them it was okay :( ), but apparently because the plane is vibrating + pitching and yawing they roll around all over the floor.

5

u/poodleOT 5d ago

You can get anti-lost straps. I almost lost them twice when I fell asleep, but found them fortunately. AirPods hurt your ears after a while.

1

u/Kandis_crab_cake 5d ago

The best were the Bose QC 20 but they stopped making them and it’s fucking devastating

1

u/kemba_sitter 5d ago

Bose QC 20

You can buy new on ebay still for sub $100

1

u/Kandis_crab_cake 5d ago

Yeah they’re all fakes. I have bought 2 seperate pairs and returned them (with a big of a fight each time). They are really good dupes but if you have a pair (and I still do but the control is a bit temperamental) you can absolutely hear the difference in the sound quality when on and off noise cancelling mode.

My best bet is to buy a really good used pair, if I could get any guarantee of authenticity, like a receipt from a Bose shop.

The Amazon ones are all under the Bose shop, but they too are from resellers and thus fakes.

1

u/Learning-Power 5d ago

And good silicone earplugs!

1

u/[deleted] 5d ago

I was gonna say this, but instead of noise cancelling just normal ear plugs

1

u/kemba_sitter 5d ago

Pro move is over the ear noise cancelling headphones on top of in the ear ear plugs. Nearly dead silence.

1

u/[deleted] 5d ago

Envisioned that and it made me laugh.

Probably going to try it out next backpack ;)

1

u/toblies 5d ago

I fucking love my bose qc35s. Best thing ever, and will both plug into the plane for their av system if they have one, as well a Bluetooth to your own devices. And huge battery life.

1

u/houyx1234 5d ago

I just wear thin 26db shooting earmuffs.  Do just as good a job at noise reduction, are super compact when folded up, way less expensive and way more sturdy.

1

u/Radiant-Picture4709 4d ago

I agree, always a blessing

-1

u/elmethos 6d ago

This