13 USB-Charged Travel Gadgets You'll Want To Take On Your Next Trip

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Looking for travel gear? SlashGear has you covered. We've got guides for must-have gadgets for remote workers, affordable travel gadgets available on Amazon, and even travel gadgets ideal for small children. Today, we're leaning into the techier side of things, specifically with USB-charged gadgets that make traveling more comfortable, convenient, and a bit less stressful. These are items that usually don't come with a battery, but once you add one, they become ten times as useful — and frankly, a lot more fun to use.

For this list, we're focusing on a wide range of products and use cases for all budgets. We'll be using the Amazon storefront link for most items for consistency's sake — but most can also be purchased directly from the manufacturer if you're skeptical about Amazon's Renewed refurbished items or the quality of their "new" items in general. Here are 13 USB-charged items we recommend for your next trip.

Things on the Apple front haven't been looking good lately. First, the iPhone 16 Pro proved to be more of an iPhone 15 Pro S, and the Apple Intelligence it was supposedly built for arrived only half-heartedly. One good thing that did come out of it, however, was that any iPhone 15 Pro and later can play a small handful of AAA titles, such as "Resident Evil Village." It's not like gaming on a MacBook Pro, but it's impressive nonetheless. The problem is playing on a touchscreen sucks. Get a phone controller like the GameSir G8 Plus for $79.99.

The GameSir G8 Plus is one of the most costly models in this controller niche, make no mistake, but you get what you pay for. It includes long-lasting Hall Effect joysticks, toggleable triggers, a built-in gyroscope for supported systems, vibration haptics, and allows for some minimal customization of the magnetically removable faceplates.

One benefit the G8 Plus has over most controllers of this type is support for Bluetooth. Many phones require you to remove their case to work with a USB-C controller, although do bear in mind that this will induce some noticeable Bluetooth input latency. As a cheaper alternative, we recommend the GameSir X2s for $39.99. It still supports Bluetooth but lacks haptic vibration response and the ergonomic design of the former.

The Apple AirPods 4 was a much-needed refresh of the baseline AirPods lineup, yet it still doesn't beat the original Apple AirPods Pro 2 from 2022. My own pair outperforms, based solely on anecdotal experience, the Sony WF-1000XM5 and Bose QuietComfort Ultra. If you don't want to take my word for it, take that of Amazon reviews: The AirPods Pro 2 gets a 4.6 out of 5 stars across 25,000 reviews, whereas the Sony and Bose limp along at 3.8.

There's very little, if anything, the AirPods Pro 2 gets wrong. They sound great, the noise cancellation is stellar, the 6-hour battery life (plus case recharges) is plenty, and they're incredibly convenient and intuitive to use — provided you have an iPhone. Plus, Apple continues to add new features to this older model, such as the recent addition of nodding to accept calls or getting a clinical-grade hearing test. You can often get them for cheaper than with Apple. At their lowest sale price, you might see them for around $170. If the AirPods Pro 2 don't do it for you for whatever reason, check out our list of the best noise-cancelling earbuds that won't break the bank.

With global temperatures consistently rising, nice summer days may become a fantasy from a bygone era. Regardless of where you are for the summer, you'll probably need something to cool you off. Portable fans are cheap, and most people just grab one last second at the airport. We recommend trying the FrSara Neck Fan for $33.99. Neck fans are wonderful not just because they work hands-free (like when you're carrying luggage), but because they cool off all 360 degrees around your dome.

With an absolutely massive 5200 mAh battery and quick charge capabilities, it can run for up to 16 hours at the lowest setting. This particular model also looks quite stylish with its various colorways and patterns, and it runs quietly to match. The only real concern is the price, which is steep when most fans like this never surpass the $15 threshold. If that's how you feel — and you're not huge on the neck-loop design — try the AOCOOLFAN Portable Neck Fan for $12.99. It hangs from your neck on a lanyard so it blows straight up at your face, but can still be grabbed at any time to redirect at any sweat that needs attention. The stylish design and small screen indicating the charge level also earn it a spot on our list.

Climate change might be making winters unseasonably warm, but that doesn't change the fact that you might find yourself becoming a human block of ice in a winter destination, regardless of whether or not there's less snow on the ground. Rather than buying a huge pack of disposable hand warmers that go straight in the garbage after they've been used, you might try this pair of OCOOPA Magnetic Rechargeable Hand Warmers for $32.99. They're about the size of a Switch Joy-Con controller yet still pack up to six hours of uninterrupted heat. They warm up fast (about 3 seconds), and once you're done with them, they snap together magnetically for storage.

