Flight Attendants Love These Travel Accessories

Want to learn how to improve those long, grueling travel days (without dropping major money on a seat upgrade)? No one knows how to enhance the experience better than flight attendants, and you can bet their carry-ons are always pristinely packed with an arsenal of gear to ensure better sleep, smarter organization, and peace of mind in the air and between stops. 

Want to give your packing list a flight attendant-approved refresh? Here, we’ve compiled a list of the 10 best travel accessories with a stamp of approval from the cabin crew. Lucky for you, they’re all available at Amazon and on sale for up to nearly 40 percent off. From packing cubes to travel pillows, these tried-and-true picks will transform the way you fly. 

J-Pillow Travel Pillow 

This uniquely shaped travel pillow is one of the most flight attendant-loved products on the internet. In fact, the pillow was designed by an actual flight attendant. Unlike the classic U-shaped pillows you see overpriced at airport newsstands, this one has a unique hook-like extremity that wraps under your chin for optimal head and neck support. More than 10,000 travelers have given it a five-star rating. According to one retired flight attendant, who has tried lots of different pillows, the J-Pillow “tops them all.”

Boodlab Bluetooth Sleep Eye Mask

A sleep mask and a pair of headphones are both must-haves for long journeys, and this clever accessory combines them into one nifty device. With speakers built into the ears, the Bluetooth eye mask gives you 10 hours of music, podcasts, or white noise — whatever your in-flight preference is — on a single charge. Flight attendant TJ Kizuka previously told Travel + Leisure that it’s one of his go-to off-duty travel essentials, noting that it’s also his trick for fighting jet lag: “I pop on my Bluetooth sleep mask and listen to sounds of the ocean to get some much-needed relaxation.”

Bagsmart Compression Packing Cubes 6-pack Set

A flight attendant of 10 years, Carin Ryan never travels without these specific packing cubes. “The brand says these help people fit double the amount in their suitcases, and I couldn’t agree more,” she said, naming the Bagsmart Packing Cubes as one of her 15 favorite flight accessories. The compression cubes have earned more than 7,700 five-star ratings at Amazon, where this set of six is up to 10 percent off right now. 

Elefor Portable Massage Gun

Kizuka also told T+L that this affordable massage gun gets passed around among his roommates, who are also flight attendants. “Pushing heavy beverage carts and traversing across airports with heavy luggage can put a lot of stress on your body,” he said, “and this massage gun helps with those flight attendant-related aches and pains.” It has 20 speeds and comes with 10 different heads for the shoulders, back, glutes, legs, and feet, for example. It charges with a type-C USB cable, which makes it ideal for travel. 

Travelpro Maxlite 5 Weekender Bag

Travelpro’s Maxlite 5 Weekender has a big following among Amazon shoppers, and it’s rare to find it on sale for under $100. This 19-inch duffel-style travel bag has pockets galore, making it easy to keep everything in your carry-on organized and accessible. The material is water-repellent and wipes clean with no effort. “It’s good quality, the zippers glide smoothly, and it holds a surprising amount of cargo,” wrote one reviewer, who travels 40 weeks out of the year. Chiming in, a flight attendant added that it offers “extra space without compromising good appearance is always appreciated.”

Nesugar G3 Travel Steamer

A portable steamer is often one of the last things you throw into your suitcase — if there’s room. But, according to a flight attendant, this one from Nesugar is “hands down, one of the best purchases I’ve made for my travel needs.” In fact, it was this shopper review that has us convinced that it’s a packing list nonnegotiable: “I’ll admit I’m one of those people who’d get to the hotel room [and] drag out their ancient, dusty (sometimes dirty) ironing board and iron. I got tired of the rigamarole and worrying about their iron staining my expensive business suits and making the fabric shiny.”

Emdak Door Stop Alarm

Yes, even people who travel for a living keep safety top of mind when they’re staying at a hotel in an unfamiliar place. “There have been so many stories I’ve heard of people opening other people’s hotel rooms,” a flight attendant wrote in their Amazon review of the Emdak Door Stop Alarm. “I wanted something loud and annoying that’s going to alert me right away as soon as it’s cracked. It’s perfect.” These door stops come in a pack of two and hit 120 ear-piercing decibels when triggered. Believe us, the $14 is worth it for the peace of mind.

Charmking Compression Socks 3-pack Set

Although you might not notice it under their uniforms, flight attendants wear compression socks (or stockings), too. This $13 three-pack by Charmking happens to be an Amazon best-seller that has earned an astonishing 51,000-plus perfect ratings. “These help keep swelling down while I’m working,” one flight attendant shared in their review. They have a compression rating of 15 to 20 millimeters of mercury (i.e., units of pressure), promoting better blood flow above 30,000 feet.

Bagsmart Foldable Jewelry Organizer

Unravel this cute jewelry roll and you’ll find finger-shaped ring holders that snap in place, a grid just for earrings, three zippered pouches, and clips to keep necklaces tangle-free. No more unknotting chains or hunting for missing earring backs in your suitcase. “I used to have a box case to hold jewelry, but it’s much bulkier/harder to pack, and there was no way to store necklaces,” explained a flight attendant. “This one has all that in mind. It’s slim and lays flat, which makes it so easy to pack in any bag.” 

Vandbao Travel Cutlery Set

When you travel as often as flight attendants do, it’s necessary to carry your own cutlery. This stainless steel set comes in handy when there’s nothing else around to eat with, and even better, helps keep single-use plastic out of landfills. “I bought this set to use in my hotel room for flight attendant training [and] absolutely fell in love,” one Amazon reviewer wrote. “Not only does [it] hold true to the test of time, the sleek design and modern look of the black stainless are to die for.”

Note: Most travelers said they didn’t have a problem getting through TSA with the butter knife included, but others did report that they were flagged for it. You might be better off slipping it into your checked bag to avoid getting held up at security.

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