Great Gadgets for Your Holiday

With technological innovation constantly changing the landscape of how we live, it can be tricky to decide what to choose from the plethora of gizmos and gadgets that are there to enrich our lives.

It seems that there is constantly an update to install, a new model to upgrade to, or an item to buy which is even more ‘ultimate’ than the last one (as impossible as that is).

However, as intimidating as all these developments can be for a lot of us, many of them are genuinely brilliant and can do a lot to enrich our lives. But the question still stands – which item is best for me?

Travel is one area in particular where there have been massive developments in recent times and there is now a huge range of products available to enhance your experience whilst on your holidays – gone are the days when a rolled up towel and a few paperbacks can get you through a week-long getaway!

So, to help you get a better idea of some of the modern day essentials for travel, we’ve come up with a list of ‘Great Gadgets for Your Holiday’ which are useful, fun and innovative. Things to help you relax, pack, keep your belongings safe, and generally make the most of your break!

Relaxing:

• A good set of headphones are a pretty crucial element to any relaxing day down at the beach or the pool with your mp3 player, and all of the following are excellent options:

• Sennheiser Momentum M2 IEI (£70 – £90) – these are a great choice for in-ear headphones, combining revolutionary ear-bud design with Sennheiser’s flawless sound and a more than reasonable price given the quality.
• Bose QuietComfort 25 Noise Cancelling Headphones (£180 – £270) – these are right at the top of the range for over-ear headphones, with industry leading noise reduction technology, so you can play the music you love as loud as you like without disturbing your fellow travellers.
• SkullCandy Grind On-Ear Headphones (£40) – at a snip of the price of the Bose headphones you can get very well defined audio and a stylish look. Also very durable due to the stainless steel headband.

• With stringent limits on luggage allowance when travelling overseas, it’s not easy to cram in all the books you might want to read on your holiday. But with a range of E-Readers now available those troubles are gone. Here are the best options:

• Amazon Kindle (£60 – £170) – first released in 2007, the Kindle was revolutionary in the context of e-readers and it’s just as popular now as ever. With a range of devices available, all with access to thousands of books, newspapers and magazines at your fingertips, these will keep you amused no matter how long your getaway is.
• iPad (£220 – £580) – the quality and popularity of Apple’s products is well known around the world, and the iPad is no exception. There are thousands of apps to download, and one of them turns the tablet into a perfectly serviceable e-reader.

• A good quality camera is an essential element to capturing all the key moments of your travels. Here are a couple of the best travel-snappers around:

• Nikon D5500 (From £400) – this is a truly portable DSLR, weighing just one pound, that doesn’t compromise on image and video quality. The high resolution LCD screen offers 270 degrees of rotation (ideal for your holiday ‘selfies’) – long battery life and Wi-Fi connectivity are also very handy features.
• Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS6 (£170) – if your holiday is going to involve strenuous activities and adventure, this is the one for you. Built like the proverbial brick house, this 16.1 megapixel camera can withstand water up to 43 feet deep for an hour, sub-zero temperatures and 200 lbs of crushing weight. Both image and video quality are hardly compromised by its sturdiness.

Security & Safety:

• Keeping all of your belongings safe on holiday might not be the most glamorous thing about your trip, but it’s certainly one of the most important. Here are few items to help you keep the essentials secure:

• ScotteVest Q.U.E.S.T Vest (£95/$150) – most of us are familiar with a money-belt, but this is an entire vest in which you can store all of your gadgets and wear under layers if you feel necessary. There are 42 carefully thought out pockets, so if you’re visiting anywhere renowned for pick-pocketing or theft, this could come in extremely handy!
• BlueSmart Luggage (£262/$399 pre-order) – yes, the day is here – you can actually buy interactive luggage! As mad as it sounds, the BlueSmart range does have a touch of genius about it. The bag is equipped with a global 3G SIM card, GPS and Bluetooth, so you can track its location via a mobile app. The app also allows you to use the bag’s internal scale to tell you how much your luggage weighs. If that’s not enough, there’s even a built-in charger for your other gadgets!
• Nokia Treasure Tag (£17.49) – this is a far cheaper (albeit slightly less revolutionary) way to track your luggage. Attach it to your belongings and connect it up to your phone – this works with iOS, Android & Windows – and you’ll get an alert if you leave an item behind.

Packing:

• We’ve all been there, cramming every available item into a bursting suitcase, zips breaking, soaring past luggage limits. Packing is probably the worst part of any holiday, but it is essential, so here are some things that could help you out:

• O-range Jet Solar Back Pack (£149.95) – this is a must-have for the adventurous traveller, or for those who travel with expensive electronic gadgets. This solidly built rucksack will keep all your items safe, but it has the added bonus of an independent solar energy system which allows you to recharge all your other gadgets on the go.
• VonHaus Vacuum Clothes Bags (12 x for £7.99) – these are a fantastic innovation for space-saving whilst you’re travelling. Simply pop your folded clothes in the bag, suck the air out with any standard domestic vacuum cleaner, and the volume of your luggage will reduce by 75%.
• WineSkin Bottle Transport Bag (5 x for £12) – airlines can be so picky about liquids in hand luggage, and there’s always the chance a glass bottle might crack in the hold and spill all over your luggage. But now, WineSkins can revolutionise your booze cruise and allow you to safely travel with all sorts of beverages in tow.