One of the benefits of battery-powered hand warmers, aside from the convenience and reusability, is that the cold may actually help the battery last longer. One of the mistakes everyone makes with lithium-ion batteries is leaving them out in the cold, which discharges them faster and reduces their overall capacity. This is just a theory, but the warmth generated by the heating element and the batteries themselves may keep the battery from losing too much capacity in exceptionally cold weather. OCOOPA hand warmers come in various flashy colors and patterns, making them feel even more like a stylish pair of Joy-Cons. The only concern here is that you will need to charge both hand warmers separately after they run out — though they do come with a double charger for convenience.

In our guide on affordable Amazon travel gadgets, we talked about the LifeStraw, a brilliant water filtration device that can clean virtually any water source and tackle thousands of liters' worth before needing replacement. But this is a guide on USB-charged gadgets, so in that vein, we recommend the LARQ PureVis Self-Cleaning Water Bottle for $99. In addition to being a high-quality, vacuum-insulated stainless steel water bottle, the LARQ cleans its contents using UV-C LED (UV rays) that can kill 99% of biological contaminants. That cleaning process only takes a minute, and it runs automatically every few hours. Incredibly, the LARQ only needs to be charged about once a month with regular use.

Bear in mind, UV sanitation can only kill biological stuff, not contaminants like heavy metals. This water bottle is ideal for drinking water in cities where tap water is questionable, but maybe not for well or river water. We only have two concerns about the LARQ. Number one, the price: $100 could get you multiple Stanley Cups, plus a LifeStraw. Number two, it uses the outdated MicroUSB standard instead of USB-C, so you may need to carry around an extra cable just for this.

Getting quality sleep away from home in a bed that isn't yours is tough enough as it is. Then you find yourself in a hotel room near an elevator or ice machine. Aside from wearing sleep earplugs or noise-canceling headphones, the next best thing is the Hatch Rest Go, a portable sound machine intended for kids and babies, but one that can work just as well for adults. You can fall asleep to the classics: white noise, ocean waves, rainfall, and more.

The big selling point here is the size. The Hatch is basically like a tiny Bluetooth speaker that fits in the palm of your hand, plus a little carry ring. Importantly, it works entirely offline, so you can get some Zs even when the Wi-Fi is just as lousy as the peace and quiet. With a 15-hour battery life, it can easily go two full nights of sleep before needing a recharge. Given that it's marketed toward parents with young children, it's also rugged enough to take a fall and has some water resistance. Hatch is beloved for its other white noise generators and lamps, so this is a brand you can trust for reliability and quality — and the 4.6-star reviews agree.

Avid travelers know that it's a crapshoot relying on whatever scratchy, flimsy disposable toothbrush is provided by your accommodations, yet traveling with your own toothbrush makes you wonder what crap it's accumulating as you take it through the dusty, dirty places your travels bring you to. The Bril UV-C Toothbrush Sanitizer not only conveniently stores your toothbrush but also cleans it with the same UV rays as the LARQ bottle. According to Bril, 99.9% of the biological stuff that sneaks into your bristles won't leave alive.

The sanitation routine takes only 3 minutes, and the battery lasts for a full month. Aside from that, it definitely looks better than the cheap plastic toothbrush covers you might find online, and it supports much larger toothbrushes, too. The magnetic backing lets it attach to metal surfaces for storage — useful in hotel rooms with limited counter space. At $34.99, though, you'll definitely want to be traveling a lot — or using it at home — to justify the cost.

Amazon recently made a big change to Kindle Books that effectively prevents people from putting books onto their Kindle via USB — something that probably won't hurt its bottom line, since the megacorp controls the majority of the ebook market. If you're looking to break away from Amazon for something with more portability and freedom, the BOOX Palma for $295.98 is an easy recommendation. This isn't just an e-reader; it's a full-fledged smartphone that trades OLED screens for e-ink. You'll be giving up the vivid colors and high refresh rates of smartphone screens, sure, but your eyes will thank you when reading.

We think the Palma is an excellent choice for two reasons. One, it's the size of a smartphone, making it a comfortable one-handed reading experience. Number two, the Palma runs Android OS, so you can read virtually any text from any app — internet articles, PDF files, personal notes, the Amazon Kindle app, you name it. However, there is the dilemma of the price. It costs as much as a budget smartphone yet very likely won't cut it as a daily driver due to that colorless, laggy e-ink screen. Considering Amazon's cheapest Kindle comes in at just over $100, you really have to be dedicated to handheld reading for this to make sense.

If you're a digital nomad, what constitutes "travel" and "workplace" tends to intermingle. And that workspace has to be exceptionally portable. If you're someone who uses an iPad Pro to replace your Mac, then you'll need an equally portable keyboard to match. We recommend the ProtoArc Foldable Bluetooth Keyboard. This is a silent 105-key keyboard with a numpad and multimedia function row that, when folded up, measures less than 9 inches in length. Despite how slim, compact, and portable it is, the battery can last up to five months.

