We’ve asked our experts to pick some of their favourite gadgets and accessories to take on holiday this year. Call us if any of them take your fancy and we’ll talk you through the options, or if you want help making last-minute summer holiday plans, tips on our favourite beaches or ideas for weekend breaks, in Europe and the UK.
H20 Audio underwater accessories
From around £25
If you’re someone who can’t be separated from your MP3 player, even at the beach or pool, these are the gadgets for you. H2O Audio’s products include waterproof armbands, cases and headphones you can wear underwater. They are 100 per cent watertight to a depth of 12 feet and the ‘ClearTouch’ window on the cases makes it easy to choose songs, even underwater.
PowerMonkey chargers
From £26.99
‘This gadget will bring an end to the trauma of finding out your iPhone or iPod has run out of battery just as you set off on a long-haul flight or an all-day hike,’ says travel expert Rob Arrow. It is effectively a back-up battery that, once charged, can hold its power for up to a year. Available in both solar- and mains-powered forms, PowerMonkey can be used on almost any mobile phone or MP3 player, having a universal mains adapter.
GorillaPods
From around £18 to £35
The ultimate tripods for travelling photographers, GorillaPods are compact, strong and flexible. With their bendable legs they can cling to pretty much anything, and make a stable platform out of any surface.
Survival credit card tool
Around £22
If you fancy yourself as a bit of a Ray Mears, then treat yourself to this neat little gizmo. It contains a high pitch whistle, a knife, tweezers, a magnesium alloy firestarter, a toothpick and an LED torch. And it’s only as thick as two credit cards.
Ergo digital luggage scale
Around £20
This gadget can save you time and money at the airport, as you’ll have no need to worry about paying for excess luggage charges. Just clip it to your luggage, lift the scale and wait for the beep. Very simple.
Trace Me luggage tag
Around £13
‘Losing luggage can be a traumatic experience, especially because of the dubious holiday attire it can lead to after an emergency visit to the souvenir store,’ Rob comments. This gadget fastens securely to your luggage and if your bags get lost, the local handling office or police can scan your unique Trace Me barcode to pinpoint your bag’s location.
Pocket shower
Around £15
This portable tool can hold ten litres of water and is made of a special black fabric that heats in the sun. Rob says: ‘It’s easy to fit into hand luggage and it replicates the experience of a shower much better than a friend pouring a jug of water over your head.’
My Scratch Map
£14.99
Whether you’re a regular business traveller or you’re about to take a six-month sabbatical to explore South America, it’s good to keep on top of how much of the world you have seen. This wall map provides a novel way of doing this, as its land masses are covered in a copper foil that can be scratched off once you have visited a destination. It acts as both a nice way of remembering where you’ve been and an incentive to keep on travelling.
Connect with Ten Lifestyle