Have you ever found treasures during your travels, then worried if they’d push you over your luggage allowance limit on the way home?

Or perhaps you’re packing for a complicated trip that requires a varied wardrobe and/or gear - and it all needs to fit in one bag?

A luggage scale is the easy solution to ensure you’re within weight limits before and during travel. It can also help you balance items between your checked luggage and carry-on BEFORE you get to the airport, as well as between your luggage and the luggage of others travelling with you.

Condé Nast lists their favourites HERE.

We discovered this gem years ago, before a week-long journey on the TransMongolian Railway (we were concerned about both comfort and hygiene).

Why it now travels in our carry-on everywhere we go? It’s super compact and lightweight. Silk is a temperature regulating fabric: keeps you warm when it’s cold, and breathes when it’s not. And it’s deliciously soft. We use it on planes, trains, and even in hotels as a throw.

HERE’S the one we own (the integrated pillow cover gives you more coverage around your neck if not using a pillow). This small, NZ business is all about quality, is run by lovely people, and they ship worldwide.

Silkliving also sells amazingly soft eye masks and great merino/silk blend clothes.

A foldable duffle bag is incredibly useful when you can’t bring your regular luggage on part of your trip due to size or weight restrictions. Just pull our your duffle, pack the necessities, and leave your primary luggage behind, securely stored of course.

We’ve used Bago duffles, which Amazon sells and ships worldwide. They are good quality, and come in a variety of sizes and colours. 40L is perfect for a night or two with plenty of room for extra shoes, clothes and personal items. The 80L size is good for longer stays, such as safaris, when bags must be soft-sided and the kgs are tightly controlled.

A foldable duffle is also great when you’re going home with more than you left with.

While good quality, these are lightweight bags. Since they offer little protection, they are best for things like clothing if you’re thinking of checking one on the way home and putting more fragile items in your regular luggage.

If you have a paid Spotify Premium account, you are entitled to 15 hours of audiobooks per month - including downloads - for free.

With over 250,000 titles, and wide ranging genres, this is a great way to pass the time on long-haul flights, or wherever your travels may take you.

It seems there is always a new iteration of neck pillow out there, each promising comfort and sleep, but rarely delivering. So we were surprised to find one that is actually outstanding. Use it anytime you need to rest… or possibly sleep… and are in a seated position: flights, trains, cars, airport lounges.

We’ve tried a lot of different adaptors, and this style is our favorite.

Another power hack: we often travel with a compact power strip. Many destinations have limited outlets in rooms, so an adaptor and power strip combo can be a huge convenience in helping you charge all of your devices.

We would be hard-pressed to remember a time when we didn’t bring (and use) a packable backpack. Carried on the front or back, it’s a great way to bring along water bottles, extra layers, glasses, sunscreen, tissues, snacks, small purchases… you get the idea. For city wandering or true adventures, you’ll be glad to have a versatile carry-all. And packable means that it’s folded up, in your luggage, and waiting for adventure - not already full of regular travel stuff.

The minimalist pack we own is from Matador, and the quality and features are outstanding. We also own a hip pack from Matador, which is a great place to carry your phone/camera for easy access.