Need help picking your travel essentials? Sun Travel has you covered.
As a team that loves to explore new places and are regular travellers so here are our best-kept secrets, from budget accessories to the more expensive buys that we believe are worth the extra cost.
We have lots of recommendations when it comes to make travelling easier[/caption]
Assistant Travel Editor Sophie Swietochowski love this Away bag[/caption]
Travel Bags
Sophie Swietochowski, Assistant Travel Editor
It may be pricey, but in my opinion a decent, sturdy travel bag is well worth investing in. I take this Away bag everywhere with me, which is apt considering its name.
Small enough to fit under the seat and comply with most budget airlines hand luggage restrictions, the Everywhere bag’s star-quality is its zipped passport pocket. Conveniently, but very discreetly, located on the outside of the bag means accessing your important travel docs is less of a faff.
There’s a pocket for everything else too, including your laptop, your tablet and smaller bits of makeup and jewellery.
The zip extends over both sides of the bag so you can open it much wider than a bog-standard bag — great for when you’re trying to cram bits in.
The flap at the back allows you to slide it over a suitcase handle to sit on top of the case, making waltzing through the airport a breeze.
Lisa Minot, Head of Travel
When you’re travelling as often as we are lucky to, having a sturdy clear bag to store all my toiletries is a must.
While you can pick up a clear plastic bag at any airport, I prefer to be able to pack mine in advance and have it handy to simply pick up for each trip.
This is an approved size and the sturdy material and zip mean I don’t find everything falling out in my hand luggage.
Comfy outfits are key for long-haul and short-haul flights[/caption]
Alice Penwill, Travel Reporter
You can never go wrong with a trusty tote bag, and while they may not be the most glamorous, they are incredibly handy.
I recently bought this quilted tote from Nobody’s Child, because who doesn’t love a bit of leopard print? And it has been everywhere with me.
You name it, flights, weekend trips away in the UK, a recent seaside hen do – this tote is big enough for all my essentials and more.
Plane Outfits
Alice Penwill, Travel Reporter
When it comes to what to wear on a plane, my only rule is, the comfier the better. So usually I opt for a tracksuit, or loose fitting clothes, and of course layers because who knows when the person next to you will decide to turn on the air conditioning.
There’s also no need to splash out either, these dark pink joggers from Primark come in at just £6 and so does the matching sweatshirt, so you really don’t have to break the bank.
Travel accessories
Caroline McGuire, Head of Travel (Digital)
My child and I both get travel sick easily – whether that’s on a
coach, ferry or simply in the car on windy Cornish roads. So I never travel without K-Brands sick bags these days – at 24 for £14.99, they work out at about 55p each.
They sit inside each other until you need one, and have a sturdy
plastic ring around the top that gives you something decent to hold
onto while puking. It removes easily when you’re done, so you can tie a knot in it – and the heavy duty plastic bag would take a serious battering before it started to leak.
These suction pads for your phone are great for being handsfree[/caption]
Kara Godfrey, Deputy Travel Editor
Part of my job being Deputy Travel Editor means working on most of my trips, and a gamechanger item was my phone suction holder.
Sticking to my phone case, the 12 little suction pads let you stick it to any glass surface for taking selfies or making hands-free video calls.
I’m always asked about it, only to show off how I stick my phone to the nearby window, where it holds tight. And you can find them for as little as 99p on Amazon, it’s an absolute bargain.
Sophie Swietochowski, Assistant Travel Editor
When I was 19, I discovered a product that would become my never-travel-without item – and it cost just pennies.
Hopping between crowded trains through Europe and conking out in hostel dorm-rooms on my first Inter-rail adventure, this foam pair of Amazon earplugs saved me from disastrous nights.
I’m a light sleeper and these really help to muffle noise, be that on an airplane, in a busy hotel or from a crying baby next door (it happens!). I’ve tried many earplugs and these are by far the best.
The foam design means that once inserted into the ear, they will mould to your ear shape, making it more comfortable when lying on your side – I buy them in bulk as they only last a few wears. You can get them on Amazon for 34p per pair, or £3.39 for 10.
Caroline McGuire, Head of Travel (Digital)
As a travel editor, I’m regularly exploring the globe with my child
and always on the lookout for pocket-sized items that make holidaying with kids easier.
One of my favourites so far this year is Matador’s Pocket Blanket
Mini, a water resistant mat that you can lay down in airports, on the
beach, in the woods, anywhere your kid might suddenly feel the need for a break.
