Vacation packing essentials have gone from the delightful (summery sandals, wide-brimmed hats, swimsuits) and the necessary (underwear, a toothbrush, bum bags) to an all-new set of must-have and useful travel accessories.
If you’re travelling in the days to come, you’ll likely be stocking up on everything from medical and statement face masks, sanitiser and alcohol wipes to remembering to put a thermometer, and your screening test in a hand carry. Packing these kinds of supplies doesn’t exactly scream adventure, but nevertheless, the true travellers among us know it’s part of the journey to exploring the world. It doesn’t have to dampen our spirits.
Going forward, there will be innovations to make the whole process of staying safe on the road to feel much friendlier and more relaxed, some of which are already in the market. These sleek, state-of-the-art, and useful travel accessories are game-changers and tailor-made to put your mind at ease, and best of all will make you feel a little more confident taking on adventure again.
StrikeBox Ultraviolet (UV-C) Light Sanitiser
The StrikeBox is a UV-C sanitiser that you can use to clean everyday essentials like face masks, phones, laptops, cosmetics and much more while on the go. You can disinfect bacteria and viruses from smaller items by placing them in the box. StrikeBox also detaches into a handheld version which makes it easy to sanitise larger items. So for example, you could use it to clean things like your laptop, cabin luggage, and suitcases too.
UV-C has been successfully used for sterilisation and decontamination of healthcare facilities at a large scale. This portable version by Strikebox is a travel-friendly option that you’ll be able to use at home as well to keep your essentials nice and clean.
Portable UV toothbrush sanitiser
To be honest, we didn’t even know a product like this was in the market, but now that we come to think of it, how can we not own one of these already? When you think about all the less-than-ideal situations on the road, and all the random places your toothbrush lives while travelling — although mostly in bathrooms — having aUV toothbrush sanitiser in your repertoire makes the world of sense. You’ll find several options online but look for a portable option that can double up for use while travelling and at home.
LARQ Bottle
Drinking copious amounts of water while travelling has had many benefits attributed to it, but if you want to keep things squeaky clean — on-the-go water bottles can quickly become a germ fest — the LARQ Bottle is a great option. It’s the world’s first self-cleaning water bottle and water purification system and uses UV-C LED light to eliminate up to 99.9999% of bio-contaminants from your water and bottle. It even has a cleaning option called Adventure Mode, so this is one thing you won’t have to worry about sanitising anymore while you continue to minimise your use of plastic bottles.
W&P Porter collection
If you’re used to bringing your food onto a flight, then this won’t be anything new, but given the current state of affairs, airlines will be making drastic changes to their in-flight food options. In some instances, the food and drinks service has been scrapped altogether. While it might be hard to wolf down some food while wearing a mask on a plane, you could easily munch on something before hopping on board.
Avoid overpriced options in airports by bringing a packed meal from home. W&P’s Porter collection of beautiful containers will bring a little more sparkle to your airport picnic and save it from becoming something that resembles a sad desk lunch.
NiceSeats plane seat covers
We all kind of knew aeroplane seats, tray tables and seat pockets were pretty gross, and while the prospect of them was never appealing, it didn’t feel like such a big deal. Oh, how things have changed. NiceSeats are reusable, and 100% machine washable seat covers designed especially for smarter and safer travel.
You can use them on economy, business and first-class seats, but they also work on buses, trains and movie theatres too. The best part is the cover the entire seat without bothering anyone around you.