Grab ‘n Go – My Favorite Cheap (or Free!) Travel Items

My Favorite Cheap Travel Items

We’re all unique and travel differently.  Preferences vary.  I feel like those concepts aren’t particularly difficult to grasp, but comment sections occasionally prove otherwise.  I recently reflected on how and when I pack these days, and today’s piece complements that.  In addition to versatile clothing and footwear, a fair share of my packing involves several cheap travel items, even some free ones.  Here’s the low-cost stuff I throw in my bag on pretty much every trip and why.  What other items do you recommend and why?  Let me know in the comments!

My Top 11 Cheap Travel Items

Travel Toothbrush

I’m starting with perhaps my new-favorite version of this product.  I recently picked up a handy, foldable Colgate travel toothbrush for just over a buck with tax.  The folding cover protects the brush and minimizes its footprint within my toiletry bag.  It’s also relatively sturdy when assembled for brushing.  I love that it’s all one piece – no messing around with a second separate case to close up the toothbrush.  I feel the urge to go pick up a few more of these before they cost more, go out of stock, or both.

One Plastic Bag

We strive to avoid plastic bags when we shop, opting for paper or reusable ones most of the time.  But we’re far from perfect here, resorting to plastic every so often.  I then reuse most of these for picking up the landmines my dogs have stealthily planted in the backyard.  I save a select few, Target ones most often due to their durability, for travel.  Each time I pack, I take one such plastic bag.  Inevitably, I need one for a rotating list of needs, including: additional dirty laundry, throwing out food packaging/remnants, or a second bag for my infrequent travel purchases.

Flip-flops

Living in a coastal area, wearing flip-flops is a daily occurrence.  So, too, during travel – specifically in hotel rooms.  I like a clean (or new) rug on my bare feet, but unfortunately, that’s often not the case with hotel carpeting.  Flip-flops save the day here, especially when hotel slippers aren’t available.

This is the first item I pack the vast majority of the time; it forms a sturdy base at the bottom of my backpack.  I generally opt for my cushiony, always-getting-more-expensive Reefs, but it’s easy to find a serviceable pair for hotel use at most any dollar store.

Small Bills

Okay, I guess I can’t technically call cash money a “travel item.”  But I consistently take small bills for gratuities and tiny purchases.  For years, this is how I’ve mostly used cash.  Just a friendly reminder to tip housekeeping (among other instances).

Plastic Cutlery

I generally throw in at least one set of plastic cutlery, usually an unused set I’ve previously received from a restaurant pickup.  This has come in tremendously handy when I order food while traveling.  Restaurants often don’t include utensils in my food delivery order even when I’ve requested it.  Hunting that down at an odd hour in a random hotel isn’t my idea of a good time, and many hotels aren’t keen on providing that, anyway.

Tank Top

I’m generally not a tank top guy, but I turn into one when I travel.  I try to pack as light as possible, so virtually every other piece of clothing I include is for wearing out and about.  I don’t want to waste space packing a bunch of loungewear.  I’ll throw in one tank top to suffice here, and it’s for hotel room wear only.  It takes up minimal space, and I can easily add that to the ensemble including my workout shorts.  That’s not exactly elegant, but it doesn’t need to be.

Something Salty, Something Sweet

Lounges can satisfy the snack requirements often, but they’re not always around.  I start the trip by bringing one salty item and another sweet one.  Trail mix (or maybe peanut M&M’s) can satisfy both of these, but more often, I choose a dedicated item for each.  If I’m not consuming them on the plane, that’s fine.  Otherwise, I’ll inevitably get a hankering in the hotel room, which tides me over to the next meal or discourages me from making an even worse food decision.

A Forever Stamp

When traveling domestically, I bring a single forever stamp to use with any hotel stationery or card I pick up during my jaunt.  It removes one not-necessarily-convenient step from sending mail to a friend or family member.

“One Extra”

This is a group of items I normally bring, but I add one extra each.  I tailor the specific credit cards I bring on each trip based on the destination, activities, and necessary credit card benefits.  Next, I add one more credit card as a contingency for any of my primary cards not working (fraud alert, Amex not accepted, etc).

Elsewhere, I’ll calculate my clothing needs for any trip, then add one extra pair of socks, which inevitably comes in handy for that rainy day, fresh feel midday, etc.

Finally, I’ll add one extra USB cable to my bag, as well.  I learned this one the hard way when I snagged and ripped my sole USB cord on a piece of furniture in a random Memphis hotel.  I then walked to a nearby grocery store and paid about $10 for an unnecessarily-long cord to charge my phone.  Never again!

Conclusion

I’m confident many of you have your own small lineup of cheap items you take on each trip.  Please share your stuff below, as I’m always looking to optimize where I can.  On the flip side, I guess it’s possible to take things too far, adding more to a slim travel profile than I truly need.  I feel like I have a good balance above, but I can always improve.

What are your favorite cheap travel items?