7 overlooked and underrated essential travel gadgets

No matter how fun and exciting travel can be, being away from home always causes some discomfort. Whether it’s digging in your suitcase for that shirt you definitely packed, or finding a place to store the mountain of coins you’ve gathered in change, travelling has a way of surfacing issues you’d never considered until you stepped onto a plane.

Fortunately, having the right items in your luggage can go a long way toward offsetting such irritations — and sometimes even make travel feel downright luxurious. 

In no particular order, here are seven overlooked and underrated travel essentials. Not all of them are obvious picks at first glance, but they just might make your next trip that much smoother. Even if you have your packing list down to a science, there’s always room for improvement.

1. Belkin’s Boostcharge Hybrid Wall Charger 25W + Power Bank 5K + Travel Adapter Kit

Credit: Belkin

Travel adapters are a necessary evil when visiting overseas destinations. Between these adaptors, power banks, and chargers, international trips frequently involve rummaging through disorganised jumbles of cables whenever you need to recharge your device.

Belkin’s Boostcharge Hybrid Wall Charger 25W + Power Bank 5K + Travel Adapter Kit takes care of three needs in one, lightening your load and streamlining your tech. Weighing just 185 grams with a regional power plug attached, this palm-sized device has both a USB-A and USB-C charging port, enabling you to charge two devices at once — or three, if you count the power bank itself.

The lack of a magnetic charger does make Belkin’s combined wall charger, power bank, and travel adapter less seamless to use than the Boostcharge Magnetic Wireless Power Bank 5K + Stand when charging your phone on the go. However, the wall charger and travel adapter functions add significant versatility. 

Which device best suits you will depend on your priorities and where you’re heading. If you’re staying domestic, the magnetic power bank should suit your needs. Though if you intend to roam abroad, the Boostcharge Hybrid Wall Charger 25W + Power Bank 5K + Travel Adapter Kit will help keep the hassle to a minimum.

2. LEVEL8’s 28″ Voyageur checked suitcase

Credit: LEVEL8

Though not necessarily a gadget, your luggage is arguably your most important travel essential. A baggage mishap is one of the quickest ways to transform an eagerly anticipated vacation into a stressful ordeal. While you can’t stop an airline from losing your luggage, you can minimise the potential for other things to go wrong by investing in a good, sturdy suitcase.

LEVEL8’s 28″ checked Voyageur suitcase protects your belongings with a hard Makrolon polycarbonate casing — a tough, durable, yet relatively light material that can withstand the rigours of baggage handling. Offering 99 litres of space, LEVEL8’s Voyageur is on the heavier side at 12.4 pounds (5.7 kiolgrams). However it feels great to use, featuring four delightfully smooth wheels with 360-degree manoeuvrability, an inbuilt TSA-approved combination lock for securing its zip closure, and zipped interior compartments to organise and compress your belongings (including two sleeves for smaller items, one of which doubles as a wet bag).

A unique feature of the Voyageur is its wide adjustable handle, which runs the entire length of the suitcase. Not only does this make these suitcases feel more sophisticated and thoughtfully designed than some other options, it also makes them easier to control and manoeuvre. It also means you don’t have two hard metal bars running through the middle of your packing space. The result is a suitcase that can make you seem like an organised, experienced frequent flyer, even to yourself.

One caveat is that the uncharacteristic broadness of the Voyageur’s handles means that bags with luggage pass-through features will likely not fit over them. But you can always just rest your bag on top of your suitcase and lash its straps around the handle instead.

3. Twelve South’s AirFly wireless adapter

Credit: Twelve South

There are some elements of air travel that we’ve all just learnt to deal with. The chairs will be cramped, the food will be lacklustre, and somewhere in your vicinity there will be a child with the lung capacity of a WWE announcer. Fortunately, uncomfortable airline-issued earphones don’t have to be among these annoyances.

Twelve South’s AirFly Bluetooth transmitter allows you to use your own wireless headphones with any inflight entertainment system. Simply sync your earphones or headphones with the AirFly, plug it into the plane, and comfortably enjoy your audio without getting tangled up in wires.

The AirFly shines on aeroplanes, however the AirFly Pro is useful on road trips as well. The Pro works both as a sender and receiver, so while you can still use it on a flight, you can also plug it into a car and send audio from your phone to the stereo system. This means passengers in the back can control the AUX without having to run a wire through the vehicle, and nobody has to spend time connecting their phone to the rental car’s Bluetooth.

4. July’s Packing Cells

Credit: July

Packing cubes are invaluable for keeping your suitcase neat and organised, as well as helping to fit more items in their bag — a particularly useful feature when you’re packing up your vacation shopping.

