Top Tech Gifts for Travel

Selfie Drones

Selfie drones are a relatively new phenomenon, and the pricing and skill requirements have put this category in reach of the average person.  They allow individuals to capture photos, and that were previously out of reach for most.

When traveling with a drone, the recipient will need to make sure of the laws and rules for drone operation at their destination.  For example, some cruise lines ban drones in any form, and others allow camera drones, but they can only be used ashore.  They need to make sure they are aware of any restrictions and comply with the laws

Zerotech Dobby

This is not the cheapest selfie drone available, but it does have a nice mix of features for the price and is a good entry-level device.

It is primarily a device for selfies and has a limited range of about 300 feet or so, I would worry about losing control outside of that range.  But if you want a great picture from a different vantage point, that should be enough range.

The drone is small and it folds up so that it is easy to carry when out and about.  The camera gets good marks for quality.

It does have a limited flying time, but that is to be expected at this price point.

DJI Spark

This is probably the best of the true selfie-drones, it has a lot of the features and capabilities of its bigger brothers, and DJI has established itself in the selfie market place.

Some of the features that make stand out in the market place include:

• Its small size means that you can carry it easily and it can be launched from your hand, and return and land in your hand.
• It is simple to learn to fly and has multiple options for controlling it, including your hands, your phone, or a controller. It does have obstacle detection to help minimize damage to the drone.
• With its facial recognition and Active Track, it can follow you and shoot video in the process. While this is not a cheap item, it does provide great value.

E-reader

E-readers are a great choice for travelers who like to read.  They allow the owner to carry around a virtual library in a thin lightweight design.  The latest generations of the devices are also waterproof which is super helpful when traveling in wet climates, or around the pool.

Kindle Paperwhite

This is the mid-range fo the Kindle devices and it is the lowest Kindle with a degree of water resistance.  Though they say it is waterproof, I wouldn’t toss it in the poot. 

One of the annoyances is that page-turning is reported to be a little clunky and the battery life is good, neither is as good as the Oasis, but for most people, the difference in price more than compensates. 

It has the paper-white e-ink display that makes reading books a real pleasure and lacks the distractions reading on your tablet or phone might have.  For travelers, it will be a great gift.

One nice feature is the ability to play audiobooks through Bluetooth.  For those that like listening to books as well as reading them, it might be a good reason to give the Paperwhite to your traveling friends.

Kobo Aura H2O

The Kobo Aura is very different because it doesn’t work in the Amazon/Kindle environment.  That is either good or bad, depending on where you get your books.  It allows you to read almost all other types of books and formats, including ones that you cannot read on a Kindle.

It is also highly water-resistant and has a display that is easy to read as well.  A number of people commented on how easily it fits the hand and like the physical page-turn buttons as well.

If the traveler is a library fan and likes books in the E-Pub format, this is a better choice than a Kindle.  If the traveler has a Kindle library, then this device is not a good choice.

Binoculars

Wingspan Optics Voyager

For travelers that love nature, a set of compact binoculars with good magnification and a large lens make a great gift.  On a recent trip to Alaska, I wished that I had a waterproof pair. 

The Wingspan Optics have a variety of magnification choices available.  They have some with high magnification for those that watch birds and smaller animals and then others with a lower magnification but a much wider field of view.

While they are rated as waterproof, again, I would not submerge them, but for being outside in the weather they are a great choice.  On my Alaska trip, one of the places I needed binoculars was on a boat, where the captain spotted Dall sheep on the side of the mountain, and with my eyes, all I could see was a white spot.

These binoculars have the advantage of high performance at a moderate price point, considerably less than others in the same category.

Celestron Trailseeker

These are another pair of binoculars that are highly rated both by magazines and by users.  One option that I thought was very interesting was a mount that lets you make your phone into a camera with a 10X telephoto lens. 

These binoculars have a nitrogen-filled optics area which prevents internal fog from obscuring the view.  Again they are rated as waterproof and so are quite suitable for use in adverse weather conditions.   

The binoculars only weigh 1.47 lbs and while not the lightest available, they are far from being the heaviest, and that makes them a good choice for both wearing and packing.

Portable HDD

For traveling friends that take photographs, a reasonably secure place to store them can be very important.  A high capacity rugged external HDD lets them back up their photos.  Both of the drives I am recommending have military-grade protection against shock and the La Cie units are water-resistant as well.

While there are differences between the cases on the two devices, both are designed for travel and rough handling. 

