Picture this.
You’re at the check-in desk, about to begin the holiday of a lifetime when you realise that your bag is slightly over the allowed weight. Or your boarding pass is missing. Or your phone is about to die.
All of these scenarios have one key thing in common… they can be easily fixed with a little 21st-century technology.
From digital luggage scales to portable phone chargers, and online boarding passes, technology isn’t just there to look and sound good. It really does make life easier – particularly for someone who likes to travel with style.
This brings us on to this article, uncovering ten of our favourite gifts for your tech-savvy jet-setting friends in 2021.
- Waterproof Phone Case
How many phones have you lost (or witnessed being lost) all for the sake of one great holiday snap? It’s a cruel modern-day irony that the most photo-worthy moments happen in locations that can prove fatal for technology – with many holidaymakers resorting to the old-fashioned disposable camera for such moments and memories. But what if we told you that you could have those waterside memories AND still have a working phone at the end of your trip? It’s all down to the innovation of the waterproof phone case – which supports full usability in and around the water. Not just that, but it’s the kind of gift that will get used every day but that the recipient would never think to buy for themselves…
- Electric Toothbrushes
When you’re on holiday and you indulge in more rich foods and sugary cocktails than normal, it becomes more important than ever to pay proper attention to the health of your teeth. Having a set of electric toothbrushes which can work for upwards of four hours on a battery charge is perfect for holidays (in fact, four hours of charge translates to 60 full days of brushing – twice per day, at 2 minutes per brush). So, the next time your friend is boasting about their next trip to the beach with all-inclusive cocktails and poolside treats, give them the gift of healthy and protected teeth.
- Digital Luggage Scales
What digital luggage scales do is give you an accurate reading of the weight of your luggage at any time – anywhere. Which travel fanatic DOESN’T need that when they’re queueing up at check-in? After all, we’ve all had that last-minute panic that our suitcase will be too heavy, and digital luggage scales provide an accurate reading in kg or lb’s, in a compact and easy to carry device.
- Compactable Water Bottle
This is a great gift idea for adventure enthusiasts, with the compact foldable water bottle fitting neatly into their luggage ready to be pulled out and filled up at any time. And it’s not just foldable water bottles that are taking the travel market by storm – foldable wine glasses are just as popular with luxury travellers and make for a fun and quirky gift for the 5* holidaymaker in your life.
- Travel Steam Iron
How many times have you pulled out a favourite dress or a holiday shirt, only to find that the time in your suitcase has rendered it a victim to creases and fold lines? There is nothing worse than heading down for dinner in something that looks like you had a fight in it first, but with a travel steam iron, you (or your travel friend) can enjoy crease-free presentable clothes wherever you end up!
- Anti-jetlag Light Therapy Glasses
This is one of the most innovative items on our list and is the perfect gift for a travel friend who truly has everything they could ever want (because we would put money on the fact that they probably don’t have a pair of these yet!) These glasses emit a blue light which is controlled remotely through a smartphone app and can be tailored to your travel plans. What this light does is help you to recover from jetlag and aids effective sleep – and has proved beneficial for tens of thousands of consumers so far!
- Headphones for sleep
No longer do you need to rely on the flimsy eye mask and foam earplugs given to you on your flight. No matter how noisy your flight neighbours are, an asleep headphone mask acts as both an effective eye mask and a pair of noise-blocking earplugs, pulling down over your eyes and ears to wrap you tightly in a cocoon of comfortable peace and quiet. Perfect for on the plane, in the hotel, and even at home (if you have an especially loud snorer sleeping next to you!)
- Universal Travel Adaptor
One of the most annoying things about travelling all over the world is knowing which plug adaptor you need to take with you – until now. A universal travel adaptor is not just a great gift, it’s also super functional and very lightweight to carry around – ensuring you are always able to charge your phone no matter where in the world you wake up.
- Portable charger
Another gift idea perfect for the modern-day traveller, and not just holidaymakers! These portable chargers have become hugely popular to support both holiday life and home life, providing consumers with a way of keeping their smartphones charged while out on-the-go, at work, commuting, or travelling around the world. Some of the best chargers on the marketplace are no bigger than a credit card and fit snugly into a handbag or back pocket for ease of use.
- UV Light Sanitiser
We’re ending our list with another innovative and pretty fun one, which can make you feel like you’re on one of those house cleaning shows where they walk around with goggles and rubber gloves. These UV Light Sanitizers are small and lightweight and can essentially be scanned over an area to sanitise it – from surfaces to hotel beds and hire cars. Simply watch out for the purple light to make sure the UV is working, and watch as the sanitiser silently cleans up all the bacteria you can’t see but you fear might be lurking…