Really, there's not much more we can ask for from a folding keyboard that costs $44.99 and has almost everything you'd get from keyboards in our list of low-profile alternatives to Apple's Magic Keyboard. Reviews give it solid praise at 4.4 stars, though a few have noted it feels a bit flimsy and the keys may stop working — but that's a common issue with low-profile scissor keys in general. Check out our affordable alternatives to Apple's Magic Mouse to get a good mouse, too.

It's common these days to see power banks that support wireless charging, but charging a smartwatch (like the Apple Watch) isn't usually as convenient. If you find yourself needing to charge it a lot while out and about during your travels, maybe try the HUOTO Portable Charger for Apple Watch. This 1200 mAh battery fits in the palm of your hand and can charge the Apple Watch about 1.5 times, depending on the model, with a simple colored indicator light for the battery level. Because of how small it is, it includes a metal buckle ring to attach it to your keys or a strap on your bag. It's small, highly portable, and could easily blend in as a key fob.

Granted, this is going to be a bit overkill for most people, especially if you're in the habit of charging all your gadgets at the beginning of a long day of travel. However, it does solve one of the issues people should know about before buying the Apple Watch: battery life. Since the Apple Watches don't consistently support a full 24-hour battery life, and since they're meant to be kept on while you sleep to track sleep quality, they may require charging at different times throughout the day. This portable charger could help with that. And if you want something even more compact that can reverse-charge your Apple Watch with your iPhone battery, try the Renmou Apple Watch USB-C charger.

It used to be that if you wanted data in a foreign country, you'd have to willingly be scammed by your destination airport's SIM card kiosks. These days, things are a lot easier — and cheaper — with eSIM cards, which you can set up before your trip and have working the second your plane touches down. Even better than that, however, is a mobile hotspot. Your smartphone drains a lot of battery using cellular data, especially if you're in more remote areas or hotspotting it to friends and family, so a mobile hotspot takes that blow to battery and serves as a Wi-Fi router wherever you go. If you travel a lot and are in dire need of a mobile hotspot solution, we recommend the NETGEAR Nighthawk M6 5G Mobile Hotspot. It supports 5G, Wi-Fi 6, and lasts a full 13 hours.

Now, this one comes with a huge asterisk: The device retails at an eye-watering $599.99, which is a non-starter for the vast majority of people. Really, we'd only recommend this to anyone who has the disposable income and requires the absolute best speeds when abroad — such as digital nomads working in Wi-Fi-less cafes. Unfortunately, there aren't many cheaper alternatives for mobile hotspots. They typically come with a catch: either being a rental, being subsidized by an obligatory monthly data plan, or being locked to one carrier/provider. In any case, you can always rent one for your next vacation.

For those who prefer the convenient shave of an electric razor, you're probably accustomed to bringing your Braun with you on travels. Problem is, it requires a somewhat bulky carrying case if you don't want it bursting open inside your luggage or accidentally turning on and freaking out the TSA. Panasonic's ARC5 Palm-Sized Razor packs a shaver that isn't much bigger than the charging case for a pair of Bluetooth earbuds. It's probably in the running for the smallest electric razor ever.

Despite its small size, the ARC5 can tackle even the thickest hair and has an adaptive sensor to get the most effective shave. On a single charge, you get almost an hour of usage, which Panasonic estimates will get you through a whole week. It's waterproof enough to use in the shower, and cleanup is as simple as putting it under a running faucet.

Same as with the NETGEAR Mobile Hotspot, the asterisk here is, again, the price. The ARC5 retails for $269.99, which puts it in line with some of the best full-sized razors out there despite being only a quarter of the size. For that price, you'd probably want to be using this daily, and yet it wouldn't be the most enjoyable option because of its diminutive size and battery life.

Massage guns have grown in popularity in recent years, and they seem like the ideal choice after a long, sore day of travel. We won't comment on whether or not they're scientifically proven to be effective for those travel-sore legs, but we will say they are too big for most people to comfortably lug along for their travels. The TheraGun Mini for $209.99 could be just the ticket. Aside from being quite literally handheld and thus plenty portable for most trips, it packs 180 minutes of battery life and supports multiple attachments — plus a travel lock, so the vibration doesn't lead to a "Fight Club"-like bomb scare situation with the TSA. Using Bluetooth, it connects to your phone so you can better control the settings and use Therabody's guided videos.

Price is again going to be the main obstacle. At over $200, you'd probably see more reason in buying a cheaper massage gun (or using the one you already have) and accept the collateral of it weighing down your bags and/or taking up precious carry-on space. If you're the sort of person who uses your massage gun religiously, though, then this may well be worth the investment.