5 Useful Tiny Travel Gadgets Under $25

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Travel is easy and budget-friendly these days with all the affordable travel gadgets you can buy on Amazon and have shipped to your door the same day — helpful if you need something last-minute before a flight. But the cost creeps into travel in other ways. In recent years, airlines have steadily been increasing baggage fees and forcing people to check their carry-ons at the gate. Y'know, the bags you put all your valuables in to avoid them getting damaged or stolen by a handler behind the scenes. So now it behooves you to travel as light as you possibly can with that personal item. Fewer, smaller items that do more and make better use of your space, all on a budget.

Our criteria for this list are simple: These need to be super small gadgets that are actually useful; no hotel door locks that may not actually work. We made sure every single one has a solid 4-star average review or above. And of course, each item needs to remain below the $25 limit. If you're pressed for space — or money — consider grabbing an item or two on this list to build the ultimate compact travel bag.

You're spoiled for choice if you're looking for the best Bluetooth speakers worth buying. Problem is, most of these speakers are on the larger side, at least when it comes to a personal item or carry-on. Leicex's Travel Bluetooth Speaker is anything but large and only costs $16.99 apiece. The preview image shows this thing held up beside a coin just to demonstrate how impressively tiny it is. It's rated for a maximum five hours of playtime at half volume, and it's designed to work in pairs for proper stereo sound. Plus, there's a built-in microphone if you want to use the speaker for calls, too.

Admittedly, this is not the speaker you buy if sound quality matters to you; the laws of physics being what they are, good sound needs bigger drivers to move more air and produce more detailed, impactful sound. We'd recommend speakers like these if you just need some background music that doesn't have to appeal to audiophiles, like for a social gathering. However, this coin-sized speaker could also come in handy if you're a digital nomad in need of gadgets; it could serve as a more powerful, slightly better-sounding set of "desktop" speakers for an iPad or laptop, for example.

If nothing else, it could also work great as a white noise generator or to play a soothing bedtime podcast. The size lets it be just about anything a Bluetooth speaker can be. You decide.

Ever tried to use a free charging station at an airport? The FBI says you shouldn't. The same USB cable you use to charge your phone can also transfer data, and that could allow a hacker to compromise your device. Unless you have the right tools. A travel essential in the modern age is one of these PortaPow USB-C Data Blocker devices. Use it as a middleman between your device and its charging cable, and worry no more.

There's no software magic going on here. The device simply lacks the hardware to transfer data, so it can't, even if it tried. That free charging station you use could be controlled by a hacker poised to steal your identity and siphon every last cent out of your bank accounts, but using this device, you'd be protected. As proof, PortaPow claims that many governments and corporations trust the data blockers for their own devices.

You can buy a single one for $7.49 or a two-pack for $9.99. This particular version works great as an extension of a USB cable, but there are also versions with just a USB converter. PortaPow also has USB-A to USB-C data blockers. Just prepare to likely get slower-than-expected charging; some reviewers have tested it and found that the effort to block data transfer may slow down charging or prevent it on certain cables, particularly those with e-markers.

To give airlines credit, we're starting to see in-flight entertainment screens that allow passengers to connect their own Bluetooth earbuds. But it's not a given, especially if you're on a budget airline that might be scouring the metaphorical couch cushions for pennies to pinch. In the meantime, it never hurts to have a transmitter/receiver like this Ugreen Airplane Bluetooth 6.0 combo. It has two modes: a transmission mode (TX) — i.e., sending the audio from the infotainment system to your Bluetooth device — and a receiver mode (RX) — i.e., receiving an audio signal from a phone that is then played through a connected speaker system, like a car. Modes can be switched easily with a toggle, so it works on airplanes and vehicles with an AUX connector.

These things are great because they're basically plug and play, and once you've paired your Bluetooth devices, you don't have to pair them again. The 18-hour battery rating will be more than enough for a long-haul flight or a road trip. Add in a microphone for calls, and it could become a permanent feature in your vehicle that you have ready to go for any future flights. Though it's not technically under $25 at retail (it's $27.99), it does frequently go on sale for much less, as low as $17.99.

One final note: Some reviewers report poor audio quality, audio delay, and connection issues. Unfortunately, this will be hard to account for without testing it on your specific flight. Ugreen also claims that it does not work with recent AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods Pro 4 models.

Most people probably have some sort of charging setup for their trips: a cheap power bank, a handful of cables, maybe a 3-in-1 wireless charger, and maybe even a pouch or some Velcro straps to organize them. If ultimate portability is the end goal, then you can shrink that setup so small that it would literally fit in that little inner jeans pocket that you never use. There are two options we recommend that could make your charging solution as small as possible.

First, this impossibly small USB-C Adapter Kit could easily be confused with a makeup mirror. Inside, you have virtually anything you could need or want to charge and connect devices: a short USB-C to USB-C cable, converter plugs for micro USB, Lightning, and USB-A, as well as an ejector pin and slots to store SIM cards. Some of the converters also support data transfer in addition to charging. If you have a roaming eSIM for travel data, perhaps those slots could be used to store microSD cards for your camera. Provided you don't mind the short cable, this is about as small as it gets, and it should be able to charge all your devices.

If you want something even more compact than that — or an extra option to add to your charging collection — then the Rolling Square InCharge 6 is very handy. Basically, it's a short cable with three different plug types: USB-C, USB-A, and Lightning. By default, you have USB-C to Lightning, but each end of the cable has a hinged plug converter to change it from USB-C to USB-C, USB-A to Lightning, or USB-A to USB-C — whichever configuration you need. What makes it special is that the adapters are magnetic and snap together to make it even more portable.

In all my years of travel, there's one thing I've never regretted: having extra plug converters. And beyond having the right plug, you never know how many outlets you'll even have at your disposal, hotels being as stingy as they are. The Epicka Universal Travel Adapter eliminates all doubts and allows you to charge nearly every device you own from one outlet, whether it's a US-, EU-, or UK-style plug.

The plug has three USB-C ports and two USB-A ports, aside from its three retractable plug types that cover hundreds of possible countries. In addition to that, you can plug in one more device with a plug from virtually any country on Earth — so your phones, tablets, earbuds, and other USB gadgets could go into the USB ports, and your laptop into the standard plug. The only thing the Epicka doesn't do is voltage conversion or surge protection, though the former isn't as necessary as you've been led to believe; you may need conversion gear for certain finicky items like electric toothbrushes and hair straighteners. Epicka claims there are multiple security features in place, like replaceable fuses, so you can be 110% sure your stuff doesn't burst into flame — at least on account of the charger.

Even if you don't need the plug converters all that often, this is still a great buy as a long-term travel tool. It's effectively a mini power strip in the smallest form factor possible. Then when the day comes that you take an international trip to a place with different plugs, you'll be prepared.