Travel Essentials So Good They Actually Deserve A Spot In Your Carry-On

As someone who enjoys traveling and shopping (and shopping while traveling), I’ve ended up with more gadgets than I’d like to admit—many of which have claimed they’d make my life easier. Is that true for some of them? Sure. Others have proven to be a complete waste of money and precious space in my luggage. (Which is the ultimate sin TBH.) Luckily, my screen time is embarrassingly high and my For You Page knows me so well it can pretty much predict my every thought, so I’ve found some of the best travel items that would actually earn a spot in my carry-on. And because I know you’re busy enough tracking flights to sift through the BS, I put together a list of essentials you should immediately add to cart. 

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Beis Backpack That Could Literally Fit A Weeks Worth Of Clothes

I’ve never been influenced faster than the day I saw someone “pack with me” in this backpack. I hit the “add to cart” button pretty much immediately. It might sound dramatic, but this bag is truly magical. Listen, I know we all hate when people brag about packing everything in their carry-on, but when I can pack 10 days worth of stuff in my Beis backpack, you better believe I am screaming it from the rooftops.

Shop it: The Backpack, $78.00, Beistravel.com

Bluetooth Adaptor for Two So You Don’t Have To Share AirPods (Ew.)

In-flight screen time is truly sacred. I don’t want to waste it watching something I don’t care about—I want to guilt my fiancé into watching a RomCom with me that I may or may not fall asleep in the middle of. This dual bluetooth adaptor allows us to watch together and ensures he doesn’t start the movie a half second before I do, preventing him from spoiling all the good parts. 

Shop it: MEE audio Bluetooth Wireless Audio Transmitter Adapter, $49.99, Amazon

Budget Airline Bag Your Wallet Would Be Proud Of

Bringing a personal item on a budget airline is truly a gamble—you never know if today’s the day they decide it’s too big. For my sanity, I got this $10 bag that’s specifically made to avoid this risk. I don’t travel budget airlines often, but I figure if I’m risking it all to save a few bucks, I’ll at least make it as stress free as possible.

Shop It: Foldable Travel Duffel Bag, $14.99, Amazon

Portable Squatty Potty Because I Know You Dread Leaving Home Without It

Okay, if you’ve crossed the bridge into being a Squatty Potty user, you know there’s no turning back. There’s nothing delicate about my digestive system when traveling and finding out they make a portable version that folds up and fits in your bag was life changing. No more worrying about how you’ll survive a week without it.

Shop it: Squatty Potty Porta Traveler, $29.99, Amazon

Suitcase Drink Holder To House All Three Essential Travel Beverages

No matter how many times I go to the airport, I always enter into a state of absolute chaos. My hands are constantly full of everything I own, and I always manage to misplace my phone even though I swear I just had it. Add an overpriced coffee and a freshly-filled water bottle (post-TSA, duh) to the mix and I’d be screwed. Now I just add it all to this drink holder hanging from my luggage, because that’s the only way I can physically manage all of it.

Shop it: WALNEW Luggage Travel Cup Holders, $14.99, Amazon

Feature Image Credit: Vlada Karpovich on Pexels

Back-To-School Backpacks That Won’t Make You Look Like A Freshman

It’s always easy to spot the freshmen because of their wide-eyed innocence, the giant yellow lanyards hanging around their necks, and their oversized backpacks filled with real textbooks (lol, who reads those?). Look, what you choose to wear on your back is important. Nobody wants to give a bid to the girl who ironically totes around a Buzz Lightyear backpack from Wal-Mart (not speaking from experience or anything…), so it’s time to add backpacks to your back-to-school shopping list. Remember that kid in your high school who brought a rolling bag to school? That’s how much of a home-schooled jungle freak you risk looking like if you choose the wrong vessel in which to carry your shit. Luckily these backpacks we’ve hand-picked are cute, lightweight (meaning no back sweat, you’re welcome), and will (probably) fit all your stuff. You’re so lucky you have us.

