Featured image: Get ready for your next adventure for less with these Black Friday deals for travel | Photo by oneinchpunchphotos on Envato

Save big on these tried-and-tested products loved by women

curated by JourneyWoman

Black Friday is here, and we’ve rounded up the travel products our community of women loves most. All these products are tested, trusted, and recommended by JourneyWoman readers and writers. Whether you’re refreshing your luggage, upgrading your tech, or preparing for next year’s adventures, these deals make it a perfect time to invest in items that truly make travel easier, safer, and more comfortable.

From lightweight luggage to wellness tools, walking shoes, and clever electronics, every product on this list has been chosen with solo women 50+ in mind, because we know what actually works on the road.

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(Please note: this article includes Amazon and other affiliate links, but we only ever recommend items we think are relevant for you and we’ve tried ourselves that will benefit you on your travels. If you decide to purchase a product through one of these links, we will receive a small commission that doesn’t add any cost to the purchase of an item and helps us maintain our website and other services to you!)

Luggage & Bags

Wheeled Duffel Bags: A recent discussion on our private Facebook group resulted in some great recommendations for a stylish, lightweight bag with wheels. The most highly recommended were: the Eagle Creek Gear Warrior XE-2, 27” rolling duffel, the Osprey brand rolling duffel (65L or 40L version), the Samsonsite wheeled duffel and the Eddie Bauer Expedition 22 45L. Other brands mentioned were Delsey and TravelPro.

Gregory Backpacks: JourneyWoman’s Carolyn Ray has FIVE Gregory backpacks. Her newest is the Gregory Jade 28L, but she also recommends the ​Gregory Maya 10L, a smaller women’s pack perfect for hiking and day trips, and the ​Gregory 60L​ for longer trips.  Gregory has really comfortable backpacks that adjust to women’s bodies, as well as plus-size backpacks in colours like blue, green and teal.

Cotopaxi: Looking for a great backpack made of recycled materials? Each Cotopaxi backpack is ethically handmade with sustainable fabrics. There are lots of styles and colours to choose from. Need something bigger? Cotopaxi also features rolling bags to make travel easier and large duffel bags.

Packing cubes: Finding good quality, packing cubes with strong zippers is a must, especially for carry-on. I have two sets of ​Bagsmart Compression water-resistant cubes in different colours, which are on sale for 26% off. I bring an empty one for laundry. Find them here.

Carry-on bags: If you haven’t bought carry-on luggage for a while, Maria recommends a small (20-21 inch) wheeled bag, which makes it easier to board trains in Europe that may have short stop times, stairs and limited storage. She says as an older woman with upper back issues, “I can’t carry backpacks any longer.”  Bonnie uses the Travelpro Maxlite 5 Softside. This week, shoppers can save up to 50% on all Travelpro luggage and bags. Margaret likes an expandable hard shell and a medium-sized spinner as her checked piece by Samsonite.

Sherpani: Sherpani offers high-quality bags for women, from luggage to anti-theft backpacks, crossbody packs and more. This Black Friday, they are offering 30% off their entire store, plus free shipping on all purchases. Start shopping here.

Electronics

Binoculars: Going on a cruise or safari soon? This is a great time to consider upgrading your phone and binoculars. Try a pair of high-quality 10×42 Zeiss binoculars or the Bushnell brand, which are on sale for 20%  off. For those far-away photos, you’ll want a camera phone that goes beyond 2x optical zoom.

Camera: The Canon EOS Rebel is a great beginner camera at an affordable price, and this kit comes with a camera bag to go with it!

Phone: Look for an upgraded Apple iPhone with built-in 5x optical zoom or a Samsung phone to get photographs from long distances.

Bagsmart electronics organizer:  Keep all of your wires, cords, adapters, headphones, reading light and extra batteries all in one spot with this electronics organizer, so you don’t leave anything behind. It’s on sale for 33% off and comes in a variety of colours.

Selfie Stick + Photo Tripod: How to take photos when you’re travelling solo? This retractable and lightweight selfie stick and built-in tripod has a remote and fits in a backpack easily, making it easy to get great photos without having to ask someone. It also doubles as a tripod, so you can take photos of larger landscapes. No issues at security either.

Bluetooth Adapter: Do you like to wear your own headphones on planes? Now you can, with a wireless Bluetooth adapter. We like the Airfly brand. This small adapter connects to your airplane TV screen and connects to your hearing aids or wireless headphones, which is so much more comfortable

Travel toothbrush: This Phillips rechargeable toothbrush is perfect for travel. It has a travel case, packs small and can be charged using a USB. It’s on sale now for 25% off. Get yours here.

Oura Ring: Oura Rings are on sale this Black Friday! An Oura Ring helps women understand sleep patterns, body temperature and exercise goals. It integrates with other apps on your phone for maximum accuracy and tracking. Find one here.

Anker portable charger: Anker portable chargers are recommended by many women for their long-lasting battery life, multiple charging ports, and fast-charging abilities. They’re on sale for 15% off. Find one here.

Headlamp: A headlamp is an absolutely essential product, not just for camping but also for any unexpected natural disaster or power outage. Along with a rubber door stopper, it’s an essential travel item.  Get one that has both red and white lights, like these ones from Ledlenser, in the event you want to use it for turtle watching.

