One question that’s often asked today about older travelers is how they did it. How were they able to travel and still feel satisfied? Decades ago, mobile phones didn’t exist as they do now. Regardless of your method of transportation, you’d only be able to entertain yourself (or kids) through books, magazines, crossword puzzles, and similar things. Then it slowly turned into handheld consoles for the kids and Walkman cassettes and eventually turned into what it is today, a plethora of ways to stay entertained.
Chances are, you even have childhood memories of being bored and looking out the window as a source of entertainment, something that’s not so unheard of nowadays, but at least there are more options. Whether it’s long family trips or a short car ride, tech has made such a major impact on travel. It’s more comfortable and entertaining, and you can’t forget about how much easier navigation is. You don’t need a road map anymore or even printing off directions from Map Quest like people had to do twenty years ago. Overall, tech keeps advancing, and it keeps transforming how everyone travels.
Why You Should Always Bring Tech On Your Travels
Generally speaking, nowadays, most people will bring some sort of technology with them when they’re traveling. Even when it comes to camping in the great outdoors, it’s strongly recommended to have something, whether it be your phone or radio, for safety (things that have always been recommended). In some way, shape, or form, there has always been travel-related tech out there to help make everyone’s travels easier. So let’s dig into a little more on why you should always bring some tech gear with you on your trips!
Ideal for Keeping Connected
While traveling, it’s important to stay connected to friends and family back home. Basically, this is expected nowadays. While postcards, letters, and even telegrams were fine decades ago, most people are expected to keep up with their partners, parents, kids, bosses, friends, and whoever else. Plus, when it comes to merchants such as hotels or airlines, you won’t really get any information unless you bring a phone with you anyways.
Best for Keeping Everything Organized
Of course, it’s all going to depend on what you’re bringing and why you’re needing to travel. It was only just several years ago when everything needed to be printed off when traveling, such as boarding passes, tickets, etc. Nowadays, everything is simply on the phone or even an app, which makes the experience so much easier.
A laptop can be a handy tool for staying organized on long trips. You can use it for things like document storage, email, and syncing multiple devices. It can also help you stay on track with your travel plans and budget. Overall, depending on what you bring, you’re able to pack less, worry less, and get what you need at the touch of your fingertips.
Entertainment
As mentioned above, you cannot forget about the amount of entertainment that’s offered. This is especially true when traveling with kids. Tablets loaded with age-appropriate apps, games, and videos can be lifesavers on long flights or car journeys. While people still question how to keep themselves entertained on long trips, generally speaking, techs such as phones, laptops, handheld consoles, and laptops still provide a wonderful experience for entertainment that doesn’t even take up much space either.
Higher Chance of Staying Safe
Generally speaking, this is going to be the best way to have a seamless trip. You’ll instantly be able to pull out hotel information, tickets, flight, and basically anything you need from your phone. No need to worry about paper tickets. If you need a ride to nearly anywhere, an app, or even a search for a phone number, then you’ll easily have it. But it still goes further than even that. Nowadays, you can easily translate what people are saying, and that includes signs too. It’s easy to call authorities if need be, and it’s good for showing identity too.
Plus, it helps with knowing what’s safe and what’s not safe. You constantly have technology at your fingertips, which is really going to help out with keeping safe and knowledgeable on your trip.
What’s the Best Tech You Should Bring?
Is there anything specific that you should bring? Well, in the end, it’s going to be entirely up to you, what you’re doing on your trip, and other considerations too. But there are some items that, no matter what, it’s strongly recommended to pack. So, let’s take a look at what’s often recommended for travelers to bring so they can have a better experience when traveling.
Power Bank
One of the most useful travel gadgets you can have is a power bank. It’s a portable charger that can keep your smartphone full of battery on a long trip away from an electrical outlet. This way, you don’t have to worry about missing that perfect photo, phone calls, or emails. For the most part, depending on the size and the number of ports, you can expect to charge multiple gadgets, more than just a phone. Most travelers should bring at least two with them, but if you’re traveling with multiple people, such as a partner and/or kids, then try to pack even more.
Drones
While this isn’t a must-have, for a lot of travelers, it’s a “should get”, and it’s clearly easy to see why. Whether you get a second-hand drone or even a DJI M350 model, you’re going to see incredible sites. Just think about it, you can entirely ditch private plane rides or helicopter rides (and their exorbitant cost) and instead see similar views, all from the safety of the ground. This is especially apparent to those with a fear of heights or flying. But overall, drones can help create and secure special memories from trips, so you don’t want to miss out! They’re slowly becoming more affordable, and the photo and video quality has gotten pretty great too.
Cameras
Sure, you can use your smartphone for travel photography, but the quality isn’t always the greatest. Plus, if you really want incredible photos, something you can proudly post online on websites such as Flickr, then you’ll definitely need a good DSLR or mirrorless camera. Whether you’re just a regular tourist wanting to save special memories, dive into a hobby of travel photography, or even a content creator, you can’t deny the fact that this is basically needed.
Portable Gaming Consoles
This isn’t a “must,” but it’s definitely nice to have. Since the first console came out, the Gameboy, it basically revolutionized entertainment on the go, including traveling. But nowadays, gaming has become so versatile. For starters, mobile games can be pretty in-depth and entertaining, you have the Nintendo Switch, and there are still other handheld consoles out there too that are still getting popular, like the SteamDeck. Overall, video games are perfect for keeping entertained during any boring trip, like a plane or train ride.
