13 travel bloggers on their very favorite travel gadgets

In 2011, Lauren Juliff quit her job, sold everything she owned, and started traveling the world. Having never traveled alone before, she encountered countless troubles on her adventures — she was scammed, robbed, and left feeling totally unprepared. Everyone told her it was a huge mistake that she had made, but she pushed forward nonetheless. 

Now, she's visited 85 countries in more than five continents and is showing no signs of stopping. One thing that has been keeping a few travel disasters at bay for her is the Grayl Ultralight Water Purifying Bottle. 

In just 15 seconds, this personal water purifier kills 99.9999% of virus-causing bacteria. It also helps to remove offensive odors, and improve flavor and clarity. Another benefit is that it's environmentally-friendly — no need to buy multiple water bottles and increase your carbon footprint. 

Here's what Juliff had to say about the Grayl:

"One of my favorite products to travel with is the Grayl water purifier bottle. I’ve used it to drink tap water in countries like Mozambique, Tonga, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and have never once fallen ill. What I love about the Grayl is that it makes water drinkable within seconds — you simply fill the bottle with water, press the filter down to the bottom, and drink away!"

Kelly Lewis is an expert in the women's travel industry. She's the founder of Go! Girl Guides, Damesly, and the annual Women's Travel Fest. Her latest endeavor, Unearth Women, is a new feminist magazine about all things travel. 

Her suggestion, the FinalStraw, comes at a time where many of use are choosing to reduce our carbon footprints and spring for a reusable straw. 

Lewis is a huge fan of this handy little tool — here's what she told us:

"I nominate FinalStraw, the world's first reusable, collapsible straw, as one of the best travel gadgets. FinalStraw comes in a sleek, key-chain sized carrying case made of recycled plastic, complete with a drying rack and cleaning squeegee. Being eco-friendly while traveling can be difficult, FinalStraw empowers travelers to cut down on plastic straws and is a great conversation piece."

Although you may be weary about paying $25 for a straw, you should keep in mind that it will truly last you a lifetime — and save the world a lifetime of waste. You can bring it with you to restaurants, coffee shops, and pretty much anywhere else that you can get a beverage, and its compact carrying case keeps your FinalStraw from getting dirty between uses.

After years of taking her two children on travel marathons in order to reach far-flung destinations around the world, Tara Cannon has developed an expertise that not only allows her to survive, but actually enjoy family travel. 

Cannon's top pick for keeping children entertained while flying is something called the Spiderpodium. Universal to all mobile devices (also usable with e-readers and books), the super cheap Spiderpodium comes outfitted with eight legs — much different from your standard three-legged tripod. It can be bent to adapt to its environment, and has a strong grip that'll keep your chosen item in place.

Here's why Cannon loves it so much:

"I have tried many different gadgets for this purpose, but this one is the best because of its tacky surface (doesn’t slide around on the tray table) and the fact that you can bend it to hang from the back of the seat in front of you."

Its versatility is remarkable, and will allow you to use your electronics in ways that weren't previously possible.

Formerly the Deputy Digital Editor at Town & Country, Lindsay Silberman recently left her media career to pursue travel full-time. Over the course of her adventures she's ridden an albino water buffalo in Thailand, had lunch in the Omani desert, swam with Great Whites in South Africa, and more. With 60 countries under her belt, Silberman takes pride in sharing her authentic, unfiltered advice with her many followers. 

Out of her entire list of packing essentials, something that she rarely ever travels without are compression socks from Sockwell.

As many of us know, serious traveling means being on your feet often — and being on your feet often means soreness. If you've had to cut a scenic route hike short because of foot pain, compression socks may be the way to go for you.

"I was honestly skeptical about the legitimacy of compression socks... that is, until I tried them for myself. The key? Making sure they’re fairly tight—almost like a pair of Spanx for your legs. Slide them on at the beginning of a long-haul flight, and you’ll never worry about swollen feet or cankles again."

Sockwell's graduated therapeutic compression promotes healthy circulation that soothes tired feet and legs, all while keeping odor and moisture under control. (Just beware when you take them off.)

Recover more quickly from long days and reduce fatigue so that you can keep up the pace all day long. Also, they're just really warm and comfortable. 

Dominique Lessard is committed to teaching her daughter gratitude and open-mindedness — that's why she's been taking her all over the world to meet new people and encounter new cultures (36 countries and counting). 

Traveling with young children is no simple task, though, and Lessard told us that a great backpack is one of her keys to success — specifically the Thule Subterra. 