Walking shoes and socks

Walking shoes: These wedge sneakers from Skechers are incredibly comfortable and can be cleaned in the washing machine.

Shoes for swelling feet: It’s always a challenge finding the right walking shoes for summer travel, especially when your feet swell. Women recommend running shoes and sandals over slides. Check out these brands: Vessi, Vionics, Birkenstocks, or Brooks, all of which are on sale for Black Friday!

Jane says: “My go-to shoes are lightweight, comfortable sneakers from a Swedish company called Icebug. They’re made of recycled textiles, and the company is very committed to social justice and sustainability. If I need to take a dressy pair of shoes, I have some packable flats from Vivaia.”

Insoles: Another great idea: pack removable cork insoles so that you can wash them on the road.

Hiking shoes: Stylish and soft, great for all terrains and a heel pillow. Merrell’s latest Moab 3 hiking shoes have a new, more supportive insole and cushioned midsole.

Compression socks: Our adventurous friend and travel writer, Sherry Ott, has just launched her own line of ‘Go Explore’ compression socks after contracting blood clots and a pulmonary embolism on a long-haul flight to India a few years ago. Sherry says that women over 40 are more susceptible to contracting blood clots while travelling. Sherry helped design the socks, which are now available at Vim and Vigr. Use code JOURNEYWOMAN to get an exclusive 15% off the entire site and pick up your pair here.​

Slippers: Regardless of the season, I always bring my cozy slippers. I’m on my second pair of UGG slippers, having lost my first somewhere in Italy last fall. I would rather have these than another pair of outdoor shoes. Get yours here.

Clothing

Money belt: Remember to keep small change in your purse and larger bills and cards in an RFID money belt under your clothes.

SPF Clothing: Many JourneyWoman readers recommend Coolibar, the first sun-protective clothing company to receive The Skin Cancer Foundation’s Seal of Recommendation. Coolibar’s hats, cover-ups and clothing are stylish and affordable.

There are also bathing suits with UPF protection, like Athleta, which uses 100% recycled materials and accommodates bra sizes from B-DD. Another option is Title Nine, recommended by Kitty. Size ranges from an XS to an XL, and cup support goes up to a DDD. If you’re looking to support smaller brands on your bathing suit journey, this brand might be perfect for you.

Merino wool underlayers:  Merino wool long underwear, which also doubles as pyjamas. These merino wool undergarments are 12% off and naturally regulate body temperature to keep you comfortable all year round.

Democracy ab solution jeans: Why pay hundreds of dollars for jeans? These jeans are lightweight, comfortable and soft, with strategically placed pockets for a figure-flattering shape and a sweetheart back yoke to “boost your assets”. This week, they are also 20% off! Look for a pair here.

Sleep Aids

Cabeau Travel Pillow: We’ve tested the wrap-around pillows and always come back to my ​​Cabeau Evolution Memory Foam Travel Pillow. It comes with a mask and folds into a very small bag that can be clipped to any bag. Right now, you can save 34%. Find it here.

Eye mask: This fitted eye mask is comfortable and comes in different colours, perfect for helping you sleep on a plane or in too-bright hotel rooms. The silky fabric is better for your skin too. It’s 20% off this week.

Earplugs: The highly rated Loop Quiet earplugs are on sale for Black Friday at 20% off. These are perfect for flying and hotels in noisy areas. Get them here!

Toiletries

Conditioner: For those with thinning hair, having conditioner helps us feel our best. We like shampoo and conditioner bars like the Earthing Co. brand, which last for up to six months. We wish we had short or curly hair that can air dry, but for those who don’t, we’re loving this cordless hair curling brush, which is on sale. At home, we recommend an ionic hairdryer – no hair frizz and so quiet

Sunscreen: Finding good quality sunscreen that comes in carry-on sizes can be a challenge, especially when we want to choose a reef-safe sunscreen that doesn’t damage our oceans. Many of the top sunscreen brands like Coppertone, Sun Bum, Neutrogena and Banana Boat contain chemicals that are harmful to the ocean’s reefs and marine life. Instead, look for Badger Balm Sunscreen, a women-owned business, or Alba Botanica Hawaiian, which has no parabens, phthalates or sulphates.

Toiletry bag: The Bagsmart Clear TSA Approved Toiletry bag comes in different colours and is easy to clean.

Hair trimmer: This lightweight eyebrow and facial hair trimmer helps keep unwanted hairs at bay

Toothbrush: This Phillips electric toothbrush is worth every penny, with a long-lasting charge! It’s on sale this week for Black Friday.

Mobility Aids

Folding stool: On our Facebook group, Noreen asked for recommendations for a “lightweight, easy to travel with, stick seat? After standing in a 4-hour lineup for rebooking at the airport recently, I was exhausted with significant pain, which mostly could have been prevented if I could have sat down”. Carol B. recommended this folding stool, which can be found on Amazon.

Safari gear: Our group of travellers in South Africa shared all the little things that are making this trip even better. When you’re in remote areas, it’s handy to have: extra carabiners, an extra phone charger, an international power adapter, antibacterial wet wipes, Zambuk lip balm, extra bandaids, noise-cancelling headphones and extra toothpaste in case the monkeys jump in your bathroom window (yes, this really happened). Get more Safari packing tips here.​

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