Noise-cancelling headphones
It can be difficult to get a few minutes of peace and quiet when you are travelling. But regardless of whether you are working on the move and need to concentrate or just want to block out the background noise to clear your head, noise-cancelling headphones will help drown out the din.
Don’t confuse noise-cancelling and noise- isolating. Both will cut down on exterior sound, but in different ways. The latter minimises the noise that reaches your ears through a physical barrier, ie the ear cups; the former uses technology to cancel out ambient noise.
For over-ear headphones fans, try the Sony MDR 1000X. Costing a minimum of €250, they aren’t cheap but the sound is great, and they have gesture controls for muting your audio, changing volume and skipping tracks. If you prefer the in-ear headphones type, Bose QuietComfort 30 are a good choice.
New gen tablets
Tablets aren’t for everyone. They don’t always run the software you need for astart. But the arrival of the iPad Pro has heralded a new era, with more power under the hood, quad speakers for better sound, an improved display that reacts to the ambient light around you and adjusts the colour temperature accordingly, and of course, support for the Apple Pencil.
The 10.5 inch version will suit most people, but there is also a larger 12.9 inch tablet; team with a keyboard cover or a Bluetooth keyboard of your choice, and you can probably ditch the laptop for most business trips. Plus it will double up as an entertainment device, with music and movies both dealt with admirably. They still won’t be suitable for everyone, but it will lighten the load for some people. It’s not the only option. Apple recently unveiled a new iPad that supports Apple Pencil, but doesn’t have the fancy display or the quad speakers, so it comes in cheaper than the Pro version.
If you prefer Android, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 is a good choice. It comes with the S Pen and has a powerful processor to run everything. It also supports HDR content.
Smarter smartphones
If you travel frequently outside the EU, it can help to have a local SIM card in your phone to cut back on call charges. In the US, charges can add up quickly, and bill shock can be, well, shocking. It means carrying more than one phone though, unless you can pick up a dual SIM phone. The Huawei Mate 10 Pro offers a dual SIM version, so you can pop two SIM cards in one phone and switch between the two as and when you need them. It also has a great camera, and a decent-sized screen that means you can easily send emails or watch a movie.
Portable power
If there is one thing that can put a dent in your business day, it’s losing power to your mobile devices. Portable power packs, like the Belkin Pocket Power, can save the day. The devices comes in 5,000 mAh, 10,000 mAh and 15,000 mAh varieties, depending on the size of your mobile device’s battery and how many times you want to charge it up.
If you are travelling somewhere where a virtual private network (VPN) would be handy, the Invizbox Go offers VPN services along with a portable battery charge, in one small device.
Smart luggage
There are plenty of cases that offer something extra, from a removable battery you can use to charge your portable devices to a built-in tracker to locate your bag when it goes missing. The Raden A22 is one option: it comes with a number of extras: not only does it have Bluetooth to give you proximity alerts but its handle doubles as a weighing scale so you can tell if your bag has tipped over the weight allowance.
The integrated 7,800mAh battery allows up to four full phone charges, with two USB ports so you can charge two devices at once. It’s tough too, with a polycarbonate shell, and the lock is TSA approved.Another option is the InCase NoviConnected Hubless Travel Roller with a power bank built in.
