Travel. Just the term “travel” used to be synonymous with affluence. There was a time that people would dress in nice suits just to get on a plane because air travel was so cost prohibitive for the average person it was treated as a luxury activity. Soon Hollywood took hold of this idea and started making movies depicting these high-powered business men and women in suits and dresses making phone calls until the very last second before they take off into the sky.
Although, this is still somewhat the reality in some places, for the most part, air travel and travel in general has become much more available for everyone. With airlines like United and Spirit, plane tickets are becoming cheaper and cheaper, and more and more people have begun to travel for work. If travel is rather new to you, I have come up with a list of some general categories of tech items you should invest in to help your travel be even more… shall we say… luxurious.
- WiFi Hotspot – This one is an easy one. You may wind up in a nice hotel with free WiFi, or in a city where every coffee shop is equipped with internet, but that is not always the case. Bringing with you a reliable hotspot not only solves your problem of internet on the go, but also solves any internet issues you may have in whatever lodging you end up in… and let’s face it… Hotel WiFi is generally not anything to write home about.
- Universal Outlet Adapter – Especially if you are travelling to countries outside of your own, you will definitely need a universal outlet adapter so that you are never stuck with tons of outlets and no compatible devices for those outlets. Most universal adapters these days have USB ports along with normal outlets for any device you may need to charge or power.
- Portable Garment Care – This is one you probably hadn’t considered, but there is a large market for these gadgets and you need to check it out. Not only do they have small foldable irons that you can buy to iron your clothes no matter where you are, but also steamers come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. No matter if you are flying coach or first class, your clothes will be wrinkled out of your suitcase and you don’t want to look messy and un-kept when you arrive to your meeting, wherever it may be.
- Noise-Cancelling Headphones – Whether you are looking to drown out that crying baby on your 8 hour flight, or you want to just casually listen to music, a set of noise-cancelling headphones will never be a bad investment. You never know what sort of hotel you’ll be staying at, and more importantly what sort of neighbors you may encounter. Noise-cancelling headphones can make any place feel like your own by drowning out the noises that make it feel foreign. Just close your eyes, and go to your happy place, no matter where you wind up.
- Camera – Your phone has a camera, so you’re probably already equipped, but I offer the idea that you may consider a GoPro camera. If you are going for that outdoors trip of a lifetime, you’ll want to capture the beauty all around you, without having to drain your whole phone battery to do it. Which leads us too…
- External Battery Power – This one seems obvious, but remember, this doesn’t just go for mobile technology. You could also bring a slim dock for your laptop that will give you an extra charge or two and maybe some extra ports and space while you’re on the road.
Next time you hit the road, or the sky for that matter, you can be prepared with all of your gadgets. Take advantage of all that is around you, and curate the best travel experience you can!
