We live in a world that is increasingly more reliant on tech. Here are the 11 indispensable travel tech essentials I don’t leave home without. Most even daily–not just when traveling.

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You might think that when you travel you have to take so much extra stuff with you. But, the reality is, that there’s very little that you need that you’re not already using regularly. Except for the last three items on the list, I use all these things daily–and the last two are for international travel only.

Smart Phone (and a few App recommendations)

I don’t think I need to expound on the indispensableness of the smartphone nowadays. Even some of the “travel” uses are things we all use our phones for on a near-daily basis at this point. This may include anything from ordering a rideshare, checking reviews, or making reservations to the GPS, and camera functions.

As far as “travel tech” is concerned, you may want to download some additional apps before heading out. Check out 5 Essential Route Planning Apps if you’re planning a road trip. Be sure to have a good translation app if you’re headed to a foreign country, a flight tracking app if your travel includes flights, and any app for the airline/hotel/loyalty program you’ll be using. (Protip: download the language you need in your translation app ahead of time in case you have no reception. And take screenshots of your electronic boarding passes for the same reason. Better yet, print hard copies in case your battery dies.)

Another useful app is LoungeBuddy. It can help you determine which airport lounges, if any, you have access to. You may be surprised that you can get away from the hustle and bustle, enjoy free meals and drinks, or even a shower, massage, and manicure at the airport (also for free).

Kosher Tip: Don’t forget apps like Kosher GPS and Kosher Near Me as well as access to GoDaven. Always be sure to confirm the listings’ accuracy.

Powerbank

I own several of these travel tech items. I keep them in my backpack, car, and handy on my kitchen counter. While there are definitely smaller or cheaper models available–although not necessarily smaller and cheaper–I like this one. It plugs DIRECTLY into the wall, has an iWatch, and three other types of charging cables built right in (lightning, micro-USB, and USB-C). It also has an input for a USB and USB-C and a digital display indicating how charged the power bank itself is.

It’s about the size of a standard smart phone and the fact that I don’t need to bring a cube since this plugs straight into the wall is great. I can carry it around all day and just plug it in to recharge wherever and whenever. Also, since it has a USB input port, I can plug in my 4-in-1 charging cable directly and not have to pack a cube at all. (Jump to 4-in-1 below.) Some laptops can even charge from a USB-C, alleviating the need for a large charging cable.

My laptop happens to be too powerful for the standard pocket-size power bank, so I travel with more of a full-size external battery. It may seem large and heavy, but I’ve been on transatlantic flights without working outlets. Furthermore, many hotels don’t have outlets in the most convenient locations, and having the power bank allows me to work from anywhere. I can even charge all my other electronics–including the smaller power bank–from this one. And, it comes with a storage bag and over a dozen different adaptor tips to work with almost anything. I don’t even pack the power adapter for my laptop.

Wireless Earbuds

I use my AirPods all the time for talking on the phone hands-free, listening to a podcast, or any number of other things. But I also use them when I have Zoom meetings on my computer. Additionally, I have a set of noise-cancelling ones that are designed to help with sleep.

However, after several years my Airpods were no longer holding a charge. One would die after 45 minutes and I’d switch to the other and it would be dead in 45 seconds! So, I found a really good deal and upgraded to the Airpods Pro. All I can say is WOW! The sound quality and battery life are way better than my old AirPods ever were. But, these are also noise canceling and have an adaptive conversation feature–meaning that even if you’re in the zone with the noise canceling fully functioning, as soon as you start speaking the noise cancellation is overridden. You can carry on a regular conversation, finish the conversation, and the noise-canceling resumes. And the sound quality–no comparison!

You can find a set of wireless Bluetooth earbuds from as low as $10 to as high as several hundred (or even several thousand) dollars. You have to get what works for your budget and lifestyle. But be sure to read the reviews if you’re going with a low-cost no-name brand. Some things are worth paying more for.

Some in-flight entertainment systems now have Bluetooth technology and you can use your wireless earbuds with them. For those that don’t, you can use this adapter to connect your wireless earbuds.

