Travel might be the perfect opportunity to get out of your comfort zone, but that doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice your physical comfort or mental well-being along the way! Check out our top ten tech gadgets and have a more relaxing and enjoyable vacation.
1. Universal travel adapter
Electricity gives life to all our other gadgets, and a universal travel adapter guarantees you can take advantage of the local variety wherever you find yourself. Make sure your model is compatible with different voltages and your destination’s plug type. It should also have plenty of USB ports to charge as many of your gadgets as needed at once.
2. Smart luggage
The latest trend for the well-off tech traveler is smart luggage, which combines several features to make your airport stay a breeze. Some models have power banks or GPS sensors that let you track their live location. Others have built-in scales that ensure you don’t pack over the weight limit. The most advanced smart suitcases even feature powered wheels that make pushing even the heaviest of them around more than manageable.
3. Noise-cancelling headphones or earbuds
No one wants to suffer through the whining of engines – or toddlers – while cooped up on a 12-hour intercontinental flight. You might not be able to switch seats, but the right pair of noise-canceling headphones will let you switch off your auditory surroundings! Make sure they’re portable yet tough, have a long battery life, and fit comfortably.
4. E-readers
Why settle for ad-hoc airport paperbacks when you can carry a library’s worth of suspense, romance, or fantasy inside a single notebook-sized gadget? E-readers are a must for bookworms on holiday, combining the paper-like experience of e-ink with a large capacity, built-in light, and even text-to-speech functions for when your eyes get tired.
5. Portable nightlight
No more stubbing your toes on someone else’s bed in an unfamiliar hostel room! Travel night lights provide enough illumination to find your way around without being bright enough to wake others. Get a model with a rechargeable battery so you don’t have to swap anything out. Bonus points if it has easy-to-use physical controls but lets you change advanced settings like brightness and color via an app.
6. eSIMs
Finding a safe and affordable internet connection when traveling abroad can be tricky. How about turning one on as soon as you leave the airplane without worrying about steep fees or cybercriminals who want to steal your data over public Wi-Fi?
That’s the idea behind eSIM services. They use the eSIM chip embedded in your smartphone to allow access to local mobile networks at domestic prices. For example, if you’re traveling to Thailand, an eSIM for Thailand would be an excellent choice for staying connected without the hassle of swapping out your physical SIM card. Best of all, you can easily switch to a new eSIM plan once you’re in another country and take advantage of the best prices and coverage wherever you go.
7. Fan power bank
Perhaps the greatest invention in modern travel gadgetry, the fan powerbank is the solution to every comfort-focused traveler’s two nightmare scenarios. It’s breeze will cool you off during stifling airplane rides and take some of the edge off in non-air-conditioned accommodations. Meanwhile, the power bank feature ensures your phone has enough juice to make an emergency call or help you kill time.
8. Foldable Bluetooth keyboard
Having a hard time tearing yourself away from work even on vacation? A portable Bluetooth keyboard will let you fire off business emails or text friends far more conveniently than tapping on a screen would. The most compact models are about the same size as a smartphone. Meanwhile, foldable ones take up little space while providing an adequate typing surface once unpacked.
9. Foldable travel kettle
Coffee and tea aficionados who wouldn’t dream of letting others prepare their favorite beverage may want to propel this gadget to the top of the list! Travel kettles have a collapsible silicone top that makes them super compact while letting you boil several cups’ worth of water in minutes. They’re also great for young parents as they allow you to prepare baby formula or sterilize pacifiers without having access to a full-blown kitchen.
10. Smartwatch
Smartwatches aren’t just for fitness freaks and tech enthusiasts – their diverse capabilities make them ideal travel companions. Being able to download and access offline maps without having to pull your phone out is worth it alone, but it’s hardly the only feature.
Receiving real-time updates on flights and hotel stays, having access to weather forecasts, and actively monitoring your health make smartwatches more than worthwhile.
