One of the quirks about travel is how your whole world shrinks—time gets short, airplane seats are smaller than ever, and many of the everyday products you use suddenly become “travel size.” You might be surprised, though, to discover just how many travel size products there actually are out there—heck, there’s an entire “superstore” dedicated to travel size products called Minimus, where you can find just about anything you need in tiny, adorable portions.
While most of us know you can find plenty of food, toiletries, and other basics in travel sizes, the wonders of the free market mean you can find some pretty surprising things designed to fit in your luggage. Here are several things you probably didn’t know come in travel size.
CPAP machines
If you suffer from sleep apnea or another breathing disorder and you regularly use a Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) machine when you sleep, you know how difficult it is to travel with a bulky machine, and how much room it takes up in your luggage. Lucky for you, there are a lot of travel-sized options out there, like the ResMed AirMini. Approved for use on airplanes, this tiny unit is packed with useful features and is surprisingly quiet, so you won’t bother folks on the plane or in a shared hotel room. It’s not cheap, but if you travel a lot, it’s a great investment.
Musical instruments
If you’re a musician, you know that traveling with larger instruments can be a nightmare. Every few years the news reports another valuable instrument absolutely destroyed by airline, airport, or TSA employees, and shipping carries similar risks with additional costs. But if you just need a way to practice or simply enjoy playing and miss it when you have to leave home, the good news is that you can find a pretty wide variety of instruments in travel-size versions. There’s the Pocket Piano, which has a modular design that transforms from a small square to a full-size keyboard in moments, or the Hofner Shorty electric guitar, which offers a full-scale playing experience in a tiny little instrument.
Cocktail kits
Air travel can really cut into your cocktail hour—even if you have the time to relax with a drink, you’re often limited to whatever the flight crew can provide. But with a travel size cocktail kit (or three) you can enjoy just about any cocktail you like, from a Moscow mule to a mint julep, a mojito to an old fashioned. All you need to supply is the alcohol, and the kit provides everything else you need to keep it classy even in the cramped conditions of economy.
Coffee makers and kettles
Coffee, tea, and other hot drinks are usually pretty easy to find when you travel, but the costs can add up if you’re constantly grabbing to-go cups—plus, the quality of your beverages may not be quite what you’re used to. But you can actually pack your own espresso maker with the tiny-but-powerful Nanopresso, which requires nothing more than coffee and hot water to produce surprisingly terrific coffee. You can also find collapsible travel kettles that will let you brew up tea, hot chocolate, or any other warm beverage you’d like—and it squashes down and fits inside your luggage without a problem.
Weights
If you work out and travel a lot, you know the horrors of hotel gyms: lack of equipment, broken machines, or a crowd of people elbowing each other in irritation. But did you know you can actually pack weights to bring with you for an in-room workout? These travel dumbbells are a simple concept: Plastic weights you fill with water, offering up to 45 pounds of resistance in each one. Empty, they’re light and thin and fit easily into luggage or carry-on bags, and all you need to get a good workout is access to water.
White noise machine
Have trouble sleeping, especially in strange beds? Religiously use a white noise machine at home? Good news: You can buy travel size white noise machines like the Yogasleep Rohm—it’s tiny, but it sports great battery life and offers soothing white noise to block out the world. It comes with a strap that makes it easy to hang on your luggage or the seat in front of you, but can also be placed on a nightstand next to your bed to ensure a peaceful atmosphere and your best chance of getting some rest.
Clothes iron
No matter how careful while packing up your luggage, the chances that you’ll be spending your morning trying to steam your outfit in the hotel bathroom are not zero. While some hotels provide an iron in the room, that’s not always an option—but you can buy a travel-size iron that fits snugly in your bag, ready to be deployed at a moment’s notice.
