As we quickly head towards summer, there’s a good chance that many people will be considering a trip abroad. Be that for a more relaxing holiday or something a little more adventurous, a trip away always means dealing with airports, flights and – more often than not – a bit of stress.

So having some key items to hand can help to make things a lot easier. We’ve picked out some of the best travel-friendly items to take with you this year to ensure your trip is as breezy as can be. 

Luggage

Good luggage can make things a whole lot easier. Being let down by a rucksack or bag is never good – particularly when you’re reliant on it – and you want something robust. Yeti’s new Panga duffel is a great choice in this area as with its puncture-resistant design and entirely waterproof construction, it’ll take everything you can throw at it. It comes in a range of sizes, too, starting with a weekend-break-friendly 50 litre. Prices start at £300. 

We’ve also got to give a big shout-out to the Osprey Transporter which at £120 packs a whole lot of versatility into a very usable bag.

On a more day-to-day basis then having your valuables close to hand is essential. That’s where a bag like Cote and Ciel’s Isarau might come in handy as it’s large enough to store a phone, wallet and keys, but not so large that you’re going to feel weighed down by it. It’s priced at £149.

Power

These days, power is essential. When you’re travelling, using your phone for maps, payment and translating languages all combine to quickly zap a battery which is where an external power bank comes in handy, with the Anker 633 being one of our favourites. At £69.99 it’s not going to break the bank, yet it’s got enough power to recharge an iPhone 13 Pro 1.8 times. 

Plus, it can wirelessly charge your phone while a little fold-out stand allows you to watch your movies on your phone. Handy for during those inevitable delays. 

Water bottle

Airports charge a ludicrous amount of water and, with far more offering water fill-up stations, it makes sense to pack your own bottle and save yourself a bundle. The water bottle market has loads of great options in it but one of our favourites comes from Hydro Flask. The bottle is from its Trail Series which, as the name suggests, is aimed at the great outdoors but it actually feels perfectly suited to life on the road. 

It’s incredibly lightweight, while the 1,183ml capacity of the largest Trail Series bottle means that there’s enough for even longer flights. It can handle being roughed about, too. At £49.95 it isn’t too badly priced, either.

Adapters

If you’re heading abroad then you’re going to want to know that you can plug in and charge your devices once you’re there. An adapter is a much-needed part of this process and the Aunno universal travel adapter – priced at a very reasonable £13.59 – gives you loads of charging options no matter where you’re heading. 

It’s an all-in-one adapter that’ll work in pretty much every country you can think of. We like the two standard USB ports and the additional USB-C socket so you’re never caught short. 

Shoes

Comfortable shoes are paramount when you’re travelling. Now if you’re heading off somewhere warm, then Danner has a new option which is worth checking out. The Joseph leather sandals have all the look of a hallmark sandal, but underneath you’ll find a textured Vibram sole to give you more traction than you’d expect from a shoe like this. 

If you’re after something a little more covered, then you can’t go wrong with Blundstones. Relatively lightweight, these boots offer rugged, assured performance but – most importantly for airports – their slip-on design makes it easy to get them on and off if you’re asked at security. 

Sunglasses

Alright, so again we’re assuming that you’re heading somewhere sunny and warm but if that is truly the case then sunglasses need to be in the bag. While sunglasses are a very personal purchase – and something that is much better to try on in-person – there are some recommendations we can make after our time away from home. 

Oakley’s Latch has a nice lightweight approach and they can take a beating, too. At £154, they’re in the mid-range of sunglass prices, too. However, Izipizi’s range makes a big impact for a low price, with these #D polarised pair coming in at a very attractive £50 – though you can go down to £40 if you don’t need polarisation. 

Headphones

There’s nothing worse than planning to get some shut-eye on a flight, only to be disturbed by noisy plane-mates. That’s where a decent set of headphones come in as they’ll allow you to block out the worst of the surroundings while allowing to properly concentrate on your favourite show or music.

As we’ve already looked at, the Sony Linkbuds S are ideal for this job. They’ve got active noise cancelling already built in but, importantly, they’re small and robust – so they’re a little more hard-wearing for travel than a usual full set of cans.