Must-Have Travel Accessories

With a few big international trips on the horizon (more on those SOON), I thought I would round up my must-have accessories that help me create all my travel content — and just make traveling a whole lot easier!  I traveled to Italy and Greece with just those two pieces of luggage above and will do the same for my upcoming European trips this summer and fall, and everything below fits!

Delsey 28″ Luggage | Lo & Sons Catalina Weekender

Nikon D700 + Sigma 35mm Lens – I had purchased the Sony a5000 a few years back because I was sick of lugging around my huge Nikon that we typically use for blog photos and wanted something a little smaller to travel with.  I brought it along with me to Italy (probably my first major trip with it), and while it totally did the job (we got some beautiful photos with this 28mm lens), at the end of the day, I’m a photo snob.  While the photos looked beautiful on Instagram, when I got back and compared them to what we normally take with the Nikon (which is probably about 6x the price), it just wasn’t cutting it for me.  I loved the Sony for the wifi compatiability as well, which my Nikon does not have, but I was determined to find a way to make it all work.  I purchased this Sigma ART 1.4 35mm lens (a great travel lens) and the below adapter to be able to get my photos to my phone without the need for wifi and I’ve never been happier!

Lightening USB Adapter – Using the cord that came with my camera, I’m able to connect my Nikon directly to my iPhone and upload photos on the go.  Once I plug in my phone to the camera, an IMPORT screen appears and I can select any travel photos I just took in seconds.  It’s actually WAY easier than it even was on the Sony (which had wifi capability), and the photos upload in high-res.

External Hardrive – I’ve learned to just bring this little life-saver along for the ride with me wherever I go.  There’s nothing worse than running out of memory (or accidentally deleting photos), so I like to have this with me to upload photos at the end of the day!

Back Up USB Charger – All those photos and Instagram Stories really suck the life out of my iPhone battery, so having a backup charger is a must!  I got away with a single backup charger for a few lighter trips, but having this Mofi Powerstation that completely charges my phone 8x has been a game changer.  Although this one is on the larger side, it’s reliable and slim enough to fit into one of my larger crossbody or tote bags and gives me peace of mind knowing I can charge it multiple times without running it down.  It does take a while to charge and needs to be left overnight in most cases — but totally worth it!  I also grabbed this little USB cord which pairs great with this Mofi charger (and it eliminates the need to keep bringing my standard one).

SkyRoam Mobile Hotspot – When Kristin and I traveled to Greece last summer, we partnered with SkyRoam to help keep us connected (since we were responsible for posting on the go).  This little hotspot lets you have wifi wherever you travel and is so much more reliable (and faster) than spotty hotel connections!  Once you have the device, you pay per day you need connection and you can connect up to 5 devices (perfect if you’re traveling with someone or have a phone, camera, and laptop to connect).

Lightweight Tripod – I typically don’t use a tripod with my DSLR camera, but I love throwing in this lightweight tripod to use with my iPhone if I have room in my suitcase!  It’s always hard to get a decent photo of me and whoever I’m with when traveling, so I’ve come to rely on the old “do it yourself” method and bring along a few little friends to help me get the job done.  I purchased this iPhone attachment (under $7 for two of them) which screws right into the top of the tripod and one of these camera remotes which connects via bluetooth (and is slim enough to hide in my hand when using).  Just to rant for a moment — I realize this is a totally unacceptable amount of extra gadgets.  But, after traveling to beautiful place after beautiful place with my husband and NEVER getting a beautiful photo of the two of us, it’s better to be safe than sorry.  We used this system for this photo in Lake Como, Italy and I swear, after way too many misses relying on other people, it was the only way to get any sort of photo of us during our 3 week trip.  See how are ENTIRE bodies are in the photo and you can see the background?!  Come on people, it’s 2017… everyone knows how to use an iPhone… I know TODDLERS who can use them and take better pictures (true story).  Put in a little effort so I can forgo the extra weight and add into another pair of shoes.  (Kidding… but not really).

Drone – What was my life like before my husband picked up the hobby of droning?!  We’re so excited to take Oh So Glam travel content to the next level over here.  He’s already created some really cool shots and videos and we can’t wait to take it with us abroad.  Raj currently has the DJI Phantom IV, but is in the process of upgrading to the slightly smaller Mavic Pro drone to travel with!

European Outlet Adapters – You need to do a little research depending on which country you’re traveling to, but I would recommend bringing along a pack of these (or two) instead of relying on the hotels for them.  With all of the gadgets above, I needed a few myself… plus, I purchased a few extra in case we left any traveling place to place.  I have these standard European outlet adapters, and needed another set with 3 prongs for Italy.

Foldable Headphones – I haven’t made the switch to Bluetooth headphones like my husband has (and the only reason he has is because of my wonderful gift giving skills).  I still rely on my foldable FRENDS headphones from a few years back — remember when these were all the rage?!  Here is an extremely similar rose gold pair for under $40.  This bluetooth pair is secretly on my wishlist (hint, hint, Raj).

Multi Bag Stacker – This little strap lets you stack multiple suitcases on top of one another for easy traveling!  It came in handy when Raja was carrying our bags throughout the train stations in Italy, and I even used it when wheeling my large luggage (and the tote bag above) throughout Greece.

Waist Wallet – Raj picked up two of these before our Italy trip last summer and he ended up wearing it a lot more than he thought he would.  It was slim enough to hide under his pants/shorts and we made sure to keep any cash, IDs, credit cards, and passports in there when out and about, and when traveling city to city.

If you missed my What to Pack on a European Trip blog post from a few weeks back, make sure to check it out here!  I love all travel packing hacks, so let me know in a comment below if you have any to share!