The Travel Gadgets I Never Fly Without (150+ Flights a Year)

I flew over 150 times in 2023 alone. That's not a brag — it's a warning that I've made every packing mistake there is, and I've slowly worked out the small kit that actually earns its place in a carry-on. None of this is exotic. It's just the stuff I'd genuinely notice missing at the gate. Here's what I never fly without.

1. A power bank

Sockets in public spaces are a gamble — half are broken, the other half have someone camped on them since 6am. A dead phone is a boarding pass you can't scan, so I never rely on the airport. A pocketable ~10,000 mAh bank with fast USB-C charging covers a phone and earbuds for a full travel day. One rule: keep it in your carry-on, never checked — lithium batteries aren't allowed in the hold, and most airlines cap you around 100 Wh anyway.

2. A lounge access subscription

This is the difference between starting a trip frazzled and starting it calm. A lounge means quiet, a real chair, food that isn't €14, and power that isn't a gamble. If you fly more than a dozen times a year, a membership like Priority Pass (or a credit card that bundles lounge access) pays for itself fast — and honestly, the sanity is worth more than the maths.

3. A proper pair of noise-cancelling headphones

If you buy one thing on this list, buy this. Engine drone is a constant low hum — exactly what active noise cancellation eats for breakfast — so a good pair (over-ear like the Sony WH-1000XM5 or Bose QuietComfort, or earbuds like AirPods Pro if you pack light) genuinely makes the flight quieter and shorter-feeling. Everything else on this list is comfort; this one changes the flight.

4. A phone stand or holder

Short-haul often has no seat-back screen at all — so make your own. A tiny folding stand, or a clip that hangs your phone off the tray-table latch, turns a cramped seat into a little cinema and saves your neck from propping a phone against the meal tray for two hours. It weighs nothing. There's no reason not to.

5. A Kindle, a book, or an iPad

You'll want to read, or watch something on a screen bigger than your phone (download it before you fly). For me it's an iPad, specifically because I can scribble on it — I do a lot of thinking at altitude. There's something about being offline at 38,000 feet that shakes ideas loose, and I've sketched more than one FlyFrame feature on a tray table over the Atlantic. Worth jotting things down before they evaporate.

6. A suitcase that practically wheels itself

I travel light, so my go-to is a good cabin backpack paired with a Rimowa carry-on when I need it. Before the upgrade I was genuinely impressed with LEVEL8 too — a lot of case for the money. Whatever you pick, the test is simple: four wheels that glide, a shell that opens flat, and dimensions that actually fit the sizer so you're never that person at the gate.

7. A good moisturiser (kept where you can reach it)

Cabin air is bone dry — flights are notorious for leaving your skin tight and your lips cracked. You almost certainly have a moisturiser in your wash bag already; the trick is keeping a travel-size (<100 ml, so security doesn't blink) somewhere you can grab it without unpacking the lot. Throw in a lip balm. Future-you, landing, will be grateful.

8. A Bluetooth adapter for in-flight entertainment (long-haul)

This is the one people don't know about. On long-haul, a little Bluetooth transmitter (the AirFly is the classic) plugs into the seat's headphone jack and pairs your own headphones to the screen. Trust me: your favourite noise-cancelling cans beat the flat, plasticky freebie headset every single time. It's the difference between enduring a film and enjoying it.

9. An eye mask

Sometimes you catch a brutal early flight and sleep is the whole plan. And let's be real — some airlines are not on your side here. Ryanair will not let you sleep: constant announcements, cabin lights up bright so you can admire the offers, and a cart that will find you. Don't get me wrong, I love Ryanair — they make travel possible for millions, and I mean that — but if I can steal two hours of sleep, I'm taking it every time. A contoured mask that blocks light without pressing on your eyes does the job.

10. A decent pillow (and, look, maybe mouth tape)

Because I travel light, I opt for an inflatable neck pillow — not ideal, I'll admit, but it packs down to nothing and gets you through in a pinch. Here's the physics of plane sleep: head down and you get That Neck Ache — you know the one. Head back, and your mouth falls open for the whole cabin to enjoy. A small strip of mouth tape is a genuinely good shout there; it keeps things closed, helps you breathe through your nose, and restores a certain amount of dignity. No judgement. We've all been the open-mouthed one.

A few honourable mentions

These didn't make my core ten but live in the bag more often than not:

• An eSIM (like Airalo) so you land with working data instead of hunting for Wi-Fi.
• A Bluetooth tracker (AirTag) tucked in the bag — cheap peace of mind, especially if anything gets checked.
• Compression socks for long-haul — your legs will thank you.
• A collapsible water bottle — fill it after security and actually hydrate.
• One GaN multi-port charger + a universal adapter — replaces the three chargers you currently carry.
• Packing cubes and earplugs — small things, big difference.
• Eye drops — the dry cabin air punishes your eyes as much as your skin, doubly so if you wear contacts.
• Antibacterial wipes — the tray table is, famously, the grimmest surface on the aircraft. A quick wipe and you can stop thinking about it.
• A short right-angle charging cable — for that awkward, half-hidden seat-back USB port. Tiny, and it saves the flight.
• A packable layer — planes run cold; a light jacket doubles as a blanket or a lumbar cushion.
• Electrolyte tablets — hydration on the day, and they quietly take the edge off arrival.
• A pen — someone always needs one for the landing or immigration card. Be the hero.

The one that comes home from the airport

Here's the thing about flying a hundred-plus times a year: the sky stops being background. You start noticing routes, wondering where everyone's going, looking up when you're on the ground too. That's literally why I built FlyFrame — a live e-ink flight tracker that shows the aircraft passing over your home in real time. All the kit above makes the flying better; FlyFrame is the one that brings the sky home with you. Sky in a box.

That's my list — refined over more airports than I'd like to admit. If you're shopping for a frequent flyer rather than being one, our gift guides have you covered too.