The Best Travel Gear for Graduates

If your grad already has a good set of Bluetooth earbuds, consider gifting them the AirFly Duo instead. It is a device that allows you to use your wireless headphones with an aircraft’s in-flight entertainment system. All you need to do is pair the AirFly Duo with your Bluetooth headphones and plug it into the headphone jack in your seat. If you’re flying with a friend or partner, you can even stream movie audio to two headphones with the AirFly Duo. — Igor Bonifacic, contributing reporter

Crying babies, turbulence and noisy passengers – there are many noises that can make an already stressful travel experience even more tiring. Experience has shown that comfortable and powerful noise-cancelling headphones can go a long way toward making a flight quieter. Luckily, you don’t have to look far to find the best option in this field: Sony’s flagship WH-1000XM5.

In addition to the masterful noise cancellation that you can customize, the In other words, you’ll get your graduate through a marathon of flights, layovers, and international travel excursions with ease. If the $398 cans are out of your budget, you can still find stock of its excellent predecessor, the WH-1000XM4, at some retailers. — IB

If you have a giftee who lives in the Apple ecosystem and is constantly on the go, get this 3-in-1 MagGo charging station from Anker. Its appearance is deceptive: It’s about the size of a deck of cards, but unfolds into a base station that can power three devices at once: an iPhone, an Apple Watch and a pair of AirPods. It delivers up to 15W of power and can quickly charge both an iPhone and the watch. Also, it supports standby mode on iOS when you charge iPhone in landscape mode. Similar to other Anker MagSafe accessories, the magnets are strong and the built-in flip-up Apple Watch charger is super convenient (many other multi-device chargers require you to connect your own Apple Watch pad). In addition, this power bank comes with the charging cable and 40W adapter required for charging. — Valentina Palladino, deputy editor, buying advice

If there’s one thing everyone needs when traveling internationally, it’s a plug adapter. Your graduate may forget to charge their phone, laptop, or something else unless they have one of these on hand. Beshon’s two-pack is a good value not only because of its affordable price, but also because each plug includes three power outlets, two USB-C ports, and one USB-A port. This means they have extra space for connecting regular items, as well as three USB options for tech devices like smartwatches, gaming consoles and more. Although the prongs don’t fold down, each adapter is quite compact and Beshon offers them in various country options – Europe, China, South America and Australia are all covered. – Vice President

We don’t have to tell you that packing cubes are essential on every trip. So, gifting a set to your new graduate will help them in the long run on all their business trips, vacations, and weekend getaways. Bagsmart makes some of our most popular travel accessories and their set of six compression packing cubes offers great value for money. While standard packing cubes are great for organization, compression cubes take things a step further by allowing you to make the bags as small as possible, giving you a little more room to work with in your suitcase. You will receive one large, two medium and two small cubes as well as a special shoe bag. After storing their clothes and belongings inside, a special zipper on the outside of each cube ensures that they can squeeze all of their belongings as much as possible before packing everything into their bags. If they’re truly Type A, they’ll also appreciate the label slot on each bag that allows them to mark which cube their shirts, jeans, pajamas, and more are in. – Vice President

If your graduate has a relatively new phone like the iPhone 14 or Samsung Galaxy S23, they won’t need a special camera to capture great videos during their trip. But what can improve your recordings is a smartphone gimbal like the Osmo Mobile 6 from DJI. The company makes some of the best drones you can buy, so they know a thing or two about camera stabilization. With the Osmo Mobile 6, your graduates can film smooth and cinematic videos on the go. The company’s latest gimbal features a built-in extension pole that makes it easier to take the perfect selfie. Plus, it weighs just 309 grams, making it a lightweight addition to almost any travel gear. — IB

Every trip involves some downtime. Between long flights and train journeys as well as longer layovers, there are many opportunities to catch up on some reading. For this reason, an e-reader like the Amazon Kindle is the perfect travel companion.

A previous version of this gift guide recommended the Paperwhite, but with all the improvements Amazon has added to the 2022 Kindle, there’s little reason to blow your budget on the more expensive model. Our favorite budget e-reader, the standard Kindle, features a 300ppi display, 16GB of storage, and USB-C charging. Best of all, with a battery that lasts up to six weeks on a single charge, there’s one less cable and charger for your graduate to take with them on their next trip. — IB

If your graduate dreams of becoming a social media star or prefers to capture travel memories on something better than their smartphone, the Sony ZV-1 II is a big step forward for them. One of our most popular vlogging cameras, this upgraded model features a wider f/1.8-4 lens that makes vlogging at arm’s length much easier. Added to this are the camera’s lightweight housing, the built-in microphone and the fold-out display. It also has excellent autofocus and image quality, as well as vlogging-specific features like background blur and “product showcase”. Combine all of that in a compact camera and you get solid value for money that’s a noticeable improvement over your smartphone. – Vice President

Between long-haul flights and the eventual jet lag that comes with traveling between different countries and continents, getting a full night’s sleep can be a challenge. This is where a sleep mask can help, and the best one I’ve found is made by a company called Manta, which also makes neck pillows, earplugs, and other travel items. Many different models of eye masks are currently being produced. So take a look at the website to find the one that best suits your child. However, the original Sleep model is a good all-purpose solution for frequent travelers. What’s special about this is that the memory foam eyecups are not sewn into the mask. Instead, they attach with Velcro, allowing you to reposition them to make the mask as comfortable as possible. The company states that they also block out 100 percent of all light – a claim that I believe is true. — IB

Peak Design is known for making some of the most practical camera cases and accessories you can buy. But it has also made a name for itself in the travel bag sector in recent years. If you want to help your graduate organize all their cables and devices before they head off on their next trip, the company’s Tech Pouch is for you. Exterior handles make it easy to open and hold the bag, even on a plane flying through turbulence. Inside, you’ll find loops and Peak’s signature origami dividers that make it easy to organize things like pens, SD cards, and batteries. Another practical detail is a cable pass-through that allows you to store a power bank inside and connect it to your phone in the front pocket. Additionally, the nylon exterior is water-resistant, so your graduate can rest assured that all of their electronics are protected from most accidental water damage. — IB

At some point during the trip, your graduate’s phone will likely run out of battery or even die at a critical moment. This could happen as they try to navigate a complex subway system, making an already stressful situation even worse (especially if they don’t speak the local language). Help them avoid such situations with a power bank. There are plenty of powerful portable chargers out there, but we like the ones from Otterbox. For an affordable option, consider the 10,000mAh model, which is on Engadget’s list of the best power banks. It offers 18W fast charging for multiple devices, enough capacity to fully charge a smartphone more than once, and a set of USB-A and USB-C ports. The best part is that it costs less than $50. — IB

Whether traveling for work or leisure, your graduate should get into the habit of using a VPN to keep their browsing private and secure. ExpressVPN is our top choice for frequent travelers because it has thousands of servers in 105 countries, offers solid upload and download speeds in our tests, and allows for up to eight simultaneous device connections. Plus, it works on all major platforms including iOS, Windows, Android, Linux, and more, so every single device you use should be covered. A subscription also includes access to the company’s password manager, allowing them to log into their accounts faster on the go. – Vice President