Whether you’re going on a business trip or a holiday, having the right travel gadgets on hand can make even the longest flights feel a lot shorter. You may have no control of flight schedules, seating arrangements, or the quality of food in your flight, but being prepared with great travel accessories that can make it feel more comfortable is totally within your grasp. You just have to know what you actually need to bring before checking in at the airport.
Many of the best travel gadgets are meant to provide entertainment, which is very important for the many hours you’re going to spend locked inside a plane with complete strangers. Others are meant to deliver various utilitarian functions, whether it be helping you sleep, keeping tabs on your luggage, or ensuring you have a power source to keep all of your electronics charged. The specific travel gadgets you need will depend a lot on what you personally prioritize. It’s going to be impossible to bring every travel contraption out there, after all, especially if you’re trying to manage how much things you’re going to pack, but it’s definitely something worth spending some time on, as it can make a significant difference to the quality of your flight (and, potentially, your whole trip).
These are the best travel gadgets to bring comfort and convenience to your upcoming trips.
Perilogics Universal In-Flight Phone Holder
If you prefer watching movies and shows you have saved on your phone instead of the in-flight entertainment, then you’ll need a more comfortable way to do it than holding your phone or setting it down on the tray the whole time. This accessory mounts onto the top of the folded seat tray in front, giving you a handy spot to clamp your phone in place. Once your phone is secure, you can move it to portrait or landscape, as well as angle it higher or lower, allowing you to adjust it to the most comfortable viewing position. It’s a real game-changer, if you like using your phone for in-flight entertainment. Even better, the design allows it to be mounted to a whole variety of fixtures, from desks and cabinets to gym equipment and more, making it extremely useful even when you’re not flying.
Musicozy Sleep Headphones
If you like wearing a sleep mask when catching some sleep on the plane, you might want to consider switching to these sleep headphones instead. It’s, basically, a sleep mask with integrated Bluetooth headphones, allowing you to listen to soothing sounds on top of covering your eyes. That way, you can drown out not just the ambient light, but the ambient sounds, too. Is it the best headphones for listening to your favorite music? Not really, but it’s decent enough to play white noise, jungle sounds, or whatever other type of recordings can help lull you to slumber.
Rolling Square inCharge X
This small device can be hung in your keychain, giving you a handy 6-in-1 charging cable for powering up your electronics. Housed within its minuscule frame are six different charging cables, namely USB to USB-C, USB to Lightning, USB to microUSB, USC-C to USB-C, USB-C to Lightning, and USB-C to microUSB. It’s pretty nuts how they’re able to fit all that in a rig the size of a thumb drive. If you have a compatible source, this means you can charge everything from phones and cameras to travel headphones and laptops, complete with support for 100W fast charging. Sure, the cables are pretty short, but that keeps everything neat and tidy, which is what you absolutely need during travel.
Cincha Travel Belt for Luggage
Many suitcases now come with a trolley sleeve that allows you to secure a bag (like a backpack) on your luggage’s telescoping handle. It’s a convenient way to put all the stuff you’re carrying in one place. If you’re using an old suitcase that doesn’t quite come with the feature, though, you can do the same thing using this convenient belt, which straps down your bag to the luggage handle. It’s adjustable, too, so it can accommodate your extra bags, whether big or small.
Twelve South AirFly Pro
Unfortunately, many in-flight entertainment systems are still stuck from the pre-wireless area, making it impossible to use the Bluetooth headphones you brought to the flight. This Bluetooth transmitter changes that. Simply plug it into the 3.5mm slot on the in-flight system and you’re set – you will now be able to pair your wireless headphones with the plane’s entertainment system. It has a 25-hour battery life, so you can use it from the start to the end of your flight, all while allowing you to pair up to two headphones at a time, so you can watch the same shows with whoever’s sitting on the adjacent seat. Since it’s just regular Bluetooth transmitter, you can use it in other places where you need to add wireless connectivity, such as wired speakers, gym equipment, and any other devices without a Bluetooth radio.
