Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, "Life is a journey, not a destination", yeah, well he never had to take a ten-hour flight in coach.
Vacations are fun (hopefully), but getting to the destination and losing out on some of the creature comforts of home is kind of a drag. Then you have to try to keep yourself entertained, hope your bag doesn't get lost, and make sure you don't fry your favorite gadget when traveling overseas.
The accessories on this list will help you out on all those fronts. They'll also help you drown out travel noise, keep your devices nice and charged, and help your phone survive a dunk in the water.
This article was originally published on 6/9/2016.
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A multi-purpose travel router
If your hotel only has a wired internet connection, or you'd like to create your own secure wireless connection, you should consider the HooToo TripMate Elite Wireless Travel Router. Besides providing you with a safer browsing experience, the router has two USB ports that let you charge your devices, and a 6,000mAh battery to charge those devices when you're on the go. You can even plug an external hard drive into one of its USB ports and stream music and movies off of it — perfect for personal in-flight entertainment. One Amazon reviewer went so far as to call this device an "electronic Swiss army knife".
HooToo TripMate Elite Wireless Travel Router, $37.99, available at Amazon
A high-capacity external battery
External battery chargers have become popular, but because they get bigger in size along with how much power they provide, many folks only have a small one. Do yourself a favor and invest in a slightly larger, but way-higher-capacity battery like this one from Anker. It weighs less than a pound, but has the ability to charge an iPhone 6 seven times. There's nothing worse than thinking you have enough power to get you through a trip, but getting stuck with a nasty layover or missed connection. Plus, this one has two USB ports, so you can help out a friend if you're traveling together.
Anker 20,000mAh Portable Charger, $42.99, available at Amazon
A power converter
Don't fry your electronics when you go overseas. This is coming from a well-seasoned traveler who still managed to slip up last summer. It's a little heavy-duty looking, but if you're going abroad for a significant amount of time, it's well worth investing in a power converter like this one from GEEKPRO.
In addition to its three outlets, this power converter has 4 USB ports, so you don't have to take up any outlets when you need to charge your phone or tablet. The only consistent complaint I've come across from people who've used this device is that it's a bit heavy. But if you leave it in your hotel room and don't keep it in your hand luggage, that shouldn't be much of a problem.
GEEKPRO Travel Power Converter, $49.99, available at Amazon
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