Traveling and exploring new places is always exciting, but having to leave all your daily conveniences and gadgets at home… not so much. Yeah girl, we get it. It’s hard having to go from getting ready in your room — where you have access to everything you possibly need — to living out of your suitcase. It’s definitely hard to adjust for some, but it really helps to know what to bring. Let us help you out with that. We’ve got 20 travel gadgets that’ll go on your “To Bring” list in a flash.
1. Timbuk2 x Blue Bottle Travel Kit ($179): As fun as it is, traveling means your daily routines get replaced with tours and hikes. Eating is done at different times and, most importantly, your morning cup of coffee just isn’t the same. Avoid stale hotel coffee and bring your Blue Bottle Travel Kit with you. You can brew quality coffee as long as you have hot water.
2. Minipresso ($39): If the Blue Bottle Travel Kit is a little much for you, the Minipresso can still get you your fresh coffee fix. It makes quality espressos by using the same amount of pressure that traditional espresso machines use.
3. Bluesmart ($270): Smart luggage, anyone? You would think this normal-looking suitcase came straight out of a James Bond movie because of all its smart features. Bluesmart locks automatically when you’re away from it, it notifies you when someone tried to open it and you can weigh your luggage just by lifting it up.
4. Mini Ostrich Pillow ($25): Remember the Ostrich pillow from the list of our favorite Kickstarters? Well this guy is the miniature version of it. It’s adorable, comfy, super compact and you’re basically taking a piece of your bed with you wherever you go. And since beds are everyone’s favorite hello and hardest goodbye, the Mini Ostrich Pillow makes the distance a little more bearable.
5. USB Portable Humidifier ($30): During your winter travels, it’s nice to have a humidifier with you so you don’t wake up with cracked knuckles and lips.
6. Travalo ($20): You can leave you full-sized Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue at home and take your Travalo instead. Just pump the amount perfume you’ll need through its leak-proof, silicone cap and you’re good to go!
7. Micro Pocket Projector ($300): This + your own WiFi hotspot + Netflix = Yes.
8. Mini Ceramic Styler ($30): Make your travel beauty bag a lot lighter with Conair’s miniYOU hair stylers. They have one that’s a curling iron and a straightener in one. That’s sure to make some extra space and less cord-tangling action in your luggage.
9. Everpurse ($308): Speaking of cord tangling, we feel like our earbuds and our phone chargers are in love or something. They always end up tangled with each other (we can’t be the only ones noticing this). Thankfully, Everpurse lets us leave our phone chargers at home. Whenever our phone needs some juice, Everpurse will charge it. On one charge, the Everpurse can charge your phone up to 96 hours! No matter where you’re traveling, you’ll alway have a lot of battery without the need of a bulky charging case.
10. Morphie Space ($150): If the Everpurse is out of your price range, let this phone case keep your phone powered up. It’ll even add a lot of extra space to your phone (like 16GB worth of space) so you can selfie it up or take hundreds of scenery photos. Even then, you’d still probably have some extra space for some music.
11. iStick ($80-$400): This is the world’s first flash drive that has an integrated Apple lightning connector. Want to grab large files really fast and open them up later on your iPhone, iPad or iTouch? The iStick lets you do exactly that. So when you don’t want to plug your phone into your laptop and wait for your music and movie playlists to sync, just use the iStick as your normal USB drive and take your playlists with you. This way, you’ll also have more space on your phone for pictures.
12. RE Camera ($200): If you don’t like to use your phone as your camera and would much rather have a separate camera, HTC’s RE Camera is a great option for traveling. It’s the simple traveler’s dream cam. There’s no viewfinder, just a shutter button and a couple of filming features. It’s really quick and easy to use — you can even hand it over to the kids and let them snap away.
13. #HappyToHelp: If you don’t have a Twitter, you might consider getting one just for this hashtag. Behind the simple hashtag is a room filled with people who are, well… #HappyToHelp. You can tweet them any questions you have about your travels (like how to overcome language barriers) or even have them give you a wake-up call.
14. Kid & Coe: Make traveling with the kids easier and more fun by booking with Kid & Coe. It’s the kid-friendlier version of AirBnb — parents will feel like they’re relaxing, while the kids will feel at home.
15. Trakdot ($50): This is a serious must-have travel gadget. It’s a tracker that lets you find out where your luggage is faster than the airport can. Just stick the device into your suitcase after you’ve packed everything, and if your luggage goes missing, you can find it easily with Trakdot.
16. Dash7 ($159): You can’t expect us to write about travel without including a pair of speakers. These ultra slim Bluetooth speakers won’t add much weight to your luggage, but they sure do pack a huge sound for something so portable.
17. Roadtrippers App: What fun is traveling without exploring? Just tell the app where you want to go and it’ll give you pitstop suggestions at some fun and interesting attractions on the way. Even if you don’t know where to go, the Roadtrippers app will help satisfy the adventurer in you with its roadtrip suggestions. (Free on iOS and Android)
18. Agoda: If you’re on a tight budget for hotel expenses, Agoda will hook you up with the most affordable hotels. (Free on iOS and Android)
19. Momondo: It might be too late to book an affordable flight for the holidays, but if it is possible, this travel app will know. It can give you all the intel about the cheapest, most popular or even the best rated flights. The prices are refreshed daily so you’ll really be getting the latest price updates. (Free on iOS and Android)
20. Tripcast: Instagram + Tumblr = Tripcast. Blog about your adventures so that your friends and family back home can live vicariously through your photos and videos. (Free on iOS and Android)
Which gadgets will you be using for your travels? Tells us in the comments!
