The last thing we need when traveling with kids is more stuff to carry and keep track of. But truly clever travel tech gadgets can make our lives easier and are worth making room for in our suitcase or carry-on. Those instantly helpful gadgets make the best tech gifts, too.
Here are two dozen gadgets or accessories that I think anyone who travels will find useful on trip after trip. They make great gifts for the holidays, birthdays and more. I list a few stocking-stuffers, too.
I hope you find the best tech gifts and gadgets to give to the moms and dads on your holiday list. Don’t feel bad picking any of these items up for yourself as well.
More Gift Ideas:
• Tech Your Teens Will Take Everywhere They Go
• 10 Essential Items For Dads Who Love To Travel
• 7 Experiences That Make Awesome Father’s Day Gifts
• 7 Girlfriend Getaways Mom Would Love for Mother’s Day
Gift Guide: The 24 Best Tech Gifts That Travel Wherever You Do
Cool Tech Gear For Travelers
The Best Ear Buds for Travel
Apple’s popular Airpods 4 have gotten even better for travel with their active noise cancelation feature.
This is handy for tuning out airplane engines, loud talkers in nearby seats and even street noise when you’re trying to sleep off your jet lag.
You can use these redesigned earbuds nonstop for four hours and get 20 hours of recharging from the compact case I envy over the larger one that comes with my Beats clip-on ear buds.
Ray-Ban Shades That Look & Act Smart
The tech gift everyone is talking about this holiday season is Ray-Ban’s new Meta Smart glasses that take photos and videos, play music and allow you to take conference calls and live stream your view, all with voice commands.
They also block the sun. Choose from classic Wayfarers and two newer styles. Then choose standard, polarized or transition lenses.
Use Bluetooth Headphones Anywhere
I read about Twelve South’s Airfly wireless transmitter last year and immediately bought one. After using it once, I went back and bought one for Teen Traveler, too.
It’s tiny, not much bigger than a thumb drive, and we no longer have to pack both Bluetooth earbuds to use with our laptops and phones and old-fashioned corded earbuds for the airplane’s sound system.
We charge our devices before we leave for the airport. We plug them into the airplane’s sound system and they connect with our Bluetooth earbuds. No more wires getting tangled in our seats or our bags.
Binoculars That Help You Take Photos
This is a cool gadget my readers turned me onto: high-power binoculars that come with a phone adapter. If you can see it through the binoculars, you can capture it with your cell phone’s camera.
Given the limited zoom on most phones, this allows you to do a lot more, especially when you’re trying to take pictures of birds and animals in the wild.
They’re also waterproof and have an adjustable bridge, so anyone can use them comfortably. The large prism lenses view things clearly at 1,000 meters and work well in low-light conditions.
The perfect gift for someone planning a trip to Costa Rica, the Galápagos or a national park.
Binoculars That Go Anywhere
Several of my readers are buying these Mahauk Travel Binoculars that come with their own case and neck cord.
They can also provide clear views at up to 1,000 feet and have an auto-focus feature to help you quickly zoom in the right amount. This is helpful when trying to spot birds or small animals before they flit away.
They’re lightweight, waterproof and fit in your pocket. The small size also allows both kids and adults to use them comfortably.
Kindle & An Endless Supply of Books
My Kindle e-reader is one of my absolute favorite travel gadgets. It weighs the same whether I “pack” one book or ten.
Plus, I was sitting in the Frankfurt airport last year, on a very long layover and before a long flight home. I didn’t like the eBook I was reading. So I hopped on the airport Wi-Fi, deleted it and downloaded a different book from my Brooklyn library that made time go by much faster. No browsing for overpriced books at the airport bookstore.
The latest Kindle Paperwhite has up to 16 Gbs of memory, a larger screen and faster page-turning than the older models and can stay charged for up to ten weeks. It’s waterproof, too, which is handy for travel.
Give a Kindle unlimited subscription with the e-reader to the avid readers in your family. And see what bestsellers people are downloading most to their Kindles.
