July is winding down which can only mean one thing: school is right around the corner. But before summer ends just yet, there’s still many of us out there with a trip planned to squeeze that last bit of fun out before the new semester.
But with every trip comes the commute. To some it might be boring. To others it might be more relaxing than the destination. For me, it’s a few hours to kick back and relax. Of course, relaxing can never be complete without a few gadgets and apps to help unwind.
The following are a few devices I throw in my bag for every car trip. Some are new, some are old, some are a bit of both.
Nintendo Switch
“Hey isn’t this supposed to be a tech blog and not a Nintendo fan page?” you might ask, slamming your fists on your desk. You’re right, it isn’t. But I have spent a good amount of my posts talking about Nintendo and the brand new hybrid console. Why is that? Because to me it is one of the most interesting ideas in tech and video games in a long time. Nintendo shook everything up with the new system, and the use cases for it are practically endless. Because of that, the system is your best bet for an on-the-go Mario Kart marathon with whomever you are in the car with. Simply sliding the joycon off the sides of the system turn into two independent controllers; that means the Switch has two controllers in the box already. All you have to do is figure out how to prop it up, and you’re ready to go. Game on on the road.
Your Old iPod
Any make or model will do, whether it be the Mini or the Nano or the Touch. Chances are you had an iPod replaced by your phone, acting as a snapshot in your musical timeline. A road trip is the perfect time to grab the old MP3 player and sing your lungs out to your favorite songs you forgot about years ago.
Amazon Kindle
To be honest, I’m a much bigger fan of physical media than digital, but after seeing my friends’ Kindles and how much they swear they are the best way to read books, I find it hard to ignore. If you are like me in any way, you have a few books started at the same time. Instead of throwing all of them into your bag and weighing you down, you might as well download them and carry one device.
Klipsch R6 Earbuds
Sometimes you do not necessarily want to listen to the people in the car with you. That’s where the Klipsch R6 in-ear headphones come in. These cheap buds have the sound quality of much higher priced headphones, and that’s why they are my go-to choice for earbuds. These are some of the best earbuds I have ever used and I consistently go back to them.
Fujifilm Instax Wide 300
I’m sure many of you are familiar with the smaller and cheaper variant of Fujifilm cameras, the Instax Mini series; but for a little bit more money, you can have larger, more traditional photos with the Instax Wide. While the film can get pricey, chances are you aren’t going to have too many photos printed out at your nearest convenience store. The Instax Wide is durable and comes with a sleeve to put it in for safety.
Jackery Bar 6000mAh portable battery
Depending on how long the car ride is or how many people are along for the ride, charging cables might be tied up. What are you going to do if your phone is on its last leg and your sibling is hogging the cable? Pull out your Jackery portable charger. I originally bought this battery to assist me on my Pokemon Go adventures, and what impressed me was how it could positively charge a Nexus 6P with the game running. For that reason alone it gets a thumbs up from me.
Obviously there are some devices on here that you don’t necessarily need for your adventures on the road. Or maybe I missed some gadgets you find essential. Let me know in the comments what you think. I’d love to hear suggestions on what I add to my roadtrip survival kit.
Tech2Dump 