Photo-Illustration: The Strategist; Photo: Retailer
Your summer flights to Europe were probably expensive, so Prime Day is a good opportunity to save money on luggage or other trip essentials you require. The annual sale, open only to Amazon Prime members, includes steeply discounted suitcases from trusted brands like Samsonite and Travelpro, as well as deals on travel products like noise-canceling headphones, backpacks and cross-body bags, and packing cubes.
As the Strategist’s travel-gear writer, I’m recommending products here that I and other staffers have personally vetted or heard about from the frequent travelers we talk to all the time. These include our favorite soft-sided suitcase and our favorite gadget for pairing AirPods with in-flight entertainment systems. Alongside big-ticket items, I’ve taken note of a few smaller gadgets that would also make great gifts for frequent travelers, like reusable earplugs and Bluetooth luggage-tracking tiles.
I’ll be trawling Amazon for the next two days, finding new deals and updating this post as products go in and out of stock. My fellow writers will be doing the same, and there’s a handy hub where you can find all the best things we’ve found on sale during Prime Day. Other retailers have some big sales this week, too — which is why we’ve also got a non–Prime Day deals roundup.
Ready to join the soft-luggage revolution? Travelpro is the brand that airline-point accumulators swear by — you’ll also see pilots and flight attendants using its suitcases. Its top-of-the-line Platinum Elite range is nicely discounted for Prime Day.
Priced more affordably, Travelpro’s Maxlite carry-on makes our best rolling-luggage list because it’s made from easy-to-repair nylon and has just two encased wheels that won’t snap off. It expands up to two inches and has multiple compartments for stuffing last-minute purchases into.
If you prefer a four-wheel spinner suitcase, though, go with the Travelpro Tourlite.
Or here’s a classy-looking Travelpro hard suitcase if you just can’t stand the look of a soft one. It expands easily and has spinner wheels for cruising toward the gate.
Samsonite is my suitcase brand of choice; I purchased mine secondhand many years ago and have yet to see any particular signs of wear and tear.
Delsey luggage for under $100 is a great deal. This little spinner is ideal for weekends away.
For bigger trips, there’s no shame in checking a bag. And this roomy expandable fabric one will fit so many extra souvenirs.
And here’s the matching Delsey checked suitcase at a very reasonable price.
Potentially the only two suitcases you’ll ever need, for under $200.
This set is made from slightly thicker polycarbonate for extra durability.
Or here’s a soft-sided set, for all my overpackers out there.
This rolling duffel would also forgive overpacking and is suitable for rugged trips.
I spotted a few Herschel bags on sale, including this minimal-looking one (it comes in an array of colors, if black is too boring).
A non-dorky fanny pack for your passport, phone, and snacks for under $50.
Travelon makes some of our favorite totes and cross-body bags for travel, and this one fits a lot of smart storage pockets into a surprisingly stylish design. The bag’s fabric is slashproof, so you can keep your phone and passport safe during more adventurous trips.
I’m obsessed with these earplugs that actually stay in your ears but are also extremely easy to remove. They’re also great for concerts.
An excellent sleep mask that I’ve used on several long-haul flights to Australia.
Speaking of sleep, this travel pillow with a looping design can be worn a number of ways and is also great for traveling with toddlers.
This bendy sheet of foam weighs almost nothing, can be slipped easily into any bag, and contorts into a phone or tablet holder that’s perfect for watching TV shows on budget flights without fancy seat-back TV screens. I use mine at home, too.
A passport holder should be large enough to hold cash and travel documents yet slender enough to slip into a cross-body or purse during times of airport stress. This one fits those requirements and looks elegant too.
You’ve got packing cubes, but do you own shoe bags? I like how these separate each shoe to prevent scuffing.
I always recommend purchasing packing cubes with a mesh window that lets you see what you have inside — unzipping every cube when looking for your favorite T-shirt gets old fast.
The packable scale that we’ve been recommending for years. Pay $10 now, save hundreds of dollars worth of overweight-baggage fees in the future.
A mesh travel bassinet that folds down flat for easy storage on top of the packing cubes in your suitcase.
This slim and stashable water filter is as simple as it gets — you literally use it as a straw.
Conair’s travel steamer has the useful feature of working with 120-volt U.S. outlets and 220-volt outlets, which are more common worldwide. My fellow Strategist writer Erin Schwartz says it heats up in about 36 seconds and emits a fine, gauzy hiss of steam that unwrinkles a pair of wool pants easily.
According to my fellow Strategist writer Dominique Pariso, when folded down, this fan is compact enough to fit into a fanny pack.
I am currently using a pair of these headphones to completely block the noise of my very angry-sounding window air-conditioning unit. They’re also fantastic for plane engine noise.
Sony’s noise-canceling headphones are as equally beloved as Bose’s and even more steeply discounted.
If you’ve already got a preferred pair of headphones, this clever Bluetooth gizmo will help you pair them to the in-flight entertainment system.
Tuck this tracker into your luggage and experience immediate peace of mind.
For those who are Team Apple, AirTags are also on sale.
This is our best overall portable charger, and I’ve found that it’s a game changer for travel because you can use it as a laptop charger when plugged into a wall — which means one less item to pack.
An all-in-one charging cable from our Strategist Travel 100 that will reduce the chances of tangled-up tech.
Or just separate those chargers with this organizer.
The Strategist is designed to surface useful, expert recommendations for things to buy across the vast e-commerce landscape. Every product is independently selected by our team of editors, whom you can read about here. We update links when possible, but note that deals can expire and all prices are subject to change.