Best Travel Accessories for Europe

Google the best travel accessories for Europe and you might see recommendations for iPhone tripods or selfie sticks, but when it comes to traveling in the EU, I find there are a few more important things you'll want to have before you head to the airport.

The best advice I ever received or will ever give is to carry on your luggage. If you're planning a trip to Europe, you'll likely be planning to see a few different countries or cities. In essence, you'll be moving around a lot. So what happens if you check your bag and it gets lost? You might land in Paris but 2 days later you might be heading to Brussels. Whatever you do, on the way there just carry on your bag so you have it with you at all times. For more advice on how and what to pack, check out my previous post: How to Pack for 2 Weeks in Europe. 

Most airlines, especially smaller ones in Europe (if you're country-hopping by plane) have strict carry-on guidelines. You want a to a 22-incher or 21-incher. I also recommend a backpack for your personal item, that fits a purse or fanny pack for those who carry them. 

In addition to packing light, you'll most likely be trying to sleep on planes, do laundry at hotels or Airbnb's... the list goes on and on. So here is my list for the best travel accessories for Europe.

* Also this is not a sponsored post. Every one of these items are just favorites of mine I've chosen to recommend. 

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Carrying on your luggage means you'll be limited to how much liquid you can take. So to make sure that you don't have to dump that expensive face serum or hand lotion at TSA, I recommend this toiletry travel kit from Amazon. It is clear so the TSA folks can see right through it.

​It's the standard size and it holds all the containers and tools you might need to bring your favorite toiletries with you!

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Sleeping on planes is the absolute worst and it's hard enough to adjust to a new timezone if you're not rested. With its ergonomic design and soft memory foam that wraps and fastest around the neck, the Ostrich Pillow is the best luxury travel pillow on the market.

​It retails on Amazon for $59. But while it's $60 on the brand's site, new customers get 10% off when you buy it there. 

Perks: 100 Day return policy and a 2 year warranty. 

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Packing everything for a multi-week trip to Europe in a carry-on bag is majorly challenging. So to help keep clothes organized and compact I have two suggestions. If you're looking for organization and compression I recommend these packing cubes from Amazon. They're cute and help you condense, organize and easily access your clothes once you've arrived. They can easily be organized by color, type of item, location/temperature where you'll be (e.g. mountains, beach, lake etc...) And they can be moved to bedroom drawers if you'll be staying somewhere long term. These cubes keep you from having to unpack your entire suitcase just to find the two or three items you want for the day. 

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If you're looking just to compress a lot of clothing as quickly and easily as possible then you can't go wrong with these travel compression bags from Amazon.

​They don't require any suction to seal out the air. You simply pack them, zip them and roll them. 

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​If you'll be doing laundry while you're abroad then you'll need laundry detergent. While some hotels and Airbnb's might offer this to you, it's not always a guarantee.

​If you're worried about powder detergent spilling in your suitcase, or liquid detergent either spilling or affecting how many liquid toiletries you can bring, then these space-saving, eco-friendly, no-waste laundry detergent sheets from TruEarth can help!

​Just $16 for 32 loads of laundry. You can share them with your group, save them for next time, or leave them for the next set of travelers. 

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​One of the main packing woes travelers experience when jamming many weeks worth of clothing into suitcases is having your cute outfits arrive wrinkled.

​Yes, hanging up your clothes near the shower helps a lot and even better if your Airbnb host or hotel concierge can offer you a steamer or iron. But when all else fails this Downy wrinkle-release spray in travel size will have you looking spiffy in no time.

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What are your favorite travel must-haves? Leave a suggestion in the comments!