The Frommer's Travel Gadget Gift Guide for 2024

Here at Frommer’s, we’re all about showing you how to make your travels smarter, cheaper, or more fun. So we looked for the latest gadgets designed to do all of the above—just in time for your holiday wish list.

To make their travel dollar stretch farther, jet-setting coffee connoisseurs are stepping back from high-priced coffee bars—they’re pressing on the go. We’re huge fans of this double-walled vacuum-insulated travel coffee press by Bodum, which can be used to brew on the go or to simply fill with coffee you’ve made at home. Bodum’s trademarked mesh filters ensure your caffeine fix is sediment-free, but be prepared for some serious death stares from your fellow commuters as they sip their luxury-priced cold coffee.

$38.50, Bodum.com

The humble charger is one of the most-forgotten items left behind in hotel rooms. But the brilliant PlugBug with FindMy is the world’s first charger that always tells you where it is. Not only will the PlugBug send you a message if you leave it behind, but you’ll also be able to see its exact location using your phone’s Find My app. It uses the USB-C connection that’s now the industry standard across many devices, so it can not only charge small items like smartphones, but also larger ones such as laptops. The 50W version can handle 2 devices, but there's a 120W version for more capacity. International outlet adapters are included. 

From $70, TwelveSouth.com

If you’re the type of traveler who’s always got a million pieces of tech on the go, you’re probably also packing multiple charger types and a hellish tangle of cables. Anker’s ultra-compact MagGo Wireless Charging Station unfolds to reveal power pads for three Qi2-capable items at 15W—a level that can charge an iPhone 15 Pro to 20% in about 15 minutes and an Apple Watch Series 9 to 30% in 22 minutes. Its compact, tactile size, seen above in comparison to a delicious Paris-style maracon (sadly, not included), takes up minimal space when folded for travel.

$90, Anker.com

In an age when we’re shunning iPhone selfies and embracing all things analogue (or so they say), there’s something wonderful about Canon’s highly portable SELPHY QX20 Compact Photo Printer, which connects to your phone (both Android and iOS devices) and prints out 2.1” x 3.4” or 2.7” x 2.7” versions of your snaps. So get snapping, posing, and printing, and relish the chance to have hard copy reminders of your jet-setting highlights. It charges by USB-C and can even handle sticker paper.

$150 usa.canon.com

Don’t get us wrong—we love many things about traveling in the winter, and it’s an ideal time to find affordable prices. What we don’t love, however, is the sensation our fingers are about to fall off. This year, ward off winter chills in seconds by slipping the Ocoopa UT4 Extreme IP56 Waterproof Rechargeable Hand Warmer on top of your wish list and into your pockets or gloves. It doesn’t just keep your hands warm—it’s got a built-in flashlight, an IP56 waterproof rating (because cold snow melts), and it doubles as an 18W power bank for your devices. It also comes in multiple colors and patterns.

$40–$43, Ocoopa.com

Weighing your luggage might not be the most glamorous of tasks, but in an era when airlines impose increasingly strict weight restrictions, doing so can save you serious amounts of cash. Additionally, the Shanje Luggage Weight Scale, which measures within 1 oz. / 30 g of accuracy, is simply so stylish that you’ll relish the job of finding out whether all those hotel toiletries you stuffed into your suitcase have pushed you over the weight allowance. Maybe.

$7, Amazon.com

Traditional padlocks are infallible in numerous ways, not least because it’s depressingly easy to either lose their ridiculously tiny keys or to forget the code. One thing you’ll never lose (or at least we hope not) is your fingertips, which is why we love Megafeis’s contribution to the world of security—in this case, a Smart Padlock that relies on fingerprint recognition. We’re thinking it’s the kind of padlock James Bond might own—as if we have ever seem him travel with a suitcase. 

$37, amazon.com

You don’t have to be the type of passenger who douses themselves in hand sanitizer every 5 minutes to appreciate the UV Clean Portable Sanitizer Bag, which is designed specifically for those who prefer to take a simpler, less messy approach without liquids or gels. Just place the items you want to disinfect—be it phones, sunglasses, or pants (no judgment here)—inside the bag, where UV-C LEDs will disrupt the DNA of 99.9% of bacteria and viruses, sanitizing your stuff in under a minute. 

$60, Homedics.com

Travelers have truly embraced trackers, and new versions come out all the time, whether it’s one that clips onto house keys, or credit card-sized ones that can slip into passport wallets. (We’ve even seen them dangling off children’s clothing, although if you’re prone to losing your offspring, we humbly suggest you might need life adjustments that have nothing do with trackers.) White Apple is forging relationships with the airlines to make its AirTags more useful, its rival Tile has released Tile Mate 2024, a tracker that isn’t just fabulously brightly colored, but also has an SOS function designed to be used with the Life360 family location and emergency dispatch app. A top tip: Remember that the batteries will eventually need changing. Most trackers, including Tile’s, will (rather thoughtfully) send your phone a message when power is low.

$28 for one, $84 for four, Tile.com

Decent waterproof headphones are hard to find—it turns out electricity and water don’t exactly go hand-in-hand, so using them together requires engineering finesse. Sony, however, has appeared to have come up with the goods. The fact that its new wireless WS410 Walkman WS Series headphones are waterproof down to 22 feet should provide hefty reassurance since you’re not likely to ever find yourself jamming to your favorite album at that depth. That water-defying strength means they can easily handle easier jobs such as when you’re on a boat, at the beach, floating in the pool, or enjoying a long run in wet weather. Or, indeed, swimming. They receive signals from your phone wirelessly but are linked with a cord so if one bud falls out of your ear, it won’t plunge toward the drain.

$163, Sony.com

Most travel chargers aren't capable of holding a smartphone up, and that orientation is required if you want to activate the iPhone's built-in StandBy clock function, which turns your screen into an instant clock for any room. This one can hold it aloft—but without sacrificing the compact portability that travelers need. Pack Mophie's 3-in-1 Travel Charging Station—Global Edition and your smartphone, AirPods, and Apple Watch can all be charged simultaneously on the same compact stand. It’s all well-designed enough to fold, cords and foreign electrical outlet adapters and all, into a zip case that’s the size of a few slices of bread. —Jason Cochran

$75, Mophie.com

Experienced travelers don’t use earbuds on airplanes—they fall between seats too easily. For travel, we turn to the Jabra Evolve2 65 Flex headset, which is special because it folds for portable packing, features a cushioned headband, and is equipped with noise cancelling to boost the clarity of of your in-flight movie’s soundtrack. Off the plane, it’s still useful: there’s a microphone arm for making calls (up to 21 hours of talk time per charge) and it’s even customized to work with popular video conferencing apps like Microsoft Teams. —Jason Cochran

From $254, Jabra.com

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