10 Must-Have Items for Traveling Teens

Mastering the art of efficient packing is crucial for all traveling teens. With a bit of planning and parental guidance, young adults will find their adventures—whether with family, friends, or solo—more freeing by focusing on essentials, reducing clutter, and honing their organizational skills.

Packing can be tricky even for seasoned travelers, so developing good habits early will empower teens to feel more confident and travel-savvy as they embark on their independent journeys.

Certainly, clothing and luggage choices will vary based on the destination, type of trip, climate, and mode of transportation. However, whether it's their first school trip to Europe, a summer camp, or a family beach vacation, there are specific items that can ease the stress and challenges for young travelers.

Here are 10 essential items to prepare your traveling teen for a world of adventure.

Cotopaxi Allpa 42L Travel Backpack

A well-chosen backpack should simplify the airport experience, feature ample pockets for organization, be incredibly durable, and fit easily in overhead compartments on planes, buses, and trains. It should also be comfortable enough for city walks and adaptable for rugged, off-road excursions.

Cotopaxi's Allpa 42-liter backpack is perfect for a teen who wants to travel light. It boasts essential features for both urban trips and outdoor escapades: comfort, durability, and numerous interior mesh pockets to help young travelers keep their belongings organized and easily accessible.

This vibrant and playful design is sure to grab attention at the luggage carousel or in any hotel lobby. With four sturdy grab handles, it offers various carrying options for those who prefer not to wear it on their back. It includes a durable, padded laptop sleeve, perfect for teens who often prefer to manage just one bag. Its 42-liter capacity easily accommodates everything needed for a two-week getaway.

Beats Solo3 Wireless Headphones

Teens often misplace items, especially in unfamiliar settings, making pricey headphones a risk. Priced under $200, the Beats Solo3 headphones deliver exceptional sound quality, boast over 40 hours of battery life, and feature a "fast fuel" recharge that provides three hours of listening after just five minutes of charging. With stylish designs and a variety of colors, they double as trendy accessories for teens. The ergonomic design fits comfortably on smaller heads and conveniently folds into a large pocket or the included soft case, which comes with a carabiner for easy attachment to carry-ons.

While the Beats Solo3 lacks active noise cancellation, you can opt for the Beats Studio3 if that's essential for you. However, this choice comes at the cost of 18 hours less battery life, a significant factor for traveling teens, and around $150 extra in price.

Global Entry

Traveling through airports can be quite overwhelming, particularly for teens flying solo who worry about missing their flights due to long immigration and security lines. If your child travels internationally at least once a year, investing in Global Entry is a smart choice. It offers all the perks of TSA PreCheck — allowing you to breeze through airport security without needing to remove shoes, jackets, laptops, or liquids — plus it enables quicker entry into the U.S. through automatic kiosks upon arrival from international flights.

To enroll your teen (or yourself) in Global Entry, you'll first need to create a Trusted Traveler account, fill out an online application, and pay a $120 membership fee, which covers five years of membership upon approval. Once conditionally approved, you can schedule an interview at a Global Entry enrollment center. The membership lasts for five years, and if your child's passport expires during that period, their Global Entry status can be easily transferred to the new passport.

Many credit cards offer reimbursement for your Global Entry application fee, typically once every four years.

Here are TPG's top recommendations for low-annual-fee cards that provide a Global Entry application credit:

• Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card ($95 annual fee).
• United Explorer Card ($95 annual fee, waived for the first year).
• Bank of America® Premium Rewards® Credit Card ($95 annual fee)

Here are some of the top premium cards that provide this benefit:

• Chase Sapphire Reserve ($550 annual fee).
• Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard® ($595 annual fee, refer to rates and fees).
• The Platinum Card® from American Express ($695 annual fee, check rates and fees).
• The Business Platinum Card® from American Express ($695 annual fee, see rates and fees).

Children of all ages can apply for Global Entry, and only one parent needs to be present during the interview, which includes a background check, interview, and fingerprinting. For a teenager, the interview typically takes less than 10 minutes.

BAGSMART CABLE ORGANIZER

When it comes to packing for a trip, teens tend to prioritize their devices and tech gadgets above all else. While the concept of packing cubes might not thrill them, they will definitely appreciate a solution that keeps their cables and electronics tidy. A compact cable organizer bag can prevent the hassle of trying to connect seven cables to a single device in a tent, on a flight, or while groggy in a new hotel room far from home.

