10 essential travel aids to ensure a smooth, comfortable and secure trip

Portable clothesline
Price: Rs 99
(Naaptol.com)

The biggest problem with long trips is managing laundry. You either need to forget travelling light, or prepare to go elbow deep in suds, unless you don't mind crazy hotel laundry bills. That's where hotels offering retractable clotheslines in their bathrooms are a god-sent.

Unfortunately, precious few have them, which is why something like the Travogo pegless washing line is a great thing to acquire and pack.

The 6-ft long self-securing cord can be tied up literally anywhere.

Luggage locator
Price: Rs 800- Rs 1,600

These handy gadgets help locate and identify a bag within a 60-90 ft radius. The two best-selling ones are Easy2Pick Wireless Luggage Finder and Soren Luggage Locator Pro, both easily available on eBay (free shipping) and Amazon.

Just attach the wireless transmitter tag to your luggage and hang on to the wireless key chain recognition device, which will alert you with a series of beeps and/or flashes.

Its multiple receivers can be programmed to locate several bags at once.


Neck pillows
Price: Rs 300- Rs 4,500

Sleeping on flights, train rides or car drives can be a nightmare because of the head lolling that scuttles a good nap.

These pillows, available in fabric and foam, as well as inflatable versions, prevent this by supporting the neck securely.

If you don't like the Chinese options, you can easily pick from established brands, such as Samsonite, INTEX or IMAK

Compression bags
Price: Rs 899- Rs 2,500

No matter what name these bags go by-space savers, vacuum sealed storage bags or smart bags-the fact is that it is a must-have for every savvy traveller. They essentially compress items down to 25-50% of their original size and allow consumers to double, even triple, the storage space. While foreign brands like Samsonite, Eagle Creek and Space Bags are easily available on Amazon and other such sites, for Indian options, you can try outlets like Planet Sports or buy at sites such as Playmore.in and Adventure18.com.

Cocoon Grid-it Organiser
Price: Rs 1,895
(Homeshop18.com)

What if you had a single bag that could carry everything you hold dear, from pens to pendrives and pills to phones, in an open display, and offer easy access in a hurry without the risk of slipping into the crevices of your purse or briefcase? Consider this 12x8 inch organiser, which provides endless configurations for storing your belongings. What's more, the convenient size makes it a great companion for your current laptop bag or travel case.

Steripen
Price: Rs 4,185-5,550
(Adventure18.com)

Safe drinking water is always a concern, especially if you are travelling within the country. With this pocket-sized device, you can sterilise half a litre of water under a minute, eliminating over 99.9% of viruses and bacteria that cause waterborne diseases. The classic version is powered by four AA batteries, while the smaller, lighter version uses two CR123 disposable batteries. Both promise the same safety standards using the UV light.

Noise-reducing headphones
Price: Rs 1,000 onwards

Yes, this one is a rather obvious choice, but anybody who has had to suffer bawling babies, chattering co-passengers or the irritable hum of the engine over long journeys will know that these headphones top any travel essentials list. Take your pick from brands lile Bose, Sony, Philips, Sennheiser, or the cheaper, but less effective, Chinese ones.

World Travel Adapter
Price: Rs 2,399
(Lootspot.com)

The idea is to have a universal wall adapter that eliminates the need to carry multiple chargers while travelling. The SKROSS World Travel Adapter 2, with USB charger, is a great choice. Not only is it compact, which means you don't need to worry about packing space, but promises to help travellers connect their two- and three-pole (grounded and ungrounded) devices in more than 150 countries. The dual USB top turns it into a powerful, fast charger for two USB devices at one go.

Victorinox Swiss Knife
Price: Rs 500- Rs 6,300
(basic versions)

This multi-functional knife has always been a must-have for outdoor enthusiasts, but the new avatar, which packs a flash light-and a flash drive if you can stretch your budget a bit-makes it a handy tool for any holiday. The LED light is cool enough, but the memory stick will blow your mind. It uses several layers of security, including fingerprint identification and a thermal sensor. Any attempt to forcibly open it will trigger a self-destruct mechanism that will destroy its CPU and memory chip.