10 gifts for frequent travelers in 2023, from backpacks to portable power

I don’t know astir you, but I’ve been walking a batch this year. In fact, I’ve been backmost to my 2019 levels of travel, which has been a activity of caller aerial aft being pandemic-grounded for a mates of years.

I for illustration to return to this database each clip TechCrunch does a gift guide. It’s a bully opportunity for maine to measure whether I’m packing arsenic efficiently arsenic I could be. I would for illustration to deliberation I’ve sewage this point down to a science, but nan beauty of being a hardware editor is that there’s ever caller worldly to effort out.

If you’ve sewage a predominant flier successful your life, here’s a database of recreation gifts moving nan gamut from little than $20 to much than $1,000, respective of which are now disposable astatine a discount for vacation and Black Friday deals. There’s thing connected present for each benignant of tech-obsessed travel.

This article contains links to connection partners wherever available. When you bargain done these links, TechCrunch whitethorn gain an connection commission.

Tom Bihn Synik 30 Backpack

Price: $330 astatine Tom Bihn

If you’ve seen maine successful nan past respective years, likelihood are my Timbuk2 backpack was adjacent by. I still emotion nan point (the expertise to grow its soul measurement is indispensable), but this seemed for illustration a bully clip to shingle things up and effort thing new.

Tom Bihn is 1 of those companies I’ve heard astir complete nan years, but whose products I’d ne'er really tried. The 51-year-old patient seems to person cultivated a likewise devoted pursuing arsenic chap Seattle marque Filson (if you ever spot Devin Coldewey successful person, inquire him his thoughts connected waxed canvas). Neither are precisely a family sanction extracurricular nan PNW, but those who cognize them look to emotion them.

When I told CEO Cindy Guan that I was moving connected a recreation roundup, she recommended nan Synik 30, and I deliberation that’s nan correct telephone for my needs. For starters, it tin fresh laptops up to 16 inches — perfect for nan 15-inch MacBook Air that’s been my recreation companion for nan past mates of years.

Beyond that, it’s conscionable an all-around well-considered and good-looking merchandise (digging nan heavy Wilderness Ballistic greenish color) pinch ample space, a ton of pockets and removable/customizable elements. It’s not cheap, though. The institution offers immoderate much affordable options, but nan Synik is plentifulness durable and suitable for some recreation and regular commutes, truthful you’ll get plentifulness of mileage retired of nan bag. It’s easy 1 of nan champion backpacks I’ve ever tested.

Anker 3-in-1 Cube pinch MagSafe

Price: $150 astatine Anker

Anker products are mostly a safe bet. They’re precocious quality, without nan aforesaid premium taxation arsenic a institution for illustration Mophie. The marque has besides been innovating shape factors rather a bit. This 3-in-1 charger is wildly compact and good suited for suitcases. It ships arsenic a cube that folds retired to complaint a MagSafe compatible iPhone, Apple Watch and AirPods each astatine nan aforesaid time.

The strategy supports 15 watt accelerated charging, while nan MagSafe pad features an adjustable angle, truthful it tin double work successful standby mode. No request to trust connected nan edifice siren timepiece pinch this sitting adjacent to your bedside.

At $150, it’s a bully woody much than conscionable buying a USB cablegram and wall adapter, but you’re efficaciously getting 3 chargers successful 1 portable shape facet that will free up a batch of recreation space.

Apple MacBook Air 15-inch

Price: $1,049 astatine Amazon

The M1 and M2 chips person been specified monolithic gamechangers for travel. When I’m emotion peculiarly nostalgic for my older struggles, I’ll callback my days liveblogging for Engadget, erstwhile I had to bring on a monolithic powerfulness slope to make judge my laptop would past nan full thing.

These days, however, I alert transverse state without respect for charging up my Air. Let’s beryllium honest, nan outlets beneath nan seats connected Delta are a existent crapshoot anyway. This is nan laptop we ever wanted nan Air to be, but constraints connected processing powerfulness and artillery life ever fell short.

As gifts go, it’s an costly one. But much truthful than immoderate different point connected this list, this is an investment. If you’re not capable to slumber connected planes, astatine slightest you tin yet get immoderate existent activity done.

Ozlo Sleepbuds

Price: $229 astatine Indiegogo

I’m going to do a point I don’t usually do and urge a merchandise I’ve not had nan chance to effort yet. I’ve sewage immoderate religion successful nan squad down nan Ozlo Sleepbuds, fixed their pedigrees that played a captious domiciled successful nan creation of Bose’s version. The institution is besides wished to hole immoderate of nan original ‘buds biggest issues, including their inability to watercourse music.

I ever felt for illustration Bose’s 2 swings astatine nan merchandise fell conscionable short of greatness. That’s a bummer, arsenic I’m a historically unspeakable sleeper and I really wanted to for illustration nan things. Attempting to slumber successful regular earbuds and over-ear headphones is simply a spot of a nightmare scenario, truthful I’m really pulling for nan merchandise to beryllium arsenic bully arsenic it sounds.

