Best Travel Tech Gifts: Must-Haves for the Journey and the Destination

Natalia is a contributing writer for CNET. Her work can also be seen in places like Business Insider, Yahoo and Forbes. She spent several years living abroad, from goat-sitting in the Swiss Alps to staying with nuns at a monastery in Venice. Back in Los Angeles, she runs a popular pizza Meetup and is still on a quest to find her favorite slice.

John Falcone Senior Editorial Director, Shopping

John P. Falcone is the senior director of commerce content at CNET, where he coordinates coverage of the site's buying recommendations alongside the CNET Advice team (where he previously headed the consumer electronics reviews section). He's been a CNET editor since 2003.

Clckr Stand and Grip for MagSafe (2nd gen)

CNET's David Carnoy says Clckr's new, trimmer Stand and Grip is one of his favorite MagSafe accessories. "The accessory really sticks to the back of your MagSafe-enabled phone or MagSafe-enabled case and not only makes it easier to hold up your phone but when converted into a kickstand, it props up your device nicely in portrait or landscape mode for video calls or video watching."

BevLedge airplane window organization station

CNET's Faith Chihil says this is a must-have if you have a window seat on the plane. "It's so convenient to still have a drink holder when your tray table is up," she says. "It's also nice to have your battery, phone and headphones within reach without having to dig into the seat pocket. And I love that it folds flat, too." This makes a great travel gift because your giftee isn't likely to have it already.

Anker 523 PowerCore Slim 10K PD

Coming in at just slightly over $25, the Anker 523 PowerCore Slim 10K PD is one of CNET's favorite power banks because it's small but packs a lot of power. With a 10,000-mAh battery, you can fully charge an iPhone at least twice on a single charge. It also has a fast-charging USB-C port that can quickly get your phone or tablet back to life.

EnergyQC Poweradd Slim 2 5000mAh power bank portable charger

If you're looking for a very compact power bank you can slide into your purse or pocket, CNET's Anna Graert recommends the Poweradd Slim 2. "I've used this power bank for years and always keep it in my purse, whether I'm traveling or running errands," she says. "It's slim and light, so it's easy to carry around and always does the job when my phone needs a charge on the go. It's a small, simple device that works great."

Vaultz mesh storage bags, 3-pack

It helps to stay as organized as possible when traveling, and these storage bags are great for wrangling together all sorts of small items. "Whether it is for organizing cables, flash drives or toiletries, these mesh bags have become a travel essential for long or short trips," says CNET's Chris Wedel.

MiiKare phone holder (2–pack)

CNET's Faith Chihil says this phone holder is more secure than a phone kickstand and you can use it with your tray closed at takeoff and landing. "As a content creator, it's also nifty for hands-free filming at conventions and for unboxings," she adds.

Ougrand universal travel adapter

The addition of USB and USB-C ports to travel adapters has been one of the nicer upgrades in recent years. This adapter will work pretty much anywhere in the world and includes a passthrough plug for you to plug in a laptop or other standard device too. (Note that this won't convert voltage, but that means it will still work with virtually any gadget, except for things like hair dryers and curling irons.)

Portable handheld mini fan

If you know someone who always runs hot, they will appreciate this mini foldable fan (that also happens to have a flashlight). It has two speeds, and it's super compact, so you can easily slip it into a purse or pocket.

Foldable 3-in-1 Apple Charging Station

Say goodbye to tangles of cables and charging blocks with this foldable, portable charging station. It houses your iPhone, Apple Watch and AirPods on a single magnetic tower that only takes up a few square inches on your desk or nightstand. "Fold it into different shapes to charge multiple phones or AirPod cases at once," says CNET's David Sessions. "It's especially great for travel, letting you bring just a single charging cable that fits neatly into its handy carrying case."

Cocoon GRID-IT accessory organizer

If you're one of those people who can stand to be a little more organized when traveling -- or know someone else who could be -- this accessory organizer is the answer. "I've had one of these for around 12 years or so and it's an easy way for me to put all of my chargers, small electronics or whatever, in one place," says CNET's Peter Butler. You can also check out his review of the Cocoon GRID-IT for more.

Anker 735 triple port charger

With two USB-C ports, a single USB-A port and a max output of 65 watts, this Anker power adapter can charge almost anything, from a laptop to headphones and many devices in between. Yes, the output and charging time varies when you plug in multiple devices, but it's still a single mini power adapter rather than the two or three I used to travel with. Perfect for those hotel rooms with just one outlet.

JBL Go 3

You can't ask for a better travel companion than the highly portable JBL Go 3 speaker. It's waterproof, sounds great for its (tiny) size, recharges via USB-C and comes in a variety of fun colors too. It's a great way to enjoy music in your hotel room, on a picnic and anywhere in between. Although there are newer JBL Bluetooth speaker models out there, you can't get more portable, affordable and travel-friendly than this one. It also made our pick for best pocket-friendly wireless speaker. Pro tip: It's worth waiting for this model to drop to $30, which it does frequently during online sales.

Apple AirTags 4-pack

Read more: Best Travel Tech Gifts.

Twelve South AirFly Pro wireless adapter

Watching in-flight movies is a great way to pass the time, but the one downside is that you usually can't use wireless headphones. Enter the AirFly, a small device that turns any 3.5mm audio port into a Bluetooth audio transmitter and receiver for wireless headphones. "Watching entertainment with quality audio makes such a difference, and nothing has to be disconnected when I'm sitting in an aisle seat and someone else in my row needs to get past me," says CNET's Kimanzi Constable, who has taken hundreds of flights in the last eight years alone. You can read more about the AirFly Pro Bluetooth transmitter in our review.

