6 Gadgets You'll Want If You're Planning To Go Overseas
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Preparing to jet off on a trip abroad requires a lot of preparation and planning in advance. Apart from finding the best flight deals, making sure your credit cards, debit cards, and phone plan work internationally, and packing enough clothing for all sorts of activities, you should also arm yourself with electronics that would make being away in a foreign place more manageable. You also may want to go through important settings on your Android phone or iPhone that need to be enabled or disabled for your impending travel, as well as test any features that'll be useful on your excursion.
Some of the more obvious electronic devices that you ought to always have with you on your travels include an e-book reader and a pair of headphones. With a Kindle Paperwhite, you can read as many books as you want on a long flight without running out of battery. Meanwhile, excellent-quality earbuds — preferably noise-canceling ones — will let you enjoy all sorts of pre-downloaded media on your mobile device in peace and protect your ears from the usual loudness associated with airplane rides.
If you need more ideas on which gadgets to acquire before leaving for your international escapade, we've rounded up several items that we believe are essential for a variety of reasons. Product recommendations are based on personal experience as well as past reviews published by members of the SlashGear team, other trustworthy tech publications, and regular customers alike.
Portable charger, charging cable, and universal adapter
Naming multiple devices as one entry may seem like a cheat, but we at SlashGear believe that this battery-charging trifecta is incredibly useful in unison — having all three for your trip abroad is highly recommended.
When shopping for a portable charger, pick one compatible with most devices. A good brand to go for is the Anker 737 (PowerCore III Elite 26K), which is powerful enough to charge a laptop or tablet and can accommodate several smaller devices like smartphones, smartwatches, or wireless earphones. It currently retails for $129.99 on Amazon.
Rather than bringing individual cords for each gadget, consider purchasing a multi-purpose charging cable to minimize the clutter. Minlu's pack of two four-in-one retractable multi-charging cables has two Lightning ports with data-transfer capabilities, a USB-C port, and a micro USB port to cover a wide range of device types. Its length can be adjusted up to 4 feet, making it convenient for travel. It's also affordable on Amazon at $18.99 and is well-rated by recent customers.
The most important of the three is a travel adapter that lets you plug your electronics into a range of outlet styles, whether your adventure brings you to the U.K., Europe, Australia, China, and others. Insignia's all-in-one universal adapter, which you can get at Best Buy for $24.99, has two additional USB ports for multi-charging certain devices and slots to accommodate four common international plug types. Note that this model doesn't have voltage-converting capabilities, so if you're going to a country with 220V as the standard, avoid bringing 110V-only devices.
Water bottle with built-in filter
One of the worst things that can happen to you during international travel is to get sick, and the quickest way that this can happen is by drinking water that isn't potable or clean. Tap water isn't always safe to consume, and the water (and ice cubes) that you are served in restaurants may not always be filtered. Even though locals tell you it's okay because they drink it themselves, as a foreigner, your system likely doesn't have internal immunity against water-borne pathogens.
As an alternative to exclusively drinking unopened factory-sealed bottled water bought from reputable sources, you can take a water bottle with you that has a built-in filter to take care of impurities and any unwanted odor or taste in the water. Brita is a tried-and-true brand in the water-filtering space, and one of its most popular products is the 20-ounce stainless steel filtered water bottle, currently priced at $31 on Amazon. It's insulated, so it can keep your water cold, and it has a straw that can fit a Brita filter, which you can replace every month or so. There's also an Amazon bundle for the Brita insulated water bottle and three extra water filters for only $45, which is ideal for longer trips.
Action camera
While newer smartphones may already have an excellent-quality camera that you can utilize to document your overseas adventure, it's sometimes nice to have an extra camera built for more rugged activities. If you are going on a trip that involves being in the snow, water, and harsher weather and surroundings, you'll want a small and portable device that you can safely attach to yourself to film and still have your hands free to do other things.
One of the most popular action camera brands is undoubtedly the GoPro, which has a slate of models to choose from. SlashGear recently published a stellar review of the GoPro Hero 12 Black — currently priced at $399 for just the camera or $449 with accessories on Amazon — which is a great pick in terms of video and image quality, battery life, and overall performance. If you prefer a standard point-and-shoot digital camera, you can opt for the Olympus Tough TG-6 for $489 on Amazon, an incredibly durable underwater camera that is one of our recommended alternatives to the GoPro.
Apple AirTag or Tile tracker
It's very easy and common to lose track of your belongings when traveling to a new place, and it can be extra stressful in a foreign destination. Whether it's a phone you accidentally left in a bathroom stall at the airport, a misplaced piece of luggage, or even a traveling companion you got separated from in an unfamiliar place, you'll need a way to be able to locate whatever (or whoever) it is you lost.
This is where Bluetooth trackers come in. iPhone users may prefer to buy an Apple AirTag, currently on discount for $24, or a pack of four for $99 on Amazon and use them to locate lost belongings through a Bluetooth signal, provided that they're within range. Alternatively, an AirTag attached to items farther in proximity may be pinpointed using the Find My network.
If you have Android devices, you may want to look into the single Tile Mate tracker for $24.99 or the Tile Mate Essentials 4-Pack for $79.99 on Amazon, the latter of which includes a variety of tracker styles and sizes. You can leave any of these inside your checked baggage, carry-on, or with a person you're vacationing with so you can split up and have an easier time setting up a rendezvous later, among other things.
Mobile hotspot
These days, having internet connectivity everywhere you go — especially abroad — is extremely essential. Not only are you able to maintain constant communication with people back home to ensure that you are still alive and well, but it also gives you a way to work online or do things like look up tourist attractions to visit, find restaurants to try, or even stay up-to-date on your favorite shows to stream when you're relaxing back at your lodging.
If you don't have a mobile phone plan that includes international coverage, you likely won't be able to use your smartphone's data-roaming capabilities. Instead, you can get a portable internet device that allows you to stay connected wherever you go. One of the most popular mobile broadband products online among satisfied users and experts alike is the Solis Lite Hotspot. For only $159.99 on Amazon, you can get a personal WiFi contraption that affords you reliable internet coverage in over 135 countries around the Americas, Europe, Asia, Africa, the South Pacific, and the Middle East, provided that you purchase one of the available global plans on top of the device itself, which happens to double as a power bank that can also charge your other gadgets.
Anyone who purchases the internet device gets 1 GB of global data per month to start with for free, courtesy of the Lifetime Data plan that now comes with every Solis Hotspot. Once that is consumed, any additional data plans purchased should take effect. Do note that the Solis Lite Hotspot won't work well in zones that have limited to no internet connectivity or cellular reception, such as cruise ships, airplanes, and remote areas in the wilderness.
Streaming stick
It's always a hit or miss when you try to find something to watch on a TV that's not your own. Whether you're staying in a hotel or a vacation rental overseas, if you're lucky and you come across a smart TV that actually has streaming apps that you use, more often than not, you'd have to log in using your own credentials. You'd also be equally as likely to forget to log out when you leave, exposing your account to unwanted access.
For this very reason, it's a smart move to invest in a streaming stick specifically for travel. As long as the place you're checked into has a TV with an available HDMI port, you can just plug in your streaming device and play all your favorite TV shows and movies, all without having to worry about logging in and out of your accounts. Amazon has a line of plug-and-play streaming media players for you to consider for your impending international travel, one of which is the basic Fire TV Stick. Currently available on Amazon for only $39.99, it should work on most HD TV models that have an HDMI input. Another tried and tested brand is the Roku Streaming Stick 4K, which you can get on Amazon for $49.99, a great deal considering its many useful features.