There are certain tech products I always travel with. I guess you could call them my must-have items! I know what you are thinking…That’s a lot of tech stuff. Well, it is but we are a family of four and we are a plugged-in kind of family.
Now of course we have the usual stuff on us like our cell phones, computers, and earbuds, but this list is the other stuff we carry with us, that wouldn’t necessarily but expected.
Travel Tech Gadgets
1.GoPro – I carry at least one GoPro with me at all times. Sometimes I carry as many as four, so all four of us can capture what we are doing. This may sound ridiculous, but I never want to be in a situation that I cannot capture what is happening, whether biking, rafting, snorkeling, or any other situation that might be difficult to capture with a traditional camera.
2. An external charger. My phone never fails to run out of battery in a situation where there is no power, like the airplane. That’s when this little charger comes in handy. It can fully charge my iPhone at least once. Mine has a flashlight on it too, which I’ve only used once. But hey, when I needed a flashlight I had one. Of course, my iPhone has a flashlight too. These days when I am traveling with the kids I always keep two external batteries on hand and I finally got a heavy-duty power bank.
3. Portable Speaker – This rubber horn thing that amplifies’s sound from an iPhone is pretty sweet too. A resort in Phoenix gave it to me and it took me forever to figure out what it was. Luckily my teenager is savvier than I and he showed me what it was! I love it. First of all ,there is no chance of breaking it. It is lightweight so it’s not going to weigh you down more. Since it is rubber it can be crushed into any available space in your suitcase which is nice.
4. Multi-use chargers – I also do not carry all of my various chargers, because I have 2 of these all in on adaptor things. I’m not sure what to call it, but it’s got a USB that connects to 4 or 5 different types of outlets. They are extremely handy. I got my teenager one and he seriously thinks this is the best thing ever. (I basically agree with him.)
This Thinium Charger
is one of my new gadgets that I love. It’s tiny and can charge from a usb port or a traditional household plugin. Here is a quick video overview of how it works.
5. Power Outlet Extender – The other charger that always travels with us is the Philips wall plate charger.It’s incredibly thin and can charge two regular plugins and two USB plugins at the same time.
If you do not want to invest in something like this, then a simple extension cord will do the same trick. Just think when there are no outlets available at the airport you can take one and turn it into 4 – 6 outlets. You can charge the whole family this way.
6. Point and shoot camera
Besides carrying a GoPro, I also travel with a nice point-and-shoot camera. Lately, my go-to camera is the Panasonic Lumix ZS40. I love this camera for many reasons.
- Takes great quality pictures
- Has built-in stabilization
- App with controls
- Wifi
- 30x Zoom!
Update: I finally upgraded my standard point and shoot camera to a Sony A6300 Mirrorless camera. The images are even better. And although this camera is bigger, it’s not that much bigger. I can change out lenses now too without carrying around a massive camera.
7. Drone – I am so in love with my drone, a DJI Mavic Pro. I get the greatest footage with it.
8. Photography Dome – You can take really cool photos with a photography dome made by Telesin. The photos are split between above the water and under the water.
9. Tripod – Last but not least a tripod. You just never know when your gonna need a tripod, but I don’t always like traveling with my big one. That’s why I carry a tiny one. I bought mine off a random street vendor in Rome for super cheap. Anytime you are in a big city you will find people selling cheap tripods and selfie sticks.
What travel gadgets do you always travel with?
Get Travel Insurance
Unfortunately, there are a lot of things that can go wrong on any trip. Be prepared for the worst with travel insurance. We use Travelex or Safety Wing (often cheaper).
Book Flights
I use Skyscanner to find flights. I use it so much, I wrote an entire guide to finding cheap flights with Skyscanner! My second favorite site to find flights is Momondo, another great site for finding cheap flights.
Book a Place to Stay
I recommend using Expedia.com or Hotels.com for most hotel bookings. I prefer to book directly with Marriott when I stay there because of their excellent military discount.
If you prefer staying in a vacation rental instead, I recommend VRBO.
Rent Clothes
Rent clothes for your trip with Travel Style Expert for only $50 a month!
Choose Activities and Tours
To find great activities in any area I use Get Your Guide and Viator. If we are visiting a city with lots of popular attractions I always check CityPass and GoCard to see if they have discount cards available.
When I want to book a full-on multi-day tour I use TourRadar. They’ve got fantastic weekly deals.
Rent a Car or Take a Lyft
More often than not Lyft is cheaper than Uber. Use my Lyft link for an $18 credit! For a car rental in any country, I recommend Discover Cars.