7 Affordable Travel Sized Musical Instruments for Casual Musicians
- Maria DiCicco
- Sep 24
- 6 min read
Updated: Oct 26
In this article, learn about the common FAQs for traveling with musical instruments from airport security to buying your guitar a passenger seat. Plus, be rewarded with the 7 travel sized musical instruments I recommend for maximizing musical fun on the road.
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Travel Sized Musical Instruments for Casual Players
You fit in this category if you love music, like to tinker around or sing to yourself and others, and if you want to take it on the go. Don't expect the greatness of your home music room setup, but these will do the trick for music on the move.
Portable Pianos
Carry-on Folding Piano
I stumbled onto this website looking for a portable piano for my frequent travels to my Spain home. I wanted something like the roll up pianos I'd seen on Amazon, but with more 'oomph'.
The Carry-On line of portable pianos is clearly superior, and worth considering for a very reasonable price point around $99.
Even better - you can buy this on Amazon. Check it out here!
Roll Up Pianos
Roll Up Pianos are not exactly for professional piano players, but they get the job done if you enjoy tinkering around on the keys. They roll up like a mouse pad would, with a similar texture (think of drum pads, if you are familiar with those).
It's a rubbery material that travels easily and produces enough sound to practice with headphones, but not anything that's going to lead the charge on the after dinner entertainment for friends and guests.
Here's a reasonable option for a Portable Travel Piano.
Travel Guitars
Journey Folding Guitars
Folding travel guitars are a touch gimmicky in design according to some, but if you ask me, these are bonafide bad to the bone.
Imagine how cool you'll be rolling up to the Barcelona airport with your "Puddle Jumper" labeled backpack - to unveil a full sized acoustic guitar with a folding neck?
Seriously cool, is the answer.
The Solid Sitka Travel guitar clocks in around $430 and is the most affordable model I found on the market for something this genius.
Junior Guitars
I use my junior Yamaha JR2TBS 3/4 Scale Guitar (in Tobacco Sunburst) for camping trips on our travel trailer.
It's the perfect size for the road - and I don't even use the backpack bag anymore (but it does come with one, which is so fun for hikes or walking down to the beach!).
It stores well on the camper and sounds decent enough to make for some good campfire sing-alongs.
Bonus points: it fits my 5 year old daughters' little hands, so it's a great beginner guitar to pass down, too.
There's a range of styles, colors, and brands to choose from, but for starters you can find one around $189.
Compact Musical Instruments for Travel
Ukuleles
If you haven't seen the Rock (Dwayne Johnson) playing the ukulele in Journey 2 Mysterious Island, then you perhaps don't know - tiny stringed instruments are for big men too! He jams hard with lyrical loveliness, and you can too - if you can figure out how to play four strings instead of a guitar's traditional six (I haven't taken the time to try yet, but here's my brother giving it a go in the below image).
Uke's pack light (around 1 or 2 lbs) and carry-on with no issue.
Try this travel ukulele that comes recommended around the interwebs. She's beauty and she's grace (in multiple colors!), she comes with a gig bag, strap and more. AND this lovely ukulele fits as a carry-on (22" is usually max carry-on size and she is 21")...she's a surefire winner for beginner ukulele players at under $40.
For a little more professional standard build, Journey Instruments offers some great ukuleles too, with gig bags!
Recorders (yes like in middle school)
Don't knock it til you try it (as an adult). Lin-Manuel Miranda slays at some recorder solos in Vivo, and you can too.
These easy-to-pack instruments are essentially a woodwind in a plastic wrapper. I grew up playing the alto sax, and it was more or less a given that I could play the recorder because of it. The same goes for Clarinet players.
So if you don't want to pack your moldy reeds, your spit rags and your shining cloths, woodwind players can still go for the same jams with their recorder. Just don't take it too seriously.
Get your basic starter recorder on Amazon for around $8, or go for this rosewood alto recorder if you mean business.
Pro Tip: Especially if you mean business, woodwind players may want to check out the digital woodwind line from Carry-On, too.
They start around $90 and pack in some seriously cool features. Check out their lower cost model on Amazon here.
Virtual Drum Kit Sets
I'm not going to claim I know anything about drumming, but I found this air drumstick toy for my kid in our music room and I realized, drummers, ya'll need something on this list too!
First, I'd suggest these simple drumstick dampeners - the silicone pieces slip over your drumstick tips and allow you to tap and bang away on surfaces without the clanging noise. Great for fiddling around on a train or on your lap in airport lounges, and they cost less than $10.
Here's three more adultish products I found on Amazon, all hovering around $100 for bluetooth, compact drum kits:
Flying with Musical Instruments FAQs
What are the rules for flying with musical instruments?
Each airline has different weight and size restrictions, just like with carry-on or checked baggage. Typically the airline website will have a special items section with details.
In general, small instruments can fly on board with you if you count it as a carry-on by itself, or even better if it fits inside your carry-on.
Ideally, it needs to fit in the overhead bin (or with some of these products below, even under the seat).
Do I have to pay for my musical instrument to fly with me?
You should not expect an extra fee so long as your item fits within the carry-on rules.
However, fees may be incurred for flying with musical instruments in checked baggage, depending on the airline.
Do I need a case when I travel with my musical instrument?
Yes. Especially any instrument being put into the cargo hold needs to have a hard sided case. No soft sided cases! Airlines are generally not liable for damages to your instruments so you want to pack them up nice and safe.
For added security when traveling with your guitar, for instance, many folks go so far as buying something like this Gator Case with a TSA approved locking latch. It's a little pricier than the case you may have for local travel around town, but so is your baby, so protect it.
Do I have to check my instrument or can I carry it on the airplane?
It depends on the airline bag rules and the size of your instrument! Most of the items on this list fit in your carry-on bag.
If you really want to, you can even buy a seat for your guitar, cello, and other large instruments on some airlines.
Any tips on traveling with a guitar?
I've noticed that a lot of guitarists recommend loosening the strings to reduce tension during travel. Just be sure you're able to tune it when you get to your destination.
Can musical instruments go through TSA or Customs?
Yes, they will be subject to a physical inspection and will have to go through the typical screening process.
Some sites claim that you should declare your musical instruments when traveling through customs, but I think that may be on a case by case basis.
Be sure that any items with lithium batteries (like a portable piano, perhaps) or other potentially hazardous materials are dealt with properly before flying. See rules on flying with lithium ion batteries here.
Last Thoughts on Packing Travel Sized Musical Instruments
Pack light. Pack small. Pack well! Protect those instruments, whether they are just 'toys' for a campfire or if you take things more seriously.
I hope some of these affordable products bring some light, joy and music into your travels. Enjoy!
