Wanderlust unleashed – that is the best way I can describe the global mood after the pandemic and its assisted quarantine ended. One thing we have learned however is to value and maximise every opportunity we have instead of taking it for granted. From business travels to personal vacations – the aim is to maximise and enjoy the opportunity provided because we’ve learned to not take things for granted. The last thing you want in this travel you experience is to realise you’ve forgotten how to travel smart. Well, worry not, we have you covered! Continuing our series of gift guides focusing on solving 2022’s problems, today’s guide is all about your travel essentials. Whether you travel for leisure, for business or are a content creator aiming to be the influencer who takes social media by storm – we have translation earbuds, tripods, influencer-endorsed photography bags and even water purifier bottles to keep you hydrated, wherever you go!
1. SnapGrip
Your phone’s camera is easily the most powerful piece of imaging tech you probably own. The only problem is that it’s an ergonomic nightmare. Who knew holding your phone with one hand and trying to tap the shutter button on the screen could be this difficult?? The SnapGrip makes things easier by turning your phone into a makeshift DSLR camera. It snaps onto the back of your iPhone using MagSafe, or Android phone using a magnetic ring adapter and gives you a handy grip to hold onto as you use your phone’s camera. The SnapGrip also comes with its own shutter button that makes clicking photos or recording videos incredibly ergonomic with a single hand… and if you want to switch from landscape to portrait, all you need to do is just tilt your phone 90° and mount it onto the SnapGrip! The grip also works like a dock, letting you place your phone vertically on tabletop surfaces, and the SnapGrip’s internal battery lets it double as a wireless power bank when you’re not perpetually clicking photos like a shutterbug. If all that somehow wasn’t enough, the SnapGrip extends its use by also allowing you to snap on additional accessories like a tripod stand or ring-light!
Click Here to Buy Now: Starting from $130 $149.97 (13% off with the Black Friday Sale)
2. Timekettle M3 Translation Earbuds
Timekettle entered the market in 2017 with its groundbreaking and award-winning WT2 earbuds that touted real-time translation, followed by the M2 in 2021, and now they’re finally back with their third iteration – the M3. What is traveling without interacting with the people local to the environment and the M3 provide a solution to that dreaded language-barrier. Much like a KitKat, the M3 is meant to be split in half and shared. You simply hand it over to another person, and the two of you can have a harmonious conversation in different languages, as the earphones translate both languages simultaneously, in real-time, without the need for the internet! The M3 supports the translation of 40+ languages and 93 accents in real-time. It features a more ergonomic form as compared to the M2, better Active Noise Cancelation, and professional-grade EQ tuning abilities. In fact, Timekettle says that M3’s translations are accurate 95% of the time, and have an impressive 0.5-second delay only. The earbuds are supported by the world’s leading translation engines – DeepL, Google, Microsoft, iFlytek, AmiVoice, Hoya, and even Timekettle’s own engine.
Click Here to Buy Now: $115 $149.99 (20% off for Prime Members + Additional 5% discount with coupon code “YDESIGN22”). Hurry, deal ends in 48 hours!
3. Peak Design’s Travel Tripod
Most tripod designs come with a hollow channel running through their center, given that the cylindrical legs create a triangular negative space when closed together. Peak Design’s Travel Tripod doesn’t and as a result, is designed to be stronger, more compact, and easier to carry than the average tripod. Forged from carbon fiber that makes the tripod ridiculously light while giving it strength and durability, the Travel Tripod weighs less than 3lbs, but can take up to 20 lbs of weight. It also adjusts to heights of 5 feet (60 inches), and comes with precisely machined dials, knobs, and details that let you easily and intuitively position and angle your camera. A machined aluminum ball head lets you angle your camera however you please, and the carbon fiber construction means the Travel Tripod can take on even the heaviest of camera setups without buckling or suffering wear and tear. The tripod allows you to mount your camera in landscape or portrait, even letting you mount it upside down, facing the ground between the camera’s legs. The legs open out a full 90°, allowing the tripod to sit flat on any ground for low shots. There is an alternative version machine from aluminium and perhaps my favorite feature – each Travel Tripod comes with a built-in mount for your smartphone too!
Click Here to Buy Now: Starting from $323 $379.95 ($57 off with the Black Friday Sale)
4. The Everyday Camera Line: Peter McKinnon X NOMATIC
Designed by photographers, for photographers, the Everyday Camera Bag is a backpack that lets you carry your life and gear comfortably and in an organized manner. At the heart of the Everyday Camera Bag is its spacious interiors, which can be separated into various modules thanks to the bag’s ladder and divider system. Originally designed for camera gear, this system can be used to store a camera and multiple lenses, or even organize clothes, EDC, tech, and other belongings you may want to carry around with you. The bag’s panel opens 180°, letting you view and access all your gear equally, and the padded divider walls keep your belongings from hitting against each other – a feature that’s extremely useful for delicate lenses. The bag’s 25L capacity is perfectly sized for any and everyone. It comes with a laptop sleeve (obviously), magnetic enclosures for your belongings, a bottle/tripod holder on the side, and is designed to be comfortable to wear, durable over time, and water-resistant for those days when the weather isn’t in your favor. Oh, and each bag comes with a lifetime warranty with a promise to repair or replace your bag if it’s defective or damaged.
