31 Flight Attendant Approved Travel Products

Sep 13, 2023

We hope you love our recommendations! Some may have been sent as samples, but all were independently selected by our editors. Just FYI, BuzzFeed and its publishing partners may collect a share of sales and/or other compensation from the links on this page.

Because they travel like, *all the time*, they definitely know what's actually worth your money.

BuzzFeed Staff

A little collapsible travel kettle and a French press travel mug because hotel coffee is decidedly not tasty most of the time, and this lets you genuinely enjoy your morning caffeine boost.

An airplane footrest — you can loop it over your tray table and *immediately* feel SO much more comfortable. My mom bought one of these to use on a long flight this year, and she said it worked really well! Some reviewers say it even helps prevent their feet from swelling, too.

A perfectly clear reusable bag designed specifically for packing all your carry on liquids under three ounces so security's a breeze. It'll be both much more durable *and* at least a little bigger than that one beat-up Ziploc you've used for going on three years now!

—melissam4dba49ab0

"Hydrate so much! I love to drink lots of water — bring your own bottle!" —melialexander

It's easy to drink from because it has a wide spout that's protected from random dirt and germs because it flips down, but it's also simple to refill because the entire lid pops up, so you have a wide mouth that can even fit ice cubes with no problem. Both caps seal, so the entire bottle is leakproof, and it's completely dishwasher safe, like most silicone. Reviewers love it for cruises, flights, road trips, and, of course, everyday use.

Get it from Amazon for $26.89 (available in 5 colors).

"Can’t trust that hotel water." —cecelial4d8a192cd

"Always have a refillable water bottle with you. You may need water before takeoff, but we are always struggling so much to have everyone put their bags away and close the door in time that it’s not a priority for us, so PLEASE bring and fill water before getting on the plane." —michellee48b2133e7

This is a good option for travel because if it accidentally gets dropped, the plastic won't break, although you do have to squeeze it a little bit to get the water to come through (you can't just, like, tip it in your mouth and expect it to come out). Several reviewers specifically mentioned loving these for Disney World because you can fill them with ice and water at the restaurants and have great-tasting water all day. They do require replacement filters every two months; you can find a pack of three of those for $11.91.

Get it from Amazon for $19.99+ (available in two sizes and three colors, and in insulated stainless steel for $29.90+).

—melissam4dba49ab0

—cecelial4d8a192cd

Promising review: "As a flight attendant I always need wipes. These small packs are great for putting in your purse and having on the go. The bundle pack is a great value. " —SJ1326

Get 20 packs of 10 wipes each from Amazon for $19.70.

—melissam4dba49ab0

While many people use it on especially dry places like their elbows, hands, and knees, others (especially reviewers with dry skin) also love it for an intensive overnight cream. Reviewers say it's incredibly thick — kind of like cream cheese — but incredibly effective on dry patches. (Also, the company will recycle your empties for free.)

Promising review: "I am a flight attendant and this is my go-to hand cream! It is a little greasy when you first start rubbing it in, but it absorbs quickly and that along with the smell (a bit medicinal) dissipates before you know it. It doesn't take much of this at all. I rub a little on my tired feet at the end of the day as well, and trust me I have tired feet after being on them for 14-plus hours. This stuff works great for this as well. Win-win, Weleda!" —Lauren

Get it from Amazon for $14.83.

"SHEET MASKS for long flights. Flying dehydrates you and your skin will feel dry; sheet mask and a TON of water will do the trick." —kaylab4c9863587

These sheet masks use snail secretions (yes, really), which supposedly contain hyaluronic acid (which helps your skin absorb and hold on to water), glycolic acid (which gently exfoliates skin), and collagen (which can help firm skin).

Get a pack of 10 from Amazon for $21.95.

"Less is MORE. Seriously, packing cubes and choosing clothes that can be mixed and matched go a long way!" —michellee48b2133e7

With these, you simply remove your bag of tops and your bag of socks and undies, unzip your bag of pants, get what you need, then throw the other bags back in! Zero mess, zero stress.

Promising review: "These are exactly what I wasn’t looking for and didn’t know I needed but I am SO HAPPY I stumbled upon them. I’m a flight attendant and these have helped compress two weeks worth of clothes in my bag, easily. I’m a big guy. My clothes aren’t small. If you’re petit I bet you could pack a month or more in these guys. Happy with my purchase!" —Michael A.

Get a highly rated set of five zip-up packing cubes from Amazon for $19.99 (available in nine colors).