Smart Watch

My smart watch allows me to be hands-free for so many things–which is helpful with kids. I also don’t like being on the go and having to dig out my phone to know if a text message is important or not. The other day I was even able to talk to my husband through my watch while buckling my toddler into his car seat without grabbing the phone from the front seat of the car. Anyone remember Dick Tracy?

But, my watch does so much more. I can control the camera on my phone with my watch; it can give me step-by-step directions so I don’t have to be staring at my phone while walking or driving; and I can access my contactless payment options and boarding passes from my watch. As an added “lazy man” bonus, I don’t have to set it if I change time zones. And for the “non-lazy man” you can see how many steps and exercise minutes you rack up.

G-d forbid something happens, some smart watches allow your loved ones to track you, call emergency services, and have fall/crash detection. This is exactly why I bought one for my mother.

AirTags

The newest addition to my travel tech gear is a set of Apple AirTags. I even recently bought a set as a gift for my mother. They are about the size of a quarter and are used to track anything you want. You can keep one in your wallet, one in your suitcase, one with your valuables, even one on your small child or pet.

If your airline loses your luggage, you can locate it before they do. You’ll know that you don’t have to rush to baggage claim since you can see that your suitcase is still on the plane. And you won’t have to wait until the last bags are off the carousel to know that yours got left behind–you can beat the rush to the baggage services counter. There have even been stories of passengers alerting airline staff that their luggage had been placed on the wrong plane before the flight even took off!

You’ll get a precise location of your item and you can set up notifications to alert you if you left one of your items behind. My husband was recently on a flight from Tel Aviv to Los Angeles via Toronto. He was able to alert baggage services that his suitcase was still in Israel before they were able to track it down. And, on a recent trip of mine, as I walked out of my hotel, my phone buzzed to let me know that my suitcase had been left behind.

There are many accessories available to attach them, hang them, or insert them in various places. And the battery is supposed to last one year. This is a piece of travel tech with endless possibilities.

Laptop

I am not going to recommend a laptop model or discuss the benefits of a computer. We all know what we use them for and the features we look for. Occasionally (rarely), I am able to travel without mine. I am sure that many of you can do so more regularly, but many of you may be traveling with a laptop and/or a tablet for each member of the family. Enough said.

VPN (Virtual Private Network)

While not truly travel tech, since it’s not a gadget, I feel that a VPN (virtual private network) fits in here and is a must whether at home or on the go. The one I use is part of my virus and cybersecurity package. In a nutshell, the purpose of a VPN is to keep your information safe while you are connected to the internet. This is especially true if you connect to public wifi.

There is another advantage to having a VPN while traveling abroad. There are certain sites or services you may need to access that are only accessible from your home country. When you log on through a VPN, you can pick the country that you want your computer “to be in”. Another advantage of a VPN is that you may be able to access cheaper airfare.

3 Simple Money Saving Airfare Hacks

4-in-1 Charging Cable

Since I use my iPhone, AirPods, and Apple Watch daily, I need to charge them daily. However, this 4-in-1 charging cable is the first thing on my travel tech list that I really only use for travel. The simple reason is because at home I have a charging station on my nightstand that holds all three items. (Note: you can get the version that works for your needs if you don’t use Apple items.)

The newer charging stations available now fold flat and only require one (included) USB-C cable. I may decide to get one of these in the future for home use and maybe even for longer stays in the same place. I’m not sure how this option would work when really on the go, though–like on a long-haul flight.

So, for now, plugging in the 4-in-1 charging cable to the power bank and the power bank to the wall works really well when the outlet is not in a convenient location to just use the powerbank on its own (as in the set-up above). Or, if there’s no outlet anywhere nearby, I can charge via the power bank directly, and then recharge the power bank in the morning.

Luggage Scale

As airlines are cracking down on overweight baggage, if you plan to check a bag, it’s important to be under the weight limit. You could always try your luck. But then you’ll be stuck with two options: getting out of line to repack your stuff in order to shift the weight or paying the hefty fee because you feel too overwhelmed (or late) to deal with it. (Or you could be really unlucky and be told you have to buy another suitcase at the airport.)

