4 tech devices I always take on flights no matter what

Summary

For entertainment and light work, I depend on an older iPad Pro paired with some noise-canceling Jabra earbuds.
An Apple Watch Ultra 2 smooths things out by handling things like boarding passes and critical notifications.
I use a 3-in-1 Anker charging station to minimize the amount of cables and adapters I need to bring.

I don’t travel as often as some people — and definitely not as often as I’d like — but when I do, it’s not a short hop. I’m usually flying out to

Texas
or Ontario, which from where I live might as well be the opposite side of North America. It takes a full day just to get to my destination, including hours spent in the air or waiting at terminals. I can often finish two whole movies before my last plane touches down, with some TV shows sprinkled in for good measure.

It’s essential that I fly with a lot of gear in tow, if mostly to keep myself sane, since I can never sleep on planes. Other devices allow me to work, top up my power, or breeze through terminals and ground transportation as fast as possible.

Before I get into this list, I’m intentionally excluding my smartphone, which at the moment is an

iPhone 16 Pro
. It’s practically irresponsible for anyone to fly without a phone these days, given how many services depend on you at least being able to check texts and email, never mind other concerns like booking and

navigation
.

What does Eddy Cue’s vision of an iPhone-free Apple future look like?

It’s one thing to claim it’s possible, but how practical is the idea?

1

Jabra Elite 7 Active earbuds

Boom wherever there’s room

The Jabra Elite 7 Active buds in their charging case.

As I mentioned, I like to watch movies and TV shows to pass the time — I started and finished Masters of the Air during a single trip. That’s impossible without a good set of headphones, and currently, my weapon of choice is Jabra’s Elite 7 Active.

There are a few reasons for this, the first being active noise cancellation (ANC). Jabra’s ANC tech isn’t the best on the market, but it’s good enough to drown out engine sounds, especially for the price the Elite 7 Active has dropped to these days. The buds also sound excellent once you’ve tweaked their EQ settings, easily topping Apple’s

Beats Fit Pro
.

Some people prefer full-size, over-the-ear headphones for flying, but there are a couple of advantages to earbuds: portability and water resistance. I can stuff my Jabras into my pocket, and I never have to worry about rain or sweat. Even luxury over-the-ear models like the Sony WH-1000XM6 lack an

IP rating
, which is pretty egregious for how much you’re spending on them.

Battery Life: Up to 8 hours (up to 30 hours)
Charging Case Included?: Yes
Brand: Jabra
Bluetooth: 5.2

2

11-inch iPad Pro (2020)

Mostly a video player, sometimes more

A 2020 11-inch iPad Pro in a Logitech keyboard case.

I’ve never been able to wield an iPad as a true laptop replacement, since iPadOS is too restrictive for that. But that doesn’t stop me from using it pretty frequently, including as a second screen during the workday. I can handle Spotify, text messages, and smart home accessories without once having to switch away from writing tools on my PC.

On the go, an iPad gives me a much bigger display for watching movies and TV than my iPhone, matched by greater storage for cached content. I also use it as an e-reader, and yes, I can actually get some writing work done in a pinch. It’s not ideal — I need a keyboard case, and an 11-inch screen is confining — but I’d rather deal with those issues than packing and unpacking my 17-inch Windows machine.

For casual use, the only real downsides are that I need to unpack my iPad during security screenings, and bring along extra charging gear. I might decide to leave it behind someday, but probably not until I own a folding phone.

Brand: Apple
Storage: 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, 2TB
CPU: M4
Operating System: iPadOS

The smaller display sized version of Apple’s most powerful iPad.

Can an iPad finally replace a laptop in 2025?

Maybe, but be prepared to spend on some key services and accessories.

3

Apple Watch Ultra 2

Time is just the beginning

The Apple Watch Ultra 2's Depth app, triggered while swimming.

It is, of course, extremely handy to tell the time and check notifications without pulling out your phone every 30 seconds, but there are other incentives to get an Apple Watch for flying. The Wallet app makes scanning boarding passes a little quicker, and when I need to buy food and other items, Apple Pay is a double-tap away. My actual wallet can stay stashed in a safe place.

Beyond that, I use my watch for things like walking directions, local weather forecasts, sleep alarms that are impossible to ignore. You’d have to be comatose to snooze through Apple’s haptic alerts.

You don’t need an Apple Watch Ultra 2 for travel. Most people will be just fine with a

Series 10
or SE. Indeed, the main reason I chose an Ultra 2 was actually weightlifting, but travel was still a consideration. I was tired of having to put my Series 6 into Low Power Mode just to make to the hotel, and the Ultra 2’s durability offers some peace of mind, since I’d have to go out of my way to smash the screen or take a chunk out of its metal housing. Knock on wood.

A black titanium Apple Watch Ultra 2 with a matching trail watch band.

Brand: Apple
Heart Rate Monitor: Electrical and optical
Color Screen: 3000nits
Battery Life: Up to 72 hours
Operating System: WatchOS
Lens Material: Sapphire

The Apple Watch Ultra 2 is a premium smartwatch focused on offering in-depth fitness tracking and a much longer battery life than a normal Apple Watch. As of 2024 it also comes in a black titanium finish.

4

Anker MagGo 3-in-1 Wireless Charging Station

One cable to rule them all

Anker's MagGo 3-in-1 Wireless Charging Station

One of the biggest hassles of travel is charging. Even if a flight is short, you’re still going to have to charge all your devices before you go to sleep. I’ll often charge during layovers, too, since I never know if everything will go smoothly during the next leg. Delays do happen — and so do friends who immediately want to hit a bar or restaurant once you’ve landed.

On top of this, people often find themselves carrying an arsenal of cables and wall adapters. The MagGo 3-in-1 mitigates this problem a little by charging my iPhone, Apple Watch, and earbuds simultaneously, the only cable or wall connection being a single USB-C adapter. I still need separate charging gear for my iPad, but that’s two fewer cables and adapters for everything else.

As a bonus, the charger folds down neatly, and props up my iPhone so I can watch YouTube from my nightstand. If there’s a concern, it’s just that the accessory is very Apple-centric — very few Android phones support Qi2, and the pop-out watch charger only supports Apple Watches. I’ll probably need an entirely new setup if I switch back to Android anytime soon.