20 Best Travel Gadgets 2023

Jan 01, 2024

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For more organized, manageable, and unforgettable adventures in your future.

The ritual of packing for a trip—out of town or across the globe—has come a long way from travel guide books to advanced gadgets. Before, it was just about checked luggage, travel backpacks, and your clothes; the techiest travel essentials you'd bring was probably a set of power adapters. Now, there’s a whole high-tech society of travel gadgets occupying your suitcases and duffel bags whenever you prepare for an outing, short or long, near or far.

This cohort of travel tech is also constantly evolving, from analog to digital, and increasingly becoming more portable: Handy enough to fit in your carry-ons or use on the go as you sightsee. Altogether, the best travel gadgets can make your trips more organized, manageable, and unforgettable—just better through and through. Hence, from tools you'll actually use during transportation or overnight stays, to devices that'll help you enjoy sceneries of a foreign land to the fullest, we recommend these 20 best travel gadgets below for every type of traveler and journey. Grab a cool instant camera, a portable WiFi hotspot, a universal power bank, or even a pair of binoculars, for example, then you'll really be bon-voyage-ing.

You never know what kind of creeps are lurking at your hotel room or AirBnb. Hence, a wireless hidden device detector that'll blow the gaff on those pinhole cameras, audio bugs, and trackers. And, it doesn't look like a detective's walkie-talkie, which is cool.

Simply put, it's a TikTok viral gadget that'll connect your AirPods—or any wireless headphones and earbuds—to the airplane TV. A godsend for your inevitably long, dull flight across the country, or the globe.

Maybe if all these heads of state and government just agree upon one shape of input/output plug, we'd have less international conflicts? Before then, grab one—or more—of these all-in-one travel adapters to, IDK, bridge the international relations?

We won't tell you what iPhone chargers or power adapters to get—you probably already have the best. But we do recommend a carry-on organizer for all your essential tech accessories, and Bellroy's tech kit has a place for every possible one you might need while traveling.

So, you can (finally) stop losing things in hotels or restaurants and caving in to the hassle buying a new phone or AirPods in a foreign city or country. Those higher tax rates are no joke.

So, when you're at the top of Lady Liberty, you're able to get a clear shot of what's happening down there through its 10x magnification—and maybe spot your long-lost cousin? Or for when you're at Yellowstone and need a HD view of what's two miles ahead before venturing farther into the wild.

A portable charger on the road or in the air will prove a life-saver during those unexpected power-off moments. The Omni 20+ is one almighty power bank capable of charging your cameras, drones, laptops, and phones simultaneously, at up to 100W—one of the fastest speeds we've ever seen. It's got ports of all kinds for that matter, ready to lend a hand to all the heavy travel tech you'll bring along.

Not just any selfie-stick. Use DJI's smart gimbal that is anti-wobbling to up your photography or vlogging skills to match even the pros. The ActiveTrack algorithm will automatically follow main objects in the frame for an HD focus. They can be walking, running, swimming, zig-zagging... This gimbal don't miss.

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Trova's portable biometric safe is for travelers who keep essentials with them as they wander through a whole new city or countryside of beautiful landscapes—so... Any traveler? Only you can access what's inside, so you can fully let down your guards and actually enjoy the trip, stress-free.

The last thing you need while traveling is to go offline—especially if you don't speak the local language. Thus, a WiFi hotspot, like the Solis, which is one of the easiest to operate. Just connect it to the mobile app and pay for the data, then off you go—web surfing, messaging, or any easy Internet usage. Cell carriers be damned.

Flexing designer shades on the go is pretty much any traveler's second nature. Bose's classic-cool smart sunglasses, with open-ear audio built in to play music only for you, will save you a pair of headphones at that, while letting you stay alert (of those pickpockets, specifically).

Just in case your voyage takes place during the cusp of yet another pandemic (we're still in one, by the way), this handy sanitizing light wand you can fit in a pocket will be able to rapidly sterilize those surfaces frequented by many before you.

For the true lifetime traveler who wants nothing but the excitement of capturing beautiful sights, Polaroid's one-step, retouch-not-needed instant camera will render perhaps the best film photographs with its own tools of saturation, focus, exposure, contrast, visual effects, etc. Now you can finally take a stock-photography-level picture.

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More than just a drinking vessel kit for passing around whiskey to your traveling mates during a makeshift happy hour, though that's definitely its main purpose. VSSL adds an LED light, compass, and a bottle opener to the setup, so folks who are really outside adventuring can stay safe and sound, and, of course, enjoy some sips.

Speaker convenient enough that you can clip onto your backpack or pant's belt loop is one that'll soundtrack your excursion. Not to mention JBL's Clip 4 is one with a durability rating of IP67 and surprisingly punchy audio.

Hot coffee isn't just for homebodies who stay still and attached to a seat; travelers and adventurers alike also deserve the heat. Ember's travel mug will keep the contents inside hot at the precise temperature, and keep them secure with a leakproof, slide-lock design.

Garmin's GPS watch beats Apple's latest release—the Ultra—to the punch at something any outdoorsman can appreciate: It's solar-powered. I.e. Instinct 2 has unlimited battery life as long as you keep the lights on. And it's built like a beast with a tough-as-nails anti-water/shock/heat case. It'll keep up with wherever you're traveling to, whatever extreme activity you might partake.

On the flight, the tried-and-true WH-1000XM5—an undisputed upgrade from its predecessor in both comfort and noise-cancelling—is a clutch at extinguishing clamors of babies crying or air conditioners, and lets you enjoy your own library of soothing white noise. Just be careful of losing track of the flight attendant's announcements.

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When the worst possible lost-in-the-woods scenario comes and you must reserve to taking a scoop from a sketchy stream in the mountain, LARQ's auto-bacterial-killing bottle will come in handy to purify 99 percent of bio-contaminants out of your water. (Or simply use it because different countries have different standards regarding tap water.)

Balmuda's water-resistant lantern comes alive both under the sky and inside the four-walls, since it's main thing is mood-setting. It'll glow like a candle light to elevate your private romantic dinner near La Seine, or maybe shine a light to show your way at night in the campsite.

Maverick Li is the Style & Commerce Editor of Men’s Health, where he covers clothing, footwear, watches, and grooming. He was previously the Assistant Commerce Editor at Esquire.

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