Silicon Power

This device is available in a variety of sizes and supports transfer speeds up to USB 3.0.  Provided the laptop also supports USB 3.0.  The ability to rapidly move files is very helpful when traveling.

La Cie Rugged USB-C Portable

Like the Silicon Power device, this one provides USB 3.0 compatibility and similar protection against moisture and shock.  The La Cie devices have a couple of options that the Silicon Power lacked, one is Thunderbolt compatibility for the Mac users, and Firewire compatibility is available.

Headphones

For your friends that fly and don’t have noise-canceling headphones, they will make a gift they appreciate.  Drowning out the sound around them, the noise cancellation makes for a much more peaceful and relaxing flight.  Good audio, whether from the computer, cell phone, or on-board entertainment make the flight seem much shorter.

RCA H070 Noise Cancelling Headphones

While these headphones are relatively inexpensive compared to the leaders in the class, they get extremely high marks for both the sound quality and the ability to cancel noise

They provide active noise cancellation and they are wireless as well.  For most travelers, these are probably the better choice due to the quality and price.

Bose Quiet comfort 25

The Bose headphones have been the defacto standard for a long time and they do a very good job.  The wireless ones carry a significant premium.  These wired headphones do the job, while not breaking the bank. 

They get high marks in every category, with one negative comment being a short battery life if you leave the noise canceling on all the time.  One user commented that they even work well when mowing the lawn. 

Mobile Power Bank

For the typical traveler, you never have enough power in your devices to get you through the trip.  When you are not able to access power from the grid, then an extra power supply can help get you through.  I am including two choices that were highly rated.

Jackery Bolt 6000

This was the highest-rated in the reviews I read.  It has the ability to charge an iPhone 2 and half times.  It was able to output about 65% of its rated capacity before shutting off. 

One nice feature is that it has built-in lighting and mini-USB cables.  It also has a USB output if those don’t fit the device you are trying to charge.

RavPower Ace 22000

If you need or want a lot of capacity, then the Rav Power Ace 22000 may be the best choice, it also exceeds what the manufacturer claims.  In testing, it could recharge a Galaxy S8 more than 5 times on a sing charge

It can recharge a single device up to 2.4A and combined it can charge up to 3 devices at the same time.

Solar Panel Charger

For those that travel off-grid, another nice gift is a solar charger/battery bank.  These allow a person that is camping for a week to have power for their devices.  When solar charging the process is slow, but if they start with a full charge, these devices should keep the phones or other devices working for an extended trip.

Aonidi Solar Charger

This device provides a very large backup capacity, 26,800mAh, which is enough to recharge most phones multiple times.  It can be charged by connecting it to the power grid.  If the grid is not available, it can be charged by solar power.

TKKOK Solar Charger

This charger is also capable of storing 26,800mAH.  It has 4 solar panels to expedite the charging process and it uses Polymer Lithium batteries and they can be charged at temperatures as low as -20C and as high as 70C and this makes it a great choice for it provides a variety of output voltages to allow recharging different types of devices.

Travel Organizers

One of the challenges for most travelers is organizing cords, and storing all the miscellaneous pieces that they use with their tech gadgets.  Here are two that are very useful.

Pro Case

This case is good sized and has 4 separate layers of storage.  It is waterproof and provides an abundance of storage.  It is large enough to store a small tablet. 

Leather Cord Taco

These are designed for securing a single cord and keeping it from getting tangled up in the bottom of their case.  I am recommending the 5 pack as the price is great and everyone has more than one set of cables to store.

Travel Adapters

For travelers that leave the US, one concern is power since many countries use 220V power.  You need more than a plug adapter, you also need a power converter.

Forval Power Step Down  Voltage Converter with 4 Port USB international travel adapter. 

This provides both adapters for more than 150 countries and allows you to connect to either 120V  or 220V and operate your 120V or USB device.  This can support up to 200w and it can support CPAP machines as well. 

Odoga Voltage Converter

This device is also highly rated and has 3 AC outlet and 4 USB ports, it also provides up to 200w and it supports more than 150 different countries through the included connectors.

Y Splitter for headphones

Finelnno 3.5 mm Audio splitter (2 Pack)

These let two people share the same audio stream, and are so useful for travelers to share a single-player and allow both to listen in stereo.  This package contains two of the splitters.  

Snycwire Headphone Splitter

This device is similar to the Finelnno but is a single pack. 

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