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Once again, TechCrunch has asked me to put together a list of travel-friendly gadgets,
and once again, I find myself between back-to-back international flights
If nothing else, all of the travel for this gig has made me much better at figuring out what to pack and what to leave behind.
There a
It requires a lot of trial and error to maintain your sanity through 12 hour flights, powering through jet lag and generally making it
Common wisdom posits that it the journey, not the destination that counts, but when it comes to the rigors of being in the air and on the
road half your life, the journey is usually the worst part.
I&ve narrowed the list down to ten, but there was plenty of stuff I could have
A good spare battery pack is always a must
There are a million good, cheap ones online
I&ve been carrying around an OmniCharge, myself
Ditto for solid wheeled suitcase
You can spend a ton of money on an Away bag, or you can can buy three bags at a fraction of the price.
Chromebooks are worth a look, as
well, for battery life alone
I took the Pixelbook Go with me to China earlier this month
They&re also great for security reasons
Oh, and I won&t include it because it a terrible gift, but far and away my most important travel companion is a pack of Wet Ones hand wipes
Hand sanitizer is fine, but if you&re not wiping down your phone a couple of times a day while traveling, you&re not doing yourself any
favors.
Amazon Kindle Oasis
I&ve mostly attempted to avoid repeats from last year, but I couldn&t not include the Oasis
An e-reader is absolutely invaluable for travels
The Oasis is the best on the market and the new version (while largely the same) gets a few tweaks, including an E Ink display with a faster
refresh rate and adjustable colors on the front light to reduce blue light
That key when attempting to adjust to a new timezone
Also, shoutout to Calibre, a fantastic open-source e-book software I use to convert e-pub files to read on my Kindle.
Anker PowerPort
Atom
Everyone knows the importance of traveling with a good battery pack
But what of a plug? Anker PowerPort Atom is tiny and useful for a MacBook Pro 13 inch or smaller
At 30W, it packs a punch for its tiny size
That key for navigating around crowded outlets, not to mention the plugs under your seat on the plane
I&ve been using a Pixelbook charger as a go-to plug, but the weight of the thing means it constantly falling out.
Apple iPad Pro
Obvious
choice, I realize, but I&m actually not including the iPad for the obvious reason
The arrival of Sidecar on MacOS Catalina has made the iPad Pro a terrific second screen for the Mac, in addition to all of its usual tablet
I use it all the time for working on the road
Carrying an actual second monitor in a suitcase is an obvious non-starter, so the iPad works well in a pinch.
DJI Osmo Pocket
I wasn&t
prepared for how much I&d love this little gimbal
It terrific when tethered to a phone or on its own
Smartphone cameras are really quite good these days, and I imagine most people leave the standalones at home for a trip
The Osmo small size makes it perfect for throwing in a backpack, and the things it can do are really quite stunning.
Dreamlight Ease
Full
disclosure: I used to be too embarrassed to wear a sleep mask on a plane
Enough international flights, however, and you&ll start to get over it pretty quickly
The Dreamlight ease is the best and most comfortable i&ve used to date
It made of form fitting, stretchable material, combined with &3D facial mapping& tech that comfortable conforms to the face without letting
I actually wear it at home sometimes
Also, the side padding makes it much more comfortable to lean your head against the plane window.
LARQ Self Cleaning Water Bottle
Plastic
And SFO recently banned their sale
Bring a water bottle to stay hydrated on the road and maybe cut down on some waste in the process
The $100 price tag is pretty lofty as far as these things go, but as someone who recently found a small forest growing in my metal work
bottle, the addition of a self-cleaning element seems worth the cost.
Nintendo Switch Lite/Switch Online
I&ve been waiting for a Switch
Lite ever since the original Switch was unveiled three year back
It the perfect size for travel, and the attached Joy-Cons mean you don&t have to worry about them coming loose in your bag
It great for flights and lonely hotel stays
The battery life leaves a bit to be desire, but it otherwise a fantastic handheld
Pair it with the ridiculously cheap Switch Online, and you&ve got access to a ton of original NES and SNES titles
A Link to the Past, anyone?
Sony Earbuds WF-1000XM3
I admit I chose these before having a chance to properly test out the similarly priced
That said, I can still wholly heartedly recommend Sony based on terrific sound quality and noise cancelation that perfect for the plane
Powerbeats Pro get a hearty recommendation as well, for battery life and comfort
Just don&t forget to bring a wired set for the plane entertainment system.
Timbuk2 Never Check Backpack
I tested this backpack on a trip
to Tokyo around this time last year, and I&m still smitten
It easily the best travel backpack I&ve ever owned, courtesy of plenty of pockets and an expandable body
It well made, rugged and nice to look at, making for a perfect carry-on companion.
Tripley Compression Packing Cubes
Okay, okay, not a
gadget, I realize, but invaluable nonetheless
When I first started traveling a lot for work, I was wavering between packing cubes and compression bags
One is great for organization and keeping clothes (relatively) unwrinkled
The other is terrific for space
Tripley product is a nice compromise between the two
Just make sure not to get that zipper jammed.
