The best tech gifts for travelers in 2019

With an infinite array of gadgets and gizmos cycling through the market, there’s never been a better time to shop for the tech-minded traveler. From drones and gaming systems to cord organizers and notebooks, here are seven items they’ll love – all for $300 or less.

Our editors independently select the best products to help you have amazing travel experiences. If you purchase through links on our site, Lonely Planet may earn a commission from the retailer.

A smartphone on a tripod set up on a cliff overlooking a deep valley, with gray clouds overhead — The Shure MV88+ has quickly become a favorite with the Lonely Planet video team © Image courtesy Shure

1. Shure MV88+ Video Kit

Shure debuted its MV88+ kit back in January, and according to our video-team tester, it has everything you need to take the show on the road. The set includes a digital stereo condenser microphone, a tripod, and a phone clamp and comes complete with a dedicated headphone output so you can monitor your footage, customizable audio settings so you can adjust as necessary, and a neoprene roll-up to keep the individual pieces tidy in your bag. Just download the app and get to shooting.

MV88+ Video Kit, $249; amazon.com.

A pouch containing various cables — The Bellroy classic pouch will help you wrangle all your cables © Image courtesy of Bellroy

2. Bellroy Classic Pouch

With each new gadget comes yet another charging cable, and Bellroy’s classic pouch is just the thing to corral them all – and it’s roomy enough that you won’t have to cram ‘em all in, either. On one side, it has two pockets to accommodate a mouse or a spare power bank (see below), and on the other, a bigger pocket to hold a small notebook or a larger adapter, with space in the middle for pens, cords, and anything else that needs to be stashed away.

Classic pouch, $49; amazon.com.

Three small drones in blue, white and yellow, with rotors extended — The Tello drone can capture images from high above then pack into a small size © Image courtesy of DJI

3. DJI Tello Quadcopter Beginner Drone

Drones can range anywhere from a hundred bucks to a few thousand, but if the photographer on your list is just beginning to get into the aerial thing, they don’t need all the bells and whistles. With 13 minutes of flying time, 720p HD transmission, and electronic image stabilization, DJI’s app-controlled Tello will have them airborne in no time.

DJI Tello Quadcopter Beginner Drone, $125; amazon.com.

A woman's hands writing in a notebook, with a nice succulent on the desk nearby. — The Rocketbook Everlast Notebook can record an infinite amount of your travels © Image courtesy of Rocketbook

4. Rocketbook Everlast Notebook

It can be tough to reconcile the need for environmental advocacy with a preference for traditional pen and paper, but Rocketbook’s Everlast notebook is good news for green-hearted Luddites trapped in the digital age. Though its pages have that old-school feel, they’re connected to the cloud – and they wipe clean with just a damp cloth, so technophobes and conservationists alike should enjoy reusing it ad infinitum.

Everlast reusable notebook, from $32; amazon.com.

A gray powerbank — The Skullcandy Stash power bank packs a lot of juice into a small size © Image courtesy of Skullcandy

5. Skullcandy Stash Power Bank

A spare power bank is a travel essential, especially if you’re shopping for someone who’s spending long days on the road – and juggling multiple devices in the process. At 3-by-5 inches, Skullcandy’s iPhone-sized soft-touch Stash bank is a slim, good-looking option, with 24 hours of boosting power and a digital display that shows how much juice is left in the tank – no guestimations necessary.

Stash power bank, $30; REI.com.

A family looks at the ceiling in wonder as a butterfly is projected above them — The Anker Capsule projector brings large-format viewing to a pocket-able size © Image courtesy of Anker

6. Anker Nebula Capsule Projector

Why rely on your hotel’s limited cable channels or restrict yourself to watching Netflix on a tiny screen when you could be living large? Anker’s Nebula Capsule projector offers four hours of playtime via HDMI, USB, Bluetooth, WiFi, and screen mirroring, with an Android operating system, 360-degree audio, and the capacity to project a picture up to 100 inches – all in a compact, soda can–sized package.

Capsule projector, $300; amazon.com.

The box for the Nintendo Switch Lite — The Switch Lite is the latest portable gaming device from Nintendo © Image courtesy of Nintendo

7. Nintendo Switch Lite

The newest member of the Nintendo Switch family of systems, the Switch Lite launched this summer to much fanfare from the gamer crowd – and for good reason. A more compact version of the original, it works in handheld mode only, so there’s no video output to a TV or kickstand for tabletop play (meaning no HDMI cables or bulky controllers to lug around). Plus, it’s a quarter-pound lighter and $100 cheaper, which is a win-win in our books.

Nintendo Switch Lite, $200; amazon.com.

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