Oh my god, we forgot Kevin! And by Kevin we mean your phone charger. 

Clearly you can’t compare a charger to the front man from the Home Alone universe - you’d probably realise your phone charger was missing a lot earlier with how battery life fares on devices these days. Regardless, forgetting a crucial piece of tech can feel like you’ve left a child behind.

Now that travel is finally back on we have compiled your ultimate travel tech checklist. Don’t be caught with your hands in your phone-free pockets again.

Carry on tech checklist

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Chances are that you’ll want most of your tech within reaching distance for the commute. Is there ever a better time to binge through a season or two? Below are all the devices you should pop in your carry on to make sure you make it to your destination and don’t get cut off at a cliff-hanger episode.

Travel SIM

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If you’re taking your phone overseas then you’ll want to have your international roaming covered before take off. Getting stuck in a foreign country without access to a network can be painful, and quite frankly unsafe.

Each of the major aussie telcos offer international roaming options which we have looked at in minute detail for you. 

Battery pack

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In most cases if you’re boarding a plan you aren’t going to have access to a range of charging options, so if you have a long commute ahead of you (or an unreliable battery) a battery pack is your best friend.

When picking a power bank you’re going to want to find something with a higher mAh than your phone has. Let's say you have the Samsung S21+ which has a battery capacity of 4800mAh, your battery pack will need to have at least that to be able to charge it fully once. The more capacity your pack has, the more charges you can get out of it.

Universal adaptor

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If you’re heading overseas then you need to have a universal adaptor. Something to help your current plugs actually fit. This is especially important if you have a longer stop over on an international flight. You’ll want to take advantage of a wall socket if you get the chance. Just not that using an adaptor means that lightning charges may not be as speedy as usual.

Fast charging cables and dock

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For those lucky enough to have a device with Fast Charge it can be hard to go back to a world where it takes eight hours to top your phone up. To avoid that kind of culture shock be sure to pack your Fast Charge cables and corresponding wall dock.

iPad mini

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Our editor’s iPad of choice for travel is the iPad mini. While the iPad Air and Pro both have better functionality with keyboards they just aren’t as portable as this little bub. With an iPad mini you’ll get all the features you’d expect in an iPad but in a smaller package. It can also double as an eReader if you’re not already attached to yours.

eReader

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Avid readers know the struggle of having to pack several books for a holiday. They take up your luggage capacity so quickly, and you never quite pack enough. eReaders have stopped this problem by letting you hold all your books in a slimline device, no thicker than your in-flight magazine.

Wired over ear headphones

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We know, wired headphones are so 2015 but when it comes to long distance trips the last thing you need is another device to charge mid-way through. Your best option is to pack a set of muffs that can work wired or wireless, that way you don’t need to double up. Make sure you pack a USBC to headphone jack adapter though so you don’t get stuck.

If you prefer earbuds then have at it, but having something in your ears for hours on end can just add to the discomfort that is air travel.

Check luggage tech checklist

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Chances are that you’ll want most of your tech within reaching distance for the commute. Is there ever a better time to binge through a season or two? Below are all the devices you should pop in your carry on to make sure you make it to your destination and don’t get cut off at a cliff-hanger episode.

Spare cables

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You can never have too many cables, because whichever one you don’t bring will be the one that you actually need. One of our WhistleOut editors has a go-bag full of every cable you could possibly need, and we would recommend making one for yourself too. It has been a life saver.

These are the must have cables and cords to add to your bag:

• USB C to USBC
• USBC to lightning
• USBA to lightning
• USBA to micro USB
• USBA to USBC adaptors
• HDMI cords
• Ethernet cord

Power board

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We live in a time of socket insecurity. There really is a global shortage of wall sockets for the amount of tech we use these days. We recommend packing a powerboard to make the best use of the limited wall sockets in your AirBNB or hotel.

Chromecast (or Apple TV)

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Hotel and holiday home TVs aren’t usually up to scratch, and while we all love watching TV shows in different languages sometimes it is nice to just unwind with your favourite comfort show.

A Chromecast, Apple TV or an Amazon Firestick turn any TV into a streaming device, and they’re small enough to bother packing with you.