Travel Gear
Gear That Earns Its Place in the Bag
I don't want more travel gear. I want better travel gear.
There is an endless supply of gadgets promising to make travel easier. Some genuinely do. Others take up space in your suitcase for three trips before quietly migrating to a drawer at home.
This is where I separate the two.
The gear you'll find here isn't about packing every clever gadget Amazon can put in front of me. It's about solving actual travel problems: keeping everything charged when there's one badly placed hotel outlet, choosing luggage that works for the way we travel, keeping track of bags and belongings, making long flights more comfortable, and occasionally replacing something I've used for years when I find a genuinely better solution.
Sometimes the best upgrade is buying something new.
Sometimes it's realizing you don't need it at all.
That's the point of Curated Upgrades.
Travel Power Adapters: What You Actually Need for International Travel
One hotel outlet has to power two CPAPs, two phones and everything else we bring along. For years, I traveled with a separate international adapter and regular power strip. Then writing this article made me check the electrical rating on my own gear, and I realized it was time for a Curated Upgrade.
Do You Still Need a Travel Camera?
Your smartphone takes great pictures, so why carry another camera? I put a $328 Panasonic Lumix travel camera kit to the test against my Google Pixel 7 during a NASCAR weekend in Charlotte. Both were handheld, on automatic settings, with no filters or adjustments.
From distant race cars to nighttime action, the results showed me where a dedicated optical zoom makes a difference, where the phone shines, and why both might deserve a place in your travel bag.
The $34 Travel Laundry Kit I’m Taking on a 20-Day Trip
Packing for 20 days doesn’t have to mean packing 20 days of clothes. I put together a $34 sink-laundry kit, soaked everything from quick-dry trousers to socks, and tested what would actually dry overnight. The results changed how I’m packing for Scotland, and proved that sometimes the best travel gear is the stuff that lets you bring less stuff.