However, not all packing cubes are created equal. There are a ton of different options out there, offering various levels of compression, waterproofing, and even padding for delicate electronics. Fortunately, unless you have specialist needs, the average traveller will primarily look at two main issues: whether the cubes are polyester or nylon, and the quality of the zips and seams.

If you only go on very infrequent, short jaunts, picking up a cheap polyester set from Amazon might be enough for your purposes (provided you don’t strain its seams too much). But if you’re an avid traveller who wants a quality set that will last, look for stronger nylon packing cubes with sturdy zips, such as July’s Packing Cells. These cells come in packs of four, which should be more than enough for a couple to share, and have net fronts to help identify their contents and ensure clothes don’t get musty.

July also offers a structured Shoe Bag, which takes up quite a bit of luggage space but may be useful if you’re worried about your shoes getting crushed. And if you have tiny size 36 feet like me, you can even squeeze in two pairs.

5. Sunnystep’s Elevate Sneakers

Credit: Sunnystep

Unless you’ve visited Singapore, you’ve probably never heard of Sunnystep shoes. That’s a shame, because their Elevate Sneakers are an attractive, well-designed option for anyone seeking a durable pair of travel shoes that both look and feel good.

Launched in 2019, Sunnystep’s biggest selling point is their shoes’ wide fit and bumpy acupressure insoles. The company’s footwear is designed in consultation with Singaporean podiatrists, taking into account factors such as muscle movement and anatomy to minimise stress on the body and make long days on your feet more comfortable.

Unlike some other shoes that focus on comfort, Sunnystep’s Elevate Sneakers are stylish and fashionable, bearing few prominent logos that might disrupt your aesthetic. The lightweight footwear is also made from microfibre vegan leather, which requires no treatment or maintenance. This also makes these shoes a good choice for anyone who’s sick of having to dress like a gremlin whenever they’re travelling. 

Fortunately Sunnystep ships globally, so you can still grab a pair without travelling all the way to Southeast Asia (size up if you’re between sizes). The acupressure insoles will take some getting used to, but it shouldn’t take much longer than adjusting to any other new pair of shoes — and will likely feel very worth it after a long day walking around.

6. Insta360’s GO 3S Action Camera

Credit: Insta360

A vital part of the travel experience is taking approximately 50 million photos and videos. Most people do that with their phone, collecting their holiday memories without having to lug around a camera. However, if you want to upgrade your videos and perhaps even get a little creative, the Insta360 GO 3S will let you do so while not adding too much bulk.

The Insta360 GO 3S is a tiny, thumb-sized action camera that can sit inside the more traditionally-sized Action Pod that comes with it, or you can use it independently. Weighing just 39 grams, the GO 3S can be mounted to your hat, bag strap, lapel, or even hung around your neck, allowing you to film hands-free point-of-view shots while you explore. It’s waterproof as well, so you don’t have to worry about getting rained on — or going for a swim.

The GO 3S is also compatible with Insta360’s robust app, which allows you to edit videos as well as control the camera. This is useful for helping solo travellers set up their shots, and offers a less obtrusive way of capturing your vacation photos than holding up your phone like an obvious tourist. A 4K upgrade to the previous GO 3, the GO 3S is available in both 64GB and 128GB models for $399.99 and $429.99 respectively.

7. Bellroy’s Zip Wallet

Credit: Bellroy

Your wallet may serve you well in your everyday life, but that doesn’t mean it’s the best choice for travelling. Bellroy’s Zip Wallet can do both, offering day to day functionality alongside a few features that make it ideal for being on the move.

As its name implies, the compact leather Zip Wallet zips closed around three of its edges, offering extra peace of mind to anyone concerned about their cash falling out somewhere on the Appalachian Trail. It also has a magnetically closed coin pouch for the foreign coins you’ll inevitably accumulate on your travels. But what further sets it apart is its internal slots for storing both a SIM card and tray ejector tool (not included), providing a safe place to keep them while you’re traipsing around with your travel SIM.

As a bonus, the Zip Wallet is also RFID protected. While you’re much more likely to fall victim to a mugging than an RFID attack, it’s a little extra peace of mind for anyone who has a propensity for paranoia when travelling.

The Zip Wallet is a decent pick, but those who like to indulge in outdoor activities might prefer Bellroy’s All-Conditions Phone Pocket. Though this water-resistant pocket is technically designed to protect your phone, it’s also large enough to fit a passport. You’ll have to find another solution for your SIM card, and the key and coin pocket at the top doesn’t close, but the zip running along two sides of the pocket should help keep your change secure.