No. 1 on the list: a credit card designed to give you the most points for travel, such as Metrobank’s new Signature Visa . No. 2: a handheld luggage scale to keep you from abusing said credit card.
You are so sure you packed everything you needed—but halfway around the world, you’re frantically rummaging through your suitcases and realize that you don’t have that one essential item you didn’t think to pack before the trip.
Coming home early this month from my annual long winter trip in Europe, I paid 160 euros for my check-in luggage being in excess of the 25 kg. limit. If I had my handheld luggage scale, I’m pretty sure it would have acted like a splash of cold water in my face every time I was out in the Christmas markets or high streets. At the end of six weeks and in my 5th and last European country, I was so full of shopping regrets.
So, this year, let’s take second guessing out when you’re packing for long-haul trips. These are the things that will make every globetrotter’s travels smoother.
1. A credit card designed for travel
Credit cards can either give you amazing free stuff or sink you like a block of cement around your feet. If you’re smart (meaning you pay your bill in full), you can get free airline tickets from your points without paying anything but the taxes.
I recently attended the media launch of Metrobank’s Travel Signature Visa card which was, of course, designed to appeal to cardholders like me. Its biggest pull for me is the low forex fee at 1.68% because shopping always looks cheaper when you’re abroad but once the conversion rate is reflected on your bill, you just want to rewind time and not leave your house. Ever.
For this travel card, Metrobank also partnered with Philippine Airlines, Cathay Pacific, and Singapore Airlines, which gives you access to 40 member airlines from two alliance groups: One World (CX) and Star Alliance (SQ). The newly launched card also gives cardholders unlimited local lounge access and concierge service via Visa Concierge Asia, which gives cardholders access to upgrades, priority booking for activities, and hard-to-book restaurants.
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2. Handheld luggage scale
The perpetual question of every Filipino traveler that’s having a panic attack on the way to the airport to fly back home is: “Is my luggage over the weight limit?” When you start a trip in Milan and Berlin, and you’ve been to their most important cultural and historical sights before, shopping in the Christmas markets and malls finds its way into your itinerary even if you have sworn it off.
With airlines flying to Europe having half the luggage allowance of their US counterparts (one piece, 25kg. for economy; two pieces for business and first class), you can avoid the nerve-wracking weighing at the check-in counter by bringing a luggage scale to monitor your shopping. (Oh the unbearable lightness of male travelers!)
Top pick: I actually prefer the manual luggage scales to digital. They’re heftier but in my experience they’re also more accurate. Check out Amazon’s bestsellers.
3. Noise-canceling headphones
Whether it’s for the flight or the destination, noise-canceling headphones are always a good idea to shut out crying babies and city noise. I’ve never heard more ambulance and police sirens than in the streets of Berlin! Yes, not even in New York!
Top picks: Bose QuietComfort Ultra is wireless, over-ear headphones with spatial audio and mic. It can last 24 hours without having to charge it. Dyson’s On Trac headphones are also highly rated and come in a range of cool colors and 55 hours of battery life. Both retail for around $425 or P25,000
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4. Universal travel adapter
I have no fewer than five travel adapters at home because I keep forgetting to bring more than one when I travel. And we all know we need more than one, especially if you’re traveling, say, from Central Europe to the UK, which have two different electrical outlets. But why do we have different outlets? The short explanation is because as electricity was being developed in the 19th and early 20th centuries, each country was also developing their own standards.
Top picks: Get the ones with separate USB charging. Wired lists some of the best travel adapters on the market with prices ranging from $45 to $15 (P2,600 to P881). Don’t go for the cheap ones—they won’t last long (if they charge at all).
5. Weekender bag
Anyone bitten by the wanderlust bug doesn’t need long planning to get out of town—it doesn’t even have to be a long weekend. Get a weekender bag that that’s stylish, sturdy, and one you can throw in the trunk of your car for an impromptu road trip or to hand-carry on a flight.
Top picks: Louis Vuitton’s Keepall Bandoulière 50 is a legend. First introduced in 1930 by Gaston Vuitton, grandson of founder Louis Vuitton, it’s roomy, lightweight and now comes in even more colors (the Monogram Shadow olive green and newly reissured Murakami versions look cool). Longchamp’s Le Pliage Expandable Duffle Bag is another legend, known and loved for being lightweight and accessible. The Pliage travel bag has had many iterations over the years with the current obsession being is the zippered 21-Inch Expandable Travel Bag with a detachable shoulder strap.
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6. Compact camera or GoPro
Are cameras de rigueur once again? I mean actual cameras, not the one on your phone that takes up so much storage space. Travelers are packing portable cameras once again because they ensure stunning quality—old-fashioned Polaroids made modern included—and there’s just that explorer vibe walking in old cities with a camera without the distraction of whatever else your phone can do.
Top Pick: GoPro HERO11 Black is perfect for action-packed travelers. Waterproof and equipped with stabilization features, it’s ideal for capturing smooth footage during intense activities like scuba diving, skiing, or mountain biking.
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7. Travel journals
I don’t do travel journals. I don’t journal, period. But I have friends who do, and a well-designed travel journal with inserts for their West End or Prado Museum tickets—or God forbid even the receipt of a granita in Palermo—also make for great gifts for them.
What I love, though, is a lined Moleskine notebook. I used to hoard the reporter’s version because they were so hard to find in Manila, and I went through them like potato chips from furious note taking even when I was recording an interview. These days, I prefer the thin Moleskine—still lined because if I can barely read my own handwriting it should at least be straight.
Top picks: The Grand Voyageur leather journal is a beautiful travel notebook made in Vienna with smooth natural paper from Sweden or Austria. Aspinal of London, too, carries a full-grain leather journal that’s handcrafted in England. Aspinal lets you replace your completed pages with a refill pad and personalize the leather cover with your name (you can order both online). It almost seems quaint now that we used to write everything on paper. As for Moleskine, every notebook is a journal in a way—even Picasso used it to sketch.
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8. Air tags
They’re designed to help you keep track of essential items like luggage, wallets, keys, or backpacks. Because when you’re in Vienna, you want to know just what your luggage is doing in Jamaica. It’s not just you. The Australian women’s national soccer team, the Matildas, lost some of their luggage when they flew to Paris from their training camp in Spain for the Olympics. Another team had their van broken into and all their luggage stolen which included some passports, which they recovered—minus laptops and wallets—thanks to their air tags.
Top pick: The Apple AirTag is obviously not just for travel. You can attach it to anything, even your dog. It plays a sound on the built-in speaker and if the missing item is hiding nearby—like under the couch or in the next room—just follow the sound and your search is over.
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