14 Affordable Travel Gadgets You Can Buy On Amazon

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Everyone has been worried about how U.S. tariffs will affect the price of iPhones and automobiles, but what about plane tickets? Sadly, your sacred two-week vacation is going to take a hit as well. Experts estimate that with flagging airline stocks, travel spending drying up, and airplane construction costs increasing, fares will likely climb to compensate. Tariffs are probably going to impact the bottom line of hotels, cruise lines, and a wide swath of the travel industry, too, so nothing is safe. With that grim outlook for your next country-hopping trip, you'll want to make sure the travel gadgets you buy for it give you the most bang for your buck.

As something of a globetrotter myself, I've got a pretty good eye for which travel gadgets actually come in handy and which ones don't — and which ones provide the most value for their retail price. Here, we'll cast a wide net looking at affordable travel gadgets you can find on Amazon that will serve you well (and for a long time) in the ever-more-expensive landscape of travel.

Power banks have gone from a nice-to-have to more or less a travel requirement these days. The hard part is choosing the right capacity and voltage. A honker like the Anker 737 supports fast-charging for your phone, tablet, laptop, and then some, but it's like carrying around a brick. Meanwhile, the smallest pocket-friendly power banks may only charge your phone once, and slowly at that — unless you get one of these cheap solar-powered gadgets. The Anker Zolo 10,000mAh Magnetic Power Bank is perhaps the best all-rounder. The very portable form factor slips into any pocket or small bag, and it has the capacity to charge about two phones at max 30W fast charging. It also supports MagSafe wireless charging — a big deal, since Apple discontinued the MagSafe battery pack.

Aside from being one of the best-known power bank brands, the Anker Zolo is approved for in-flight charging and has a built-in overheat protection system. The magnet is strong enough that, despite its size, it will hang on to your phone even through a case. Plus, not many chargers out there manage to look this stylish. Our only complaint is that the price is on the steeper end of affordability. In any case, this is a gadget that can accompany you on your travels for years. Do keep in mind, however, that some airlines are banning power bank use on flights, so check your airline's policies before bringing one.

Weighing your luggage sometimes feels like you're Atlas carrying the globe; you step onto a bathroom scale without your luggage, and then step on with it while contorting to see the numbers. The solution to this annoyance costs all of $11.98: the Etekcity Luggage Scale. Granted, there are dozens of copycat brands that make the same thing, but this one in particular gets a 4.7-star average across over 68,000 reviews. If you've never used one of these before, it's basically just a hanging scale built into a handle. You loop the strap around your suitcase's handle and lift. That's it.

As for this model, it can lift an impressive 110 pounds (that's a lot of souvenirs!) and includes a handy unit conversion button if your travel destination labels things in kilograms, or vice versa. Since it's so small, you can toss it in your luggage and re-weigh before a return flight, too. Reviews seem to be pretty unanimously positive, making this one of the best travel scales on the market right now.

Highly rated smart bags like Hotel Collection's GPS-tracking carry-on are nice, but AirTags are a cheaper alternative for those on a budget. Thanks to Apple's robust Find My Network, you can track your AirTag anywhere someone has an iPhone or Mac, subscription-free. AirTags can be set up for a specific item and send you notifications anytime you leave them behind. They can make a little twittering noise if you can't find them, and iPhones with ultra-wideband support can point you with exact precision to where an AirTag is hiding. If you still can't find it, you can enable Lost Mode, and whoever does find it can conveniently get your contact info with an NFC tap — although a thief could still find GPS trackers or AirTags using certain apps, so don't count on them for recovering stolen items.

If you're not in the Apple ecosystem, there are plenty of solid alternatives compatible with Google's new Find My Device network for Android. Samsung's excellent SmartTag2 is a bit pricier at $57.85, but it's waterproof and has longer battery life. The Tile by Life360 Slim is a card-shaped tracker that slips easily into bags and wallets. Trackers in general come in handy in a number of situations, not just lost bags. They can tell you if your bags are near the luggage carousel, if you left one at the hotel before checking out, and so on.

While you can connect Bluetooth headphones to your in-flight entertainment screen on an increasing number of aircraft, there's a good chance you'll have a flight or two where you can't. If you want to enjoy the ANC of your AirPods 4, it's going to really suck being downgraded to a pair of ANC-less free airplane headphones. So unless you're 100% positive the planes you'll fly on support Bluetooth pairing, a transmitter is a must, such as this YFYYF Bluetooth 5.4 Transmitter.

