The 12 Best Travel Tech Essentials of 2025, Tested and Reviewed

Best Power Bank

myCharge Fast Charging Portable Charger

Credit: Amazon

$80$65 at Amazon

What do your smartphone, camera, digital translator, and tablet all have in common? Their batteries have a tendency to run out of juice at the least convenient times. With a portable charger on hand, you can put that problem to bed. We tested this 10050mAh option from myCharge, and it had enough power to recharge an iPhone 16 two and a half times. It comes with a built-in USB-C cable, lightning cable, and a USB port to accommodate every device you’d ever want to top up. During testing, we appreciated that both iPhone and Android users were able to share this one device. It even comes with a two-pronged North American Type A plug baked into it to make recharging it back in your hotel room a breeze. We just wish the cords were a tad longer.

Best On-ear Headphones

Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S2e Over-Ear Headphones

Credit: Bowers & Wilkins

$399$277 at AmazonView on WalmartView on Bowerswilkins.com

The Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S2e are the headphones I turn to when I want to block the world out. They offer rich, natural sound and an expansive sound stage that makes everything played through them sound fabulous, including your in-flight entertainment system. “I was already impressed with the noise-canceling abilities when I could hear my music crystal-clear on the subway at rush hour, but I’m even more impressed after flying with these headphones,” says T+L’s senior testing editor Jackie Cucco. “When I switched on the ANC mode, it drastically dulled the roar of the engine and helped me sleep on the plane.”

With up to 30 hours of listening time, you’ll seldom have to worry about running out of power. Their active noise cancellation is more than adequate for drowning out the chaos of a hectic travel day, and their button layout makes them easy to control. Sound quality aside, their cushioned ear cups feel comfortable during hours of wear. You’ll have to work very hard to find a more cozy pair of headphones in the same price range.

Best Earbuds

Apple AirPods Pro 2

Credit: Amazon

$249$199 at Amazon$250 at Target$239$199 at Walmart

When a hefty pair of on-ear headphones like the Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S2e take up more space in my carry-on than I can afford, I turn to my earbuds as the next best thing. The Apple AirPods Pro 2 are compact and connect seamlessly between my iPad, iPhone, and Macbook Air. You’ll get around 30 hours of total listening time between the batteries in the AirPods Pro 2 case and the earbuds themselves. We also love that you can charge them up both wirelessly and via the lightning port.

T+L editor Taylor Fox tested the AirPods Pro 2, noting their supreme noise-cancelling capabilities. “I have never used an earbud that cancels noise so well,” says Fox. “Even when it’s not playing music, you have the option to cancel noise, so they really double as ear plugs, which has been great for blocking out noisy neighbors on trains and planes.” The great thing is that you can also use AirPods with Android devices and Windows computers. However, unless you’re listening to AAC audio files, Apple Music, or Apple TV, they won’t sound their best.

Best Headphone Adapter

Twelve South Bluetooth Headphones Adapter

Credit: Amazon

$37$35 at Amazon$35 at Kohls.com$35 at The Container Store

It’s a simple choice: you can either watch a movie during your long-haul flight using flimsy earbuds courtesy of the airline, or you can opt for those fantastic noise-cancelling Bluetooth headphones you brought along. If you opt for the latter, you’ll need Twelve South’s AirFly Pro to make it happen. This battery-powered Bluetooth transmitter is designed to be plugged into an airplane’s seatback entertainment system. Insert the AirFly Pro’s aux cable into your seat’s headphone port and pair it with the Bluetooth headphones of your choice to activate. You can even pair up to two sets of headphones with the AirFly Pro (movies are always better when watched with a friend), and you’re set. “I was all too happy to say goodbye forever to static and tangled, too-short cords when I discovered this tiny device,” says T+L Associate Director Morgan Ashley Parker, who swears by this nifty gadget. “Now, I can use my AirPods to watch movies during a flight and move about freely without missing a word.”