We’ll support you updated connected nan inevitable review. Meantime, you tin preorder a brace complete on Indiegogo for $229 — that’s $20 little than nan Bose Sleepbuds II. How overmuch are you consenting to salary for a amended night’s sleep?

Nintendo Switch Lite

Price: $199 astatine Amazon

Legend of Zelda: Breath of nan Wild astir apt saved maine from losing my mind during nan early months of nan pandemic. Tears of nan Kingdom had a akin effect connected maine earlier this year. The Switch Lite is simply a awesome small portable strategy that’s perfect for agelong level rides and during downtime astatine nan hotel.

The biggest differences betwixt nan Lite and normal Switch are size, weight and a deficiency of TV connectivity. Because of nan latter, nan Joycons aren’t removable. If you expect nan console spending a batch of clip connected nan road, those sacrifices are much than worthy it — not to mention nan little value point.

The Switch is getting a spot agelong successful nan tooth, six years aft its release, but Nintendo has built a awesome room of games successful that clip — not to mention entree to older contented done Switch Online. My biggest title remains nan artillery life, truthful decidedly retrieve to battalion that USB-C cablegram and move connected Airplane mode erstwhile able.

Apple AirTags 4-Pack

Price: $79.99 astatine Amazon

My advice? Buy nan four-pack. I regret not doing that initially. I’ve since added AirTags to my keychain, wallet and luggage tag. As an almost comically absent-minded personification pinch a batch of worry (great combination!), these things are worthy nan value for nan bid of mind alone. Heck, I utilized nan alert sound to find my keys wrong my messy flat astir an hr ago.

If you’re an Android user, location are besides immoderate awesome alternatives retired location from Tile, Chipolo and Samsung. They’re each great, comparatively low-cost gifts that astir anyone tin find a usage for — predominant travelers, successful particular.

Amazon Kindle Scribe

Price: $239 astatine Amazon

The original Kindle DX was a spot of a dud. I fishy tying a product’s successes to people’s desire to publication newspapers successful their original format via slow-loading e ink didn’t seizure nan public’s imagination arsenic Amazon had hoped. Since then, there’s been very small successful nan measurement of deviation from nan modular six-inch screen.

The 10.2-inch show was logic capable to make maine cheque retired nan Scribe. I really for illustration nan larger format, and nan large Kindle has been a changeless fixture successful my backpack ever since. The full acquisition has opened up rather a spot pinch nan presence of Send-to-Kindle, a browser-based characteristic that let’s you resistance and driblet contented that will beryllium sent to your instrumentality nan adjacent clip you occurrence it up.

Of course, nan existent trading constituent — arsenic nan sanction implies — is nan expertise to scrawl notes connected nan device. It’s nan first Kindle to athletics that functionality. I’ve been reminded nan difficult measurement that my typing is overmuch smoother than my script, but nan on-device handwriting discovery is mercifully forgiving.

A twelvemonth of Clear

Price: $189

Turns retired aerial recreation tin really beryllium beautiful bully — if you’re consenting to pay. If you find yourself successful respective airports a year, this is 1 upgrade that tin decidedly warrant nan cost. A Clear walk will thief you debar nan often hellish information lines astatine airports. It moreover gives you a limb up connected folks pinch TSA Pre-Check.

It’s a awesome gift thought because it’s nan benignant of point a batch of group would ne'er deliberation to bargain for themselves. Once you’ve sewage it, however, it’s difficult to cognize really you lived that agelong without it.

Beshon Flat Plug Power Strip

Price: $18 astatine Amazon

Several years ago, I started packing a miniature powerfulness strip, and it’s been a crippled changer. While it’s existent that much and much hotels are including in-room ports, you ne'er cognize what you’re going to find until you unfastened that door. Save yourself nan condolences of swapping plugs each nighttime pinch 1 of these.

There are a ton of options retired location — mostly astatine beautiful bully prices. I for illustration this one, because it’s bully and compact, while packing successful 3 outlets, a brace of USB-C ports and 1 USB-A, because you ne'er know. It’s besides a prize for world travel, because you only request a azygous adapter.

Belkin iPhone Camera Mount

Price: $30 astatine Amazon

My newest summation to nan database has been different gamechanger for me. While it’s existent that Apple improved its laptop cameras a mates of years back, nan video value still leaves overmuch to beryllium desired. If you person a Mac and an iPhone, nan Continuity Camera characteristic breaks nan crippled wide open.

I’ve been utilizing nan iPhone 15 Pro Max for activity calls connected nan road, and thing short of hooking up a DSLR to your machine comes close. This MagSafe accessory is simply a inexpensive summation to nan arsenal that you tin support successful your backpack and hide until you request it.

This station primitively published November 3, and has been updated to bespeak updated pricing and deals.