Best Travel Tech Gifts: Gadgets for the Journey and the Destination
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Sony WH-1000XM5
Banish the engine noise
$350 at Amazon
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Ougrand Universal Travel Adapter
For the international traveler
$21 at Amazon
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Bose QuietComfort Earbuds 2
Latest and greatest noise-canceling earbuds
$299 at Bose
Price alerts on for Bose QuietComfort Earbuds 2
Anker 621 MagGo Battery Pack
iPhone-friendly portable battery
$50 at Amazon
JBL Go 3
Tunes on the go
$30 at Amazon
Price alerts on for JBL Go 3 (Gray)
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Solgaard Lifepack Solar 2.0
Gadget-friendly backpack
$174 at Solgaard
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GoPro Hero 11 Black
The latest action camera
$450 at Amazon
Price alerts on for GoPro Hero 11 Black
iPad (9th gen, 2021)
Lighter than a laptop
$280 at Amazon
Insta360 One X2
Travel pics you can’t get from your phone
$387 at Amazon
This story is part of Gift Guide, our year-round collection of the best gift ideas.
Travel is back in a big way — so big, in fact, that flight cancellations and overbooked hotels remain an ongoing nuisance. But after a couple of years staying closer to home, many of us need major upgrades in our travel kits across the board. That’s where this list comes in. We’ve pulled together a current list of the best travel tech for late 2022, including the latest noise-canceling headphones, action cameras, power accessories and more. Whether you’re buying for yourself or seeking a gift for a returning road warrior, you’ll find plenty of good options below.
David Carnoy/CNET
Sony WH-1000XM5
Banish the engine noise
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. Other than the higher $400 price tag ($50 more than the previous WH-1000XM4), most of those changes are for the better, and Sony’s made some dramatic improvements with voice-calling performance as well as even better noise canceling and more refined sound.
Read our Sony WH-1000XM5 review.
$350 at Amazon
$350 at Best Buy
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David Carnoy/CNET
Ougrand Universal Travel Adapter
For the international traveler
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.)
$21 at Amazon
David Carnoy/CNET
Bose QuietComfort Earbuds 2
Latest and greatest noise-canceling earbuds
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.
Read our Bose QuietComfort Earbuds 2 review.
$299 at Bose
$299 at Amazon
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$299 at Best Buy
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Andrew Hoyle/CNET
Anker 621 MagGo Battery Pack
iPhone-friendly portable battery
The latest iteration of Anker’s battery pack charges MagSafe-compatible iPhones when its snapped to their backside, but it will also charge any other small device (laptops notwithstanding) via its USB-C port. The wireless charging isn’t quite as past 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.
$50 at Amazon
David Carnoy/CNET
JBL Go 3
Tunes on the go
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 is does during frequent online sales.
$30 at Amazon
$30 at Target
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Solgaard
Solgaard Lifepack Solar 2.0
Gadget-friendly backpack
A good backpack with lots of pockets is a must. Among other things, pockets keep your tech stuff organized. CNET’s pick is 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 $24.
$174 at Solgaard
Josh Goldman/CNET
GoPro Hero 11 Black
The latest action camera
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. Prices start at $499, but you can shave that down by $100 if you opt for the subscription option via Gopro.com?(which includes automatic cloud uploading).?
$450 at Amazon
$450 at Best Buy
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Scott Stein/CNET
iPad (9th gen, 2021)
Lighter than a laptop
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. The retail price for the 64GB model is $329 but don’t pay more than $280. (Note that rumors suggest a possible 10th-generation model could be hitting around October.)
$280 at Amazon
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Insta360 One X2
Travel pics you can’t get from your phone
For something a bit different from the standard action cam, try the Insta360 One X2. This nifty little camera will set you back $430 and 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.
$387 at Amazon
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This story was originally posted earlier and is updated periodically.
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iPhone 11
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Google Pixel 6
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$350 at Amazon
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Jacques Torres bonbons
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Sarah Chloe diamond locket
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The Bouqs Co. Pixie bouquet
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Max Brenner chocolates
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Ingarden microgreens garden
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Wolf Circus Toni gold bracelet
$95 at Wolf Circus
Champagne Gummy Bears
$9 at Sugarfina
MakiMaki sushi roll kit for 2
$125 at MakiMaki
Cote des Roses rosé
$16 at Wine.com
Flavored Truffle Gift Box
$38 at La Maison du Chocolat
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Carrie Hoffman X studs earrings
$290 at Carrie Hoffman
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$12 at Uncommon Goods
Italian olivewood serving board
$17 at Sur la table
Three-piece cheese knife set
$20 at CB2
A delivery of fresh pasta
$25 at Goldbelly
Maison Miru heart nap earrings
$75 at Maison
Disney Plus Gift Subscription
$80 at Disney
DJI Minin 2 Fly More Combo
$600 at Amazon
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$69 at Amazon
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$36 at Amazon
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$165 at Our Place
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$75 at West Elm
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$36 at Parks Project
iPad Mini 2021
$500 at Best Buy
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$50 at Crown & Paw
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$150 at Target
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$47 at Amazon
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$40 at Biolite
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$32 at Amazon
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$50 at Amazon
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$149 at Amazon
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$35 at Best Buy
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$79 at Amazon
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$178 at Madewell
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$48 at Lunya
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