Whether you are talking about travelling abroad or within a country (which is more likely at the moment due to COVID-19), there are certain gadgets that help to make your life that much easier. The way that I decided to compose this list, was by solving the common problems that one faces while travelling. These pieces of equipment are ones that I use a lot and really think are a necessity for the modern day traveller.
The most useful gadget to have when you are travelling is the one that ensures that no matter what, you always have your most important device – your phone. Your phone can be used for directions, making calls, searching up how to do something, or even translating important signs. All of these functionalities are essential to ensuring a safe and enjoyable trip. For keeping this, and all your other devices charged, I recommend this 20,000mAh power bank. For those of you that are unaware, mAh stands for milliamp hour, which means the higher this value – the more stuff you can charge after charging the power bank once. The only downside to having a high mAh power bank is that it takes quite a while to charge, but when travelling it is always a good device to make sure you have fully charged (you really never know when you are going to need it…).
For this I recommend the FLOVEME Power Bank 20,000mAH – $15
- It has two USB ports
- Can be charged with USB-C or Micro-USB
- Has 4 LED lights to indicate how charged the power bank is.
Next, when you are travelling, we all know that feeling when you get to the hotel and you check your bag, then you’ve realised…. I have one usb-charger and I have 4 devices to charge. This is the most frustrating moment as it will take so long to charge each of your devices and may even involve you having to ensure that you are back to plug a new device in. To solve this issue, I just invested in a multi-port USB charger. It saves you all this hassle and it is perfect for use at home, as well as when you are abroad. I have a lot of devices and since I travel a lot with other people – who inevitably forget to bring a USB adapter, I need something with a lot of USB ports.
So for this I recommend this 40W 8 Port USB Charging Adapter Hub – $12
Furthermore, when you are travelling there is one piece of kit that cannot be omitted is a solid backpack/rucksack. This backpack holds all of your essential kit, from your laptop, to your phone, to your power bank, to other important documents. Since this holds the majority of your important items, it needs to be a backpack that isn’t easily accessible to thieves, looks stylish and has enough space to hold everything you need. It is also helpful to be able to plug a cable into the bag on the exterior, such that you can easily charge your phone without opening the bag (just so this is clear, you have to buy a power bank to plug into the inside of the bag – like this one).
The backpack that I recommend is Kingsons Waterproof Backpack – $33 (currently)
Key features of this backpack include:
- Waterproof
- Only 0.66kg
- USB-interface for charging on the exterior
- Can hold up to a 15.6 inch laptop, and up to an 11 inch iPad
- Anti-Theft (very hidden zip)
- Stylish (in my opinion…)
- Can be put onto the top of a small trolley case (so that you only have to pull the small case)
Previously, I mentioned important documents such as your passport, debit cards, as well as things like money. These would be safely stored in the backpack I recommended above. However, for organisational purposes, you can also benefit from using what I would call a travel wallet. A place where you are able to store your passport, cards and money all in one item. If you are someone who travels a lot, it is also possible that you have multiple sim cards, or that you want to buy a local sim card temporarily just to keep costs down – so storing these are also pretty important. Well, it’s important to me as a few years ago (before you could use your phone contract anywhere in the EU), I got a sim card in Spain and took out my usual dutch sim card. As you might guess, I lost that sim card… After that I always try and find a way to make sure that my sim cards are safely stored.
For all of these functions, I recommend picking up this Vintage Travel Wallet – $5
I recommend this one as it is:
- Stylish (and comes in a range of different colours)
- Holds two sim cards
- Has 4 card slots
- Space for money
- Elastic strap to hold everything together
Finally, the majority of people nowadays like to listen to something when travelling around, whether that be from music, to a movie, or perhaps even an audiobook. Although, up until recently you had to have big headphones to have the most important feature when travelling – noise cancelling – but not anymore. When the AirPods Pro were released by tech giant Apple last year at the end of October, they offered noise-cancelling but in a much smaller package. What makes the AirPods Pro so valuable are the three modes that they possess; off, transparency and noise-cancelling. Off is essentially the same as using normal AirPods. Transparency is a very interesting mode (but the mode I love, but never realised I needed) – it allows you to hear whatever you are listening to, but also allows noise to come in from the outside (like cars, bells, people, etc.). It is a difficult mode to explain, but try the AirPods Pro from a friend and test it out. This ensures that you are constantly safe and aware about what is going on around you. Lastly, noise-cancelling is perfect for cutting out all noise such as on a train or plane.
Despite the hefty price tag, the AirPods Pro are one of the best investments that I have made. They are the perfect earphones for any situation. You also have the option of only using one AirPod at a time if you wish. The battery in each AirPod lasts roughly 4 hours, but the case charges the AirPods too (providing roughly a week where you don’t need to change the case).
Check them out here on amazon for the best price!
Conclusion
There are many useful gadgets to use while travelling, and I’m sure that in this article I have only touched the surface. Let me make clear, none of these are essential for travelling – but they do make your life a lot easier. Tech and travel go hand in hand, and by following this guide I hope you have found some ideas for purchases that will ensure that you have a great trip (wherever you are going).
As always, if you believe that I have missed something, or indeed have a suggestion for how I could improve these articles then contact me through the comments or the contact us page.
techtrusted.wordpress.com 