Whether you’re a hardcore adventurer setting out to climb the slopes of Denali, or casually backpack in Europe, there are a host of travel gadgets to make your trip more enjoyable. Technology has changed the way we travel and communicate, but it’s difficult to know what’s essential. Here’s a list of the must-have travel gadgets to get you on your way.
Noise-Cancelling Headphones
Everyone has a music-playing device. The question is whether you want to spend a pretty penny on some nice headphones. When you travel, keeping a budget is important, but some high quality headphones are worth the splurge. Just imagine sitting next to the sleeping businessman on the plane who won’t stop storing like a snarling bear, not to mention the crying baby three rows back. Suddenly the extra cash you spent on those Beats by Dre or the new AirPods for iPhone 7 was totally worth it. With headphones as well as earbud-style options, noise-cancelling headphones can get you through that long flight to China or that overnight bus ride from Seville to Barcelona. Whether you enjoy listening to music as you doze off, or the soothing sound of running water or ocean waves, good headphones are worth the investment. Bose and Sony also have a range of similar products. Do some research to find the headphones right for you.
Satellite Phones
Satellite phones might seem like gadgets for the hardcore adventurer, but you never know when you’ll need to get in touch with the people who matter most. Luckily there are a lot options when it comes to satellite phones. From Spot Global Phone, which gives GPS locations with a simple tap of a button, to Iridium Extreme, which offers element and shock-resistant phones, to Thuraya Sat Sleeves, which gives satellite capabilities to your iPhone or Android phone. Whether you’re backpacking in Turkmenistan or on the top of Mount Rainier, satellite phones keep you touch with family and friends, as well as safe in case anything goes wrong.
Smart Phones, Tablets, and Laptops
Wherever you’re going, you’ll probably have one of these, if not two of the three. If you’ve opted for the Thuraya Sat Sleeve, you’ll already have the smartphone, but how are you going to keep up writing your travel blog? A smartphone is useful for browsing the web, but creating and managing full blog posts or keeping up with your business isn’t easy on the smaller without a keyboard. There are many tablets on the market now. The iconic iPad and the Microsoft Surface are all high-performance machines, but it’s important to do some product scouting to see which one meets your needs.
When it comes to laptops, the Google Chromebook is an affordable and compact option. It’s not going to win any awards for performance, but the pure simplicity of the machine is it’s greatest strength and it will do everything you want when it comes to email, blogging, and Skyping with the family back home. It’s also worth noting that in addition to iPad Pro, the Asus Transformer also has an easy clip-and-type keyboard and functions similar to a laptop, though is not a complete replacement among the various tablet options in the market today. The Microsoft Surface Pro though is billed as the only tablet that can replace your laptop completely, running the full version of Windows 10, so if you’re willing to fork out a little extra you won’t have to settle for one or the other.
