What are the essential travel products the experienced traveler needs for overseas travel in 2025? Here The Professor gives his rundown on what to take in 2025.
Apple AirTag: Throw one of these quarter-size disks in your luggage, in your handbag, in your backpack or on your wallet and they can always be tracked with your phone. We like it because we always know exactly where our luggage is. The AirTag worked for us when the airline "lost" our luggage on a Croatian Small Ship Cruise, but we were able to locate it immediately and get it back.
Backpack: Speaking of backpacks, we like a backpack that is durable, functional and looks good. The Professor has had just 2 backpacks in 25+ years of travel, it's the Eddie Bauer 30L backpack and it comes in all sorts of colors, perfect for both men and women.
Wander Plus Anti-Theft Travel Handbag: This was our most popular recommendation for 2024 and is proving to be popular again in 2025. Linda loves it because it is light, fashionable, and practical. It protects her stuff perfectly but it is not a hassle to use. Buy it!
Travel Shoes for Women: Here is another one of Linda's picks. Whether it be walking on the cobblestones of Edinburgh or the marble stones in Split, Croatia, she loves the comfort, style and quality of the Hoka Clifton 9 walking shoe.
Overseas Power Adapter: You're gonna need one of these if going to Europe. Great quality, it has USB ports, fast charging ports too.
VPN: Did you know that your streaming services are probably blocked when you are overseas? A VPN (Virtual Private Network) makes it look like your phone, tablet, or laptop is in Philadelphia rather than Finland. Then you an enjoy all your favorite programming with the benefit of extra security too. We like the Surfshark VPN.
Traction Cleats: Going somewhere where it might be icy or snowy. You need a pair of traction cleats. I don't know why I didn't buy them years ago! We always find using these on our small group Iceland the Northern Lights tour.
The Absolute Best Guidebooks for Finding Where to Eat in a Foreign City: My friend Andy Herbach writes and extensive series of "Eating and Drinking" books for lots and lots of overseas destinations. They are truly terrific books with excellent dining recommendations.
Microfiber Towel: Why would you need something like this. I can tell you that I am constantly wiping off my glasses (especially in wet or misty weather), need to dry my hands, wipe off the lens of my camera and phone screen, as well as wipe down tablet and laptop screens. Once you have a microfiber towel attached to your backpack, you are going to find tons of uses for it and wonder why you never had it before.
Travel Pants for Men and Travel Pants for Women: You want something that is lightweight, comfortable, has plenty of pockets, and looks good. These pants by Eddie Bauer pants are available in both men's and women's versions. They are the only pants you need for an overseas trip to an exciting destination like Machu Picchu and the Amazon.
Power Bank: When on long excursion like our daily hikes on our Norway by Scenic Rail tour, we don't have access to chargers. That's where the Misso Power Bank comes in real handy. It is inexpensive, good for about 3 cellphone charges, and it has a built in cable to connect to devices.