Your Guide to Essential Travel Gadgets for 2024

Traveling, even on vacation, can be pretty stressful. Especially if you carry a lot of tech with you, like I do. Thankfully, things have shifted toward USB-C for modern devices. And while not all USB-C is created equal, the port’s versatility can mean fewer cables, adapters, and dongles. But we still need to be able to charge all of our devices, whether we’re at a hotel or on the go. And sometimes we need to connect to things that simply aren’t compatible with the tech you’re carrying.

Here are our essentials to pack on your next trip. They can help you reduce the amount of stuff you need to pack while still ensuring you’re prepared for any situation or situation.

Let’s start small, aka a USB-C to USB-A converter. No matter how fancy your hotel is, there’s still a very good chance that your wall ports will still be the old USB-A port. All the latest gadgets with USB-C ports simply won’t be able to connect to them. Here’s a UGreen adapter that takes any cable and makes it compatible with USB-A. This particular product comes in a pair that also includes a USB-A to USB-C converter. But that’s not an issue we deal with on our travels, so I left this device at home.

When I travel, I always overdo it by taking my laptop, phone, tablet, watch, headphones, and camera, and those are just my devices. I’ve also realized over the course of my many travels that I’d more often than not want to charge 2 to 4 devices at once. Carrying a separate charger for each of these devices fills up my tech bag very, very quickly, and I like to travel light. The UGreen Nexode Pro GaN chargers come to the rescue. I usually carry either a 100W or 160W charger along with an additional 65W charger so my wife can have one by her bed. Combined, these chargers can charge 7 devices at once, which reduces the number of chargers you have to carry without compromise. The chargers are also very small and relatively lightweight, which is important when traveling.

The best part is that the charger does all of this without overwhelming the hotel circuits, even if you have to use an adapter. With 3 USB-C ports and 1 USB-A port, it gives me plenty of ports, and the 160W provides enough power to charge all my devices overnight. If I ever need to top up my phone at noon, all I have to do is plug it into the top port and you’ll get a maximum output of 140W. It usually charges my phone in a few minutes to last me the rest of the day. This device is an absolute must-have for our travels.

The only downside is that even though the device is fairly lightweight, the hotel ports aren’t always strong enough to support the weight. I usually have to reinforce the charger somehow so it doesn’t fall off. For more information, check out my full review of all the chargers.

I charged my laptop, phone, headphones, and watch without any delays and was ready in time to start my day of adventures.

If you’re exploring a city you’re visiting all day, you’ll likely need a portable power solution. That’s where I like to carry the UGreen Magnetic Wireless Power Bank. This device lets me charge my phone wirelessly, as well as charge another phone via USB-C or USB-A. With 10,000mAh, it has enough power to charge your phone three times without wasting any power. It even has a built-in stand that you can use on planes to watch movies on your phone. The output is around 20W, which is fine for a single device, but can be a bit slow when switching between multiple devices. It’s probably best to only charge one device at a time, although it’s nice to have the option. The only downside is that this power bank is a bit bulky, but thankfully UGreen has other capacity options if you want something a bit lighter and more compact.

Last, but certainly not least, is a device that can further enhance your in-flight entertainment or late-night TV watching. The UGreen Bluetooth Receiver and Transmitter is a Bluetooth adapter that plugs into any Aux port you would normally plug your wired headphones into. I used to carry my bulky over-ear headphones on the plane because they have the ability to connect a cable to them. But with this device, I simply plug the transmitter into the Aux port and plug in my tiny wireless earbuds. This makes the entire experience wireless, so you don’t have to unplug or dance around untangling wires every time your neighbor wants to go to the bathroom. You also don’t have to carry around wired headphones (which usually don’t have noise cancellation) or bulky over-ear headphones that don’t fit in your pocket. You can tell I like to travel light.

Another advantage of this device is that if you rent a car that only has an aux cable as an input, this Bluetooth device can be converted into a receiver, so that your phone becomes a source and the car can play music without any cables. Likewise, if there are some old speakers in the hotel that do not support Bluetooth or simply do not connect to your phone, you can connect them and enjoy the music, since most have an aux port.

Finally, if you want to watch TV in the evening and your wife or travel companion is asleep, chances are the TV will have an AUX cable. Plug this device in and you can enjoy the movie without disturbing anyone else.

I’m clearly a huge fan of this incredibly underrated device. And guess what, it charges via USB-C.

Here are some of the must-have devices for your next trip in 2024 or whatever you have planned for 2025. Which ones have you used? Do you have any devices that you consider essential travel companions? Let me know in the comments.