For more on why this particular one's great, read a BuzzFeed editor's mini steamer review. TL;DR, this steamer's incredibly useful: it heats up in about 90 seconds, steams about five garments before needing refilled, and is all around perfect for anyone who doesn't want to wait too long or work too hard to get the wrinkles out.

Promising review: "This steamer is very compact, easy to use, and well-made. I am a flight attendant so this has helped my life tremendously. I never even pick up an iron anymore. It works extremely well on my uniform and also just to get wrinkles out of my clothes while on layovers. The best part is that it doesn't take up too much space in my bag. I hate ironing with a passion, so I am so glad that I found this product!" —Amazon Customer

Get it from Amazon for $21.97.

"For saving some $$$ on coffee while on the road, I’ve bought a collapsible travel kettle from Amazon and a travel French press mug and made fresh coffee in my room. Just fill a sandwich bag up with the grinds you desire; I use a foldable flask by Vapur to hold the creamer I like. The kettle comes in different uses to make tea, oatmeal, and ramen as a backup food option." —michellee48b2133e7

Get them both from Amazon — the kettle for $33.98 and the travel mug for $24.99 (available in four colors).

"A sweater that goes with everything!" —kaylab4c9863587

Reviewers who traveled with this sweater said it looks good through several washes in a hotel room sink, is cozy enough to sleep in if a hotel room happens to be way too cold (which would work on a flight, too), and holds up without snagging or pilling even if it ends up wadded up in the bottom of a bag for a bit.

Get it from Amazon for $19.99+ (available in sizes S–3XL and 35 colors/patterns; if you need a larger size option, this similar style goes up to 6X).

"For security in a hotel room, Add-a-Lock. It’s a fantastic door stopper just in case. Trust me, once you’ve had someone walk in while you're undressing, it’s pretty hard to shake." —michellee48b2133e7

Get it from Amazon for $17.95.

"Compression socks!" —rosem443e8bba5

Compression socks may also help prevent deep vein thrombosis (a blood clot that starts in the legs and can be serious); to know if you're really at risk of that, however, you'll have to talk to your doctor. Read more about compression socks and swelling on flights at Cleveland Clinic.

Reviewers say they're tight but still comfortable! This default pack comes with one solid black pair, one solid gray pair, one solid white pair, and one pair each in black with white accents — either stripes, polka dots, or hearts.

Get a pack of six pairs of varying patterns from Amazon for $19.99+ (available in sizes S/M and L/XL, and 31 color/pattern combos; if you need a larger size option, this similar style goes up to size 6XL).

The review below is from 2017; hopefully if a flight attendant felt sick these days, they wouldn't have to fly!

Promising review: "As a flight attendant, I recommend that anybody who is a frequent traveler keep a pair of these in their bag. I have problems with my ears because I flew while congested, and use these all the time. If you have to fly while having a cold, you should use these just to avoid the pain and problems you could possibly have during descent." —Vanessa

Get a pack of three pairs from Amazon for $17.49.

My BuzzFeed colleague Elizabeth Lilly owns this, and says:

"Like most people (I hope?), I’m always a little iffy about taking a dip in the water at the beach and leaving my wallet and phone on the beach. So when I booked a 2.5-week Europe trip with LOTS of beaching involved, I bought one of these Master Lock safes that I’ve put in several stories. It was a bit bulky in my suitcase, but I left it unlocked and put some stuff in there so it wasn’t just dead space. It came in handy at a number of beach clubs, where my friend and I stashed our credit cards, cash, and case-less phones while we frolicked in the sea. Despite lots of people milling about our umbrella while we had our fun, we felt our stuff was completely safe and could concentrate on *just* having fun."

Promising review: "I'm a flight attendant and really recommend this! It's amazing to keep your things safe!" —Britany G

Get it from Amazon for $23.98+ (available in three colors).

Promising reviews: "I am a flight attendant and it's perfect for my international flights going through security. I love the handle, easy to pull out of my suitcase." —Kristi

"I travel very frequently and had never heard of a liquid travel bag like this before. I was a little worried because the back is not see through, so I brought a 1-quart plastic baggie as back up just in case. But everything I needed fit perfectly and I had no issues in TSA/China security. So far I have been through MSP, IAD, NKG, and PEK airports using this pack already and it's a life changer! I will never again have to worry about having to scramble to buy baggies just for liquids, and it is much more durable." —Courtney Swanson

Get it from Amazon for $13.99 (available in 11 colors).

