Wondering what to buy for the luxury traveler in your life this Christmas? Or perhaps you’re on the lookout for a new luxury gadget for yourself before heading away on your next trip?
Here are seven of the best tech and luxury gadgets for travelers, guaranteed to put a smile on their face this festive season without putting much of a dent in their baggage allowance.
♦ Apple iPhone 6 (from $199 on contract, or $649 outright)
You probably couldn’t have missed the announcement of new iPhone 6 models this month, and there are some useful new features for travelers. The main camera has improved stabilization and low-light performance, while the tweaked front camera lets you take better selfies in front of iconic tourist attractions.
The phone also supports up to 20 LTE bands, meaning you’re more likely to get high-speed data when heading overseas. Higher quality video and longer battery life are also worth getting excited about.
Apple iPhone 6 / Source
♦ Kindle Voyage (from $199)
Amazon also just announced a new addition to the Kindle range, the impressive Kindle Voyage. With space for up to 2000 books, this high-resolution reader lets you turn the page just by touching the side of the device. The inbuilt front light adapts itself to the conditions, and the Voyage is traveler-friendly at less than 1/3″ thick and lasting up to six weeks before needing a charge.
Take your favorite books away with you on the Kindle Voyage / Source
♦ Tumi Scale ($50)
Luggage allowances are limited, especially on domestic flights. Avoid an argument at the gate by checking your bag weight with the Tumi Scale before even leaving the house. It’s a sleek-looking device that displays weights in both pounds and kilograms, and is small enough to take with you to avoid nasty surprises after you’ve been souvenir shopping at your destination.
Weigh your luggage before you fly with the Tumi Scale / Source
♦ Mophie Space Pack (from $149)
If you’ve ever used your smartphone as your main camera while traveling, you’ll know there’s two main problems – running out of space, and running out of juice. Mophie addresses both issues with its Space Pack, a gadget that provides up to 64GB of extra storage and lets you fully charge your iPhone 5/5S from the same device. It’s a simple idea, and a very useful one.
The Mophie Space Pack will never leave you short of juice or space / Source
♦ Pebble Steel ($150-$249)
Smartwatches have started to take off this year, but with limited battery life, most aren’t so useful for travelers. The Pebble Steel lasts up to a week between charges, and syncs with your phone to provide email and other notifications, weather and sports scores, track your steps as you explore a new city, control music and more.
The Steel weights under two ounces, is water resistant and most importantly, has style options elegant enough that you’d actually want to wear it as a watch. Surprisingly, that’s a feature that many competitors don’t have.
The smart & elegant Pebble Steel / Source
♦ ZAGGkeys Universal Tablet and Phone Keyboard ($69.99)
Smartphones and tablet computers are great for many things, but typing isn’t one of them. Rather than carrying a bulky laptop just to send longer messages, though, just invest in a ZAGGkeys Bluetooth keyboard instead. Relatively small and light, the combination keyboard and case/stand works with almost any mobile device, and has a built-in rechargeable battery that lasts up to three months.
Turn your tablet into a computer with the ZAGGkeys Universal Tablet and Phone Keyboard / Source
♦ SleepPhones Wireless ($99.95)
If you’re ever struggled to fall asleep on a noisy flight or in a hotel room overlooking a busy street, you’ll appreciate the idea behind the SleepPhones. Rather than jamming earplugs in your ears or trying to sleep with uncomfortable headphones, the SleepPhones integrate soft speakers into a headband made from pajama-like material that you can wear all night.
The wireless version is the one to go for, streaming music from your phone as you fall asleep without getting tangled in wires.
Get a good night sleep with SleepPhones / Source
Do you have any gift ideas for the traveler in your life? Share them in the comments!
