Travel Accessories: 9 genuinely useful items that also work wonders for you at home

Travel accessories can make a big difference to your journey. Get it right and you’ll have a capable gem that you can still use at home. However, we’re probably all familiar with pre-holiday impulse buys that seemed like a good idea but turned out to be less than stellar in real life.

With the school holidays approaching, we’ve selected some handy items that will pull double-duty and help you avoid the pitfalls of buying less than useful travel gear. These genuinely useful gems will work whether you’re in your living it up in your hotel or living your best life at home.

CONTENTS

1. Vention 20,000mAh 22.5W Power Bank
2. Mini Folding Cosmetic Mirror with Lights
3. Ultimo Vac Pack Go Portable Vacuum Storage System
4. Baseus 65W GaN5 Pro USB C PD 3.0 Quick Charger
5. Ulanzi LM19 MagSafe LED Selfie Ring Light
6. Spigen MagSafe Card Holder Lock Fit
7. Tomtoc Navigator-T24 Sling
8. JBL Clip 5 Bluetooth Speaker
9. SteelSeries Arctis Gamebuds

1. Vention 20,000mAh 22.5W Power Bank, with Built-in USB-C and Lightning Cable (S$14.52; Usual Price: S$59.95; 75% off)

If you often misplace or forget to pack USB cables fret not. This 20,000mAh powerbank includes a built-in USB-C and lightning cable to charge your devices, whether you’re on a flight or the daily commute. Available in black or white, it and supports up to 22.5W of fast charging, depending on the port used.

Pros: 20,000mAh capacity; Built-in USB-C and lightning cables

Cons: 22.5W charging capability insufficient for laptops

Shop here

2. Mini Folding Cosmetic Mirror with Lights (S$16.32; Usual Price: S$40; 59% off)

This compact (14cm x 8.4cm x 2.35cm) double mirror fits easily into bags. Built-in LED lights feature adjustable brightness and colour temperature, making it easy to apply make up on the go. It includes two mirrors – one standard mirror and one offering 5X magnification for detail work.

Pros: Built-in rechargeable battery and LED lights; Includes mirror with 5X magnification

Cons: May be too bulky to fit into clutch bags

Shop here

3. Ultimo Vac Pack Go Portable Vacuum Storage System (S$28.44; Usual Price: S$49.90; 43% off)

This vacuum storage system helps save space in your luggage and your cupboards. The set includes four resealable bags and a portable vacuum compressor. This sucks the air from your clothes, saving space in your luggage.

Pros: Saves luggage and storage space; Creates air-tight seal, Portable vacuum compressor operates off powerbank or mains power

Cons: Compressor can be noisy; Set includes only four bags

Shop here

4. Baseus 65W GaN5 Pro USB C PD 3.0 Quick Charger (S$29.70; Usual Price: S$70.87; 58% off)

This slimline 65W charger doesn’t take up a lot of space in your luggage as it’s designed to fit into tight spaces. Featuring one USB-C port and one USB-A port, it supports fast charging and has a BCT temperature controller. It has US, EU and UK plugs.

Pros: Interchangeable UK, EU and US plugs; Slim design; Affordable

Cons: No Type A plug for Australia and New Zealand; Two charging ports

Shop here

5. Ulanzi LM19 MagSafe LED Selfie Ring Light (S$29.90)

This compact MagSafe-compatible fill light attaches securely to compatible iPhones and can be used as a phone stand. The kit includes an adhesive metal ring so the LM19 can be used with non-MagSafe devices. The LM19 can help you capture better pictures of your inflight meal, though you’ll need to position it carefully to avoid harsh shadows. Use it as a fill light to brighten your face during Zoom meetings or as a nightlight in your hotel room.

Pros: Adjustable colour temperature and brightness; USB-C charging; Also works as a phone stand

Cons: Can cast harsh shadows at some angles

Shop here

6. Spigen MagSafe Card Holder Lock Fit (S$39.90; Usual Price: S$69.90; 42% off)

This slim card holder fits up to six cards and has a built-in strap for cash, so you’ll never be strapped for cash. It helps you streamline your everyday carry (EDC) items whether you’re on holiday or at home and has a locking mechanism so items don’t fall out.

Pros: Slim, rigid case protects cards and cash; Textured surface for enhanced grip;  Cons: Case can make phone to bulky for smaller hands

Shop here

7. Tomtoc Navigator-T24 Sling (S$76.90; Usual price: S$99; 22% off)

We reviewed this 7L sling recently and thought it would be great for travel or commuting. It offers a surprisingly good middle ground between capacity, organisation and comfort without making too many compromises.

Pros: Comfortable strap, small but surprisingly spacious, plenty of compartments for gear, durable YKK Zippers and Duraflex buckles

Cons: Better optimised for use on right shoulder, front pocket not usable if main compartment is fully packed

Shop here

8. JBL Clip 5 Bluetooth Speaker (S$84.91; Usual Price: S$109; 22% off)

Play your tunes on the go with the JBL Clip 5, which has gotten good reviews for its sound quality, durable build quality and vibrant colour options. Its IP67 rating means it can be used outdoors and it offers up to 12 hours of playtime on a single charge. The built-in carabiner means it can be easily clipped onto a bag.  

Pros: Compact and portable; Durable IP67 rating, Good audio quality, long battery life

Cons: Higher frequencies can sound distorted at loud volumes;

Shop here

9. SteelSeries Arctis Gamebuds (S$287.04; Usual Price: S$299; with free GP 10,000mAh PowerBank)

If you’re bringing your handheld gaming device on your flight, these gaming-oriented earbuds include a Wi-Fi dongle that streams high-quality wireless audio from your device. We found it to be a comfortable headset that’s great for gaming, movies, music and offers good noise-cancelling. The dongle allows it to pair directly with your console (some consoles, like the PS5, don't support Bluetooth pairing), offering low-latency, detailed, balanced sound and effective noise cancelling.

Pros: Enables direct 2.4GHz pairing with compatible consoles; Comfortable and secure fit; Good audio quality

Cons: Does not support multipoint connectivity; Pricey if you don’t need console-compatible device

Shop here

This article contains affiliate links. If you buy through these links, we may earn a small commission.

Prices are accurate as of the time of publication. Discount codes for some products are available for eligible Prime members.