batteries

The Best Power Banks for Travel: Avoid the Perils of a Phone’s Dying Battery!

Leave a Comment / Packing, Travel Accessories / By Mose Hayward

Keep your devices powered on the road with a few key, incredibly useful battery backup possibilities—our recommendations based on years of travel with certain brands

The Best Power Banks for Travel: Avoid the Perils of a Phone’s Dying Battery! Read More »

The Danger of USB Charge Points — and How to Charge Your Devices in Public Safely

1 Comment / Packing, Travel Accessories / By Mose Hayward

I am not a super spy, with secrets to keep. But I also don’t really want to get my devices all gunked up with the viruses that governments are using to go after each other. I recently dove into the research on the perils of using public USB charge points in airports, trains, buses, libraries,

The Danger of USB Charge Points — and How to Charge Your Devices in Public Safely Read More »

Our Reviewers’ Picks of Underrated, Useful Travel Gear

Can You Plug All Your Devices into a Single Foreign Socket?

Want enough juice for a USB-C laptop without its charging brick? Want to charge a phone and tablet too? Plus plug in any other electrical device? And use all the weirdly shaped electro-holes in any wall in the world or under a train seat? A universal charger is the answer; we've tried tons and this is our favorite. It can fast-charge phones and laptops with 3 USB-C and 2 USB-A charging ports and it comes with a spare fuse.

Do You Shake, Bump, and Jiggle Everywhere You Roam?

We use our favorite road speaker to animate small parties, indoors or outdoors, anywhere in the world. At just the size of a tall beer can, the Ultimate Ears Boom 4 sounds impressive and has solid bass, especially when placed on a hard surface in the center of the room. We have smaller, even more portable picks (though not as loud) in our review.

Shouldn't You Be Able to Squish Your Water Bottle into a Pocket-Sized Disc?

Having a water bottle that I can fold up flat makes me more motivated to actually use it everywhere I go and to stay hydrated. Hydaway makes the only durable, food-grade silicone (non-BPA, non-plastic) ones we've found.

Can You Roll Your Backpack?

Rolling luggage is great except when you hit trails, metro stairs, or cobblestone streets. Backpacks are fine but who wants to carry them for long? We currently recommend this Osprey model that's a bit pricey but extremely sturdy, full-featured, and has been at my side for years on the road.

Don't Take Up Table Space! Don't Dump Your Stuff on the Floor!

Hang a bag at any café table. Don't take up your hosts' shelf space in the bathroom. Keep your pack off of the floor in a busy hostel. If you have a Heroclip on the strap of a pack, suitcase, carry-on, or purse, you'll use it all the freaking time for all sorts of things.

A Discrete, Portable, Not-at-All-Messy Way to Have Good Lube on Hand?

Good lube can be essential for safer sex, but unfortunately most lube packaging is not road-worthy. One of our sexpert's favorite silicone-based and ultra-body-safe lubes comes in an excellent travel version. In our guide we also detail a few other travel and daily-carry water-based options, as well as how to discuss lube across cultures.

The Best Power Banks for Travel: Avoid the Perils of a Phone’s Dying Battery!

The Danger of USB Charge Points — and How to Charge Your Devices in Public Safely

Our Reviewers’ Picks of Underrated, Useful Travel Gear

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