If we learned anything as full-time travellers, it’s that travel accessories can make or break your trip.
How many times have you spent the last night of your holiday sitting on a suitcase, trying to zip it up, because somehow the things that fitted in on the way there don’t fit on the way back? (We’re not going to talk about all the souvenirs you’ve bought, because you unhinged yourself, don’t worry.)
And how much are you wrapping your makeup remover to make sure it doesn’t leak as you travel? (And then the sucker does anyway.)
We know these pains – that’s why we’re always on the lookout for the best travel accessories that will make our adventures easier and better.
The best part?
When they’re also cheap!
Because good stuff doesn’t have to cost a lot. In this post, we’ll share with you the 21 best travel accessories under £20, that will forever change your trips for the better.
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please read our Disclaimer.
Here’s a little bit about our journey, if you are new here! If you know us, feel free to skip this part.
After leaving our old life in Scotland in March 2022 (it rains too much there), we travelled full-time for almost 2 years. Sounds fancy, doesn’t it? Well, it was. If you think that carrying overpacked backpacks in 45°C heat around streets that aren’t even on Google Maps is fancy. And that’s just 1% of all the fun we had! 😆
During the 2 years we volunteered in Italy and Bulgaria (free travel while learning new skills, anyone?), explored other amazing European countries and backpacked Southeast Asia. Btw, even our secret wedding was more of an expedition than a wedding. 😅
And, of course, we researched and planned everything ourselves, because you gotta keep the budget low, right? If you are like us, you’ve come to the right place, because we want to share all the useful travel tips and info with you!
Excited? Good. Let’s get into it so you can go on your own epic adventures too!
Travel accessories under £20
As budget travellers, we’re obsessed with finding ways to improve our travels AND save money. That’s how we were able to afford to travel full-time for almost 2 years!
These 21 travel accessories under £20 are all things we have personally tried and tested – you won’t find any fake recommendations here!
These accessories will help you travel better and they also make great gifts for any adventurers in your life.
If you have any questions as you read through the list, give us a shout on our Instagram.
And if planning your travels is feeling overwhelming, book a call with us and we can tackle it together. (We totally get that overwhelm btw. There should be a pre-holiday you get when you finish the trip planning stage, so you can relax before you go on your actual holiday!)
#1 Perfume atomiser
If you’ve always wondered what’s the best way to take your heavy, breakable glass bottle of perfume on a holiday, it’s this:
Get a perfume atomiser, which is a few £, refill it with your favourite perfume and you’re ready to go!
A few notes here:
- There are different options to choose from – we used to have small, plastic ones, then upgraded to bigger ones, which turned out to be glass, so not the most travel-friendly
- The plastic atomisers sometimes leak
- Not all perfumes unscrew and easily repump into the atomiser. In fact, none of our perfumes do, so we had to resort to less conventional methods to refill them!
#2 Microfibre towel
We don’t often take our own towels on trips, but when we do, we make sure it’s microfibre ones.
They’re great if you’re:
- planning on heading to public wellness or a sauna and want to save money on renting a towel (like the ones in Helsinki btw, if you brave the freezing cold water!)
- heading to a beach and you’re not staying in a resort with beach towels (btw, is a swim-up room resort the best resort??)
- exploring waterfalls where you can take a dip (super popular for example in Bali, but also google Erawan Falls in Thailand – 7 levels of beautiful waterfalls!)
- going on a hike and planning to cool down in a lake or a river afterwards (just make sure it’s legal. For instance, you cannot take a dip anywhere in the stunning High Tatras mountains in Slovakia.)
Before the adventure starts — make sure you’ve got travel insurance sorted
If you need to pack a towel on a trip, make sure it’s a microfibre one.
They dry fast, which is important, so you don’t have them wet in your daypack or a suitcase as you travel.
They’re packable, often coming with their own pouch you can fold them into.
And make sure you also check the weight, especially if you’re going backpacking, and choose the lightest ones.
When we went full-time travelling, we were trying to shave off even grams, because when you’re carrying your whole life on your back, every gram does count!
#3 Solid cosmetics
We talk about solid toiletries a lot, because they’re awesome, even for every day life, not just travel!
You might not even know how many things you can find in a solid form. We’ve tried everything from shampoos, to solid perfumes, to solid toothpaste and shaving bars.
We won’t get into detail of why solid cosmetics are better than liquids – you can read all that here.
But if you want to save money, the planet, and your luggage (from spills!), PLUS use healthier cosmetic products, consider switching to solid toiletries!