Moreover, the Airfly Pro can also function as a wireless receiver. Just plug it into your car’s stereo or the speaker system in your hotel room, and you’re ready to play audio from your gaming system, phone, tablet, or laptop wirelessly. No matter how you use it, the AirFly Pro will provide you with around 25 hours of power before it needs recharging. Oh, and it also comes in black.

Best eReader

Kobo Libra Colour

Credit: Rakuten Kobo

$260 at AmazonView on TargetView on Kobobooks.com

The Raktuken Kobo Libra Colour is one of our favorite eReaders to bring on trips thanks to its versatility, ease of use, and focus on providing bookworms with all the free content they could ever want.

Its seven-inch color display is easy on the eyes. It can be controlled by tapping and swiping away at its display or via its built-in page turn buttons. The Libra Colour lets you read ebooks (downloaded from your library or bought from the Kobo Store), and you can listen to audiobooks with a pair of Bluetooth headphones. Unlike a Kindle, it also makes it possible to read content borrowed from your local library using Overdrive. If you have a Pocket account, you can peruse all of your saved articles from the web. “The ability to read books in color is a huge plus since it gives the digital device a closer semblance to a physical book,” says T+L associate editor Anna Popp, who takes the Libra Colour on every trip. “In terms of other useful features, the ability to doodle and write is super helpful for taking notes.”

Best Luggage Tracker

Eufy SmartTrack Link

Credit: Amazon

$36$20 at Amazon$20 at Target$20 at Walmart

Losing your luggage on a trip is a source of stress that no one needs. While we can’t suggest how to keep your airline from losing your checked bags, a helpful luggage tracker is your best line of defense. The Eufy SmartTrack Link is a small, inexpensive device designed to help you keep track of all the things you’d rather not lose. T+L editor Taylor Fox, who tested this tracker out first hand during trips to Jackson Hole, Wyoming and Chicago, loved how seamless it was to install. “This only takes a few moments to set up. You do need an external app and to make an account, but then you use FindMy to track, so I ended up not using the app at all throughout the test,” she says.

Available in a credit card-sized casing or as a fob designed to hang on a keychain, the SmartTrack Link is highly versatile and can fit on or inside a variety of checked suitcases. It’s also water-resistant, running for up to a year off of a single CR2032 battery. The location data can also be shared with others to help you recover your wayward goods.

Best Portable Speaker

Ultimate Ears Wonderboom

Credit: Ultimate Ears

$90$54 at Amazon$100 at WalmartView on Ultimateears.com

We recently chose the Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 3 as our favorite portable Bluetooth speaker, and with good reason. Weighing just over a pound and around the size of a coffee mug, it provides a surprising amount of thump and treble in an ultra-compact package.

With a battery that can provide up to 14 hours of playtime, you’ll likely be able to get at least a few days of use out of the Wonderboom 3 before it needs to be charged back up. With its IP67 dust and waterproof rating, you’ll never have to worry about being too precious with it at the beach, pool, or campsite. T+L senior editor Jasmine Grant has owned this speaker for years, using it daily at home and packing it for various trips. “The sound quality is also crystal clear at both low and high volumes, and I never hear any crackling or distortion that you might notice in super cheap speakers,” she notes.

Best Wi-Fi Hotspot

Simo Solis Lite

Credit: Amazon

$160$136 at Amazon$160$136 at Target$160$136 at Best Buy

I was first introduced to the SIMO Solis Lite in Barcelona at a tech conference back in 2024. Having used their products for over a year, I can say it’s an absolute necessity for remote workers.

The Solis Lite is a 4G LTE hotspot that provides wireless Internet access for up to 10 devices at a time. No matter where you travel, the Solis Lite will be ready to get you online. SIMO currently has deals with over 300 carriers in 140 nations. This means that you don’t need to mess with SIM cards or any other technical nonsense to get your hotspot up and running. The Solis Lite connects to the best carrier option automatically. When you invest in one of these hotspots, you’ll be provided with 1GB of data each month for life, though you can’t use it all at once. For less than $200 and with 1GB of free data per month, we consider this hotspot a great value. Keep in mind that the free data is dispersed in 250MB increments per week — after which, you will need to purchase additional data. We used the Solis Lite during various trips, and while we do think the additional data is a little expensive, we appreciate that the plans are flexible and can be changed month to month.

