For a long time, I was a scrappy traveler. Bare-bones, on the cheap. Packing light, running fast. As we’ve gotten a little choosier about our destinations, our travel habits have changed. Today, I wanted to talk about a few small, inexpensive upgrades that make the difference between a good travel experience and a great travel experience.

Eye Mask

I wrote about this in my best sleep advice. It’s been the difference between being able to sleep on a plane and not. Because of where we live, a lot of the time, the only flight out that’s available is at like 5:30 in the morning. Flying to MSP is pretty great when you get there at 9am and can have a full day of fun, but it does suck to be up and at the airport that early. A good eye mask makes it all possible.

Neck Pillow

Please see the above. We have a ton of flights coming up because the holidays are here! Almost, anyway. I am so ready for turkey and pumpkin pie and sitting down all the time. But…you know, airplanes. I didn’t have a neck pillow for forever, and now I have one and I’ll never go back. I like this one, because it has a clip in front to stay tight around my neck, for all of my lolling around. I even got Charles one too.

Portable Battery Pack

I feel like I was the last person in the world to know about this. Love it. Being able to recharge my phone on the go is something I didn’t think about a ton until recently, and I’ve been loving having this in my bag.

Bluetooth Headphones

I finally cut the cord! Bluetooth all the way. I like being able to move around without worrying about the cord, and I can keep my phone in my purse while still listing to podcasts or having a nap.

Hydroflask

I didn’t want to buy into the hype. I thought it was silly to spend so much on a water bottle. It’s worth it. It really is. It keeps a cold drink cold forever. I’ll never go back!

And that’s it! What are your little upgrades that make travel just a tiny bit more luxurious?