The market is flooded with options available at relatively similar price points (around $20). The standout feature of the compact Bagsmart Cable Organizer is its lightweight and durable design, offering multiple pockets of various sizes to accommodate cables, plugs, chargers, and hard drives.

Petzl Tikkina Headlamp

Whether your teen is enjoying a camping trip or relaxing at a luxury resort, a headlamp is a must-have item. It allows for extended outdoor adventures, serves as a reading light, and helps them find their way around unfamiliar hotel rooms in the middle of the night when the light switches are puzzling.

It's also an excellent safety tool in case of an unexpected power outage or if they need to navigate poorly lit streets at night. The Petzl Tikkina is particularly well-suited for teens, featuring a straightforward on-off button, a 60-meter beam, and a comfortable headband (essential for teen use). Additional accessories like a bike helmet mount and a rechargeable battery further enhance its versatility.

ThermoFlask

It's amusing, but teens often forget to stay hydrated... until they really need to drink water.

A reusable water bottle that keeps drinks hot or cold serves as a great hydration reminder and is one of the impactful ways teens can contribute to reducing single-use plastics. With numerous options available, varying in price, weight, size, and material, the ThermoFlask stands out as one of the most durable and practical choices we've tested. It comes in multiple sizes and colors, features two interchangeable lids, and includes a convenient carrying handle. Made from stainless steel, its double-wall vacuum insulation keeps beverages cold for up to 24 hours and hot for about 12 hours.

4-in-1 Multi-Port Charger

When traveling with teens, dealing with outlet disputes and whose phone takes priority is a hassle you can do without. The 4-in-1 Multi-Port Charger simplifies charging by combining all your needs into one durable cord, enabling fast charging for multiple devices simultaneously.

It includes a lightning port, USB-C, micro USB, and a magnetic charging pad for Apple Watch. Universally compatible, it allows you to charge iOS, Android, and Bluetooth devices at once. This charger is much sturdier than typical cellphone cables and, with a 4-foot reach, it's particularly handy for road trips.

Carhartt Travel Kit

Featuring a straightforward and robust design, Carhartt's toiletry kit is ideal for teens to store and manage their grooming essentials, particularly when traveling alone. Made from polyester, this kit is budget-friendly, water-repellent, and built to withstand spills, impacts, and tough conditions. It's especially handy for camping trips, sleepaway camps, and sports camps, where packing light is essential.

It comfortably accommodates four TSA-approved 3.4-ounce travel-size bottles, along with a comb, toothpaste, and toothbrush. Its compact size allows teens to easily toss it into their carry-on, and the waterproof lining makes cleaning up any spills a breeze.

Bose SoundLink Flex Bluetooth Speaker

Bluetooth speakers are excellent travel companions for teens who enjoy streaming their favorite music and audiobooks from tablets, phones, or laptops, no matter where they are — at the beach, camping, or even in their hotel shower. For teens on the go, durability, portability, and sound quality are essential, and Bose's latest SoundLink Flex Bluetooth speaker checks all the boxes.

It boasts a solid base, offers around 12 hours of battery life, and is both dustproof and waterproof; it even floats in water while playing music. With outstanding connectivity, it can also pair with a second device for "Party Mode."

Apple AirTags

At TPG, we've extensively covered how Apple AirTags (a digital tracking device) are a must-have travel accessory, particularly for dealing with lost luggage and airport troubles. For teens, AirTags offer reassurance when traveling alone with valuable personal belongings or gear that needs to be checked, like snowboards or scuba equipment.

Beyond tracking luggage, AirTags can be attached to virtually anything they own — keys, wallets, headphones — allowing their device to monitor its location whenever it comes near another Apple device.

Furthermore, if they misplace an item and know it's nearby (like at home or in a hotel room), the "Find Nearby" feature can help guide them to their AirTag. Teens and parents should also be aware of safety concerns that have surfaced recently regarding AirTags.

Bottom line

Certain products can be transformative for teenagers managing their own packing, carrying, and responsibility for luggage. First-time trips, whether local or international, can be daunting even for experienced adults, especially in the current travel chaos that has become the new normal this year.

These proven travel essentials can help teens pack more efficiently and enhance their overall airport experience. They also provide essential organizational tools that free them up to focus on the joy of travel.