Enter this lightweight compact digital luggage scale. It’s simple to use, accurate, and weighs less than a couple of ounces. I bought the two-pack and sent one to camp with my son and one with my girls. This way they could weigh as they packed and be prepared for the airport when they flew home alone.

Beis has a built-in scale in the handle of their luggage. There’s an indicator on the handle that turns red if the suitcase weighs more than 50 pounds. I think the limit should have been less on the carry-on since carry-ons are often limited to 22 pounds. And maybe there could be a way to tell if it’s between 50 and 75 pounds since some classes of service allow 75 pounds and others will charge an extra overage fee when it’s over 75 not just 50 pounds.

Universal Adapter

This piece of travel tech is only necessary for travel outside your home region. For example, we live in the US, so we wouldn’t need anything like this adapter within the US, Mexico, and Canada (and some others). This one can be used in over 200 countries and regions without needing any extra parts or connectors that you may lose or forget. It also has multiple USB-C and USB-A ports (again, leave the cube behind).

It’s more expensive than many other options, but it is one of the few that has 65W GaN technology. One benefit of this is that you can use it to charge your USB laptop as well as plug-in high powered devices like hairdryers and electric kettles.
It’s compact enough that I recommend having at least two, since with all the tech we rely on nowadays, you don’t want to be caught short-handed in the charging department. This would be a true example of “two is one and one is none” (as the Navy Seals say).

SIM or E-SIM

In all likelihood, you’ll want to use your current cell phone when traveling. There was a time years ago, that if you traveled frequently enough to a specific destination, it made sense to have a separate phone for that locale. For example, sitting with our travel stuff are two old Israeli cell phones that my husband and I each had. I even remember renting a cell phone for a week or two trip abroad.

Not anymore. Today, you can pick up a local SIM card either before you go or upon landing. These cards are generally for a limited amount of time and data, but they can always be topped up. We spent a month in Mexico this past summer and bought SIM cards for each of us ahead of time and swapped them out with our US SIM cards. SIM cards are tiny, so if you have several you may want to consider a storage case like the one pictured below. Personally, I keep mine in my phone case. If you only have one foreign SIM, you could use a dual SIM tray and just keep it in your phone (with your local one). Caution: SIM trays can be phone model-specific.

E-SIMs are also an option. They are exactly what they sound like. It’s an electronic SIM card. The advantage is that you don’t need to make sure it arrives ahead of time or need to purchase it upon landing. You order online, it’s almost instant delivery to your email, and as long as you activate correctly, you should be able to use it as soon as you land. (And you won’t have to worry about dropping the tiny SIM card on the airplane floor when you try to switch them.)

Most phones also allow you to use your E-SIM number and your home number simultaneously, but beware of roaming charges. Try to only turn on your home number when on wifi.

Most are data only, which is not so bad for most people. You can use the phone while on a hotspot to ration your purchased data. There are a few options that include a limited number of international talk minutes as well. I recently had a good experience with an all-inclusive plan with Orange in Europe and plan to keep my number for the future.

I am also currently looking into a US-based mobile carrier that includes international calling in its plans as well as international native roaming. I’ll update you in the future if I go that route.

Tip: WhatsApp calls can be made internationally over data rather than using the limited number of cellular minutes you get on the Orange plans.

Miscellaneous Travel Tech

There are several items that I left off this list that are often included in other travel tech guides. I personally prefer an actual book to an e-reader even if it takes up more space. Also, I don’t really see the need to travel with a tablet and a computer, but my laptop is technically a 2-in-1. I know people like portable video game consoles. Again, I think there’s a redundancy if you have your laptop. Unless you have unlimited space or are looking for devices for each member of the family.

I also know that many people like the cable and charger organizers. At this point, I don’t really feel the need for one. As you can see, I don’t have that many cables and chargers (or any).

I do have a very compact surge protector. This model has 2 outlets, 2 USB-C ports, 2 USB-A ports, and a detachable 5-ft cord. It comes in handy when there aren’t enough outlets in an accessible location.

These are my 11 indispensable travel tech essentials. Most of which are actually just my daily go-to’s. What are your tech essentials? Do you agree with my list? What would you add? Drop me a line.

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11 Indispensable Travel Tech Essentials