🎅6 little treats for the traveler on your gift list

Delight the travel lover in your life with one—or more—of these gift ideas. Bonus: They all meet TSA carry-on requirements.

Dec 03, 2024

✈1. The secret to making a long flight a little more bearable

When I interviewed a physical therapist about travel tips, she said she always travels with two things—an inflatable seat cushion and resistance bands (more on those in a minute).

I bought this cushion, tested it on a flight from Newark to Berlin, and loved it. You can sit on it, push it to the front of the seat to raise your knees a little, lean on it to one side, and just generally use it to adjust your position and comfort on a long flight.

It folds down to fit in a 4.3x3.1 inch case, and yes, I could get it back into the case after I used it. 3 colors, from $19.99.

💪2. An easy way to keep muscles strong away from home

I walk a lot when I’m in Mexico City, and I take some yoga classes, but I don’t stick to the same strength training routine I follow at home.

I took that physical therapist’s advice and brought along a set of resistance bands. By using them for a few minutes a couple of days a week, I can keep up my strength. This set comes in beginner, advanced, and super-advanced levels in various colors. From $10.97.

💋3. The best protection for dry, chapped lips I’ve tried

This gift idea might seem like a joke, but Lansinoh Lanolin Nipple Cream, designed for breastfeeding moms, works great to soothe and heal dry, chapped lips.

At 1.41 ounces, it meets TSA standards for liquids, so it’s great to have in a carry-on bag to fight the dry air on planes. $7.59.

👜4. A Goldilocks “just right” tote bag

The perfect “personal item” bag is big enough to hold everything you want with you on the flight and small enough to fit under the seat in front of you.

You probably want it to double as a day bag during your trip, so it needs to be stylish enough that you don’t have to hide it in photos, but not so fancy that it’s bait for pickpockets.

Of course, it needs lots of pockets, room for a laptop, a zip-top closure, and a strap or sleeve that attaches it to the handle of a rolling suitcase. This one has 13 (!) pockets and comes in 11 colors/designs. From $20.99.

💍5. An upgrade from a tangled mess of jewelry in a Ziplock bag

I like to travel light—carry-on only—and jewelry is one of those small things I bring to mix up my outfits a little. For a long time, I took the “travel light” thing too far, and just dumped my jewelry in a plastic bag. Everything got so tangled together I gave up on it. I ended up just wearing the same earrings and necklaces over and over.

A jewelry organizer take up a bit more space than a plastic bag, but the tradeoff is worth it. This envelope-style version is just 5.5 x 6 inches folded, and unfolds to 16.5 x 5 inches. 9 colors, from $12.79. There’s also a 5.5 x 9 inch version if you need a little more space, starting at $15.99.

💧6. An eco- and TSA-friendly way to carry on liquids and lotions

Shopping in the “travel size” aisle means you’re choosing from about two options for any given item, and throwing away a lot of plastic.

Refillable containers are the way to go. You’ll see Cadence containers featured in a lot of travel shopping guides, but $100.50 (on sale!) seems a little steep to me for seven containers.

With this set, you get two 3-ounce containers, two 2-ounce containers, four small travel jars, and a spray bottle, plus two spoons, a funnel, a cleaning brush, and a transparent bag it all fits in. Four multicolor options, from $9.99.

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