Similar to retrofit Bluetooth transmitters for an old car's AUX, this device converts the audio (either via a single jack or a two-pronged converter) for up to two Bluetooth devices. On average, you should get about 30 hours of battery life, meaning this transmitter will easily last through multiple long-haul flights. Bear in mind it's not just for traveling; you can use this anywhere you find a 3.5mm jack, like your gym's treadmill. Also be aware there are tons of Bluetooth transmitters out there for much cheaper, with this being just one option.

If you're a voracious reader, you likely fall squarely into one of two camps: someone who reads only physical books, or only ebooks. But let's be real, if you're also a frequent traveler, an ebook runs circles around a paperback. It packs thousands of titles into a slim, lightweight slate with weeks of battery life, plus a backlight, dictionary, and more. The entry-level Amazon Kindle (16GB) continues to be the king of great, affordable ebooks. Before buying one, though, you should know that the cheapest version comes with ads; you'll have to pay $129 to get the ad-free version. Also, Amazon recently made a big change to Kindle books that prevents users from uploading their own virtual backups over USB. If you only buy your books from the Amazon store, you'll be totally fine.

If you're not on board with the Amazon monopoly, Kobo is an excellent alternative. Try the Kobo Clara Colour on for size at $194.38. Kobo includes all the same features as a Kindle, minus the ads, and is more open, supporting file formats that the Kindle doesn't, such as EPUB and PDF.

Across the world, only about 50 countries have tap water that's considered drinkable, and many of those come with an asterisk. Outside them, you'd better get used to finding water dispensers or buying a lot of plastic bottles unless you want to spend your vacation on the toilet. Drinkable water is even trickier to find in more rural or remote areas (especially when backpacking), so if you want to be ready for a life-or-death situation, definitely grab the LifeStraw Personal Water Filter. Almost 120,000 reviews with a 4.8-star average agree that it's one of the most convenient ways to drink from sketchy sources.

In LifeStraw's words, it can remove over 99.99% of bacteria, waterborne parasites, microplastics, and turbidity from around 4,000 liters of water before needing replacement. Basically, there are very few situations where using the LifeStraw would not be advisable; promotional images even show it making cloudy river water crystal clear. Even if you're spending time in the city, it wouldn't hurt to keep this compact filter around in case you ever find yourself without drinkable water.

By now, it's probably safe to say that most people know not to take their blow dryer or hair straightener to a foreign country where the voltage is different. You could buy a mini travel straightener, but the Vakk Cordless Hair Straightener Brush is a bit more compact and convenient, particularly if you're traveling light with only a carry-on. It's great for straightening on the go, such as when a humid vacation keeps giving you a free, unwanted perm. The 6,500 mAh battery means you're not tied to your hotel's limited outlets, and the estimated 50 minutes of runtime should be plenty for a couple of days.

Vakk says the device is TSA-approved and heats up in about 30 seconds — so airplane restroom touch-ups are totally possible. The heat-resistant travel case is a nice added benefit so you don't melt your bag after use, and the brush is designed so you can't easily burn yourself by touching the blades. Our only concern is that while the reviews are positive, there aren't many at the time of writing.

If you thought the heat waves in recent years were just a fluke, then buckle up, because they're only going to get worse as climate change ramps up. Increasing heat across the globe is making another once-optional travel item feel almost essential these days: a portable fan. Our recommendation is the JisuLife Handheld Mini Fan.

Aside from maintaining a 4.6-star average across over 68,000 reviews, this version is great for a couple of reasons. One, the foldable design means the fan blades stay tucked away safely when in your bag or pocket, while also allowing you to prop it up on a table or desk. Two, it doubles as a backup flashlight and power bank; the 2,000 mAh battery will run the fan for up to 19 hours or give the average phone about half a charge in a pinch. Three, the USB-C and USB-A ports work with whichever cable you have on hand. Four, the design is cute. Considering everything you get (and for under $20!), this is a killer product.

When traveling to a place with different plugs, like Europe, you could just buy a bunch of cheap-o plug adapters. They're a must-have gadget for traveling remote workers. Still, it can get a bit tedious attaching and reattaching plug converters, and they tend to get easily lost across multiple trips. The Ceptics World International Travel Plug Adapter combines several plug converters, a 33.5W charger, and multiple USB-A and USB-C ports into one compact brick. So instead of bringing your favorite brick from a trustworthy cord and charger brand and making it into an unwieldy monstrosity with a plug converter, bring this.

What we like about the Ceptics, aside from how much it crams into such a small package, is that it supports Power Delivery and Quick Charge 3.0, includes a surge protection fuse, and supports all the major plug types: U.S., U.K., and Europe in one. Do keep in mind this is NOT a voltage converter. You'll still need to bring one of those if you plan on taking any hair irons or blow dryers abroad. Reviews are high — 4.7 stars with over 28,000 reviews — so this is one you can take on all your travels for years to come.

