Making Travel Less Tedious: Great Gadgets for Every Grownup on the Go

It is hard to escape the conclusion that some aspects of travel can certainly be a bit tedious, with long delays at the airport and motorway traffic jams being just two examples of certain aspects of getting around that can test your patience.

An airline passenger survey carried out by Bott & Co highlights the fact that airlines are failing to meet customer expectations when it comes to delays and communicating the reasons why everyone is still on the ground.

As well as claiming compensation for delays and cancellations, there are some potential ways of using technology to ensure that your travel arrangements feel more manageable, so here is a look at some of the great gadgets that you might want to use when you leave home.

Banish the anguish of lost luggage

There are few things that are more irritating than discovering that your luggage has gone missing, but there are gadgets available to help ensure you know where to find it.

The Bluesmart Smart Suitcase of one example of how you can use technology to banish the anguish and anger that you can experience when you realise that you no longer have any luggage with you for your onward journey.

This suitcase has a built-in GPS that allows you to use your smartphone to track your suitcase to any point in the world. So if the airline have lost it, or someone has stolen it, you can fire up the mobile app and see where it has gone to.

The suitcase itself has managed to get some good reviews for its storage capabilities, so it might turn out to be a potentially good investment all round, if you want to keep tabs on your luggage wherever you are in the world.

Staying comfortable

A regular gripe amongst travellers is the fact that it can be a struggle to get comfortable enough to enjoy a bit of sleep while flying to your chosen destination.

A gadget that might help you to solve that particular issue, is the Trtl Travel Pillow.

On the face of it, you could describe the turtle, as an attractive neck brace, if such a thing exists. What makes this gadget work is the fact that all of the ergonomic support technology that allows you to keep your neck nicely supported, is discreetly hidden behind the facade of what looks like a conventional scarf.

You may well find that the Trtl manages to keep your head and neck in a better ergonomic position than a more conventional u-shaped pillow, and the plus point is that it manages to pass as something reasonably fashionable at the same time.

Never run out of juice

Your smartphone or tablet always seems to know when would not be a good time to run out of power and then seems to arrange to do exactly that.

Staring at your smartphone with 1% remaining is not a great scenario when you are stuck at an airport terminal and need to contact someone in a hurry. That sort of situation is now readily avoidable, as there are gadgets around that allow you to put some much-needed juice back into your device, when you really need it.

There are numerous solar chargers and power banks that should be able to do the job and keep your smartphone and laptop alive and kicking, so take a look around and add something suitable to your essential travel kit, unless you enjoy running the gauntlet with your smartphone.

The joy of data roaming charges

Although recent changes have been announced that could provide some respite to consumers who get a nasty shock when they discover just how much they managed to spend using their mobile phone abroad, it is is still an issue.

A mobile Wi-Fi device might just turn out to be the best solution to data roaming rip-offs and the Mi-Fi might just turn out to be a viable and more cost-effective solution.

The Mi-Fi offers you the ability to share a mobile connection from just one single SIM with as many as ten separate devices. Take advantage of cheap Pay As You Go SIMs available abroad and you could then power up your Mi-Fi or something similar, without having to contemplate eye-watering data roaming charges or exorbitant hotel Wi-Fi rates.

These are just a small sample of the many travel gadgets that are now available, all of which offer you some way of making travel and bit less tedious and hopefully, far less frustrating too.

Steven Allen is a UK based business traveller with more than a decade of experience contributing articles to numerous travel sites. He has a keen interest in consumer rights and is always looking for ways to improve customer service for airline passengers.