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New York Times

13 Little Luxuries Wirecutter's Travel Experts Take on Trips

Editor Christine Ryan always packs the JBL Go 4, a truly tiny speaker that's a top pick in our guide to the best portable bluetooth speakers. She uses it while hanging around the hotel room or to catch up on podcasts in the shower — a big improvement, she says, over her previous technique of just blasting her phone from the bathroom counter. Weighing a mere 11 ounces and measuring less than 4 inches at its widest, it's one of the smallest speakers we recommend, and it comes with a carabiner clip if you want to hang it from your bag. 'It's one of the few ultra-compact Bluetooth speakers that sound good,' writes audio expert Brent Butterworth in our portable speaker guide, 'and it's so small and light that it could go almost unnoticed in a laptop bag, purse, or coat pocket.' This has been our favorite travel mat for years because it folds up small and provides above-average traction. However, it doesn't have as much cushioning as a standard yoga mat. Buy from Amazon (prices vary) Christine also travels with the JadeYoga Voyager Mat, a compact, foldable version of our favorite yoga mat; it's highlighted in our yoga mat guide as a great option for travel. It's slightly thinner than your average yoga mat, but it folds up to the size of a yoga brick and only weighs about 1.5 pounds. 'I can't say I always make time to use it,' she says, 'but it has kept me from having to run out and buy a cheap yoga mat when I do practice!' Affordable and stylish, this portable book stand is our favorite cookbook stand for small spaces. But Christine uses it to stand up her iPad and create a second monitor on the road. $17 from Amazon (price varies by color) Another travel must-have for Christine is her iPad, which she uses for watching movies and TV, for reading books on the Kindle app, and as a second display for her laptop. To make the latter work, she brings the Hightide Metal Book Stand, a Wirecutter favorite for small spaces from our guide to the best cookbook stands. The sleek metal stand is surprisingly stylish and has rubberized nubs at the front that don't poke the iPad screen. It folds down to just 9 by 7 inches and is so slim you can tuck in your laptop sleeve along with your laptop. While you may not need to go out and buy a cookbook stand exclusively for your iPad, it's a good reminder that the things you already own can end up being handy hacks for travel-specific situations. Ironically, luggage writer and Hawaii resident Kit Dillon is not a fan of flying, saying it gives him a 'crushing awareness' of his own mortality. And given that he's 6-foot-2, it also does a number on his body. To cope, he makes sure his phone is fully charged and uses a mediation app to silence his mind. He's just looking for noise, so he'll use any old app, but he does like Calm, a pick in our guide to the best meditation apps. In addition to mindfulness sessions, it has soundscapes, sleep stories, and a bunch of breathing exercises. One bonus tip: Kit often hits the spa when he lands. 'Somewhere really hot like the Wi Spa in LA,' he suggests, if you happen to be in his usual stopover from Hawaii. 'There's nothing better to deal with jet lag than several cycles in a psychotically hot sauna and ice plunge.' This quiet vibrating brush has a whopping two-week battery life, so you won't have to bring the charging base on short trips. But, its brush heads are more expensive than other electric toothbrushes we tested. Writer and generally light packer Kyle Fitzgerald admits that a toothbrush isn't quite a luxury travel item — but upgrading to an electric toothbrush? Well, that's something special. He uses the Philips Sonicare 4100, a runner-up in our guide to the best electric toothbrushes. Since it's his at-home toothbrush as well, it's a little bulkier than he'd like, but 'once you go electric,' he says, 'it's hard to go back.' Notably, the toothbrush has a two-week battery life (in our testing, it actually lasted 16 days) — longer than our top pick — meaning that for many vacations, you won't even have to bring along the charging base. It also comes with a plastic cap for travel. For longer trips abroad, the charging base conveniently has a USB cable, which requires you to bring only a travel adapter and not a voltage converter. (Don't be me: I once blew up a plug-based electric-toothbrush charging base on a trip to Europe, not realizing the voltage was incompatible.) Claire loves this mask because of its gel-like texture, fragrance-free formula, and powers of hydration. Key ingredients include hyaluronic acid and vitamin B5. It's quite pricey, though. Writer Claire Wilcox's skin gets really dry on trips, making her 'look and feel a lot like a desiccated fruit peel.' It's a common problem during travel, especially after long plane trips where the air is notoriously dry. When she's on the road, she upgrades her moisturizing routine to include a hydrating face mask. Claire has experimented with several thick creams and moisturizing masks, and her current favorite is the SkinCeuticals Hydrating B5 Mask. 'It has a similar texture and feel to aloe vera gel but has no fragrance,' she says. 