After two years of full-time travel, I’ve learned that the best accessories aren’t flashy—they’re the small, affordable items that consistently make life on the road easier, more comfortable, and more secure.

The ideal travel essential should be compact, useful across a variety of situations, and inexpensive enough that losing it isn’t a major headache.

The seven items below have earned a permanent spot in my bag—and I’ll show you exactly how I use them and why they’ve proven their worth over and over again.

Some hotels, including properties from respected brands, still haven’t gotten with the times and don’t provide USB ports near your bed.

Others may only provide a single USB port on one side of your bed. For these type of hotels, the perfect solution is the Anker 60W 6 Port USB Charging Station or better yet one with USB C ports.

It plugs into a power outlet and then allows you to charge up to six devices at one time.

I’ve found the charge time to be quick and using it makes organization easy because you know where all of your devices are at once. It also just has a nice quality build and feel to it so it I expect it to last a long time.

You may not be aware but the coffee makers in hotel rooms can be full of bacteria and other nastiness.

You never know the last time that those things have been washed and properly descaled and some hotel employees are on record saying that the machines never get cleaned.

The one we use is collapsible and super easy to fit in our luggage. It uses a combination of BPA free silicone and food-grade stainless steel and boils water in 3 to 5 minutes depending on your elevation.

It also will reheat itself when the temperature falls below 75°. It’s simple to use with only one button and it’s easily one of my favorite travel accessories I’ve purchased over the last couple of years.

A PortaPow USB Data Blocker is a simple, low-cost way to protect your devices from getting hacked or infected with malware. It only allows power to pass through your USB cable—none of the data pins make contact with the port.

Basically, it blocks any shady attempts to access your phone while you’re just trying to charge it. Perfect for hotel rooms, airports, train stations, or anywhere you’re forced to trust a random USB outlet.

Yes, it might sound a little paranoid—but after two years of full-time travel, a healthy dose of paranoia is just practical.

it can also help you dodge annoying Bluetooth auto-connections in your car. (Some vehicles force a media connection when you plug in, but this little gadget lets you charge without syncing.)

You can grab a two-pack for under 10 bucks—basically, cheap peace of mind.

When traveling full-time, I do my best not to stress too much about what could go wrong.

But as any seasoned traveler knows, sometimes things still do.

Even if you avoid major mishaps, it’s pretty common to catch a cold, pick up a mild bug, or just feel worn down—especially after long travel days or unfamiliar environments.

That’s why I always pack immune support. Taking something like zinc at the first sign of feeling off can sometimes help shorten recovery time so you can get back to enjoying the trip faster.

I always bring Viva Naturals 5-in-1 Support with us and try to be proactive, especially toward the end of a long journey when fatigue starts to creep in.

A white noise machine is essential for getting good rest for us in hotels that have little to no background noise.

Sometimes it’s impossible to create any kind of background noise because the room does not have an AC unit or fan that is very loud.

Instead of leaving the TV on all night and dealing with all of that unwanted light, you can just bring the small white noise machine with you and let it play throughout the night.

It’s rechargeable and it has different settings so you can tailor the noise level to what you need at the moment. It also emits three different types of noises.

This is also a great device to have if you travel with your dog to hotels because it can help keep them quiet.

You can find apps that will emit white noise but I find noise machines more effective than when the sound is coming from my phone.

Having a pair of wireless noise canceling headphones makes life much easier. When flying, you can instantly drown out any unwanted noise like crying babies, snoring passengers, etc.

They can also come in handy in the hotel room when dealing with noises like construction.

And for me, I feel like it also enhances the entertainment experience when traveling because of the better sound quality.

You don’t have to spend too much money to get a decent pair of noise canceling headphones either. For example, we have used the Sony Noise Cancelling Headphones WHCH710N which are only $98.

If you’re going to be spending a lot of time in the sun this summer you want to protect your face from harmful UV rays. A lot of facial sunscreens can be thick and make it difficult to rub into your face while on the go.

And even after you do all of that work, the protection is not always that strong.

But EltaMD UV Clear Facial Sunscreen is super easy to absorb into your skin and it still comes with strong SPF 46 protection. What I really like about it is that it comes in such a small container I can easily bring it anywhere including through airport security.

These travel accessories will make your life on the road a little bit easier. Most of them are relatively inexpensive but in my experience they bring about a lot of peace of mind valued well beyond their purchase price.