My BuzzFeed colleague Elizabeth Lilly swears by these, and says: "I own and love this set! it includes the zippered bag, four soft silicone bottles with leakproof caps, three compact jars, an two toothbrush caps. I've used this set on more than five trips and and for trips when I don't require body wash or shampoo (like to visit my parents) I use the extra room in the bag to shove in all my beauty products and daily contacts. Plus! It comes with labels that stay on the containers really well despite my thoroughly washing these containers between trips. I bought this set in spring 2019 and have, admittedly, lost a container or two. But the ones that I've held onto over dozens of trips have all held up well!"

Promising review: "If it wasn’t for me forgetting them in the hotels, I wouldn’t have to buy more. This is my third set and I love these things! I’m a flight attendant and these are easy to fill, use, and pack!" —Raena Hill

Get it from Amazon for $14.79+ (available in 16 variations).

—kaylab4c9863587

"A power bank! Bringing along too many cords and an international adapter is such a hassle that you sometimes leave it in the hotel room, so a power bank is my go-to power source. It’s light, compact, and can charge a lot of items on the go! I always carry mine during layovers." —fritziebeatricen

This highly-rated slim option holds about 2.25 charges for iPhone 12, 1.6 charges for Galaxy S20, and 1.2 charges for iPad Mini 5 and comes with a Micro USB cable (to charge the charger) and a travel pouch.

Get it from Amazon for $15.39.

Promising review: "As a flight attendant for a major airline I have heard from passengers how much they like this pillow. So I ordered it...I LOVE IT. I lost my U-shaped memory foam pillow recently so I thought I would give this a try. It's smaller than a U-shape pillow and easy to pack up. Lots of fun colors to match your outfits. But most of all it works. It's cheap enough to give it a try...so just do it." —Franny

Ciera Velarde, an editor here at BuzzFeed, also loves this! She says: "I've used this for the past few years and swear by it! Before this, I always found traditional neck pillows uncomfortable and would end up ditching them halfway through the flight and getting frustrated. The Trtl pillow is adjustable — you wrap the pillow around your neck and secure it with Velcro, and if you find it's too loose, just make it a bit tighter! I've truly never slept better on a plane than with this pillow."

Get it from Amazon for $59.99 (available in 5 colors).

Promising review: "I am a flight attendant and have a wacky work schedule. I frequently have to sleep during the day. These are SO comfortable and cool as well. I have ordered and tried out at least 10 eye masks off of Amazon and have found these to be the best. They are SO comfortable and do not have Velcro on the straps, for which I am thankful, because I usually sleep on my back and am sensitive to the thickness of eye masks that have the Velcro straps." —sw

Get one from Amazon for $14.49.

It comes with *deep breath*: a passport pocket, a boarding pass compartment, three credit card slots, an ID slot, a slim card pouch, a slim pocket, a ticket slot, a cellphone pouch, a coin zippered pocket, a key holder, and a pen holder.

Promising review: "OMG I totally love this! First of all, it’s such a pretty pastel pink color and pink is my favorite color. The quality is also so lovely with all the right amount of pockets to store my IDs and passport and other relevant documents. I’m a flight attendant so this is the perfect size of travel wallet for me. This definitely exceeded my expectations!" —Pravena Jay

Get it from Amazon for $13.99+ (available in 36 colors).

"To keep up with my TV bingeing, I love that I bought an Amazon Fire Stick. Just plug it into the TV and connect to the hotel Wi-Fi and you’re set to go. Almost all hotels have flat screens with HDMI ports now." —michellee48b2133e7

If you have Amazon Prime, it gives you access to literally thousands of TV shows and movies. This version lets you stream in ~4K~, which means you get a true HD picture.

Get it from Amazon for $22.99+.

"E-readers are awesome to have a book with you on the go without taking up too much space." —michellee48b2133e7

Yes, that means it's waterproof! Its black-and-white screen reads like paper, even in direct sunlight. If you're a Prime member, you get free access to over 1,000 books and magazines.

Get it from Amazon for $139.99+ (available in two physical sizes, with 8 GB or 32 GB of memory, and with or without lockscreen ads).

"Clarks shoes have been the best, hands down, for all-day footwear and comfortable heels!" —michellee48b2133e7

Promising review: "I've been wearing these heels every day for work as a flight attendant for the last year and a half. I do get them shined and polished in the airport every few months or so. They are by far my favorite pair of heels for work. I always get questions from other FAs asking if they are comfortable and my answer is always "after breaking them in for the first week or 2 so the leather stretches a bit, Yes!"

