Travel Must-Haves for Safety, Comfort and Less Stress

on Sep 20, 2025

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By Candyce H. Stapen

Good travel gear eases your trip, and one small essential can save your life and that of your family. Other items turn your toddler's "Carry me" plea from a backache-inducing problem to a sweet ride, aid snoozing in an airline seat, prevent toiletry leaks, enable you to request dietary modifications in any language, plan your perfect national park trip and rescue you from your in-laws' icy stares when your toddler vomits in their newly redecorated guest room. Read on to discover the must-have and handy travel items that eliminate such disasters.

Don't leave home without a carbon monoxide detector. The modestly priced, easy-to-pack plug-in device detects the colorless and odorless gas that stealthily kills. Unnecessary deaths caused by carbon monoxide in lodgings in Costa Rica, Belize, the Dominican Republic and other locales have been in the news recently.

Don't assume that your hotel or rental lodging comes equipped, especially since regulations vary. Some states require alarms, others don't. International rules are even trickier to decipher. Even in accommodations without fuel-burning appliances, deaths have occurred when faulty vents drew the gas from other areas into nearby rooms without monitors. I place one in my hotel room, and in a vacation home I put one in each bedroom, the kitchen and near the furnace area.

Taking kids on trips is fun, but toting tots around isn't. Inevitably tired toddlers and preschoolers kvetch to be carried. A hip carrier lessens the physical strain on your side and lower back created by hauling children around. Konny's Dual Support Hip Seat Carrier not only supports the child's bottom but also his or her back, adding extra security and comfort. As with all hip carriers, adults must keep an arm around the child, but with the dual hip carrier, kids are more secure and the adult's shoulders and back feel less strained. Recommended for children 6 months old to those weighing up to 44 pounds.

After a few minutes of snoozing on an airplane, my bobbing head typically snaps me awake. But not when I'm wearing Cabeau's Evolution X travel pillow. Three features enable me to fit the pillow to my neck: an adjustable strap that changes the circumference; comfortable, movable side supports that cradle my head at just the right angle; and a front closure with some leeway. While wearing the neck pillow, I might look like a whiplash victim, but I don't care because I am happily asleep.

To prevent shampoo, body lotion and other potentially seeping products from dripping onto your undies, slip LeakLocks Toiletry Skins over the bottles. Eating foods to which you're allergic can cause "spillage" of another kind, and that's when SelectWisely can come in handy. On a trip to China years ago, I purchased their cards to explain our dairy allergy in Mandarin. My daughter took advantage of the special-order option to change the "If I eat dairy, I will need immediate attention" to "I will throw up all over your table and floor." That created shocked looks from the waitstaff but also perfect non-dairy service. SelectWisely's cards come in 60-plus languages and also cover drug allergies and health emergencies.

Ill children also spew. As Vommat states, "Puke happens." Do away with messy cleanups by covering the bed with one of the 16-square-foot, non-plastic, absorbent, biodegradable mats. If a child -- or adult -- upchucks, simply throw away the mess.

It's never too early to plan your national park vacation as lodgings sell out months in advance. "Passport to Your National Parks" books get kids and adults excited about their next adventure. Each of the five versions -- from Passport to the Explorer Edition -- features maps, park tidbits, photos and spaces for each park's official stamp. The Junior Ranger Edition adds stickers and stories.

How to carry all the travel items? In a good backpack, of course. I especially like Knack Bags Series 2 Medium Expandable Knack Pack. It's lightweight, water-resistant and features multiple interior pockets, including one large enough for a 16-inch laptop. Its clamshell design helps you separate clothing from other gear.

Happy travels.

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WHEN YOU GO

These products are available from local sellers as well as Amazon.com and other online retailers.

Carbon monoxide detectors: $35-$99.

Konny Dual Support Hip Seat: konnybaby.com/collections/baby-carriers, $79.99.

Cabeau's Evolution X travel pillow: cabeau.com, $50.

LeakLocks: rinseroo.com, $12 package of four.

SelectWisely: selectwisely.com, $16.50.

Vommats: vommat.com, $45, package of five.

Passport to Your National Parks: shop.americasnationalparks.org/pages/passport-store, $15-$70.

Knack Bags Series 2 Medium Expandable Knack Pack: knackbags.com, $265.

Candyce H. Stapen is a writer at www.greatfamilyvacations.com. Follow her on Instagram @candycestapen Twitter @familyitrips (Candyce H. Stapen), www.facebook.com/FamilyiTrips/ and at www.hennyskids.org, her non-profit that brings solar-powered computers and soccer balls to rural schools in Africa.

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