#4 Dove deodorant
Speaking of solid cosmetics, the one thing we struggled with was finding a really good solid deodorant, especially for Mirka:
“I thought I hacked it, with a Nivea one, but then something must have changed in the list of ingredients, because it got so crumbly, it became unusable.
Thankfully, I discovered the Dove Whole Body deodorant, which is amazing – and comes in more exciting scent combos than usual deodorants.”
#5 DEET-free repellent
If you’re looking for a DEET-free repellent, we’ve got a great tip for you.
For our full-time travels, we took the Pyramid Trek Sensitive, offering a gentle, but efficient protection from insects including mosquitos.
They also have a midge & tick option and a natural version that is plant-based. (These are also DEET-free!)
#6 Packing cubes
Packing cubes are the holy grail of all long-term travellers, and they’re the solution to your sitting-on-a-suitcase problem we mentioned in the intro!
If you don’t know what packing cubes are, they’re these small organiser bags that will change how you pack forever, because they let you pack more stuff and keep it more organised as well!
We have a full guide on packing cubes, from how to use them to pack like a pro, to what to think about when buying your first set, so make sure you check it out!
#7 Backpack rain cover
If you ever carry a backpack in places where it rains, a waterproof cover is a must.
This is such a lifesaver, because you know how every time it’s raining, your umbrella never covers your backpack, so it always ends up soaked?
What you need is a rain cover – they’re cheap (travel accessories under £20, right!), light and packable, so you can always keep it in your bag, ready to go even if a downpour comes unannounced.
Make sure you read this post on rain covers for all the extra tips before you buy!
#8 Thin tote bag
This is such a great travel accessory because:
- It’s useful. We never travel without a thin tote that we fold into our backpack, because you never know when you’ll end up finding a shop, buying loads and needing to somehow carry it.
- It’s a great souvenir. If you want to buy something to remember your favourite destination by, get a tote bag. It’s light, packable and you will get use out of it in the future (unlike the miniature Eiffel Tower statue. Or the Rialto Bridge fridge magnet.)
- It makes a great gift for another fellow adventurer!
#9 Paracord
Have you ever heard about people travelling with a paracord OUTSIDE of camping or rock climbing?
Well, now you have.
We are those people.
These days, we mainly use the paracord as an emergency clothesline.
But when we backpacked full-time, we actually travelled with 3 different paracords – find out why you should also add them to your packing list!
#10 Waterproof phone pouch
Forget burying your possessions under a beach towel!
Waterproof phone pouches and bags are our favourite solution for keeping your stuff safe at the beach, without looking like an insane mole.
We wrote a whole post about this beach travel hack, but the waterproof phone cover is something you’ll end up using more than you think.
From keeping your phone safe around pools or in wellness centres, to making sure it survives Songkran – world’s biggest water fight – this is one of the best travel accessories under £20 you can get.
#11 Earplugs
Earplugs are such an underrated travel accessory – do you know anyone who travels with them?
We are the weirdos who do, because we’re often travelling for gigs.
But they’re also handy when:
- your accommodation neighbours end up being night owls (and the walls are thin)
- you’re sharing a room (or are even more wild and staying in a hostel dormitory)
- you’re travelling on a night train, bus or an overnight flight, and you don’t fancy listening to people snoring the whole night.
If you use them a lot, invest into good, reusable ones.
If you only need them from time to time, foam ones will do.
1. give us a shout on our Insta, so we can be friends!
2. get earplugs
#12 Universal travel adapter
True story:
When we went to London, to see My Chemical Romance in 2026 (pictured above!), we packed our UK chargers. Having lived in the UK before, we thought this was the smart thing to do.
We had a great first day in London, shopping and enjoying the city. Late in the evening, we came back to our room, ready to charge both our phones and our power bank for the next day (the big MCR day!), only to discover that we took European chargers with us, not the UK ones as we thought.
Thankfully, our hotel had USB ports we could use to charge, but you know what would have helped?
If we had packed our universal power adaptor!
It’s such a great travel hack – no need to worry about figuring out which travel adaptor you need.
Just pack this universal one and save yourself the stress.
#13 Period cup
“It’s a cliche, but period cups really changed my life.
I used to worry so much about my period arriving during our trips – now it’s much less of an issue thanks to these 4 period products I use when travelling.
If you’re worried about switching to a cup or period underwear – so was I! Give me a shout on our Instagram and we can chat.