Clothing irons aren't a guarantee in every hotel room, and you'd probably rather not have to call room service every time you need one. We tested out Instagram's viral clothing steamer and found it worked pretty well, although it was a bit pricey — $50, even on discount. For a more budget-friendly portable option, consider this Quuejenl Travel Steamer Iron. It's technically a steamer-and-iron 2-in-1, perfect for people who might need the iron for tough wrinkles and the steamer for delicate garments. The rotating handle keeps it compact until you need to convert it from iron to steamer mode.

The iron is fast, too, only taking about five seconds to heat up, and has heat settings for all fabric types, plus a little triangular front nub to get those corners. The 100ml tank falls right within TSA's limit on liquids, although we recommend emptying it before your flight just in case. It even looks quite nice too, like a luxury version of the iron you use at home. Our only caveat here is that the iron only supports 110 volts — the standard in the U.S. — so you will need a voltage converter when traveling to most countries abroad. Otherwise, reviews are high at 4.5 stars.

On the list of "nice-to-haves that became travel essentials," let's put ANC headphones. Be it the incessant hum of the plane engine or a noisy foreign city, traveling takes a toll on your delicate ears. Decent ANC need not be expensive. The budget-priced JLab JBuds Lux gives it to you for a fraction of the price of big-name Sony or Bose headphones.

Despite not costing $300, the JLab JBuds Lux features many of the same things you'd find in a more expensive pair: 40 hours of battery, adaptive noise cancellation (called Smart Active Noise Cancellation), a pass-through mode (known as Be Aware), and multi-point Bluetooth connections.

Once again, even with a $79.99 price tag, the JBuds Lux get high reviews — including from audiophiles. They're perhaps the perfect price point between budget ANC headphones that won't cut down much on airplane engine noise, and top-of-the-line ones where you get only diminishing returns. For those who just need a way to erase a bit of background noise during their travels, this is it.

If you travel a lot with items that have wireless charging capabilities — such as an iPhone, AirPods, and Apple Watch — then this is for you. The Anker MagSafe-compatible MagGo UFO 3-in-1 Charger powers those devices (and more) in perhaps the most compact, convenient form factor out there. The magnetic pads fold and attach to support an iPhone in Apple's StandBy Mode or combine into a UFO-like shape that stores easily in a purse or bag. The included 40W charging brick can also be used separately if wireless charging isn't fast enough.

We'd argue it's a much more straightforward solution than you and yours fighting to share your hotel's only available plug for one charging brick. At the same time, this could easily become your go-to charging setup at home. Our only complaint about this particular model is the price; the MagGo UFO sits at the top end of what could still be called affordable, and there are much cheaper 3-in-1 wireless charger alternatives.

Some studies have suggested that as many as 85% of solo travelers are women. Yet one of the biggest obstacles for those women, according to Statista, is safety. Far be it from us to tell any woman to deny her wanderlust due to safety concerns, but might we recommend bringing the She's Birdie Safety Alarm along for the adventure? Once the alarm is switched on and the top pin removed, the She's Birdie produces a 130dB siren and a strobe light that should make any ne'er-do-well think twice. Video demonstrations show it gets really loud, and the flashing light is hard to miss even in broad daylight.

The alarm is designed to last through multiple uses and can keep going for about 40 minutes until the batteries run out — which are cheap, replaceable coin batteries. Naturally, there are countless situations where this could help save a woman's life, and it provides peace of mind even if it's never used. If that weren't enough, She's Birdie donates 5% of its profits to women's organizations.

As wonderful as an e-reader may be, there's no denying that the good ol' paper book feel is a tough act to follow ... right up until the lights go out, and then it's back to the stone age for you. Traveler bookaholics who refuse the Kindle's overtures need a portable book light for all those many dark situations where they want to read, and that light is the Glocusent USB Rechargeable Book Light. It clips conveniently onto your book, can be configured to multiple angles, and has variable brightness and color settings; so this is the light if you want to find the perfect warm, before-bed tone. At the lowest setting, the Glocusent can last up to 80 hours — almost three months, if you're reading an hour per day — and its rechargeable batteries will probably last a decade before requiring replacement.

As far as book reading lights go, there's not much else one could ask for. The Glocusent is highly portable, versatile, and feature-rich. It maintains a 4.7-star average across over 22,000 reviews, and the price can often drop as low as $10.98 on sale.