It sounds counterproductive to add more gadgets when you hit the road but these gadgets are not only things you need but didn’t know you needed.
For the past several years I haven’t traveled anywhere without a SotteVest. I bought the first one about 10 years ago. It has 15 or more pockets of all sizes that cut down on the need for a separate carry-on to hold all of the devices I need. I can carry a smartphone, keys, passport, pens, camera, a book or Kindle, and even an iPad, and the vest is weighted so it never feels like you’ve got all that stuff on you.
It saves me from taking a bag for all of those things on an airplane and I’ve found in some airports, rather than taking all of that stuff out of a bag at security, I just place the vest on the conveyor belt.
Airplanes are noisy so a good pair of noise-cancelling earbuds will block out engine noise and the snoring person beside you. Don’t buy earbuds without Active Noise Canceling or ANC.
Some cost hundreds of dollars. The Bose Quiet Comfort is best in class, but other brands, such as Nokia earbuds, are under $100.
Finding enough outlets in a hotel room to keep everything charged is sometimes frustrating. I picked up a travel power strip by Anker that has three electric plugs and three USB connection ports.
Rather than needing to keep up with multiple cables, one can use a multi-plug charging cable. These cables have a standard USB and two connected adapters for USB-C and a lightning plug for iPhones.
None of these gadgets are useful if the battery dies, so a portable power bank makes a great gift. Some of the newer ones like one from Anker do not require a cable connection.
For smartphones with wireless charging, look for a power bank that connects to the phone by simply placing the phone on top of the charger.
Sure they may not think they want more gadgets, but don’t we all?
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