Traveling is a great way to spend your vacation, and if you travel by a rental car, you can expect a lot more from your trip. The fact is that you will be free from the public transport schedule, and have an opportunity to visit the places you want. Plus, there are many websites that allow you to rent a car almost anywhere in the world.
So, we all know that on a journey you often have to sacrifice comfort for the sake of impressions and emotions. It’s clear that you won’t be able to take with you all the necessary things, but some correct gadgets will help to maintain a pleasant balance of comfort during the trip. Here’s a list of cool devices that will make your trip more convenient and easier.
Credit Card Multitool
(photo by zav_cgo)
At first glance, the multitool in the wallet is something impossible. However, what can you say about Wallet Ninja? It’s completely flat and looks like a credit card. At first, you don’t believe that 4 screwdrivers, 6 wrenches, bottle and can openers, fruit knife, a nail puller and ruler are placed on such a small thing.
And if you put a plastic card in a special hole of the multitool, it will be turned into a stand for a smartphone. In general, a Wallet Ninja is a set of tools for a hardened traveler made in an extremely compact version.
Portable Manual Coffee Maker
(photo by Qorix)
If coffee and morning are synonymous with you, don’t give up the pleasant habit just because you cannot find a good coffee shop in a new city. Bring a portable manual coffee maker. The capsule gadget is slightly larger than a glasses case and brews coffee like a real barista. And most importantly – it does it without electricity! Pour hot water into the device – for example, from a thermos, pump up the pump, press the button – and get a cup of coffee! Now, you can pamper yourself with aromatic espresso even in a tent or on a picnic.
For car travelers there’s a compact espresso machine that works from the cigarette lighter and makes coffee not only from capsules, but also from ordinary ground beans.
Smartphone with GPS
Smartphone is an indispensable device for the independent traveler, especially if it’s equipped with a GPS module. Install the right apps with maps and navigation to turn your phone into a personal guide.
Make sure that the maps are completely detailed: with street names, cafes, shops and gas stations, and the most important thing are that they work without the Internet. 2GIS, MAPS.ME and OsmAnd are suitable applications. All three applications will build walking and car routes, find a coffee shop, a white sand beach and many other spots for you.
Car Charger
If you don’t have charging from the cigarette lighter, it’s time to correct the situation – USB charging with one, and preferably two, three or even four outputs will be a perfect solution. That’s enough for smartphones and tablets for the whole family. In order to charge a laptop, DVDs and cameras, look at car inverters converting direct current to alternating current. You can’t connect everything right away, but still you will have your own outlet wherever you go.
Powerbank
On vacation, the phone is discharged very quickly. This is because you are at the same time looking for a correct road, photographing, translating the menu, checking mail, and doing a lot of minor things.
In order to always be fully armed, grab a powerbank. The required battery capacity can be calculated as follows: look at the battery on your smartphone, and multiply by at least 2. If you go on a long journey with a suitcase of different devices, take a more powerful and bigger battery.
By the way, don’t forget that the powerbank cannot be checked in the baggage of the aircraft – it must be transported in hand luggage.
4G Wi-Fi Router
(photo by Going Wimax)
The size of this gadget is not bigger than a computer mouse, but it’s needed to respond to emails and post photos to Instagram from any place where at least some 3G/4G coverage is available.
The router catches the network signal better than a smartphone, and if you put it on the roof or hang it out of the window, the Internet speed will increase. If the speed is still low, an external antenna can be connected to some models. Another plus is that the router distributes the Internet to several devices.
Smart Ear Plugs
(photo by Jen Walter)
In order to fall asleep under children’s crying in the plane or under snoring of the neighbor in hotel – stock up on earplugs. They attenuate the noise by 30 decibels, and if you include bird singing or the sound of a waterfall through a special application – then even by 70.
This means that the earplugs drown out the conversations of fellow travelers and the noise of cars, but they don’t protect you from the siren and fireworks. If you need to wake up early in the morning, you can set up a personal alarm clock in smart ear plugs and nobody else can hear it except you.