It wasn’t an easy process for me, finding the right period cup, but I am glad I persevered – it even saved me when my period arrived during a massive My Chemical Romance show at the Wembley Stadium!” -Mirka
#14 Cutlery set
True story:
We bought cutlery sets for our full-time travels, expecting them to be handy while backpacking the world and eating outside a lot.
Want to guess what happened?
Yep.
We never needed them.
Maybe once or twice.
So we stopped carrying the sets in our daypack and switched to a brand new plastic spoon, still wrapped in original packaging – just in case.
We also ended up carrying it around for months, never needing it.
But then one day, we were walking around Denver, during our mad USA sidequest, when we noticed a man struggling to eat ice cream from a tub.
He bought it in a supermarket and clearly expected the tub to contain a spoon – which it didn’t.
So we walked up to him and gave him our spare plastic spoon.
He was confused, but proceeded to eat his ice cream happily.
And we were happy our spoon finally came in handy!
Morale of the story:
- Always carry at least some cutlery with you. If you’re serious about eating outside, not in a restaurant or a cafe, get a handy set like this one
- When buying ice cream or a yoghurt to eat outside, always check whether a spoon is included
#15 Buff
If you don’t know what a Buff is, it’s this tube made of cloth that you can wear on your neck, head or over your face, and it will keep you:
- warm (Daniel used his Buff in Lapland instead of a scarf)
- safe from the sun (ideal if you don’t want to wear a hat)
- protected from dust (or even flying poop, as we discovered on the infamous husky ride)
and more!
There are different types and designs of Buff – check it out to see if you find one you like.
#16 Money belt
Do you worry about safety when you travel?
Here is what you can do:
- Check out our travel safety posts – we share all our tips, including the quirky ones, to help you travel safer
- Get a money belt with a hidden pocket, so you can always keep some cash on you without worrying about getting mugged or pickpocketed
Super useful for countries where you need to carry cash and which are known to have a pickpocketing issue.
#17 Tangle Teezer
Mirka speaking: “This is not just one of the best travel accessories under £20, but also one of the essential travel items for women (or anyone with long hair!).
Tangle Teezer has been an absolute lifesaver for my messy, tangle-friendly hair.
Especially the compact version, which comes with a bristle-cover to keep your brush safe in your luggage!
If you struggle with detangling your hair (especially when using different water on your holiday than it’s used to!), check out Tangle Teezer – it might just change your life like it has mine!”
#18 Travel insurance
Okay, okay, travel insurance might not be an accessory, but it’s something that is:
- super useful. Don’t believe the people who say travel insurance is a waste of money. We’ll show you why.
- cheaper than you think. If you pick well. We couldn’t believe it when we calculated that our True Traveller insurance cost us just over £1 a day per person!
And True Traveller offers an amazing customer service, on top of their super low prices, so it’s definitely worth checking out for your next trip.
#19 Makeup remover cloth
Mirka here: “I remember the first time I saw this alleged miracle – a soft cloth that takes makeup off using just plain water. I so wanted to believe it – it would save me so much money and worries about spills when backpacking!
But it seemed too good to be true.
Still, I decided to buy one and, much to my surprise and delight, it really worked!
If you haven’t tried a makeup remover cloth, do yourself a favour and get one.
Not having to take yet another spillable bottle on your holiday is such a travel hack!”
#20 Merino socks
While we’re not that keen on splashing out on merino (we explain why you should think twice before buying it here), we do think a pair of merino hiking socks is a useful travel item to have.
They will save your feet from sweating on a hot hike, but also keep them nice and warm if you’re hanging around in -20°C, waiting for the aurora to show up.
Oh, and they also smell much less than regular socks – a big plus when travelling and carrying all your dirty laundry with you!
#21 Travel game
We saved the most fun of the travel accessories under £20 for last – a travel game!
Because travel, as in the actual process of getting from place A to B, is often long and boring.
Travel games to the rescue!
Also super useful if you’re camping. Or taking the Santa Claus Express train across Finland, like we did!
Our two favourite travel games are Star Fluxx and Dobble, because they’re light, packable and easy to play, even with strangers (a great way to make friends!).
These are our favourite 21 travel accessories under £20.
Do you have any other ones you use that you would recommend to us?
Let us know in the comments or on our Instagram – we’re always on a lookout for travel hacks that will make our trips better!
Hi!
We’re Mirka & Daniel — full-time travellers, professional overthinkers & bad luck magnets. We research EVERYTHING and then share all the weird travel tips with you here. Follow along to make your adventures easier! 🌴