If you are a flight attendant looking at these heels I will say to buy half a size larger than you normally would because you will swell with the constant elevation changes and just in general as the day goes on." —Ashton

Get these 3-inch Clarks from Amazon for $48.69+ (available in sizes 5–11.5, including half sizes and wide options, and five colors, although not all sizes are available in all colors).

"For skin hydration, I’m a fan of spritzing throughout flights (just bring your fave...I’m loving ones by Mario Badescu)." —melialexander

The Mario Badescu sprays each have slightly different scents and ingredients, although they all have aloe for hydration — the pink has rose water, the green has cucumber and green tea, the purple has lavender and chamomile, and the orange has orange blossom and sage.

Get a travel-friendly pack of four Mario Badescu sprays from Amazon for $20.

My BuzzFeed colleague Elizabeth Lilly uses these all the time, and says:

"^ That's me pumping my signature perfume into one of these travel atomizers I've been using for about a year. As the reviewer down below mentions, it's great to just throw in your purse on the reg for a fragrance re-up throughout the day. As you can see, it's about the size of my thumb and therefore takes up very little room. Plus! It's smaller than most rollerball travel fragrances you can pick up. This first one is working so well, that I just have the other three in storage. But if this one bites the dust this summer during travels, I'll be OK about digging into my stores to use one of the remaining three...especially at this price point."

Promising review: "Perfect scent options for a flight attendant! These are perfect for travel and putting in your purse. You can put different scents and the little bottles hold up well. You don’t need the tiny funnel. Just remember which scent you put where! Definitely recommend." —Britney

Get a four-pack from Amazon for $8.99.

Many reviewers note that you'll want to pull the sheet out of the container *before* you get your hands wet, though!

Promising reviews: "Love them. So convenient. I give them as presents to my friends I fly with. Being a flight attendant in these changing times you never know what to expect at the hotels. Soap on the go." —Mona

"Exactly what I wanted! Hands feel very clean after wash! Highly recommend! Each sheet of soap produces enough soap to give the comfort of knowing your hands are throughly clean." —Clippin4You

Get a pack of four from another Amazon listing for $6.99.

Yes, you can bring food through security! Although to bring big water bottles or ice packs through, you have to freeze them and make sure they stay frozen solid the entire time you go through the checkpoint (so if you plan to do this for a vacation, be sure to have a way to freeze them for your way home).

Promising review: "I use this bag for work all the time and LOVE it. I’m a flight attendant, so I pack for several days at a time. It gives plenty of space for all the food I need for three days, plus room for ice. The top dry storage is very spacious and fits all sorts of stuff. I love the removable lining, makes it very easy to wash. I’ve never had the bag leak. It keeps the ice cold easily overnight and throughout the day. Mix this bag with the Hot Logic Mini and you’ve got the perfect kit for all your meals." —Lindy

Get it from Amazon for $54.85.

Promising review: "I’m a flight attendant and travel A LOT! This is a game changer! Folds up super small in the cute bag they provide and really makes a difference when on those long flights. The people in front of me had no idea I was using it. Thanks for the great product!!!" —sarah rubin

Get it from Amazon for $21.99 (available in three colors).

Promising review: "Definitely what I needed for my luggage as a flight attendant. Very heavy duty and perfect for me. Works great with my extra luggage and lunch bag to hang on my suitcase. Thank you so much. Will definitely buy again." —Mary

Get it from Amazon for $8.49+ (available in six colors).

Promising review: "I am a flight attendant and I LOVE this organizer! I keep my iPad, passport, cords, paperwork, and hand sanitizer in here. It keeps me organized! Definitely recommend to anyone who travels and needs to keep organized." —amazonislife

Get it from Amazon for $19.99+ (available in four colors and two sizes).

Read more about acupressure and nausea at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

Promising review: "FLIGHT ATTENDANT APPROVED! They work. 100% of the time." —Jessica

Get a set of two from Amazon for $8.53.

It also comes with a heat-resistant pouch for easy carrying!

Promising review: "This fits perfectly in my toiletries travel bag that I take with me as a flight attendant. Anything that comes in a small size and still works well is perfect for me." —Kathy S

Get it from Amazon for $14.97+ (available in three colors).

Responses have been edited for length and/or clarity. Not all products were recommended by Community users.