🧳 My Essential Travel Tech Devices
When I travel, I like to bring the right mix of gadgets. The goal: stay connected, get some work done, and still enjoy the trip. Over the years I’ve figured out which devices I really use — and which just add weight to my bag.
Here’s my current travel tech setup, I took this on a week long trip to Swanage Dorset, a place my family has been visiting for over 20 years. This trip was myself, my girlfriend, my parents my sister/brother in law and my two nieces. We had a large 5 bedroom place to fit us all in but I managed to carve out a small corner of the living/dining room into a temporary workspace.
💻 Laptops: My Work Machines
MacBook Pro (M2): This is my main computer. I use it for work, personal software development projects (currently everything for wellness.jimatix.co.uk) and anything heavy.
Acer Aspire Travelmate: A lighter backup laptop but with a larger screen. Handy when I don’t need the power of the MacBook, plus running Windows which lets me support users at Cruise.co.uk when I am away.
Dopesplay Portable Monitor: I connected this to the Acer to give me a second screen, which made my small travel workspace feel much closer to my home office setup.
Lenovo Portable Keyboard & Mouse: These made working far more comfortable than relying only on the laptop keyboard and trackpad for a week.
📱 Smartphones: Always Connected
iPhone 16 Pro Max: My main phone. Great for photos and everyday use.
iPhone 12: Work/Backup phone in case my main one dies or gets lost.
Samsung Galaxy: Useful for Android apps and services that iPhone doesn’t have, plus I am interesting in comparing the quality of the photos it take as this holiday I chose not to bring either of my Canon DSLR’s and wanted to rely entirely on Smartphones.
📘 Tablet: A Handy Extra Screen
Lenovo P11: I use this for reading, streaming shows, or doing light work. On this trip, I used it to watch a few TV shows when hanging out in old pubs whilst my girlfriend was flying her drone around nearby Churches.
🎧 Audio Gear: Music & Quiet Time
MO Sport Headphones: My workout headphones, but also good for podcasts when you are with other people as you can still hear those atoms you whilst enjoying the podcast.
Soundcore Q20i: Noise-canceling over ear headphones, great for staying in the zone when working, particularly when on this trip I wanted to get work done in the shortest time possible to enjoy the holiday.
🌐 How I Stay Online
O2 Unlimited Data Plan: My main way of staying connected anywhere.
Personal Hotspot: When WiFi is bad or unsafe, I use my phone’s hotspot for other devices.
On this trip I found most of the places I visited had Wifi of some kind, I think this is due to how bad the 4g/5g signal is in Dorset!
🔋 Power on the Go
Anker Power Bank: Small and easy — keeps phones and headphones alive.
Big 27,000mAh Battery Pack: Strong enough to charge laptops and multiple devices. This is something I carry with me all the time now, however its weight does make it a challenge to lug around everywhere.
📸 Cameras & Photos
Canon 70D & EOS R100: My usual cameras for high-quality shots, however on this trip I left them at home! This was intentional so I could see how I got on with just the smartphones in my bag (that feels like a separate blog)
🗺️ Travel Apps I Use
Polarsteps: Tracks my trip and makes a digital travel diary. I tried this for the first time on my trip to Swanage and it did a decent job so I shall make more use of it in the future and report back.
Waze: My favourite driving app. Helpful on my road trip to Swanage. I have used since it came out many years ago and rely on it to beat the traffic.
🎶 Entertainment
Spotify: My music app. I like using Spotify Jam so my girlfriend can add songs too, even if it’s my account playing.
Audible: I really got into Audiobooks around 15 years ago and find them a great way to pass the time whilst travelling.
Plex: My music app. I like using Spotify Jam so my girlfriend can add songs too, even if it’s my account playing.:
🧠 Final Thoughts
Traveling with tech is always about balance. Too much, and your bag gets heavy. Too little, and you miss tools you rely on.
Right now my setup helps me:
- Stay connected
- Work on the go
- Take photos
- Navigate new places
- Enjoy music and shows
Everyone’s travel kit looks different. Mine keeps changing with each trip.
💬What about you? What’s the one tech item you can’t travel without?