The nylon Thule Subterra backpack is all about easy access. It has a rolltop opening with a magnetic closure and it even has a packing cube inside to help keep everything in place. It's very protective, great for managing devices thanks to its built-in power pocket, and easily attachable to rolling luggage.  

Here's what Lessard had to say:

"It's so easy and quick to reach for any baby essential items — everything is urgent when our little ones are crying and screaming! The side zipper gives us access to the whole content of the backpack, very quickly. When the backpack has a bottom zipper, only the items at the bottom are easy to reach. This backpack has also a lot of compartments to organize everything."

If you're traveling with a child, a bag that keeps everything accessible is a must. 

Back in April of 2016, on the 11th anniversary of his father's passing, Mikah Meyer decided to honor his memory by launching a journey across America to experience all 400+ units of the U.S. National Park System. He would live in a van throughout most of the trip, and he would hit all his stops in one continuous path.

One product that saw Meyer through all of this was his pair of Bose Noise-Canceling Headphones. 

Available with three levels of noise-cancelation, the Bose QuietComfort 35 Wireless headphones make for a better, more balanced listening experience in quite literally any environment. Hassle-free Bluetooth pairing, personalized settings, and Bose app connectivity are also part of the many benefits of these things. Oh, and they're Alexa-enabled.

Although the price is steep, you truly get what you pay for. Here's what Meyer had to say about them:

"They are an absolute game changer on airplanes, allowing me to edit travel videos and hear the finer details, or just tune-out the engine and world around me. They're also super helpful for writing. I'm working on a book right now about my 3-year national parks journey, and listen to a lot of Ola Gjeilo to put me in a calm state. It's very ethereal classical music, so not only do the headphones block out surrounding noises to help keep me focused, but it brings out more of the intricacies in the music."

If you're like a lot of people, falling asleep on planes can be near impossible to do — it's just way too uncomfortable. A good way to help? A reliable neck pillow. 

Becca and Dan of halfhalf travel recommend the Cabeau Evolution Memory Foam Travel Pillow, hands down. 

The traveling couple dated long-distance for a whole year, and during that time, the two of them went on their own separate adventures. Now that they're back in the same city, the long-distance traveling hasn't stopped — they just recently returned from the 10-month stint from Peru to Taiwan. 

As you can imagine, these two fly a lot.

Here's what they had to say about their favorite travel gadget:

"This is our favorite neck pillow. We've slept with it from Germany to Singapore, and from Hong Kong to New York, and it prevents neck cramps. It's also more firm and upright than other neck pillows (we've throw out all our others because they don't measure up to the Cabeau). It comes with a carrying pouch that has a velcro strap, so we can strap the whole pillow to the outside of our luggage."

The Cabeau Evolution pillow is made from premium memory foam and the removable, soft velour cover is easy to wash, so you can travel with a fresh, germ-free pillow every time you hit the road. 

Everyone needs something to protect them from torrential downpours. And though  you may not think of an umbrella as a travel gadget — it totally is.

Lisa Wilk, who blogs about food, wine and travel, recommends the totes Titan umbrella: 

The totes Titan is lightweight and easy to bring with you just about anywhere. It can resist high gusts of wind due to its strong construction, and (almost) never gets blown inside-out. The coated canopy provides superior rain protection, and it employs a one-button open and close mechanism (no more pinching your fingers trying to put your umbrella away). 

Here's what Wilk had to say about this umbrella:

"This is my favorite ever travel umbrella, it's compact and has a real handle so it has a natural grip. I've had mine for years and bought extras to stow in the trunk if my car, under my desk at the office and in the map pocket of my car door."

As Wilk mentioned, you might want to grab a few of these low-cost umbrellas so you can easily store them in your frequently visited places — you'll never be caught in the rain without something to keep you dry. 

Did you even go on a trip if you didn't film it?

Of course you did, but having footage of all your adventures is a big part of why you left the house in the first place. 

Eric Wychopen is one half of Penguin and Pia, a dual language travel blog he runs alongside partner Lisa Unverricht. (They document their travels in both English and German.)

A bit of advice that Wychopen gave us was to pick up a great camera to film your travels — specifically the DJI Osmo Pocket. 

If you want to make videos at the same quality as your favorite travel vloggers, this camera should be on your list. The three-axis mechanical gimbal provides great image stabilization, so all of your tracking shots will come out smoother and way easier to decipher. It can also snap stunning still images, and the pair-able DJI Mimo app comes with a full suite of editing tool for your footage — all on your mobile device.

