Traveling, even for a holiday, can be quite stressful. Especially if you carry lots of tech, like me. Thankfully with modern devices everything has moved towards USB-C. And while not all USB-C is the same, the universality of the port can mean less cables, adapters and dongles. However, we still need to be able to charge all our devices, whether in the hotel or on the go. And sometimes you need to plug into things that are just not compatible with the tech you are carrying. 

Here are our travel essentials that you should carry with you on your next trip, that can overall reduce the number of things to carry while also making sure you are prepared for any situation or any plug.

USB A to C Adapter

Starting off small with the USB-C to USB-A converter. No matter how fancy of a hotel you are going to, there is still an extremely high chance that the wall ports are still the old USB-A type port. All your latest gadgets with only USB-C ports simply won’t be able to connect to these wall ports. Enter the UGreen adapter that takes any cable and makes it compatible with USB-A. This specific item comes in a pair, which also includes a USB-A to USB-C converter. But that’s not a problem we tend to face in our travels, and so I left that device at home.

Charging everything

During my travels, I always go overboard by carrying a Laptop, phone, tablet, watch, headphones and a camera, and those are just my devices. During many trips I have also realised that more often than not, I want to charge anywhere from 2 to 4 devices at the same time. Carrying a separate charger for each of these devices fills up my tech bag very very quickly and I like to travel light. The UGreen Nexode Pro GaN chargers come to the rescue. Usually I carry either the 100W or 160W charger along with an additional 65W charger so that my wife can have one on her bedside. Combined, these chargers can handle 7 devices simultaneously, which reduces the number of chargers that need to be carried without compromise. The chargers are also very small and relatively light weight, all important points for traveling.

The best part is that the charger does all this without overloading the hotel circuits, even if you need to use an adapter. With 3 USB-C and 1 USB-A port, it gives me plenty of ports and the 160W provides enough juice to charge all my devices overnight. If I ever need a midday topup for my phone, I just need to plug it in to the top most port and you get the max power output of 140W. This usually tops up the phone in a few minutes to last the rest of the day. This device is an absolute necessity for our trips.

The only downside is that even thought the device is quite light, the hotel ports aren’t always strong enough to hold the weight. I usually have to bolster the charger somehow so it don’t fall off. For more info you can read my full review of all chargers.

I have charged my laptop, phone, headphones and watch without missing a beat and was ready and on time for my day of adventure.

Portable Power

If you are out exploring the city you are visiting all day, you would most probably need a portable power solution. This is where I like to carry the UGreen Magnetic Wireless Power Bank. This device allows me to charge my phone wirelessly, while also charging another phone via USB-C or USB-A. With 10,000 mAh, it has plenty of power to charge your phone three times without a little juice to spare. It even has a built-in kickstand that you can use in a flight to watch movies on your phone. The power output is around 20W, which is fine for one device but can be quite slow when changing multiple devices. It’s probably best to charge only one device at a time, though it’s nice to have the option. The only downside is that this power bank is a bit bulky, thankfully UGreen has other capacity options if you want something a bit lighter and more compact.

Wireless Headphones FTW

Last, but certainly not the least is a device that can make your in-flight entertainment or late night tv watch experience even better. The UGreen Bluetooth Audio Receiver and Transmitter is a Bluetooth adapter that can connect to any Aux port that you would normally connect your wired headphones to. Previously I used to carry my bulky over ear headphones in the flight as it has the option to connect a wire to them. But with this device, I just plug the transmitter to the aux port and connect my tiny wireless earbuds. This makes the entire experience wire free, so you don’t really need to unplug or do the wire untangle dance every time your neighbour wants to go to the bathroom. You also don’t need to carry around wired headphones (which usually don’t have noise cancellation) or your bulky over hear headphones that can’t fit in your pocket. You can tell I like to travel light.

The other advantage of this device is that if you rent a car that only has an aux cable as input this bluetooth device can be turned into a receiver and so now your phone becomes the source and the car can play music without any cables. Similarly if your hotel has any old speakers that don’t support bluetooth or somehow just aren’t connecting to your phone, you can plug this in and enjoy your music as most have an aux port.

Finally if you want to watch some TV at night, and your wife or travel buddy is sleeping chances are the TV will have an aux cable. Plug this device in and you can enjoy your movie without disturbing anyone else.

You can tell I am a huge fan of this extremely understated device. Oh and guess what, it charges via USB-C.

Safe Travels

These were some of the must have devices for your next trip in 2024 or anything you have planned for 2025 as well. Which ones have you used? Do you have any devices that you think are a required travel companion? Let me know in the comments.