Already? Yes, Christmas is upon us, and, as the marketing teams in companies around the world start spamming you with adverts from every conceivable angle, Tech for Travel thought we would consolidate the best right here for you.
Covering every type of traveller, highlighting next year’s must have Tech along with today’s essentials.
- Business Traveller Gift Guide
- Commuter Travel Gift Guide
Business Traveller Gift Guide
Power
Hotels today often avoid having a power outlet at the bedside. This means leaving your device/s on charge over the other side of the room, or carrying around a 5m extension cable so you don’t need to jump out of bed at 6am to switch the alarm off! However, you could also try my trick to hassle free hotel charging.
The RavPower 16750mAH Deluxe external battery pack which I reviewed last month can be left on charge during the day (either in the hotel or at your office) and then can be used to power your devices overnight by your bedside. This also helps remove the need for additional plugs as the battery pack powers and charges via USB leads saving you space as well and turns off once the devices are fully charged. The built-in LED torch will also come in handy during the night!
The RavPower 16750mAH Deluxe in black or white is £24.99 and available at Amazon (Prime included).
Luggage
This can be a tricky one to get right. Frequent travellers will usually swear by their own tried and trusted case. “It’s as good as new” or “It’s bigger than regulation but I always get it on as hand luggage!” are views often shared, when everyone else can see the case is beyond it’s best years!
Lat_56° offer a range of unisex luggage that catches most people’s eye when on the move. The RW_02 – Road Warrior Carry-On Suitcase is perfect for business trips and meets IATA standards for cabin or carry on luggage. Beyond the head turning designs all pieces are packed with functionality and features needed for effortless travel.
The RW_02 is on sale at Lat_56° for £299.
Tablet
The market is awash with tablet and 2 in 1 hybrid devices, so finding the right one for the needs of the user can be tricky. The Microsoft Surface Pro 4 is one of the best all rounders on the market today.
Powered by an Intel processor and able to come with up to a 1TB SSD, speed and storage are at the core of this tablet. The 12.3″PixelSense display is great for multimedia and just big enough to work on spreadsheets and word documents. Both of which are made easier with the Pro 4 Type Cover (sold separately)
The Pro 4 starts at £749 and the Type cover is £110, both from Microsoft.
Backpack
If you did not splash out on a matching backpack for your Lat56 case then don’t worry as incase have got you covered.
The ICON Backpack has a very desirable simplistic design that houses storage for all your kit while sitting atop your carry on.
A dedicated pouch for up to a 15″ laptop, another for your tablet and more for your chargers and accessories. There are also 2 concealed side pockets one for your valuables and the other for an external battery with cable management so you can charge your phone on the go!
At present the ICON is only available from the Incase US store for 9.
Something a Bit Different…..
During 2016, there was one preview on the site, that gained more social media impressions than any other, and for good reason. The Waverly Labs Pilot is the future of travel, breaking down language barriers in one simple step!
The Pilot from Waverly Labs has taken technology that is already in use, and made it wearable. Giving the world it’s first ear piece language translator. Currently seeking funding on indiegogo the Pilot aims to change how people travel the world by empowering them to communicate, regardless of language.
Using dual noise cancelling microphones to reduce background noise, the ear piece can then focus on the person talking to you. This is then passed to the app where the software applies speech recognition to what has been said, translates it into your own language and plays it back into the ear piece. This is instantaneous! If 2 people have an ear piece each you can have a full conversation in your own language without delay.
The Pilot is available for $199 + shipping on Indiegogo with deliveries expected to be around May 2017.