Lately I’ve been traveling a fair amount and have developed an effective mobile travel kit. If you’re looking for ideas for your next trip – business or pleasure – scroll through this list and it may spark an idea or two.

Belkin Travel Charger

Tech need #1 when traveling is far and away power (with connectivity in some form coming in #2). Belkin’s Mini Surge Protector and Charger has saved me countless times.

Ever searched for an outlet in an airport, only to find that the lone power outlet has both plugs taken? With the three plugs everyone will be glad to let you join in at the outlet, and then the two USB ports on top are icing on the cake.

PlusPlus Power Stick

And then there are times when you can’t even get to an outlet. This is a backup item that I rarely use, but when I’ve needed it the PlusPlus Power Stick has again been a savior to quickly recharge my devices.

Google Chromecast

When it’s time to wind down at the end of the day you’ll likely want to relax with a dose of Netflix or Watch ESPN. Instead of watching on your laptop or tablet, throw it up on the big screen wherever you’re staying with a Google Chromecast.

The thing that really makes the Chromecast so effective to travel is that it’s tiny and cheap. Small enough to fit in any suitcase and cheap enough that you could feasibly have one at home and one on the road with you.

Nexus 7

The Nexus 7 is very affordable, lightweight, durable (it’s survived many of my drops without a crack or scratch yet), and for me the perfect size tablet to travel with.

Extra Charging Cables

At under $5.00 each from Monoprice, I’ve found it’s easiest to buy an additional set of USB charging cables (30 Pin, Lightning, Micro USB) and just leave them in each travel bag. Never forget anything at home, and if you accidentally leave it on the road it’s not a huge loss.

Bonus Tip: If you’re really in a bind, go to your hotel’s front desk and ask if there are any extras in the lost & found. The answer is almost always yes.

Google Now

I’m realizing this post is becoming a bit Google heavy, which is odd as I’m primarily a Mac and iPhone user.

In any case, Google Now has been pleasantly helpful when traveling, particularly to get quick access to my flight info, travel times and local weather. If you’re traveling with friends and they’ve emailed you their itineraries you can easily access those too.

Filson Original Briefcase

To carry all my mobile tech travel gear there’s the Filson Original Briefcase. It perfectly blends the look of professional + casual so it works really well for any trip type. It’s a very durable bag too; in fact, the more wear and aging it gets the better it looks in my opinion.

There’s ample storage space and you can always upsize to the larger Computer Bag if you need more.

duolingo

And finally something a little different.

I’ve been using the duolingo mobile app to help me brush up on my Spanish. If you’re new to a language you might want to go with an app like TripLingo, while I’ve found that duolingo works well for someone who already has a language background and wants to brush up on vocab and grammar.

How do you travel? I’m always looking for new ideas and gadgets so let me know what’s in your suitcase and what I’ve left out of mine!