Here's what Wychopen had to say about their favorite travel gadget:

"We love it because it barely takes up any room in our luggage and produces high quality video and photos. This makes it perfect for people who travel light and want great memories without bulky equipment."

It also comes with a protective carrying case, so feel free to chuck it into your backpack.

Who says you need to fly first class to be comfortable?

Mona Corona, a travel blogger who covers luxury destinations on the cheap, suggests a portable foot hammock like this one to make flying just a bit more lavish in an unexpected way.

Here's what Mona told us:

"I love these portable foot rests for the plane, which turn your seat into a hammock. You just loop the adjustable strap around the tray table in front of you and it creates a nice little suspended cushion to rest your feet on. It's great for relieving tension and improving circulation on long flights."

This foot hammock isn't just restricted to planes, though. It can be used pretty much anywhere that you would find yourself sitting for long periods of time. It'll keep your feet flat to negate any lower back pain or leg swelling that you would normally experience, and it's easy to chuck into whatever bag is closest to you. 

Economy class has never been so comfortable. 

Valerie Joy Wilson believes that the best adventures lie just off the beaten path, and that the only way to make the most of your travel is to experience each city like a local, not a tourist. Her philosophy is that it is not enough to just see the sites, but that you must fully immerse yourself in another culture.

While Valerie enjoys bouncing around from country to country, one thing she *doesn't* quite enjoy is losing her luggage. 

If an airline has ever lost your bags, you know how big of a hassle it can be. You argue with baggage claim representatives to no avail, then you end up having to start off the first few days of your trip wearing clothes you bought next to the airport coffee shop. It's quite tragic, really. 

One thing that eases Wilson's mind from the stresses of misplaced baggage is the Gego Luggage Tracker. Here's what Wilson told us:

"I hate checking bags, because let’s be honest — there’s carry-on bags and then there’s lost bags. But, with all my camera gear, I can’t always carry-on. The [Gego] can last up to 30 days on its rechargeable battery. You install the app, link the device, toss it in your checked bag, and you can receive text messages and/or alerts via the app. It will show you exactly where you bag is. So, if you fly to Hong Kong and your bag went to Miami, you are able to tell the agents exactly where you bag is and get it back efficiently. It’s so great knowing my bag has arrived at my destination prior to waiting at baggage claim!"

With Gego, you're always in the loop with what's going on with your luggage. The credit card-sized device fits in any bag and pairs seamlessly to the Gego companion app. It's compliant with all air-travel regulations as well, so you don't have to get stressed about passing through security.

Luisa Ruocco, a.k.a. The Hungry Traveller, loves to explore foods from all sorts of cultures. She's constantly on-the-go, which means she has to be able to pack her stuff up at moment's notice both quickly and efficiently.  

Something that has helped her achieve this is the Vago Portable Luggage Compressor.

Just place your folded clothes into one of the Vago bags, attach the compressor, and push the button. All the air will be sucked out of the bag, leaving you with a much more manageable amount of space in your case than you previously had. The Vago is small and made for travel — it can fit in a pocket, briefcase, backpack, and more. 

Here's what Ruocco told us:

"One of the best and most useful travel gadgets I’ve come across and invested in is this portable vacuum pump so that I can vacuum pack my clothes into my suitcase, taking up about half as much space as I normally would!"

After being laid off from her cushy day-job, Susan Portnoy threw caution to the wind and decided to indulge in her love of travel and photography. Through each captured image, she shares her experiences with the rest of the world vis her blog The Insatiable Traveler.

An experience she doesn't recommend is getting caught on a trip with a wrinkly outfit — especially when you're documenting your experience by way of numerous photos and videos. 

To help prevent this from happening, Portnoy always travels with the Pure Enrichment PureSteam Portable Steamer. Here's what she told us:

"For those times where I have to dress up on the road I highly recommend the PureSteam Fabric Steamer. 10x faster and better than an iron and it heats up in just a couple of minutes. Best steamer I've ever used."

The PureSteam's nozzle design distributes steam powerfully and consistently, removing all sorts of stubborn wrinkles that lay in its path. All you have to do is fill the reservoir with water and turn it on — in about two minutes, you'll have wrinkle-busting steam at your fingertips. The built-in auto-shutdown feature is handy in case the device gets too hot or runs low on water, and it's a breeze to pack.