The Holiday Travel Tech Survival Guide |Travel Tech Gadgets

Nov 21, 2025

The Holiday Travel Tech Survival Guide

5 Ways to Keep Your Sanity (and Your Gadgets)

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Holidays are fun, but they can also be stressful to traveling during this time. With the right planning, you can skip the stress and keep the festive feeling. Our Travel Tech Survival Guide is here to help you plan smarter and travel happier, so you can focus on making memories rather than worrying about battery life.

1. Plan Ahead

» Know what gadgets can be taken on the trip
» Check which gadgets can be transported where, checked bag or carry-on
» Stay in the know of the latest travel tech by following us

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2. Tech Gifts

✈ If you're bringing large tech gifts or gadgets, ship them.
Whether you buy gifts, wrap them, and ship them yourself to your destination, or order them online to be shipped directly there, it doesn’t matter—just ship them ahead of time. It will save you precious space in your suitcase.

3. Travel Documents Digitized

✈ Make sure you have all your travel documentation in one place (purse, carry-on, etc.) that's easy to access. Add your hotel and airline's phone numbers, as well as the emergency number at your destination, to your phone.

Now it is even easier to keep your documents in one place. Apple lets you place your passport into the Wallet app. Using Digital ID, users can store a US passport in Apple Wallet. You would need the latest version of iOS 26 to add your passport.

How to add your passport to Apple Wallet

However, this new feature doesn't mean you should leave your physical passport at home. Digital ID can't be used for international travel or crossing borders.

4. TSA Is Cracking Down on Power Banks—Here's How to Make Sure Yours Won't Get Taken Away

In response to safety concerns surrounding lithium-ion batteries, the TSA has stepped up enforcement and is paying closer attention to power banks during security screenings. According to the TSA, power banks are not banned. However, they are only allowed in carry-on bags. For more details, see tsa.gov/travel/security-screening/whatcanibring/items/power-banks

Most standard power banks fall under the FAA’s 100Wh (or 27,000mAh) limit, but higher-capacity models are increasingly common, especially among travelers looking to charge laptops or multiple devices. If your charger exceeds the limit, isn’t clearly labeled with its watt-hour rating, or ends up in a checked bag, it could be flagged, delayed, or even confiscated at screening.

To help you avoid a stressful bag search (or worse, losing your charger entirely), here are some power banks that meet FAA and TSA standards—and they’re all available on Amazon.

For the Minimalist (Pocket Size):

Anker Portable Charger, 10,000mAh 30W Power Bank

Anker 622 Magnetic Battery 5,000mAh Foldable Portable Charger

Gxorul Wireless 10000mAh Foldable Magnetic Portable Charger

Anker Compact Travel-Ready 10,000mAh Battery Pack

For the Power User (Laptops & Tablets):

Iniu 20,000mAh Portable Charger

Anker 737 24,000mAh 3-Port Laptop Portable Charger

5. Get there happy - Wireless headphones for In-flight entertainment

✈ The Problem: Most airplane screens still use single-prong, 3.5mm audio jacks. They do not have Bluetooth connections. This means your fancy noise-canceling AirPods are useless for watching movies unless you use the cheap, uncomfortable airline headphones.

The Solution: A Bluetooth Transmitter. This tiny device plugs into the plane's headphone jack and connects wirelessly to your earbuds.

» AirFly Pro 2 Bluetooth Transmitter is sold by Apple, but is also available on Amazon.

» For our travels, we got a lesser-known brand transmitter and love it. Here are a couple of similar versions:

» Avantree Relay - Premium Airplane Bluetooth Adapter with Advanced Qualcomm Chipset

» 1Mii Bluetooth 5.3 Transmitter