When packing for an overseas adventure, you must remember your passport and other important IDs as well as clean undies and plenty of money for souvenirs. To make the trip abroad as easy as possible, you might also want to spring for some handy technological devices. Whether your travel plans call for a quick weekend in sunny Mexico or a few weeks in Paris, Bali or Germany, check out these innovative and useful ideas:
Comfy earbuds
Traveling overseas means spending hours and hours on airplanes. To help pass the time, watching movies and listening to music are nice distractions — plus this helps drown out the sounds of the understandably restless toddler sitting behind you. Unfortunately, most earbuds tend to be fairly uncomfortable with a tendency to fall out when the plane encounters turbulence.
Prior to your vacation, spring for a pair of RHA T10 high-fidelity, noise-isolating in-ear headphones. Granted, they do cost more than the cute and colorful ear buds your tween might adore, but the higher price point is well worth it. Each pair comes with 10 sets of ear tips in different materials and sizes, and the over-the-ear hooks help to boost the noise-isolation feature.
Smartphone that doubles as a camera
When traveling overseas, you want to pack as lightly as possible to avoid pricey baggage fees and back pain. Leave your bulky camera at home and use your smartphone, not only as your reliable communication device, but also as your video and photo camera.
No matter where your next trip will take you, you won’t go wrong with a phone such as the Samsung Galaxy S6. Weighing in at a mere 4.87 ounces, the phone features a 16-megapixel auto HDR camera along with a 5-megapixel wide-angle lens. In addition, 3GB of RAM and 32GB of ROM will safely store your dozens of travel photos until you get back home, and the phone comes with international Quad Band GSM features that allow you to use it overseas.
Portable espresso machine
While traveling abroad is exciting, it can also be tiring. Trying to get acclimated at your destination can also be challenging, especially when you are battling a caffeine headache. To avoid this painful scenario, treat yourself to a WacacoMinipresso machine that will let you enjoy a caffeine fix anytime and anywhere.
The compact and uber-light gadget features a semi-automatic piston that will inject small amounts of water into the coffee adapter. A few quick pushes of the piston will get you a frothy, rich and scrumptious espresso.
This handy machine is especially useful for more rugged overseas adventures, such as hiking in South America or camping in Italy, where corner cafes are not plentiful.
USB portable charger
Keep your smartphone, laptop and other electronic gadgets charged and ready to go with a USB portable charger designed with international travel in mind. For less than $25, Walmart sells a handy 4-port USB charger with travel outlets and universal plugs.
You can use the charger during layovers at airports or in your hotel room to keep all your devices fully charged. As a bonus, the device features a wide range of input voltages from 100v to 240v, which is ideal for traveling abroad.