'It doesn't stain my pillowcase, and my skin looks and feels much better the next day.' Granted, at about $70 for 2.5 ounces, the SkinCeuticals mask doesn't come cheap, but its ingredient panel does have dermatologist faves like glycerin, hyaluronic acid, and panthenol (vitamin B5). But it's so pricey that Claire rations it 'probably past its expiration date.' If you can't spend the big bucks, Claire's also a fan of the more-affordable Clinique Moisture Surge Overnight Face Mask and Paula's Choice Hydrating Treatment Mask. This travel-sized version of our favorite tweezer has sharp tips and comes in bright colors that are easy to find in a toiletry bag. Don't let the diminutive size fool you — Claire says these are much sharper than your average clippers. Plus, they have a satisfying weight in your hand. $16 from Amazon May be out of stock 'You never know when you'll need to perform small surgeries!' says Claire. From ingrown toenails to stray hairs or painful splinters, a tiny annoyance can really get in the way of relaxing vacation vibes. That's why Claire never travels without the Tweezerman Mini Slant Tweezer, which is a travel-sized version of our favorite tweezer, and a pair of sharp little Kiya clippers. 'The Slant Tweezers have bright colors and are easy to spot in my toiletry bag,' says Claire, something I echo in my ode to the Slant Tweezer, which I also rarely travel without. As for the Kiya clippers, they're small and portable but 'much sharper than your average clipper, so they can handle hoof and claw,' Claire says. 'They also have a nice weight, like a stone.' For more clipper options, check out our guide to the best nail clippers. This spiral-bound notebook fits in a pouch, has a thick cover, and lies flat, so it's easy to write anywhere (even on your lap). Plus, it's made with high-quality paper with a light grid and has pockets at the back for odds and ends. Claire also brings a notebook when she hits the road, for jotting down ideas, writing, and drawing. She's particularly fond of the Delfonics Rollbahn Spiral Classic Notebook in A5, in part because it's small enough to fit in a zippered pouch, so she can store it with her writing implements and transfer the whole kit from bag to bag. Another boon: The spiral-bound notebook has a thick cover and lies flat, 'so it's easy to work on whatever surface you have available,' says Claire, 'including your lap.' It also has an elastic strap to keep it closed and comes in great colors. Plus, it has 'nice paper, a light grid pattern, and five cellophane pockets in the back for odds and ends,' she says. If you're on the hunt for your perfect notebook, check out our guide to the best notebooks and notepads. This small, sporty nylon pack is our favorite for traveling light. However, it's sized for just the essentials — nothing more — and the strap is on the shorter side. Editor Ria Misra is a minimalist by nature. 'My little luxury is me, out in the world, unencumbered by the physical and mental weight of carrying a bunch of little extras,' she says. 'But, even a minimalist ends up with a few necessities that she needs to stash somewhere, and for that, I like a little bag to keep my hands free.' Although Ria uses different bags for different trips, she often finds herself reaching for the Patagonia Ultralight Black Hole Mini Hip Pack, our pick for best travel fanny pack thanks to its small size, lightweight construction, and weather-resistant coating. 'It slings lightly and easily over my shoulder and has just a liter of space — plenty for storing my phone, keys, wallet, and a lip balm, while keeping my hands free,' Ria says. These versatile leather clogs slip off at airport security but are also grippy enough for a short hike. Plus, they work in a range of temperatures and the leather gives them an outdoorsy-formal look. Outdoorsman and writer Trey French, who covers gear like hiking socks and ice cleats, loves to travel with the Bedrock Mountain Clogs in Nubuck Leather. He's heard them called 'ugly, but cute in a granola way' and stands by their functionality and outdoorsy style. 'Like any other clog, they fly well, they're easy to slip on and off at security, and drive fine,' he says. 'I prefer wearing socks in most scenarios, and clogs pair with socks better than sandals. Plus, these clogs can also hike any easy, short, national-park-adjacent trail with good grip. They also give me outdoorsy points — only a little kidding — can work in a range of temperatures, and may even look semiformal in leather in an outdoor business context, which is my usual context.' Trey also packs a pair of versatile Patagonia Terrebone Trail Joggers. He says the lightweight pants are 'breathable and stretchy with a zippered rear pocket,' and 'they're also easy to hand-wash and quick to hang-dry.' They feature a comfortable elastic waist and drawcord, and the leg cuffs keep the pants in place. The pants also offer 40+ UPF sun protection and have a water-repellent finish that keeps you dry in light rain. Trey loves to seek out local trails while he's traveling, and can attest that the joggers work really well as hiking pants. Of note: Trey says that a few recent reviews suggest Patagonia may have changed the fit to make them baggier, so order accordingly. A remarkably thin and compact battery pack for its 10,000 mAh capacity, it can charge your phone at least twice. Trey has used it on a weeklong backpacking trip and for working remotely. Trey originally bought the Nitecore NB10000 Gen 2 Battery Bank for backpacking because it was remarkably thin and compact for a battery with so much power. Smaller than many competitors, it measures just 4.8 by 2.32 by 0.42 inches and weighs only 5.5 ounces, yet it has a 10,000 mAh capacity, which can charge your phone at least twice. 'I've used it for up to seven-day-long backpacking trips, but I also carry it for flying, conferences, car-camping, remote-working, or when I don't have access to outlets or just don't want to use them,' Trey says. One tip: 'Make sure you have a charging cord long enough to use your phone while charging.' For more portable power bank options, check out our guides to the best portable chargers and wireless portable chargers. This article was edited by Hannah Rimm and Christine Ryan.