I’ve had mini blankets like this before, but never this tiny – it fits in the palm of my hand and in the back pocket of my jeans. Plus it packs away very easily.
Kara Godfrey, Deputy Travel Editor
Squeezing into economy is the least favourite part of a long-haul flight, so the one item I’m always urging my friends to take is flight socks.
An unsexy travel item, I learned my lesson after a 12-hour flight to Bali saw my ankles swell to double the size for three days.
Cheap options can be found for less than a tenner, and they not only make flights more comfortable but are also advised by most health professionals to avoid DVT. Even better you can get them from £5.99 from Amazon or £7.95 from Asda.
Alice Penwill, Travel Reporter
I’m a reader, and on holiday is where I take the opportunity to catch up on new titles. While I do love a physical book, they just aren’t practical.
Depending on how many books you can get through, my record is five in three days, they can take up a lot of space. So something I love to take on holiday is my trusty Amazon Kindle which can store hundreds of books.
I have the Amazon Fire which also doubles as a tablet so when I go abroad, I also download Netflix shows for offline viewing so I can watch my favourite shows on short-haul flights. You can buy the Amazon Fire HD 8 for £69.99 – mine is still going strong six years on despite all the sand and sun cream
Sophie Swietochowski, Assistant Travel Editor
Packing cubes can be life-savers when you’re short for space AND if you’re travelling around a lot. You’ll find that by cramming as much as you can into the cubes, you’ll be able to compress your clothes, giving you more space – very handy with all those tight hand luggage restrictions these days.
I mainly use them for organising though, one for trousers and shorts, another for tops and dresses and a third for swimwear and underwear. It makes it much easier to find things if you don’t want to unpack when reaching your holiday destination or if you’re moving around a lot. These ones from Primark cost £8 for a pack of three.
Lisa Minot, Head of Travel
I’m never a huge fan of the cheap headphones they hand out in economy on long haul flights – often scratchy on the ears with terrible sound and always a dodgy connection.
With this nifty device that’s £16.99 from Amazon, you can connect your own headphones to the onboard inflight entertainment.
It’s a must when I am on a busy flight and can simply connect to my noise-cancelling headphones. With 18 hours of battery life, you can keep watching on even the longest flight.
This children’s camera is a fun activity without the mess[/caption]
Caroline McGuire, Head of Travel (Digital)
There are several kids cameras on the market, but my favourite has to be the Hoppstar Artist.
It takes excellent pictures and has a decent screen to view the images
on. But even better, it can print black and white versions in about
three seconds.
I’ve bought the Hoppstar sticky print roll, which allows my son to
print out his pics on holiday and stick them in a scrapbook. It’s a
great, non-messy arts and crafts activity to do in airports, at
restaurants or when we have time to kill in the hotel room.
This is the pricier end of the travel accessory spectrum, but I gave
the camera to my son as his main present for Christmas which made it feel like an acceptable expense.
We Have Picked Our Favourite Destiantions In March
Take a look at where we’d recommend for a holiday in March, from Europe breaks to beach getaways…
“While weather in Berlin can still be fairly chilly in March, trading warm temperatures for space at the city’s top attractions is a welcome compromise. It also has a great mixture of indoor and outdoor attractions, so if the weather is a little gloomy you can pop inside a museum to shelter from the grey.” – Hope Brotherton, Travel Reporter
“One place where the weather doesn’t matter is Copenhagen. The Danish city is beautiful throughout winter and spring, where you can admire the very well-dressed locals who are wrapped up warm. The coffee culture means you can hop between stylish cafes to stay warm while enjoying a Smørrebrød – an open rye-bread sandwich.” – Kara Godfrey, Deputy Travel Editor
“Easily reachable in two and a half hours, Lisbon in Portugal is one of the best places to explore this spring with flights as cheap as £35. Still out of peak season, you can enjoy the city without the crowds, and temperatures in March can be as high as 18 degrees. Head down to the recognisable Pink Street, actually called Rua Nova do Carvalho, to see the Instagrammable umbrella installation.” – Alice Penwill, Travel Reporter
“Thanks to their location off the coast of Africa, the Canary Islands are easily the most reliable European destination for March sunshine. I’ve spent weeks in Fuertaventura in March where my jumper never even made it out of my suitcase – just what I needed after a long English winter.” – Caroline McGuire, Head of Travel (Digital)