Knog Scout Travel
This smart luggage tag attaches to your suitcase using the integrated stainless steel cable, allowing you to hang it off the handle like a regular tag. Instead of listing your name and contact information, though, the device has a QR code that you can scan to see the same information on a phone. Of course, it does more than. The device comes with location tracking using the same hardware AirTag uses, allowing you to locate the tag using Apple’s ‘Find My’ app, making it extremely useful for those times your luggage ends up lost during transit. When leaving your luggage somewhere, you can also turn on the safety alarm, which can activate an 85-decibel alarm to scare off anyone who tries moving it without yor permission. Features include a chime function for finding your bag in a small area, up to four months of battery life, and a water-resistant build. There’s no monthly subscription, too, so you can use it without any recurring expense.
Momax Universal Travel Adapter
This travel adapter has three types of connectors that you can use, depending on what kind of outlets are available in the country you’re visiting, with sliding controls on the side allowing you to control which prongs come out and which ones retract. On top, you get an AC outlet that can take any style of power plug, while a quartet of USB ports sit at the bottom. You get two USB-A, each capable of putting out 18W, and two USB-C, each capable of 100W for ultra-fast charging. Yes, price seems a bit steep for a travel adapter, but being able to fast-charge at 100W is definitely worth the premium if you have devices that will actually use it.
Amazon Kindle E-Reader
When you have a lot of time to kill, it’s a great time to catch up on your reading. Problem is, books take up a lot of room in your limited luggage space, which is why an e-reader is such a useful device. Not only can you keep thousands of books in its onboard storage, you can read them without straining your eyes. Plus, reading can get you more relaxed compared to movies or games, so you can actually chill and calm down during the flight. We’re going with the entry-level six-inch Kindle here, which we love because of its travel-friendly compact size, sharp 300-ppi screen, and built-in front lighting. It comes with 16GB of storage, which is large enough to let you travel with a veritable library within easy reach.
Anker Soundcore Sleep A10
Yes, you can wear ear plugs to shut out the noise of the plane when trying to get some sleep. However, if you’d rather be listening to sounds that actually help promote sleep and relaxation, we have a feeling these earbuds will serve you better. It has passive noise cancellation, courtesy of the sealing ear tips and noise-isolating “wings,” while the companion app gives you access to a big library of sleep sounds that you can use to help you calm and relax, while masking any noise that manages to come through. The device is equipped with custom drivers that produce low-frequency sound 10db lower than usual, which, the outfit claims, really enhances white noise and other sleep sounds. According to the outfit, the earbuds are designed to sit flush on the ears, so you can nod off on the shoulders of the person sitting next to you without it being uncomfortable. Well… for you, anyway, it’s probably uncomfortable for the other guy.
Mophie Powerstation Pro AC
With the many electronics we carry on a daily basis, a power bank is a necessary addition to anyone’s travel stash. This one comes with a 27,000 mAh battery, so you’ve got plenty of power on tap, while two USB-C, one USB-A, and even an AC port allows you to charge up to four devices at a time. It has one USB-C PD port that can deliver up to 60W at a time (fills up an iPhone 13 to 50 percent in 30 minutes), while the AC outlet can deliver up to 100W for quickly charging your laptop. There’s also a four-LED power indicator, so you have a good idea how much charge you still have left at any time.
Therabody SmartGoggles
Yes, it looks ridiculously large, but this unique sleep mask delivers some nifty features on top of blocking out light that make putting up with its unruly size worthwhile. When you set it to Sleep Mode, for instance, it will deliver slow-wave vibrations to your temples, producing a calming effect that can effectively help relax your body and lull you to sleep. It’s, basically, like having someone massaging your temples. If you’re feeling a bit anxious, you can put it on and turn on the SmartRelax Mode, which analyzes your pulse and creates a customized vibration pattern to lower your heart rate to a more relaxed state. When you don’t want to look too disheveled after a tiring flight, you can use the Focus Mode to release tension between the eyebrows and provide restorative heat to help relieve eye strain. Plus, you can tell people it’s the new Apple Vision Pro or something.
