Travel Tech Essentials: What to Bring, What to Skip

A modern traveller can survive with phone, charger and adapter. But a small, well-chosen tech kit removes friction at every step. Here's the kit that earns its place in the carry-on.

The essentials

Phone with eSIM. The biggest single tech improvement of the last five years. Buy a local eSIM (Airalo, Holafly) before landing. No more SIM swaps.

USB-C 65W charger with multiple ports. A single Anker or UGREEN charges phone, laptop, watch, headphones from one plug.

Universal travel adapter. One with USB-C PD output — the Epicka or Zendure are well-built. Skip the cheap multi-prong ones that fry electronics.

10,000–20,000 mAh power bank. Anker, UGREEN. Anything bigger than 27,000 mAh can be confiscated at the gate.

Noise-cancelling headphones. Bose QC Ultra or Sony WH-1000XM5. Travel-changing on long flights. Earbuds (AirPods Pro 2, Sony WF-1000) for compactness.

The smart adds

Apple AirTag or Tile for luggage. Indispensable for checked bags. Worth it to know your bag landed.

Kindle. Six weeks of battery life, sun-readable, weighs nothing.

Small cable organiser. A simple zip pouch (Bagsmart, Peak Design) saves five minutes of untangling at every stop.

Backup phone charger cable. The cheapest insurance against a dead phone in a foreign airport.

The optional

e-Reader for the kids. A Kindle Kids or Yoto Player keeps long flights survivable.

Foldable Bluetooth keyboard. For travellers who write — works with phone or tablet.

Compact tripod and phone clip. For self-portraits and night photos. A Manfrotto Pixi is the right size.

What to skip

Smart luggage with built-in batteries (often banned). Heated travel mugs (don't earn the space). Tablet as primary computer (laptop or phone, pick one). Branded 'travel tech' bundles — they're overpriced.

Data and security

Enable 'Find My Phone' before travelling. Set a 6-digit PIN, not biometric only — police in some countries can compel biometric unlock. Use a VPN on public Wi-Fi (Mullvad, ProtonVPN, NordVPN). Back up photos daily to iCloud or Google Photos.

Plug etiquette

Hotel rooms often have 1–2 sockets near the bed and 1 in the bathroom. A 4-port USB charger in the bed plug, your laptop in the desk plug, your camera battery in the bathroom plug. Done.

The packing format

Keep all tech in one small pouch in your personal item — never in the checked bag. Lithium batteries are not allowed in the hold and your laptop is irreplaceable when bags go missing.

Your TravelTiger dossier

A TravelTiger dossier includes destination-specific tech notes: where eSIMs work, which countries have unusual plug types, where public Wi-Fi is unreliable.