A Bluetooth Speaker That Swims With You
Lots of portable Bluetooth speakers are water-resistant but the Ultimate Ears Wonderboom one floats; perfect for around the pool or lake, or on a boat.
It will play for 14 hours without having to recharge and has range of more than 125 feet. It can be submerged for up to a half hour and still work, just in case.
And it’s made from recycled plastic, to help you feel good about carrying your favorite tunes everywhere you go. Choose blue or pink to make it easy to spot from afar.
A Security Camera You Can Post Everywhere
Rich might find a few Blink Mini 2s under the tree this year.
We love the idea of having security cameras to keep an eye on our home when we’re away. Blink’s are inexpensive enough to buy a few to post in different parts of the house or divide between your primary and second homes.
They’re small enough to be discreet, connect with your home Wi-Fi and plug in so they won’t run out of juice during long vacations.
They have night-vision, a motion detector and a two-way speaker, and they sink with Blink’s camera doorbell and Alexa.
A subscription service adds some capabilities, and it can be mounted outside with additional hardware.
Smart Ways To Charge Your Gear Away From Home
A power cube for cruise-lovers
Cruise ship cabins often have one outlet. You can’t pack an extension cord and whatever you do pack can’t have a surge protector.
Your friends and family who cruise will appreciate this compact cube from Cruise On that meets cruise-ship standards and has three 3-prong outlets and three USB ports — another great find from my readers.
It’s handy on land, too, when your family is traveling with a mix of laptops, cameras and phones that need both USB ports and outlets.
There’s less arguing over who gets to charge what, when. And with all your electronics charging in the same place, you’re less likely to leave items behind.
An Outlet Adapter That Goes Everywhere
We have gone through a lot of adapters over the years and never find the one that’s just right. But I think Ceptics’ World Travel Adapter kit is as close to perfect as they come.
It sits flush against the wall, which allows it to fit in places the boxy ones won’t. And you can rest a phone on top of it so it doesn’t dangle from a too-high wall outlet.
It has two 3-prong U.S. outlets, 2 USB ports, 2 USB-C ports and a micro-USB port for your non-Apple devices.
On the wall side, six interchangeable plugs are suitable for travel throughout most of the world. There’s a 2-prong U.S. plug, too, for domestic trips where you just need extra outlets for charging several devices at once.
Better Ways to Carry Your Tech
Organizers For Your Gear
I honestly don’t know why I don’t yet one of these Bag Smart electronics organizers for travel. It’s another smart pick on my readers’ love.
It’s water-resistant and quilted to give the items inside some protection.
And it has lots of pockets and elastic bands for an external hard drive, portable battery, earphones, charging codes and plugs, thumb drives, a wireless mouse and more.
It’s slim enough to easily fit in a backpack, tote bag or carry-on.
CAOODKDK makes a smaller, leather organizer that’s very smart looking and would appeal to both men and women.
It doesn’t hold as many wires, but it has big pockets for two or three larger items like a portable battery or mouse. And smaller slots for the cords and other small items I always need.
It’s water-resistant. And I think it’s probably slim enough to slide into my laptop bag.
This is another reader find and it’s definitely going on my Christmas list.
A Better Dry Bag For Your Phones
I don’t like dry bags that fit a phone exactly because they might not fit my next phone, and no one else in my family can borrow it.
So I’m happy my readers turned me on to these popular AiRunTech waterproof pouches.
They clip around your waist instead of hanging around your neck, which makes sense because phones are kinda heavy!
They have a double zipper that folds over and seals with Velcro to keep water out.
And there’s room for a phone, cash, a credit card and even a second phone or eReader. There are black and clear options, too.
Tech Gifts For Better & Safer Drinks While Traveling
A portable espresso maker you’ll love
Some of the best tech gifts for travelers—in my opinion— are those that allow us to drink excellent coffee anywhere we go.
