Travel Essentials

Traveling around 150,000 miles on 120+ flights each year means we've learned some tricks. And one of the biggest is what to pack!

Sometimes people ask us what we like to take along with us, so here are a few of our "Go-To Travel Essentials."

Please note: These links are Amazon Affiliate links. If you choose to use them to purchase any of these items, your price is the same and our channel earns a small commission.

Jeb's Favorite Suitcase Brand

This Briggs and Riley Suitcase is "European Carryon Size" and is also expandable.

This Briggs and Riley suitcase is my go-to. It’s expensive, but can really take a beating. It’s sturdy and comes with the best warranty in the business. Pro tip: No matter what bag you order, don't get it in black. Everyone has a black bag, getting a different color will make it a little easier to pick out on the baggage belt.

https://amzn.to/3BB4OI3

We're big believers in packing cubes. They're all basically the same, but make it faster and easier to pack.

https://amzn.to/3VDjJYP

Suzanne's backpack

Suzanne and her Timbuktu Q 2.0 just before boarding Lufthansa First Class!

Suzanne uses a Timbuktu Q 2.0 backpack. She loves it because of its many pockets! I'd say this is the "travel essential" that viewers of our videos ask about most. It looks slick and she definitely recommends it!

https://amzn.to/45tzZ1w

Jeb's Backpack

Here's my backpack just before hopping on this Gulfstream!

But I love this Pacsafe backpack because of its security features. Each zipper has a lock and the storage compartment design works really well with everything I tend to travel with.

https://amzn.to/4bYvO1i

Air Tags for Bag Tracking

And, speaking of luggage, don't travel without Air Tags!! They're game changers in the event your bag gets lost. It's also nice to see your checked baggage onboard the plane when you're at the gate!

https://amzn.to/3Pvavul

The Ultimate "Bag within a Bag"

This Thule bag is GREAT, particularly when I get a bulkhead seat. It has everything I need in case my backpack needs to go in an overhead bin.

This Thule Subterra PowerShuttle Electronics Carrying Case is a game changer, too. I put all of the things I might need on a flight into it (iPad, Kindle, battery backup, chargers, headphones, etc.) That way, I can store my large backpack in the overhead bin if I'm in a tight space or bulkhead:

https://amzn.to/4281PBR

Backup Battery Charger

This photo is from Amazon, but you can spot mine in the Thule bag above.

This battery charger is great. I never leave home without one. It’s compact, but is good for at least a couple of charges on my iPhone:

https://amzn.to/4jc56pF

Emergency Communication

Using the Garmin inReach MINI 2 at the South Pole offered real peace-of-mind! (Clearly this is a faked image...I photoshopped the Garmin into my hand here...😂)

The ability to send satellite messages from anywhere on earth is not essential and this Garmin inReach MINI 2 is probably overkill, but we sometimes find ourselves out of cell range. Being accessible helps provide peace of mind to us (and our family):

https://amzn.to/49DCtNP

More storage solutions

This is an old Lufthansa Business Class Amenity kit. As an aside, Lufthansa probably has the most practical amenity kit bags. Very German!

Kind of like packing cubes for "stuff" inside my backpack, I also have a couple of old business class amenity kits for storage. One, is like a reusable grocery bag, which I keep in case we need to do laundry while we're on the road. Easy to throw dirty clothes in there and take them to a laundromat. The other (pictured above) is a convenient size to carry my passport and a backup credit card. I like storing everything in bags within my bag. It makes it easier to find something and to see what's missing.

For more, check out this video about the Travel Essentials you can find at the Dollar Store!

14 Travel Essentials You SHOULD be Buying at Dollar Tree!

But what about youtube?

Not that you asked about our "filming setup," but just in case you decide to start filming your own trips, here goes!

You can see we're both wearing these DJI Microphones in our "Orient Express" video. They work well and (usually) block out noise, too!

I film using my iPhone. Sometimes we'll use DJI Microphones in the "field" like these:

https://amzn.to/4gdbH0W

This is what it looks like as the "sausage gets made!"

I also have a Rode microphone on my desk for voiceovers:

https://amzn.to/4eUO8ZB

To edit, I use Final Cut Pro X. Although, if I had it to do over again, I think I'd start with Adobe Premiere. But, I don't want to learn a whole new system now that I'm comfortable with Final Cut. I think Premiere is generally easier to use...from what I've heard.

What did we miss? What travel essentials do you insist on? Let us know below!