8 lightweight travel musts that won’t hog room in your carry-on, starting at $9

No in-flight entertainment is definitely a bummer. And sometimes, the entertainment they do provide just doesn’t measure up. Here’s your genius plan B: This palm-sized phone holder lets you prop up your device to watch your favorite shows or movies hands-free and at eye level. It easily attaches to your tray table or luggage handle, so it’s a no-brainer, space-saving add-on. 

Flight crew members even use it for travel, and then keep using it once they’re back home. “As a commuting flight attendant, [this] comes in very handy!” one reviewer said. “At home, I like it propped up on the counter.”

I travel with a lot of tech — laptop, tablet, smartwatch, over-ear headphones. Yes, I have a lot of stuff to charge. In true type-A fashion, I was thrilled to find this $9 case a few years ago. It has just enough compartments to keep all of the cables for my devices neatly stowed, organized and easily accessible. What I love most, though, is that it doesn’t take up much space in my carry-on.

Almost 17,000 Amazon shoppers are big fans too. “I was able to fit more than four different charging cables, a power bank and a small power brick,” one five-star reviewer wrote before co-signing my rave review, saying it “doesn’t take [up] much space at all.”

Travel experts and frequent fliers say packing cubes are one of the easiest ways to stay organized and free up space in your luggage when bopping between locations. One thing you definitely don’t want to do? Overpack your carry-on. These compression packing cubes keep you organized and flatten bulky clothing to give you more space in your luggage for other things.

“I used these cubes on a recent vacation and they worked great!” one impressed shopper wrote. “[I packed] 10 days of clothes in my carry-on. I had an extra cube left over and took it along and used it for T-shirts I bought on my trip.”

Read more: The best compression packing cubes of 2024, tested and reviewed

One of my secrets to staying calm when traveling is to stay as organized as possible — and this palm-sized passport wallet has just enough compartments to keep important documents within reach. It’s slim enough to slip into any pocket and has slots for a passport, credit cards, a boarding pass and even a pen. Best of all, there’s RFID blocking built in to protect sensitive personal data. This passport wallet also comes with two recovery tags from ReturnMe, the world’s largest lost and found company.

One pilot gave it a glowing review. “Got this to hold my important things I need to fly — certificate, medical [card] and passport,” the travel pro wrote. “They also offer you a lost and found reward so if you lose it, it can be easily returned to you and the company provides you a reward.”

While some travelers use AirTags to track their checked luggage when they hand it over at bag drop, I also toss one in my carry-on in the event that there’s no more overhead space on the plane, forcing me to gate check it. With an AirTag, I’m able to track my bag, no matter where I am in the world, from the “Find My” app on my smartphone.

“This is my third AirTag,” one traveler wrote. “I keep one in my suitcase/carry-on/purse whenever I travel. It’s how I knew American Airlines left my bag at the airport and how I knew Delta sent it on a flight before the one I was on. … It’s worth the peace of mind.”

This is one of my favorite tiny travel buddies. On certain airlines, the in-flight entertainment is pretty top-tier, with recent releases that aren’t even available on streaming services. But when I use those low-quality wired earbuds that plug into the seat’s headphone jack, I hear the plane’s engine more than the movie dialogue. This Bluetooth transmitter, which is basically the size of an AirPods case, allows me to tune in with my noise-canceling headphones. Also, setting it up took me maybe five seconds.

“It was [a] game-changer for a nine-hour flight,” one impressed Amazon reviewer wrote. “The free earbuds they hand out hurt my ears after a while and don’t cancel out the loud noise of the plane. This device was exactly what I was looking for.”

Reading a book is one of the simplest ways to pass time on a long flight. There’s one problem, though: A book can take up so much valuable space in your carry-on or personal item. A Kindle e-reader lets you download as many books as you’d like, and since it’s almost paper-thin, you won’t sacrifice much space in your bag. Also, if you’re flying at night, you won’t need the overhead light to read since the screen is illuminated and glare-free.

“I love this thing!” gushed one shopper. “It’s also super thin and light, which means I can throw it in my bag and not even notice it’s there. And since it’s waterproof, I don’t have to panic if I’m caught in the rain or if I want to read by the pool.”

This is the newest addition to my travel bag, and I’m still amazed by its size and practicality. At home, I use a bulky two-in-one charging station that gives my phone and Apple Watch some juice when I’m asleep. Since it’s too cumbersome to take with me when I travel, I found this gizmo, which does the same thing in a compact package that folds up smaller than my palm. Can you tell how impressed I am?

It supports MagSafe charging and nightstand mode on both the Apple Watch and iPhone, so you’ll be able to see the full-screen clock on both devices while they charge. Keep in mind, though, that this isn’t a portable charger and needs to be plugged into an outlet to work.

“This charger is small, lightweight, but still entirely functional,” one five-star reviewer wrote. “It is one less thing to worry about when packing.”