The Wacaco Nanopresso portable espresso maker is just one example. Pour boiling water into it and use a hand-held pumping system that approximates the pressure of an electric espresso machine. Be sure to pack your favorite ground espresso beans with you; you’ll be quite pleased with your morning cup.
It comes with a protective case in five colors including classic black and fire-engine red.
Make this NS Nespresso Adapter part of your gift. It allows you to use Nespresso and Nespresso-compatible pods with the press.
Popping a sleeve of pods in your suitcase or backpack is lighter and more compact than packing a pound of coffee, they’re easier to use, too.
Have safe drinking water anywhere
Readers’ Pick: The best tech gifts for travelers can be those that keep you healthy.
Quite a few of my readers are choosing the LifeStraw Go waterbottle to do exactly that.
It’s lightweight, BPA-free plastic with a silicone straw and replaceable filter. With 15 color choices, everyone in the family can have their own designated bottle.
A lot of my travel buddies are loyal to Grayl travel water bottles. Choose the smaller Ultrapress or larger Geopress, and throw in an extra cartridge for a complete gift.
Gray uses a French-press-like filter that rids your water of heavy metals, bacteria and chemicals.
It allows you to have potable drinking water whether you’re going backwoods camping or to a developing country.
6 High-Tech Stocking Stuffers
Airtag Rivals for Android Users
Chipolo disks and cards are the perfect gift for the Samsung loyalists in your family who envy your Apple Airtags.
Attach the round ones to key chains, or slip them into backpacks, handbags and jacket pockets. Slip the slim card into a wallet, phone-case pocket or eyeglasses case.
Choose from different bundles, including a disk 4-pack or disk-card combo.
They’re iOS-compatible, too, which means the whole family can use the same tracking tools.
Airtag Accessories
The best tech gifts can come in very small packages.
Readers buying Airtags for their families are also buying these Belkin keyring holders.
The case protects the airtag from scratches and damage, while the key ring makes it easy to attach the tags to backpacks, dog collars, purses and more.
They come two in a pack in purple, blue or black.
The Best Little Reading Light
My daughter got this Glocusant reading light as a birthday present and I thought it was so well-designed that I bought one for myself.
It offers white, blue or amber light, allowing me to decide whether I want daylight or sleep-inducing evening light. Each color has three brightness levels.
It clips easily onto hardcover and paperback books and the light swivels, so I can point it away from the person sleeping next to me and provide optimal lighting for my book.
The battery lasts from eight to 80 hours depending on how bright a light you choose. To recharge it, simply pull off the cover near the clip and plug it into a USB wall plug.
I usually use the middle brightness and I need to do this roughly twice a year.
Forget About Passwords…Really
Do you have someone on your list who is always forgetting their passwords?
They’ll never be locked out of their laptop, phone or tablet again with Yubikey’s clever devices.
Just plug this device into your USB or USB-C port and it serves as a security key that replaces the passwords for your device and numerous apps and websites.
It fits on a keyring, so you can easily always have it with you. And separate from your device.
A charger for every car
I bought this Teknet Powerdash charger for family road trips. It’s compact, has four USB outlets and uses our car’s auxiliary power outlet. We can charge all three of our phones at once, plus an e-reader or tablet if needed.
I always pack it when we rent a car, too. Depending on where we are and what cars are available, we have wound up with cars that have few or no USB ports. But they always have an auxiliary outlet.
Keep in mind that with multi-chargers, the more devices you attach, the more time it might take to fully charge them.
Back up Your phone photos anywhere
If you know someone who loves to use their phone for shooting photos and videos, then you probably also know someone who runs into memory limits on their phone.
Give them a memory stick with plugs that fit both their phone and the USB port on their computer. Choose one made for Samsung or Apple devices.
A Portable Charger You Can Share
Portable chargers keep getting smaller ad more powerful. This power bank from eKrist has 25,800 mAh and two USB ports to charge more than one phone on the go, so you and your kid won’t be fighting over it.
It has six to eight charges in it before it has to be recharged, which is best done overnight.
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