Guest Post

From Work Trips to Family Vacations: The Tech Gadgets I Can’t Travel Without

May 30, 2024

I travel a lot. Before kids, I traveled approximately 100,000 miles and visited about 20 countries each year. These days, with two school-aged kids, my travel has slowed down somewhat, although we still travel every chance we get!

Every time I pack my bags for a trip, I find it hard to believe that there was once a time when we traveled completely disconnected, without small computers in our pockets and what amounts to a small tech store in our bags. But here we are and like most of you, I can’t imagine traveling without a small but essential stash of tech gear. Here are some of my favorite gadgets for travel:

Vacation Travel

It's rare that I ever take a vacation since travel is my business but when I do switch into vacation mode (once in a blue moon), I turn off my laptop, ignore my email and use my phone for the fun stuff that’s usually just a distraction while I’m working.

BoostCharge Magnetic Wireless Power Bank 5K + Stand

Whether I’m playing games or watching videos, a wireless power bank is essential ... because who wants to leave the pool to go juice up their phone? The BoostCharge Magnetic Wireless Power Bank 5K + Stand wirelessly charges an iPhone 15/14/13/12 device and delivers over 19 hours of extended video playback for iPhone 13. It also has a handy kickstand to prop up the phone while it’s charging so you can still use it to watch and play.

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BoostCharge Pro 3-in-1 Wireless Charging Pad with Official MagSafe Charging 15W

Don’t you just hate fussing with all kinds of wall chargers, cords and cables? If you prefer to streamline your charging situation, you’ll love this flat wireless charging pad. It’s slim and lightweight, so it’s easy to pack and take with you on any vacation. You’ll be able to charge your Apple devices like your iPhone, AirPods and Apple Watch all at the same time. I love that you can charge your Apple Watch flat or in ‘Nightstand Mode’, which turns the watch on its side so you can use it as a clock (but hopefully not an alarm clock when you’re on vacation!)

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Family Travel

My wife and I have a strategy for airplane travel with our kids that hasn’t failed us yet. Our kids aren’t allowed to use their iPads at home but when we get on an airplane, it’s an iPad free for all! My wife sits down with the kids the night before our trip and downloads the TV shows, movies and games they’d like to play, and we can pretty much guarantee our fellow passengers total silence from our kids for the duration of the flight!

SoundForm Mini Wired On-Ear Headphones for Kids

Headphones are a travel essential and these headphones are specifically designed with little ears in mind. They have a volume cap, so the sound won’t get too loud, they have easy to use controls and of course, they’re durable enough to withstand being dropped.

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RockStar™ 3.5mm Audio + USB-C Charge Adapter

When we take long flights, the kids’ iPads don’t always make it until landing. With this handy adapter, we can charge their iPads and keep their headphones plugged in, all at the same time, so there’s no interruption to their viewing experience.

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Work Travel

When I travel solo for work, it’s a completely different experience than when I’m traveling with my family. I typically work for the entire flight, late into the night at my hotel and again on the flight back. So, there are a few work-related things I never travel without:

USB-C Multimedia Hub

This USB-C multimedia hub is an amazing little device to always have in my bag. It allows me to connect multiple devices to my laptop, using a single cable. For instance, this hub offers USB-A, USB-C, HDMI, ethernet and SD card ports that can connect to all kinds of other devices, like monitors, projectors, SD cards, thumb drives and more. It’s like having an entire office in my bag.

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ScreenForce True Privacy Screen Protector for MacBook Pro / MacBook Air 13"

Another must-have when I’m traveling for work is a privacy screen like this ScreenForce True Privacy Screen Protector. I’m always surprised how many people don’t use these on airplanes, in the airport or in a lounge. Anyone walking by or sitting beside or behind you can read everything on your screen if you don’t use a privacy screen. This screen protector is easy to apply, remove and reuse and provides full screen, anti-glare, two-way privacy so only you can see what’s on your screen, whether that’s confidential or sensitive information or that game of Spider Solitaire you just can’t quit!

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These are just a few of the travel tech gadgets that always make their way into my bags when I travel and each one makes my trip better, more organized and stress-free!