Best Portable Monitor

ARZOPA Portable Monitor

Credit: Amazon

$105$87 at AmazonView on Arzopa.com

Studies show that we get more done on our computers when we have larger displays or multiple monitors to rely on while we work. It’d be nice to bring along a 27-inch display everywhere we go, but that isn’t what you’d call practical. Enter the Arzopa A1 Portable Monitor. It’s an affordable portable monitor that’s perfect for setting up a workstation on the go.

Weighing in at less than 2 pounds, this 15.6-inch display is the perfect companion to your laptop, whether you’re a Mac, Windows, or Linux user. “It’s super portable, which is why I’ve brought it to so many places with me,” says T+L updates writer Asia London Palomba. “While it is wider than my laptop, I’ve still been able to fit it into a backpack, tote bag, and carry-on suitcase.” The Arzopa Monitor can be connected to your computer and powered by a single USB-C cable, or connected via HDMI and powered using a USB-A port. We do wish it came with a carrying case, but are happy to report it’s survived every journey with no damage.

Best Travel Adapter

Epicka Universal Travel Adapter

Credit: Amazon

$25$23 at AmazonView on Epickatech.com$25 at Best Buy

A travel adapter should be a mainstay in your carry-on — especially for international trips. We like the Epicka Universal Travel Adapter because of its four different plug configurations that cover compatibility with electrical outlets in over 200 countries. Setting the adapter’s plug to work in the country you’re traveling to is as easy as sliding a couple of switches on the side of the adapter. And while it’s not able to convert the voltage coming out of the wall for you, it does have a built-in 10 amp fuse to help keep your hardware safe from power surges. We took this gadget on a trip to Portugal where it was not only adept at charging smaller devices like an iPhone and AirPods, but could also handle powering up a tablet and drone equipment without fail.

We like that Epicka understands how much we rely on mobile devices as part of our travel plans. In addition to an electrical outlet, this travel adapter also includes four USB-A ports to charge up your phone, smartwatch or tablet — a nice touch!

Best Tech Organizer

Incase Accessory Organizer

Credit: Incase

$50$48 at AmazonView on Incase.comView on Pcnation.com

Some travel accessories are so useful that they find their way into our everyday routine. The Incase Accessory Organizer is one of those. It’s designed to wrangle all of the wires, chargers, and other tech items we need on our travels, no matter if we’re on our way to South America or the local coffee shop.

Full of pockets and flexible strapping, this organizer has a place for all of your cables, a mouse, external SSDs — you name it. There’s no wrong way to pack it, making it possible to load it up with whatever you need for the trip at hand. Its zippers are smooth-running and reliable, and the nylon fabric is tough enough to last you for years. It even has a lined pocket designed to protect your smartphone, provided you can bear to part with it for long enough to pack it up.

Best Laptop Backpack

Stubble & Co. The Everyday Backpack

Credit: Stubble & Co.

View on Stubbleandco.com

Stubble & Co’s The Everyday Backpack is designed to hold laptops up to 16 inches, and best of all, is waterproof. Its ample pockets and zippered pouches make it well-suited for traveling to the office or on your next business trip with everything you need to do your job. We like it for its sleek appearance, awesome build quality, and versatility.  “A lot of waterproof backpacks can have a sporty or utilitarian look to them, but I love the sleek look of this one —perfect for commuting to work without looking like you’re hiking into the wilderness,” says T+L testing editor Jackie Cucco.

With bags like this, it’s the little things that make all the difference. The Everyday Backpack has a lot of them: a quick access pocket for stashing your valuables in as you go through security, a pocket in its shoulder strap for storing a pair of earphones, for attaching accessories, a grab handle. and a built-in trolley sleeve for attaching it to the handle of a suitcase.