 

1. Rebecca Minkoff Julian Nylon Backpack

This isn’t like, a regular backpack. It’s a cool backpack. The absolute angels at Rebecca Minkoff took the Julian leather backpack and made it lightweight for the times in fall when it’s still hot as balls outside. Dreams do come true.

2. Baggu Canvas Backpack

This cotton canvas backpack looks like it belongs on the floor of a minimalist Tumblr bedroom, but you’re probably going to just fill it with shit like chopsticks you’ll forget about and crumpled up receipts. It also has a laptop sleeve, which you’ll probably leave something important in and find two weeks later.

3. Marc Jacobs Biker Nylon Backpack

If it didn’t sound like a bad line from an Old Navy commercial, I’d tell you that this Marc Jacobs backpack is fashionable and functional. Backpacks are typically kind of nerdy, but this one is Marc Jacobs so it’s actually sorta edgy (which isn’t easily achieved by nylon bags, but whatever).

4. Herschel Retreat Backpack

Herschel is kind of like, the Vans of the backpack world. Pretty much everyone has one now, and they’re kind of making us all look like hipster dudes from Brooklyn. But they’re functional, not ugly and can probably fit a bottle of wine water, so why not?

5. Kate Spade Watson Lane Large Hartley Backpack

I know we like, just said that Kate Spade isn’t cool anymore because of the whole Coach thing, but I’ve pretty much already talked shit about every other designer that you preppy betches probably love, so I’ll let you have this one thing, as long as you don’t get carried away. This nylon backpack is actually so cute and black and white stripes go with everything (just ask Kris Jenner).

5 Lightweight Summer Backpacks That Won’t Cause Back Sweat

Complaining about the weather is totally one of our favorite pastimes, until shit gets real and we’re actually like, sweaty or something. God forbid. There’s really nothing worse than sweating, and unless you’re paying $300 a month for a workout class that makes you sweat, you should obviously avoid perspiring at all costs. Seriously, it’s disgusting.

While antiperspirants and deodorants take care of common problem areas like your underarms, sweltering NYC heat encourages another kind of sweat to rear its ugly head—back sweat. Not only does back sweat make your morning commute that much more unpleasant (and I’m already in a bad mood when I have to wake up before noon), it also leads to bacne (I don’t even like looking at that word) and really puts a damper on all those slutty backless dresses and swimsuits you want to wear. The cute and unnecessarily expensive leather/suede backpack you haul around could, unfortunately, be contributing to the issue since leather isn’t a particularly breathable or moisture-wicking material. So, here are a few backpacks we’ve found in summer-appropriate materials, just in case the one you use for work is making you sweat like any one of us in church.

1. Rebecca Minkoff Julian Nylon Backpack

This isn’t like, a regular backpack. It’s a cool backpack. The absolute angels at Rebecca Minkoff took the Julian leather backpack and made it lightweight for summer. Dreams do come true.

2. Baggu Canvas Backpack

This cotton canvas backpack looks like it belongs on the floor of a minimalist Tumblr bedroom, but you’re probably going to just fill it with shit like chopsticks you’ll forget about and crumpled up receipts. It also has a laptop sleeve, which you’ll probably leave something important in and find two weeks later.

3. Marc Jacobs Biker Nylon Backpack

If it didn’t sound like a bad line from an Old Navy commercial, I’d tell you that this Marc Jacobs backpack is fashionable and functional. Backpacks are typically kind of nerdy, but this one is Marc Jacobs so it’s actually sorta edgy (which isn’t easily achieved by nylon bags, but whatever).

4. Herschel Retreat Backpack

Herschel is kind of like, the Vans of the backpack world. Pretty much everyone has one now, and they’re kind of making us all look like hipster dudes from Brooklyn. But they’re functional, not ugly and can probably fit a bottle of wine, so why not?

5. Kate Spade Watson Lane Large Hartley Backpack

I know we like, just said that Kate Spade isn’t cool anymore because of the whole Coach thing, but I’ve pretty much already talked shit about every other designer that you preppy betches probably love, so I’ll let you have this one thing, as long as you don’t get carried away. This nylon backpack is actually so cute and black and white stripes go with everything (just ask Kris Jenner).