The 10 Essential Summer Vacation Gadgets You Should Have

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The summer season is in full swing, which means it’s time to go on vacation! Across the country and around the world, families and solo explorers alike are gearing up for their annual adventure, if they haven’t hit the road already.

Whether your vacation entails flying to foreign cities, camping in the woods, driving cross country, or just shacking up at a cabin on a mountain, you probably shouldn’t go empty-handed. No matter what kind of vacation you prefer, there will be situations where you will want more than the clothes on your back in order to maximize your vacation fun. Just like how hikers and off-grid adventurers buy a certain phone, those looking to get the most out of their leisure time buy the gadgets they need — and that’s where we come in.

These gadgets are essential to making your vacation as perfect as it can possibly be. These tools are versatile and offer utility. Most of them are affordable, though a few of the more luxurious items might require some careful consideration of financial priorities, but hey, if you can afford to go on vacation in this day and age, you can afford the goodies on this list. We’ll go into greater detail on our methodology at the bottom of this story.

Most family vacations take place during summer. It’s when the kids are out of school, the beaches are open, and the parks are at their most beautiful — the perfect time to go outside and enjoy the great outdoors.

Alas, there’s one problem. It can be easy to forget in all the excitement, but sometimes the summer heat can be blisteringly overbearing. There’s a reason why ice cream, snow cones, and iced coffee are the go-to summer treats. Unfortunately, if you’re on a nature walk in the middle of the woods, you’re probably not close to an ice cream parlor or coffee shop. With that in mind, how will you beat the heat?

One way to keep cool in the heat is with a neck fan. Take, for instance, the Civpower Portable Neck Fan. At a distance, it looks like a pair of DJ headphones resting around your neck, but it’s actually a cooling system with 78 air outlets, and three speeds to keep your face and neck feeling fresh and crisp. Depending on your preferred setting, you can get between three and 16 hours of cooling power from a full battery. Plus, it can be easily charged via USB. 

A neck fan might keep you reasonably cool during a long walk on a hot day, but it won’t keep you hydrated. When out and about in the heat, it’s important to keep safe, as dehydration can lead to a serious crisis.

A thermal water bottle keeps hot liquids hot, and cool liquids cool. For the sake of a summer hike, you’ll likely focus on the latter. The ThermoFlask Double Wall Vacuum Insulated Stainless Steel Water Bottle comes in various sizes, but I prefer to rock the 40 oz variant. This bottle comes with options for either a straw lid or a chug lid, so you can drink how you’d like. It’s dishwasher-safe, durable against falls, and won’t leak if you just throw it in your bag. Best of all, it’ll keep your ice-cold water cool for up to 24 hours, and anything hot for 12. 

A vacation is an opportunity to enjoy the great outdoors. But there are dangers out there. Creatures that will eat you alive if given the chance. Theoretically, one could fight off a bear, a shark, or a cannibal. But how do you protect yourself from a swarm of mosquitos?

Look no further than the Thermacell Radius Zone Mosquito Repellent. Unlike candles or most sprays, this repellent is completely scentless. The device is compact and fits easily in a backpack, with a range of 10 feet. It’s powered by a lithium-ion battery that offers over six hours of protection on a single charge, easily topped up via USB.

For those people (I’m one of them) who are just mosquito magnets, Thermacell’s product is nothing short of a godsend. The only downside is that the refills are pretty expensive, but that’s a small price to pay for protection from mosquitos and the dangerous viruses they may carry. 

Summer is the season for fun in the Sun, but the Sun isn’t to be underestimated. It emits dangerous radiation — just ask Hugh Jackman, who has been treated for skin cancer no fewer than six times.

Sunscreen is essential to prevent damage from the ultraviolet (UV) rays that cause skin cancer, and more immediately, a nasty sunburn. However, actually applying sunscreen isn’t fun. It feels oily on your hands, and it’s easy to use too much or too little. Plus, heaven help you if any gets in your eyes.

If you struggle with sunscreen, we recommend Solar Buddies Sunscreen Applicator. It’s a simple gadget, but one that’s tremendously useful. As a roll-on applicator, it evenly distributes the sunscreen, relying on a simple technique that’s more effective than any electronic wizardry. Once you buy one of these gadgets, you’ll never want to go to the beach without it.

There’s lots of downtime on vacation. If you’re on a plane or sitting in a hotel room or lounging by the pool, you can just chill out. With a decent pair of headphones or earbuds, it’s the perfect time to listen to music, plug in a podcast, or if you’re reading a book — drown out the ambient noise. Generally, over-ear headphones have better sound quality, but for portability and convenience, earbuds are the way to go.

The Apple AirPods 4 are the first name in earbuds for a reason. They sound great, they last for hours, and the charging case is sleek, pocket-sized and reliable. Also, these Apple products don’t yet have an AI camera raising privacy concerns. 

