Melissa’s Latest Discoveries: 9 New Travel Essentials

I am always looking for ways to smooth my travels, and having the right gear on hand has been a big part of my strategy for staying healthy and energized while juggling a busy travel schedule. Here are some of my latest finds.

ROAM Carry-on

As I have shared in previous articles, I am an avowed carry-on only traveler. (Although, yes, I do "cheat" sometimes by sending luggage ahead when I am juggling many stops with different dress code requirements. More to come on that strategy in an upcoming newsletter.) Since I sometimes go for weeks living out of a suitcase, you can imagine I have very particular preferences. Among the non-negotiables for my luggage, and in order of priority, are size (maximum packing volume), wheels, weight and look. Over the years, I have tried many roller bags and have quite a collection, but my go-to has been a T. Anthony canvas roller bag. I wish I had tracked the miles on the one that I used for so many years. (I had the wheels replaced multiple times before I retired it.) It wasn't the lightest nor the easiest to maneuver—it was the two-wheel dragging kind as opposed to the four-wheel, which you can steer at your side—but its top loading orientation and canvas sides, which give a bit, offered maximum space.

Then, I discovered the new ROAM wheelie bag, which was created by the founder of TUMI, Charlie Clifford. He launched ROAM in 2018, using the latest materials and his decades of travel experience to offer a new, made-in-America line of lightweight luggage that is customizable. With just as much space as my old T. Anthony, plus four wheels, a lighter weight and my choice of colors and trim, I am a convert and excited to hit the road this fall in my monogrammed ROAM. Read my interview with Charlie on his travels and tips here.

Anya Hindmarch Toiletry Bags

I have also tried many toiletry bags over the years, from Porthault to Paravel. My latest favorites are those by the British handbag designer Anya Hindmarch, who clearly spends a lot of time on the road herself. When I was in London recently, I stopped into her Labelled boutique, which is devoted to her collection of bags, pouches, cubes and cases designed specifically to help organize your items while traveling. Each product is labeled with what it is designed to hold, and you can add your name to personalize them. My "Melissa's Make-Up" case includes a top zip compartment with elastic slots for brushes and pencils and a larger, lower compartment for compacts and creams. I can keep contact lens solution, moisturizers, conditioner and more in my larger "Melissa's Lotions & Potions." The collection also features large "Vanity Kits," as well as pouches for pills, earphones, "Girlie Stuff," "Important Things" and "Cables & Chargers."

Cadence Travel Containers

My daughter introduced me to the great Cadence magnetic, modular containers. The TSA-approved, screw-top capsules come in many colors and three different sizes (0.56 ounces, 1.32 ounces and 2.75 ounces), and the sets click together magnetically. You can order them with labels such as shampoo, cleanser, serum or body wash, and you can buy special tops for drip or pour, as well as stackable pill inserts. As many of my favorite beauty products do not come in travel sizes, these provide a great way to ensure that I can pack preferred creams and lotions in my carry-on neatly.

Sun Protection

Anyone who has traveled with me to a sunny spot knows I am a big fan of mineral sunscreens. For years, I have sworn by Miamo, a brand I stock up on whenever I am in Italy, but my newest favorites are easily available in the U.S. The first: SONNI's SunDay Invisible Defense SPF 40+ is a mineral SPF and moisturizer in one, which comes in great travel sizes. It blends invisibly, with no white cast. Hyaluronic acid keeps skin hydrated through long flights, green tea extract shields against the environmental stress of a new city and soothing botanicals calm travel-worn skin. The second, Time Savvy's Hybrid Sheer Sun Serum SPF 50, which is made in Korea, is also a broad spectrum sunscreen, combining mineral zinc oxide with chemical UV protections. It comes in a serum as well as a powder formula.

Lip Treatment Balms

Because in-flight dehydration also affects lips, I think it is essential to travel with a good lip balm. I have long loved the soothing feel of By Terry's Baume de Rose glosses, but I recently discovered a similar one that is a fraction of the price. Marin is a beauty company that builds its products around the unique healing characteristics of marine glycoproteins derived from Maine lobsters, which the founders discovered when searching for eczema treatments. Friends swear by the soothing properties of all of its products, but it is the small tubes of lip balm that I love. They feel great on dry or chapped lips and have a cranberry taste, and I love the glossy look with a hint of color.

Skincare Masks

There is no way around the intense dehydration of plane flights, but I try to counteract it by traveling with intense, hydrating masks. Among my new favorites are one from Korea, also from Time Savvy, and two from the U.K. The Time Savvy mask includes collagen and adenosine for their hydration benefits and was designed with plane use in mind. Thanks to its no slip/no drip qualities, you can apply it in your seat with no trip to the bathroom necessary. After 15 minutes, remove the mask and rub the remaining cream into your face. Reome's Hydro-plasma Veil mask, which has 18 active and botanical ingredients, including chamomile, should also only be left on for 15 or 20 minutes, with the remaining cream rubbed into your face. Its bio-fermented, coconut-fiber mask has fibers that can hold lots of moisturizing serum for a seriously quenching, if slippery, experience. Another great hydrating mask, and the one that is the most subtle to use on a flight, comes from Rodial. Founded by a former beauty editor, Rodial is known for products with active ingredients, like "Bee Venom" for skin tightening and "Salmon DNA" for boosting cellular repair. Its Dragon Blood Hyaluronic Mask contains "dragon's blood," red tree resin extract to soothe skin, and hyaluronic acid for long-lasting hydration. It comes in sheet masks or in a tube so you can apply a thin layer and leave it on for intensive hydration during the flight.

Fendi By The Way Selleria Reversible Purse

I always limit myself to only one day handbag when I travel, but thanks to this new Fendi reversible one, I now travel with two bags in one. It was on our Rome fashion trip last spring that I bought my new favorite handbag for traveling. I had noticed one of the travelers on our Saudi Insider Journey, who wore it one day in one color and the next in another. Not only is it the perfect size (not so big that it's uncomfortable as a cross-body, nor so small that you can't store your passport, phone, etc.), but the leather is soft and durable, the shape is attractive and there is no obnoxious branding. Since it is missing an interior zip pocket—and to make sure that no pens mar the interior, which can also be the exterior—I keep a small pouch inside it.

Lake Pajamas

When I travel away from home (and my Eight Sleep mattress!), one of the only consistent comforts that I can pack are great pajamas. This summer, I discovered Lake, a brand from Savannah, Georgia that makes pajamas in incredibly soft Peruvian Pima cotton, as well as poplin. They are soft, breathable and 100 percent cotton, and they come in classic styles, including pant- and short-sets and nightgowns in traditional patterns like stripes and solid colors. They don't take up much space in my luggage and drip dry for easy washing. They are my new favorite sleep uniform for travel.

Manta Sound Sleep Mask

Knowing how important sleep is to staying healthy and happy, I swear by a number of sleep tools, including sleep masks, my Oura ring and the Nucalm sleep app, which uses neuroacoustic science to help lull you into better sleep. While I love my Drowsy silk sleep mask, now, thanks to Manta's Sound Sleep Mask, which has thin headphones built into the mask, I can immerse myself in my "sleep sound bath" without having to wear headphones or play my phone on speaker. You do have to charge the mask regularly, but it is a game changer for drowning out the cabin noise and having sleep surround sounds on the plane.