Whether a short weekend getaway or a long-term adventure, having the best travel accessories helps ensure a smoother journey and can enhance your travel experience. Packing lists can vary depending on your destination and the duration of your trip, but fear not! We’ve curated a collection of 10 essential travel gear items, ranging from tech gadgets to luggage accessories, that you'll want to bring along for your next adventure.
Epicka TA-105C International Travel Adapter
The all-in-one design Epicka TA-105C International Travel Adapter encompasses all the features we look for in a travel adapter. It offers power adapting in more than 200+ countries and regions and features 2 USB-A and 3 USB-C ports, allowing for easy charging of up to 6 devices simultaneously. Additionally, it includes a built-in spare fuse for replacement, ensuring convenience and reliability during your travels. With its compact size and versatile charging capabilities, this adapter is perfect for your travels.
Twelve South AirFly Bluetooth Transmitter
Plug the AirFly bluetooth transmitter into the headphone jack to listen to in-flight movies using your own cordless headphones or earbuds.
FREETOO Portable Digital Luggage Scale
Give yourself some added peace of mind with a light weight digital luggage scale. Designed to weigh suitcases up to 50kgs (110 pounds), this scale deviates no more than 0.01kg, meaning you get a super accurate read. Just attach the strap to your luggage handle, pull up to suspend the luggage, and the LCD display will show the weight reading.
Nimble Champ Portable Charger for tablets and smartphones
There really isn't a best overall battery charger, because what's best depends on what needs recharging. The best charger for your phone may be useless if you need to charge a laptop. That said, one brand of battery chargers rose to the top during my testing. Nimble's Champ strikes the best balance between power when I need it, weight, and price. At 6.4 ounces, it's one of the lightest on the market, and you'll hardly notice it in your backpack. It's smaller than a deck of cards and can charge two devices at once, one via USB-C and one via USB-A. I've been using this one for years and rarely leave home without it. The 10,000-mAh capacity has enough juice to charge an iPad, and it can keep my phone running for almost a week.
But Nimble's use of bioplastics and plastic-free minimal packaging at least reduces the environmental impact where it can be reduced.
One USB-A port and one USB-C. Can charge tablets and smartphones.
GoalZero Sherpa 100 Portable Charger for laptops
Goal Zero recently updated its Sherpa line of portable chargers with better wireless charging capabilities: 15 watts, up from 5 watts in the previous model. I tested the Sherpa AC, which features two USB-C ports (60-watt and 100-watt), two USB-A ports, and a 100-watt AC port for those devices that need a pronged plug. It strikes a good balance between power storage (93 watt-hours in my drain test) and weight (2 pounds). It’s enough to charge up my Dell XPS 13 almost twice.
You get a nice color LCD display that shows how much power you've got left, how many watts are coming in, how many are going out, and a rough guess as to how much longer the battery will last (if conditions remain the same). Recharge times vary depending on whether or not you have the Sherpa wall charger (sold separately), but I was able to get it to recharge in under three hours no matter what power source I used. There's also an 8-mm port on the back for attaching a solar panel if you have one. The Sherpa is not cheap, but if you don't need the AC out and can live with a single USB-C (100-watt out, 60-watt in), the Sherpa PD is otherwise the same thing for $200.
Paravel Packing Cube Quad
If you tend to rearrange your suitcase multiple times on a trip then packing cubes are well worth the investment. Separate your clothes and travel items in perfectly packed cubes, keeping your belongings organised, easily accessible and freshly folded or rolled. They are also great for separating dirty clothes from clean clothes!
There are plenty of great cubes out there to choose from but we love the Paravel packing cubes for their timeless aesthetic, good quality and sustainability credentials (they use upcycled and recycled materials in 100% of their products!).
Flexo-Line Clothesline
The Flexo-Line Clothesline is an efficient way to dry your clothes on those longer trips. No clothes pegs are necessary because the braided strands pinch the fabric to hold items in place. It can hold up to 4.5kg (12 pounds) of wet clothing and stretches up to 7 feet. It's durable, lightweight and easy to use!
Pluto Pod neck pillow
The Pluto POD is a unique travel hoodie with a cushioned neck strap and a pull-down sleep mask designed to provide support and comfort during naps while travelling.
For frequent travellers or the Pluto Pod is a worthwhile investment!