The Apple AirPods 4 come in two variations, one with noise cancellation and one without. It’s nice to be able to remove ambient noise, but if you’re on a hike in the middle of nowhere, you might want to turn the feature off so that you’re more aware of your surroundings. 

Rather than headphones or earbuds, some people prefer Bluetooth speakers, especially when traveling with a group. A great option is the JBL Clip 5, from a company that traces its origins back nearly 100 years. Whether you’re alone in your hotel room or gathered around a campfire in the middle of the woods, if you want to fill the space with music the JBL Clip 5 is both portable and powerful, offering a solid dozen hours of playtime off a single charge. 

It’s a typically rugged product from the brand, with an IP67 rating making it both dust and waterproof. For EQ settings, use the companion app to get the precise kind of sound you desire based on the acoustics of your surroundings.

Just be careful not to use it where it’s unwelcome. When others are within earshot, don’t show off the JBL Clip 5’s energetic bass – it’s best to be respectful and switch to earbuds for a little while. Don’t be the one to ruin the peace of a nature walk in the great outdoors.

Even on vacation the best laid plans can go awry. Perhaps you planned on a nature walk, but it rained. For those days where you find yourself stuck at the hotel or on a bus during a long-delayed international border crossing, you’ll need a way to pass the time while still having fun. Rain or shine, it’s still vacation.

If you’re a video game enthusiast, the Nintendo Switch 2 is perfect for playing at home and on the go. Its 7.9-inch LCD touchscreen — with up to 120 fps — suits low-fi indie games like “Mina the Hollower,” and big-budget blockbusters like “Final Fantasy VII Rebirth.” Even titles with high-end visuals like “Cyberpunk 2077” and “Donkey Kong Bananza” run great on the Switch 2, making the system a huge upgrade over the original Switch. 

Many users praise it as an accessible device which is easy to just pick up and play – perfect for those vacation moments when you don’t have much choice but to be sedentary. Just be sure to pack a portable battery, since the Switch 2’s charge can drain quickly.

If you’re an American on an international vacation, there’s some things you need to keep in mind. Your passport must be current, you should trade your American dollars for the local currency, and you will want to get an international SIM card for your phone.

There’s another important thing to remember, but it’s often overlooked by first-time travelers. Wall sockets in Europe aren’t the same as the ones in the United States. If you try to plug in your wall chargers, you’ll find they simply don’t fit. Thus, you’ll need to buy an adapter in order to charge your laptop, power bank, or other electronics.

There are many types of adapters, but few are as versatile as the Epicka Pulse Duo Universal Travel Adapter. Epicka has a variety of different wattages available for those who want different charging speeds. It is universally compatible, allowing users to plug into any wall socket and charge multiple devices via USB or standard power — again with universal ports. It’s not, however, a voltage converter, so if your device requires a specific voltage, you’ll need to buy a separate product. 

When you’re on summer vacation, there’s a strong chance you’re going to be spending a significant amount of time near a body of water. Whether you’re hiking alongside a raging river or lounging by the pool, you’re probably going to get wet. And that’s fine. Great, even. However, you don’t want your phone to get wet.

Many phones these days are said to be waterproof, but do you really want to put that claim to the test? It’s not that we don’t believe it, but it’s better to be safe than sorry. The best way to protect your phone is with a waterproof case.

The Pelican Marine IP68 Waterproof Phone Pouch allows you to keep your phone safe and dry, and even lets you use your iPhone without removing it from the pouch. It has a keychain lanyard so you can clip your phone to your belt, and if you’re the paranoid type who doesn’t feel comfortable leaving your phone on a crowded beach surrounded by strangers, you can bring your phone with you into the water.

This one’s admittedly a bit pricey, but if you want to watch a movie at night with some friends in the middle of the untamed wilderness, you’re going to want something like the Xgimi MoGo 4 Laser Outdoor Collection Portable Projector.

This projector weighs less than three pounds, has HDR10 support, and the built-in battery lasts up to two and a half hours. This duration can be doubled with the proprietary PowerBase stand. If you’re willing to shell out $779, it’s a far superior option to crowding around a laptop.

If you’ve never watched a movie outside via a decent projector, you absolutely should. If you and your pals are huddled around the smoldering remains of a campfire, the perfect way to end the night is with a screening of any given “Friday the 13th” movie. You might want to put any kids to bed first though. 

These gadgets provide utility across a wide variety of summer vacation scenarios. Some are best for outdoor hikes, others are for road trips, and a few help to protect you from the hot sun of the summer season.

On top of personal experience, and glowing reviews from experts, all of these essentials have been rated highly by Amazon users, with scores of 4.1 out of 5 or more.