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John FalconeSenior Editorial Director, Shopping
John P. Falcone is the senior director of commerce content at CNET, where he coordinates coverage of the site’s buying recommendations alongside the CNET Advice team (where he previously headed the consumer electronics reviews section). He’s been a CNET editor since 2003.
ExpertiseOver 20 years experience in electronics and gadget reviews and analysis, and consumer shopping adviceCredentials
Self-taught tinkerer, informal IT and gadget consultant to friends and family (with several self-built gaming PCs under his belt)
Claire ReillyFormer Principal Video Producer
Claire Reilly was a video host, journalist and producer covering all things space, futurism, science and culture. Whether she’s covering breaking news, explaining complex science topics or exploring the weirder sides of tech culture, Claire gets to the heart of why technology matters to everyone. She’s been a regular commentator on broadcast news, and in her spare time, she’s a cabaret enthusiast, Simpsons aficionado and closet country music lover. She originally hails from Sydney but now calls San Francisco home.
ExpertiseSpace, Futurism, Science and Sci-Tech, Robotics, Tech CultureCredentials
Webby Award Winner (Best Video Host, 2021), Webby Nominee (Podcasts, 2021), Gold Telly (Documentary Series, 2021), Silver Telly (Video Writing, 2021), W3 Award (Best Host, 2020), Australian IT Journalism Awards (Best Journalist, Best News Journalist 2017)
With travel back to normal, plenty of people are planning vacations and itching to get going. If you’ve got some friends or family that have a trip coming up, then it might be a good idea to get them one of the best travel tech gifts you can find.
That’s where this handy guide comes in. We’ve pulled together a current list of the best travel tech gifts for this year, including the latest noise-canceling headphones, power accessories, action cameras and more. Whether you’re buying for yourself or searching for a gift for a returning road warrior, you’ll find plenty of good options below.
Battery Life Rated up to 32 hours
Noise Canceling Yes (ANC)
Multipoint Yes
Headphone Type Over-ear wireless headphones
Water-Resistant No IP rating
If you’re looking for the best of the best when it comes to noise-canceling headphones, the current full-size Sony models are the king of the hill. Sony has made some dramatic improvements with voice-calling performance as well as even better noise canceling and more refined sound.
The addition of USB and USB-C ports to travel adapters has been one of the nicer upgrades in recent years. We’ve personally tested and used this model, which will work pretty much everywhere in the world, and includes a passthrough plug for you to plug in a laptop or other standard device too. (Note that this won’t convert voltage, but that means it will still work with virtually any gadget except for things like hair dryers and curling irons.)
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$3 at Bose
Latest and greatest noise-canceling earbuds
Bose QuietComfort Earbuds 2
Battery Life Rated Up to 6 Hours
Noise Canceling Yes (ANC)
Multipoint No
Headphone Type Wireless Earbuds
Water-Resistant Yes (IPX4 — Splash-Proof)
The latest earbuds from Bose really raise the bar for in-ear noise-canceling, and the overall sound quality is also excellent. If you prefer earbud-style headphones on a plane (or anywhere else), these 2022 models are the current champs.
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Apple’s official MagSafe battery pack, but this model is half the price. Go for the Anker 633 version if you want twice the battery capacity and a built-in kickstand.
” superlative=”iPhone-friendly portable battery” imagegroup=”{“alt”:”Anker PowerCore Magnetic 5K Wireless”,”caption”:”
The latest iteration of Anker’s battery pack charges a MagSafe-compatible iPhones when it’s snapped to its backside, but it will also charge any other small device (laptops notwithstanding) via its USB-C port. The wireless charging isn’t quite as fast as you’ll get with Apple’s official MagSafe battery pack, but this model is half the price. Go for the Anker 633 version if you want twice the battery capacity and a built-in kickstand.
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You can’t ask for a better travel companion than the JBL Go 3. It sounds great for its (tiny) size, it’s waterproof and it recharges via USB-C. The Go 3 is available in a variety of fun colors, too. It’s a great way to enjoy music in your hotel room, on a picnic or anywhere in between. Pro tip: It’s worth waiting for this model to drop to $30, which it does during frequent online sales.
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Solgaard Lifepack. It comes with the standard things you’d expect — a padded compartment for your laptop, nifty pockets for your phone and sunglasses — but it’s also got a few secret pockets for valuables and an anti-theft lock on the inside. One of the most handy features is the built-in power bank with a Bluetooth speaker. You can charge it in a regular wall outlet and there’s also a solar panel on the front so it can slowly recharge when you’re out and about. Skip the speaker for a thinner powerbank and you’ll save a bit.
A good backpack with lots of pockets is a must. Among other things, pockets keep your tech stuff organized. At CNET we’re fans of the Solgaard Lifepack. It comes with the standard things you’d expect — a padded compartment for your laptop, nifty pockets for your phone and sunglasses — but it’s also got a few secret pockets for valuables and an anti-theft lock on the inside. One of the most handy features is the built-in power bank with a Bluetooth speaker. You can charge it in a regular wall outlet and there’s also a solar panel on the front so it can slowly recharge when you’re out and about. Skip the speaker for a thinner powerbank and you’ll save a bit.
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The new-for-2022 GoPro includes a novel image sensor that captures video in a square-ish 8:7 native aspect ratio, allowing it to be cropped down to standard widescreen or vertical-friendly versions — perfect for anyone who’s capturing video to do double duty on YouTube and TikTok, for instance. Better image stabilization and color depth is also on board. You can shave down the price by $100 if you opt for the subscription option via Gopro.com (which includes automatic cloud uploading).
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Whether you’re watching a movie on a flight, trying to distract the kids on a long road trip or just curling up on the couch, the iPad is a great travel-friendly gadget. This 2021 model is compatible with the first-gen Apple pencil and the Apple Smart keyboard, so it can even double as a decent makeshift laptop in a pinch.
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Insta360 One X2. This nifty little camera lets you shoot cool 360-degree video and edit it easily on your phone. It has an “invisible selfie stick” and great image stabilization so you can get dronelike shots without the drone. There’s also a cool bullet-time mode that lets you swing it around your head for awesome aerial panning videos. Adults and kids alike will have a lot of fun with this.
” superlative=”Travel pics you can’t get from your phone” imagegroup=”{“alt”:”insta360onex2-thumb4″,”caption”:”
For something a bit different from the standard action cam, try the Insta360 One X2. This nifty little camera lets you shoot cool 360-degree video and edit it easily on your phone. It has an “invisible selfie stick” and great image stabilization so you can get dronelike shots without the drone. There’s also a cool bullet-time mode that lets you swing it around your head for awesome aerial panning videos. Adults and kids alike will have a lot of fun with this.
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