It’s officially November, and that means holiday travel season has begun. For the next month or so, many of us will find ourselves confined to infection-riddled airports, stuffed into overflowing buses, and forced into strange rental cars.
Holiday travel isn’t necessarily pleasant, but it can be less terrible if you have a reliable arsenal of devices at your disposal.
Trakdot
You’ve been here before: You land after a long flight, walk to baggage claim, and head to the conveyor belt hoping to quickly grab your belongings, only to find that the bag you’re looking for didn’t make the same trip you did and has disappeared into the ether.
Lucky for you, Trakdot can make this situation a lot less stressful. Slip the device into your bag before a trip, and it will text message or email you when you land letting you know where it is. So if your bag ended up halfway across the country, an airline rep can easily track it down for you.
Price: $49.99
Cordito
Cordito
The Cordito is a clean and compact way to keep all your electronics cables untangled while you travel. When unrolled, it reveals three slits for storing cables and headphones, as well as a pouch with a snap button for plugs and other small sundry items. When rolled back up it resembles… a burrito. Get it? Added bonus: It’s made in the USA.
Price: $45
Otterbox Defender Series
The adventurous traveler may occasionally find him or herself in a position to do some serious damage to that shiny new iPhone. But Otterbox is one of the most trusted names in heavy-duty smartphone cases. Its most robust model, the Defender, features three layers of protection against drops, bumps and scratches, and can be purchased for many different phones—not just Apple and Samsung models.
Price: $60
i-Blason
i-Blason
While Mophie has been known to make great smartphone charging cases, their offerings are expensive at $99+, and they seem to be taking their sweet time delivering updated cases for the iPhone 6. I-Blason has updated its products to include a case for the new iPhone. At just under $80, this 3200 mAh battery pack provides over one full charge at a time.
Price: $79.99
Jawbone Mini Jambox
There are a lot of mini Bluetooth speakers out there, but the Jambox gets consistently good reviews for its stylish design and sound quality for its size. At $129, it isn’t cheap, but measuring less than an inch thick and weighing nine ounces means it’s truly portable.
Price: $129
Kingston Data Traveler SE9
Sometimes all you need is a good old-fashioned flash drive. While there are dozens of options, none are quite as stylish and durable as the Kingston SE9. (I run with mine attached to my keys nearly every day, and it’s still plugging along.) This award-winning jump drive slips right onto your keychain, making it the best way to carry essential data with you on the road.
Price: $4.89+
Trunk charging cable
Trunk
Those awkwardly situated electrical sockets can make you want to skip charging altogether. Who really wants to let their phone lay on the ground between the garbage can and bathroom? Or on the table of the grungy diner you had to stop at? These pose-able, flexible cables let you keep your phone surface-free.
Price: $19.99+
Cordito (CC BY 2.0)
