Travel must haves for the intrepid traveler

With all of our gadgets these days, making sure we stay charged is important. This applies to both our devices and our bodies.

These are some of the things I travel with. I don’t travel with all of them all of the time; some go in and out depending on the type of trip and the airline I’m flying.

I try to carry as little weight as possible on each trip.

Some of these are Apple specific, but I provide a few alternatives for Android users.

Hotel and airline charging

There is no shortage of chargers. Just take a look at Anker’s page at Amazon to see part of the selection.

I’ve settled on the Anker GanPrime 65W Charging Station, 615 USB C Power Strip.

There are three primary reasons:

• Many port options, including USB-C, USB-A and standard AC outlets.

• Ability to stay in the loose outlets often found in hotel rooms (especially older ones) and on airline seats.

• Enough power output over USB-C to charge most travel size laptops.

I also have the Anker USB C Charger, 735 Charger (Nano II 65W), PPS 3-Port Fast Compact Foldable Wall Charger. It’s definitely much more compact. It’s a great alternative if you go to the same places and know that the outlets can support the weight. I use it at home to clear some of the charger clutter.

Battery packs

If you’re out-and-about all day, there’s a good chance you’ll run out of juice. I like these two battery packs because they’re relatively compact and don’t require you to carry cables. (Which will inevitably be left behind in the hotel room.)

For those of you who use recent-vintage iPhones, the Anker 621 Magnetic Battery (MagGo), 5000mAh Magnetic Wireless Portable Charger is a great choice. It snaps on the back of the phone with MagSafe. It more than doubles your battery life. As a bonus, it gives your iPhone a USB-C port a year before Apple will. It’s available in several colors. (I have the blue one.)

If you want to stay in the Apple family, Apple offers its own battery pack. It’s much more expensive and provides a lot less power. But it has an Apple outline on the back.

For Android users, I suggest the Mophie powerstation Plus Mini USB-C - Universal External Battery with built in Cables (4,000mAh). It includes a built-in USB-C cable. There’s a higher capacity version, but I don’t like carrying that much weight all day.

Staying entertained

The AirFly is a great find for people who want to watch movies on a plane equipped with IFE systems. It lets you plug into the screen’s audio system.

Instead of using the awful earbuds provided by the airline or carrying around wired headphones, this can transmit the sound to your Bluetooth noise-canceling headphones. It supports playback to two devices.

If you only fly Alaska and Southwest, there’s no need. Both airlines don’t offer seatback entertainment.

What do you travel with?

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