As anyone who spends a good deal of time on the road will tell you, keeping yourself comfortable and clear headed are the keys to successful business travel. With that in mind, we wanted to take a look at a few of our favorite must-haves when it comes to roaming abroad.

The Cloud Pillow
For some, packing a little extra cushion is a no-brainer when it comes to sitting in uncomfortable airline seats. While airlines always offer complimentary blanket’s and pillows, it seems like they were never designed with the intention of keeping anyone actually comfortable. Enter the Sobakawa Cloud Pillow. Yes, this is one of those “As seen on TV” products from late night public access, but for portability and comfort they can’t be beat. It shapes itself to the contours of your neck and shoulders to envelop you in micro-bead goodness and actually has a pretty solid shelf life as well. Plus, the buy 1 get 1 free promotion will keep you sleeping soundly in public for a long time to come.

Melatonin
Trying to catch up on some much needed sleep during a flight can be nearly impossible. Between the turbulence and the kid behind you kicking the seat, shut eye is not easy to come by. Sometimes you just need a little extra help to make the jump to dreamland. Melatonin is a natural sleep aid that can be found in almost any over the counter drugstore and will allow you to drift off easily without the groggy after effects. Compared to some of the stronger sleep medications on the market, melatonin is very mellow and known for putting you out without keeping you there, and that might be just what you need before touching down and heading to the big meeting.

Noise-Cancelling Headphones/Earplugs
Headphone technology has come a long way since the days of the Walkman. Multiple brands carry affordable noise-cancelling options whose main feature is to electronically drown out the jet-engine noise and chatty passengers around you. Sony sells a more affordable option at 50$ while the truly luxurious spring for the classic Bose QuietComfort. Of course, there is always good ol’ earplugs. They get the job done, but combine some James Taylor on the Bose headphones with one of those melatonin’s and the next thing you know you’ll be touching down at your destination, peaceful and well-rested.


Kindle/iPad
The portable tablet market has been booming in the last few years. While the iPad has made a name for itself in the e-publishing community, Amazon’s Kindle is still king of the portable book collections. They now have a few different options, but we find the Kindle Touch packs the best punch for the price and size. With wi-fi access included, the Touch allows you to keep your entire library as well as magazine subscriptions and daily newspapers all in one place with a bright, easy to read display. The upcoming Kindle Fire is posed to take the market by storm however, with access to Netflix, apps, and other streaming services in an even more compact package. We will be sure to revisit this list again once there has been time to road-test the Fire. For now, whether you’re killing time during a delay or drifting off in your corporate housing apartment, these e-readers will let you jump between Shakespeare and Tom Clancy without the added weight and bulk of clunky paperbacks.

Did we miss one of your all-time must-have comfort items for travel? Leave us a comment below and let us know!

Image Credit: PleasureTripping