My Mom Has Racked Up 2,000+ Hotel Stays, and These Are the 14 Travel Essentials She Brings for a Comfier Visit (2025)

My mom’s 30-year career has taken her all over the United States, and over the years, she’s picked up some genius tricks to simplify travel, including how to pack a carry-on. In addition to racking up more than 2,000 stays at about 75 hotels, she’s learned what travel essentials are needed to turn her hotel room into a comfy, organized oasis.

Whether she’s traveling for a long weekend or two weeks, my mom packs for hotel stays like a pro. To make sure you’re putting the right things in your luggage, she’s shared her travel essentials that’ll add some convenience to your vacations. Everything is available in Amazon’s travel storefront, with prices starting at $6.

Best Hotel Travel Essentials

• Fyy Travel Pill Organizer, $6 (originally $9)
• Bagsmart Hanging Toiletry Bag, $17 (originally $23)
• Eachy Travel Makeup Bag, $24
• Veken 8-set Packing Cubes, $17 (originally $28)
• Xihalook Slippers, $19 (originally $22)
• Lysol Disinfecting Travel Wipes, $6 (originally $10)
• Downy Wrinkle Release Spray, $8
• Tide Stain Remover Wipes, $9
• Jhx Travel Laundry Bags, $10 (originally $15)
• Fyy Travel Cable Organizer Pouch, $10 (originally $13)

Fyy Travel Pill Organizer

If there’s one mistake travelers make, it’s packing full-size items, according to my mom. Instead of throwing your medicine and vitamin bottles into your carry-on, using a pill organizer saves precious bag space and time spent digging around your luggage to locate all of those bottles. This foldable case comes with seven compartments to store your pills and vitamins, and has a magnetic closure for smooth opening and closing.

Bagsmart Hanging Toiletry Bag

My mom suggests you “create little stations in the room” so you have a better sense of where your things are. This way, you can grab them quickly when you need them.

Bagsmart’s hanging over-the-door toiletry bag can go right on any hook in the bathroom and has a variety of pockets for storing your hair accessories, skincare, shower products, and more. The hanging feature lets you see everything all at once, eliminating the need to rummage through a bag when you need things.

Eachy Travel Makeup Bag

My mom relies on a separate toiletry bag for her makeup, that way she can create a separate spot for her beauty routine, and her shower and skincare regimens. This No. 1 best-seller for cosmetic bags makes it almost impossible not to be organized as it has slots and pockets to hold everything, like your mascara, lip glosses, foundation, and makeup brushes.

Veken 8-set Packing Cubes

For my mom, the key to packing efficiently is “really bringing only the essentials and not everything.” Incorporating a set of packing cubes can encourage you to pare down and organize your clothing based on the type of clothes or the day. Veken’s set has four different-sized packing cubes, a toiletry bag, a shoe bag, an accessories bag, and a laundry bag, to keep everything sorted.

She says she also sees most travelers go wrong by emptying their entire bag onto the ground. “That's how you forget things in your hotel,” she told Travel + Leisure. “It's about keeping everything together in one central location.”

Xihalook Slippers

My mom does not walk barefoot in hotel rooms, because “you don't know how often they clean the rugs, and you don't know who was there before you.” To keep her feet protected, she travels with a comfy pair of slippers, like this packable style. It comes with a fleece-like material and rubber outsole for traction.

Lysol Disinfecting Travel Wipes

Before taking anything out of her bag, my mom likes to wipe down the dresser, bathroom counter, and suitcase rack with disinfectant to make sure it’s really sanitized. Lysol’s travel wipes come in a slim package that you can slide into your carry-on (or personal item bag) and have a resealable closure to keep the wipes fresh.

Downy Wrinkle Releaser Spray

For the vacation outfits that aren’t wrinkle-resistant, my mom relies on a wrinkle spray to quickly give her clothes a refresh instead of the hotel’s iron. Downy’s version also acts as a fabric freshener and only requires a spritz on the fabric, plus a tug and smooth to release the wrinkles.

“Sometimes the iron in the room is crappy and you don't want to stain your clothes. So the wrinkle releaser can help in a pinch,” she said.

Tide Stain Remover Wipes

My mother is no stranger to accidental coffee spills, so she always carries stain remover wipes — especially if she doesn’t have easy access to a laundry room. Tide’s wipes come in convenient to-go packages that you can throw into your purse, backpack, or carry-on for easy access when you get a stain on your favorite clothes during your travels.

Jhx Travel Laundry Bags

Most folks don’t have access to a washer and dryer while staying at a hotel, but separating your dirty laundry from your clean clothes is essential to avoid a smelly suitcase. That’s why my mom always keeps a foldable laundry bag in her luggage, so she can throw all her worn outfits inside, and also easily transport them to a washer when she gets home.

Fyy Travel Cable Organizer Pouch

No one wants to spend any of their vacation time searching for their phone or tablet charger, but unfortunately, it happens often. This cable pouch is my mom’s “must-have” item because it keeps all of her cords and chargers tangle-free and in one place.“I know I can pull out this organizer and everything is right there,” she said.

Coidea Clear Shoe Bags

You will never see my mom pack her shoes with her clothes without some sort of protection. Her organizer of choice? Clear shoe bags. These act as a barrier between your clothing and footwear, and can also help you keep track of your shoes so you don’t end up accidentally leaving any behind in the hotel. Each bag is made from a translucent material that lets you see what’s inside — no need to open multiple bags to find the shoes you’re looking for.

Aiminu Multiport Charger Block

This charger block is a necessity for anyone who tends to forget small things like their phone, smart watch, or earbuds, according to my mom. “You don’t want to be plugging your phone or Apple Watch in different places,” she said, explaining that it helps you remember where everything is. Since the block comes with multiple ports to plug into, you can keep your tech gadgets together, so when you go to repack, everything is in one central location.

Hnhmt Portable Door Lock & Door Stop Alarm Set

Since my mom travels alone for work, she never leaves home without her safety devices. She started carrying a door lock for her hotel room after a co-worker stayed at a hotel where the entire doorknob to their room came off. This set gives you two devices you can use at once: a lock that you put between the doorframe to prevent intruders from opening your door, and an alarm that sounds if the door is pushed open.

Theraband Resistance Bands Set

Resistance bands can serve a couple of different purposes, according to my mom. If the hotel doesn’t have a gym, then you can still get a little workout done in your room with the help of these bands, which include three different bands with different resistance levels.

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