I love a good gadget and I spend my evenings surfing the web on my tablet computer, I couldn’t do without my smartphone and my iPod is bulging at the seams with music!
When it comes to travelling I also like a good gadget – for travellers we are looking for gadgets that are compact and lightweight and of course, totally innovative.
I am a sucker for good coffee and when out camping or hiking a cup of instant coffee doesn’t quite hit the spot so I use the AeroPress espresso maker – ideal for making a single cup of coffee and it tastes fantastic. Pressure in a tube is used to force boiling water through the ground coffee – simple!
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DK0NkwUU3IU]
Campers should also take note of the Bear Grylls Compact Multi-tool which has 10 different tools/components all integrated into one functional object! If it’s good enough for Bear Grylls (a former SAS member and survival expert) it should be good enough for us… and you get a free guide with survival tips – hopefully you won’t need this!
- Travel Gadgetsaoitenshi / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-ND
The PlugBug World should in the bag of any global jetsetter who uses a MacBook, iPad, or iPhone as it can charge all three at once and can be used in different locations across the world thanks to five different snap-on plugs.
As I mentioned above my iPod is full of music and the MP3 player has become a favourite travelling companion of millions as it helps pass those slow hours of air journeys or waits through customs. Whether you are listening to music, podcasts or audio books you don’t want the battery to run out and be stuck in an overseas destination with no way to charge it. An option for travellers is to pack the nifty PowerMonkey Charger into your bag and you can avoid those long silences!
MP3 fans might also want to check out the brilliant range of portable Bluetooth speakers that will turn your hotel room or campsite into “party central”! A favourite of mine is the Vers Wooden speakers (super stylish) but a good alternative is the Mighty Dwarf BlueII speaker which packs a meaty bass punch.
A quick and cheap item to pick up (it’s not really a gadget) for camping is a tent lock, simply it’s a small lock that can be used to secure your tent. Best practice is to not leave any valuables in your tent.
Imagine the scenario… you are trekking across Thailand, slowly travelling the country by train and you meet the person of your dreams. You sit next to each other gazing out the window and if you remember to pack a twin headphone adapter you can both listen to the same MP3 player as you travel on into the night… share the love and the music!
My final gadget is a pocket HD camcorder; these devices have come on leaps and bounds recently with improved specs and lower costs. I am a big fan of the Flip MinoHD camcorder capable of full HD recording and with 8GB of memory for storing the amazing sights you have seen while travelling!
I use the AeroPress and it’s a good idea to bring along an extra one. As soon as the others in your camping party smell the coffee they will want some.