EarFun Wave Pro over-ear headphones

For a solid pair of headphones under $100, check out the EarFun Wave Pro. CNET's David Carnoy says they're comfortable, feature decent sound with punchy bass for the price point and offer respectable noise-canceling and voice-calling performance. Their battery life is impressive, too -- up to 80 hours with noise-canceling off and 55 hours with it on. They also were our pick for top new budget noise-canceling headphones.

Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (2024)

While the 2022 Kindle Paperwhite was a winner of our CNET Editors' Choice Award winner in the e-reader category, Amazon recently came out with a new version that's even better. The 2024 model is thinner, has a larger 7-inch display, and offers 25% faster page turns. According to CNET's David Carnoy, "The new Paperwhite does seem like a legitimate upgrade from the Paperwhite (2021), and I suspect people who've used that previous-gen Paperwhite will be tempted to make the jump to this model." 

RayNeo Pocket TV

Help your giftee take their favorite entertainment with them on their travels with RayNeo's Pocket TV. Originally designed to work with theRayNeo Smart glasses, the output is just USB-C, meaning it will work with any USB-C monitor or, if you have a USB-C to HDMI cable, any standard TV. It's powered by Google TV -- so you can access all you favorite streaming apps -- with 64GB of memory and room for an SD card. "So you can save your shows for offline travel on a plane," explains CNET's James Bicknell. "I've used it a lot with the RayNeo glasses and it's a fantastic little ecosystem for watching your favorite shows privately while traveling."

Shokz OpenRun Pro bone-conduction headphones

Traveling requires some situational awareness; listening for boarding call announcements, people walking up behind you on the street and more. But you don't have to choose between listening to a podcast or hearing your environment with bone conduction headphones, which send sound waves through your cheekbones, not your ears. CNET's David Carnoy says that a big benefit of this technology is that you can be aware of -- and hear -- what's going on around you while listening to music or having a phone conversation. "They're very good for podcasts, talk radio, newscasts and audiobooks," he says. They also made our pick for best bone-conduction headphones.

Apple AirPods Pro 2 (USB-C)

AirPods Pro 2 with MagSafe (USB-C) are nearly identical to their predecessor -- you'll still get amazing voice-calling performance and sound, plus up to six hours of battery life. This all means they are among the best headphones to fly with, thanks to their superior noise-canceling abilities. Pop these in during a flight and let the cabin noise melt away. They made CNET’s pick for best Apple AirPods, and you can also check out our review of the AirPods Pro 2.

Solgaard Lifepack Backpack

A good backpack with lots of pockets is a must, especially when traveling. The Solgaard Lifepack comes with the standard things you'd expect -- a padded compartment for your laptop and nifty pockets for your phone and sunglasses -- but it's also got a few secret pockets for valuables and an anti-theft lock on the inside. One of the most handy features is the built-in power bank with a Bluetooth speaker. You can charge it in a regular wall outlet and there's also a solar panel on the front, so it can slowly recharge when you're out and about. Pro tip: Skip the speaker for a thinner powerbank and you'll save a bit of money.

GoPro Hero 11 Black

For capturing memories on rugged travel adventures, it's hard to beat a GoPro. And while the GoPro Hero 13 is now available, the 2022 Hero 11 gives a large slice of the same features at a more affordable price and is still a great little action camera. Pro tip: You can shave down the price if you opt for the subscription option via GoPro.com (which includes automatic cloud uploading).

iPad (9th-gen, 2021)

Whether you're watching a movie on a flight, trying to distract the kids on a long road trip or just curling up on the couch, the iPad is a great travel-friendly gadget. This 9th-gen 2021 model is compatible with the 1st-gen Apple Pencil and the Apple Smart Keyboard, so it can even double as a decent makeshift laptop in a pinch. Note: If you want USB-C compatibility to match your new iPhone 15, you'll need to spend up for a 10th-gen iPad or an iPad Mini. But for me, the 9th is a deal -- it's a fraction of the cost. CNET's James Bricknell is a fan of the 9th-gen iPad, too.

Fujifilm Instax Mini EVO instant camera

For those who still like to take nonphone photos, this is a fun camera to bring along when traveling. It not only allows you to instantly print photos but also to save them onto your phone, making it a win-win.

Xreal Air 2 Pro smart glasses

CNET's Chris Wedel says he borrowed a pair of these glasses for an international flight, then quickly decided he'll no longer travel without them. "The ability to have as much display space as I need for work, and a comfortable viewing angle for watching movies or playing games, makes travel so much more bearable," he says. "The glasses are also great for working on the go once you arrive at your destination." For more details on them, you can check out CNET's review of the Xreal Air Pro 2 smart glasses.

Amazon Kindle Scribe

If you know someone who likes to write or draw when they're traveling, the Amazon Kindle Scribe can be their new digital notepad -- and whatever they create can also be uploaded to the cloud. Plus, the e-reader is front-lit with high resolution (300 pixels per inch), which is helpful. "The Scribe strikes a very good balance between a large-format e-reader and an E Ink note-taking tablet," says CNET's David Carnoy. Note that Amazon just came out with a second-gen version of the Scribe, and the included stylus is a decent upgrade. However, the 16B model costs $20 more and is slated to ship in December.

Sony WH-1000XM5

Read our Sony WH-1000XM5 review.

Insta360 One X2

For something a bit different than the standard action cam, try the Insta360 One X2. This nifty little camera lets you shoot eye-catching 360-degree videos, which you can then easily edit on your phone with the accompanying app. It has an "invisible selfie stick" and great image stabilization, too, so you can get drone-like shots without the drone. There's also a cool bullet-time mode that lets you swing it around your head for awesome aerial panning videos. While the company came out with the newer X4 earlier this year, this model is about $200 cheaper.