4 Must-Have Tech Items for Travelers
As we walked through the airport departing from Chicago to Tokyo (our first flight of many), I watched as people roamed and raced around me. Some were rushing to their gates while others spent time wandering in gift shops to kill time. I, for one, was looking around trying to find inspiration for this article.
I happened to land my eyes upon a larger group activity I noticed people doing: sitting by outlets trying to charge their devices before boarding their flights.
Who wasn't doing that activity? Well, me, because I packed my carry-on with must-have items...one of which doesn't require me to sit on the floor of the airport and wait.
Portable Charger
You all knew this one was coming first. I first started using portable chargers during my travels when I took a trip to Coachella. The sun drained my battery like no other (the million snapchats I sent that weekend probably attributed to it too), and portable chargers saved my friend and I from being left charge-less during one of the most Insta-worthy events of the year.
A portable charger that I picked up yesterday has to be my favorite of all time. It's a simple keychain that you attach to your purse, so it's with you all the time. It's one of those giant furry puffs that I'm sure you've seen around. The cool thing about this charging puff is that you actually first charge the puff, and then you are able to charge your devices off of it. Mine has two adapters so both iPhone and Android users can use it. It's literally one of my favorite purchases I've made within the past month. I mean, could you really not love an accessory that's both cute and functional anyway?
I bought mine from Charming Charlie for only $25, but you can find them on Amazon too. Make sure you get the actual charging bank, not just the adapter kind!
Wallet Phone Case
I don't usually use a phone case. I don't mind when my iPhone is naked; I actually think it looks sleeker that way. But a few months ago I cracked my phone screen for the first time ever in my life and it scarred me a bit. I still didn't put a case on it after I got it fixed, but I was shopping and found one that I thought would be perfect for traveling.
Mine is a slim phone case that holds about three cards, my phone, and a tiny bit of room for an emergency $100 bill. It happened to be absolutely perfect when going through the airport because I had my ID on me and easily accessible, as well as the piece of mind that I wouldn't set my phone down by mistake and leave it someplace. My favorite thing about this case is that I can take my phone out of it without popping it out of the case. What I'm assuming is a magnet holds my phone in place, but I can easily slide it out so when I'm talking or texting, I don't have to have the entire case by my face of in my hands (life can be a bit complicated when you have small hands). This comes in handy when you ask a stranger to take a picture of you because you don't have to worry about then running off with your wallet.
Wireless Headphones
I bought wireless headphones months ago when I got my iPhone 7, but just opened them 3 days ago. I really wish I had opened them sooner. They make traveling so much easier.
I bought mine at Target in the checkout line and it was the best impulse buy ever. The ones I bought are earbuds, so they're super small and easy to pack. They work by using your device's Bluetooth. The ones I bought I think stay charged for about four hours at a time, but don't take long at all to charge. On my 12 hour international flight, we made use of them for four hours and let them charge when we took a little nap, but the battery didn't seem to die even at the four hour mark.
These weren't expensive at all and they worked great! They really came in handy because my adapter for my other pair of headphones wouldn't work on my boyfriend's iPad, so he was able to use the Bluetooth ones and I used the headphones for my iPad since it's an older one that still has the headphone jack. Besides being easy to use, my favorite thing about these wireless headphones is the fact that the cord is short so it doesn't turn into a tangled mess in my purse.
I'm not sure where else you can buy these for cheap, but I'm sure a quick scan on Amazon will help you out!
Waterproof Phone Case
This item is actually one that I personally did not bring on the trip. The vacation we most recently took was a couples trip (we had three couples total) so the waterproof phone case was brought along by one of the other girls, Kelly.
Kelly busted this case out when we were going into the ocean in the Philippines. She explained that she bought the one on Amazon with the best reviews, and I have to say, it came in handy. We used her phone to take pictures and videos throughout the days we spent there and her phone remained completely dry—even after snorkeling.
As you may have read in one of my previous posts, I have one of these too. However, I have a pink one. I thought it was a good idea at the time, but all the pictures I take with it turn out having a pink hue—something I didn't think of while I was purchasing it. So if you get one of these waterproof phone cases, get a clear one like Kelly did. I highly recommend getting one of these if you're going to a beach or doing any water activities. Even if you don't take it in the water, you'll have the peace of mind knowing that your phone is safe and sound on a boat, paddle board, parasail, etc.
That's all for my four tech items that are must-have for travelers. I'll have my Tokyo and the Philippines travel posts up very soon! Thanks for reading (and being patient!).
