When it comes to packing for a summer getaway, the divide between what we think we need and what actually saves the day becomes clear the second the suitcase zips shut. To uncover the Kingdom’s true travel habits, a recent nationwide poll by Jodel, engaging over 5,000 respondents across 40 Saudi cities revealed a fascinating look at what stays firmly inside a Saudi traveller's luggage.
Whether heading on a long-haul flight or taking a quick city break escape, Saudi travellers agree on one non-negotiable anchor: staying connected.
Items Saudis Can't Travel Without
It turns out that peace of mind relies almost entirely on battery life. When asked to name the single item they simply cannot travel without, an overwhelming 89% of travellers that participated in the data set said it would be their mobile phone and charger.
While secondary travel staples like oversized sunglasses (4%), noise-cancelling headphones (4%), and a signature fragrances (3%) split the remaining vote, tech essentials clearly reign supreme. For modern travellers, navigation, itineraries, boarding passes, and memories all live on a single screen, making the charger the ultimate safety net.
The "Lifesaver" Items
Packing smart often comes down to the items you don't realise you need until you're halfway across the world. When asked what turned out to be a summer "lifesaver," practical functionality swept the board. Rather than luxury extras or impulse buys, travellers overwhelmingly favoured pure utility, prioritising seamless convenience, effortless organisation, and everyday protection to keep travel friction to a absolute minimum.
These are the items the surveyed Saudis mentioned as being must-have items when travelling:
- Portable Charger (52%): Claiming over half the votes, a high-capacity power bank pulled far ahead as the ultimate trip-saver. With long transit days and constant camera use, portable power proved to be the ultimate travel insurance.
- Sunscreen (22%): A classic summer staple, sun protection ranked high as an indispensable defence against intense seasonal heat.
- Comfortable Slippers (19%): Landing a surprising nearly-one-fifth of the vote, lightweight, easy-to-wear footwear proved essential for navigating long flights, hotel rooms, and poolside lounging.
- Bag Organisers (7%): For the hyper-organised, compression cubes and structural pouches kept luggage chaos at bay.
Ultimately, this summer's packing trends reveal a distinct shift toward functional efficiency paired with personal comfort: keep your devices fully charged, protect your skin, step into comfortable footwear, and bring along a familiar scent to feel at home anywhere in the world.
What is Jodel?
Jodel is a hyperlocal community platform that acts as a real-time, location-based social feed connecting users to the people and events directly around them. Operating with a focus on anonymity, it allows individuals to share text, photos, and polls without the pressure of a curated personal profile, with content surfaced based on proximity rather than follower counts. Users interact by upvoting or downvoting posts — influencing what trends in their immediate area — which makes it a powerful tool for discovering grassroots local news, hyper-specific regional trends, candid recommendations, and authentic community discussions.
