Travel and Tech Enthusiast? 8 Must-Have Gadgets for Your Adventures
Some people use their vacation time to escape from their increasingly technologized lives. Others embrace the opportunity to invest in even more gadgets! If you’re in the latter camp, you wouldn’t want to go on your next adventure without these eight essentials on our list.
1. A Travel-Ready Smartphone
Before you roll your eyes at such a mundane suggestion, consider that a smartphone is only as impactful as you make it. How? By installing and setting up all the apps that will turn it into the digital equivalent of a Swiss army knife!
There are far too many apps to count. Some will help you get the best flight and hotel deals. Others specialize in mapping public transport routes or giving you detailed hourly weather reports. Remember not to neglect your digital safety either, so install a VPN and a password manager that will help you create and secure unique passwords for all those new app accounts, not to mention existing ones that may contain sensitive personal or financial info.
2. Noise-Canceling Headphones
Travel can be noisy, especially when you’re crammed inside a plane or bus with other passengers. A good pair of noise-canceling headphones will let you tune out ambient sounds and get into the right groove for the next leg of the journey. Plus, they provide better privacy when taking calls since others won’t be able to hear what the other party is saying.
3. A Powerbank
Powerbanks are reliable power sources you should never travel without! They’re compact and not that heavy, yet most can charge two smartphones without running dry. Check if yours supports the correct connection types for all the devices you plan to bring. Don’t forget to charge your powerbank and all your other tech fully before leaving home!
4. A Universal Charger
Even the best powerbank will run out of juice eventually, leaving you with the awkward task of trying to charge your stuff through incompatible sockets. A universal charger can save the day by adapting to local socket shapes and voltages while acting as a charging hub for multiple devices.
5. An eSIM Plan
The eSIM is the newest take on international cellular communication. Rather than force you to switch out SIM cards in each country you visit or pay for expensive roaming, eSIMs let you switch between local providers and get the best deals while maintaining high digital security standards. Such a chip is already likely part of your smartphone. All you need to do is find a good provider and take advantage of their offers.
6. An Action Camera
Fiddling with your phone is the last thing you want to do while roaring down a snowy slope or exploring an underwater paradise. Action cameras are easy to control with your voice or simple gestures. Their wide-angle lenses provide an all-encompassing and immersive view of your surroundings, making for incredible videos and memories.
7. Luggage Trackers
Dealing with luggage can be tedious, especially if you invested in a well-known brand and have to pick yours out from five others at the carousel. Trackers eliminate the hassle and will always let you know where your luggage is, even if it accidentally ends up half across the world. Be sure to get the correct model for your phone, as some aren’t compatible with Android.
8. An E-Reader
Why bring a single beach read along when you can binge on as many as you like? E-readers have evolved into sleek, light, and highly legible devices that mimic real paper while offering all the conveniences a responsive light-up touchscreen brings. Load one up with some books you’ve been itching to read and start relaxing between more vigorous adventures by exercising your imagination.