Click Here to Buy Now: Backpack Starting from $320 $399.99 ($80 off with the best deals of the year under the Black Friday Sale)
5. LARQ Self-Cleaning Water Purification Bottle
How often do you clean your water bottle? Probably once a month? A year, maybe?? The LARQ Bottle basically cleans itself every couple of minutes. With a UVC LED built into the cap and a stainless steel construction that helps reflect the UV light, the LARQ Bottle basically cleans itself and disinfects the water in the bottle, killing 99.9999% of bacteria (talk about being effective) and 99.99% of viruses in your drinking water. The result is pure drinking water that’s germ-free, and a bottle that remains clean and odorless even with daily use. Designed with the world’s first portable mercury-free purification system, the bottle relies on 280nm wavelength UVC LEDs that can be activated simply by tapping the top of the bottle cap when the LARQ Bottle’s closed. Lights around the rim of the cap let you know that the UV lights are at work, and in just 60 seconds, you’ve got yourself a bottle and water that’s absolutely germ-free!
Click Here to Buy Now: Starting from $84 $99 (15% off and get up to 33% off sitewide)
6.Wiral LITE Cable Cam
Lets be honest – while we do love to travel, we also love getting these seemingly impossibly beautiful shots that are sure to invoke memories as well as envy from everyone who sees these pictures. You have the latest smartphone camera to take beautiful regular pictures but the Wiral LITE is the cable cam/ photographer you always want on your side. Designed to be portable, foldable, lightweight and user-friendly, you can now easily create beautiful video effects to take social media by storm. The components include a universal camera mount and an intuitive attachment system that can be set up in less than 3 minutes. The system can also be easily set up in narrow spaces and since this is not a drone, you can get amazing high-level shots even in no-fly zones! The accessory of your dreams is here to be easily packed and carried with you and it also works with your existing photography setups.
7. BauBax Travel Jacket
The regular lumpy jacket which has been the travel essential till date gets a fresh tech-infused avatar with the BauBox 3.0 that boasts of over 15 features. Yup, you read that right! This jacket is actually a genie disguised as a jacket because it can hold and bring out all your travel essentials whenever you need them, some of which you did not think was needed until now – such as having a dedicated charger pocket, a drinks pocket, a tablet pocket and even a face mask! For your in-flight comfort, the jacket holds an inflatable neck pillow, hand warming pockets and even an eye mask! Given the detailed nature of the jacket and its multifunctional behaviour, this jacket almost removes the need to carry a small bag or fanny pack, creating an overall sleeker, more focused and improved boarding and flying experience that is sure to be memorable.
Click Here to Buy Now: $179 $250 ($71 off and get up to 40% off sitewide)
8. BOLD Graphene Power Bank
Does your power bank charge your phone, watch, earbuds, Nintendo Switch, AND your laptop together? Didn’t think so! Realizing that the world needed a powerful, versatile, capable power bank, the folks at UZE built BOLD, a gadget so capable, it can charge as many as 6 devices at once… including your laptop! Touted as arguably the world’s most powerful power bank, BOLD comes with a 27,000mAh/100Wh battery that’s capable of a 260W power output. Fast charging be damned, the BOLD can rapidly and simultaneously charge multiple devices at once! BOLD comes with Panasonic LiPO graphene battery cells sitting inside an aluminum case that helps with heat dissipation. A glass panel on the top lets you charge your phone as well as your Apple Watch, and 4 more ports on the side let you hook BOLD to a slew of other devices. If that wasn’t powerful enough, BOLD even comes with an LCD screen on the top that tells you your battery levels and power delivery stats. Designed for ultimate power on the go, BOLD is rated for airline travel, and is the only pocket-sized power bank with the ability to simultaneously charge your laptop, phone, smartwatch, tablet, headphones, drone, and multiple other devices. Simultaneously!!
9. TourBox Elite
Meet the TourBox Elite, the bluetooth controller to rule them all. As a creator, keyboard shortcuts are a way of life. Wake us up in the middle of night and place our keyboard in front of us, we will be able to trace out our most used functions in our favourite app on muscle memory alone. That is, until we got the TourBox – a tiny box that allows you to control your brush controls, video editing, audio editing or image manipulation – you have a software to work with, the TourBox will have you working using just one hand! The TourBox uses haptic feedback to deliver precision controls, which makes it very easy to get used to the device and run the device without looking – overall increasing your speed, efficiency as well as productivity. An added bonus, the TourBox can be used as a MIDI controller, helping you create music whenever the inspiration strikes you!
Click Here to Buy Now: $214 $268 ($54 off)
10. Pivo Interactive Pod
To describe Pivo is difficult because there is no common device that we can refer to unless you experience it. And it promises a dazzling experience! Pivo is your personal photographer/ smart assistant/ director you’ve been waiting for. While solo travel is all the trend, sometimes we need that added help so our output and content created matches our original imagination. The Pivo comes to your rescue with 9 Quick Create Modes, 2 auto-follow modes and live streaming as well. Using app-driven motion tracking, faster 360 degree turning and intuitive editing modes, Pivo ensures you always stay in the frame. Additionally, the Pivo’s 6 hours of battery life and 161gm body weight means the Pivot stands tall in this segment by being, possibly, the lightest camera crew you can ever have!
Click Here to Buy Now: Starting from $85 $140 ($55 off with sitewide Black Friday Deal)
