The Best New Luxury Travel Technology This Year

What are the top trends in travel tech for 2020? After all, it’s a new year, which means new destinations. For some, that’s thrilling. For others, it’s a bit of a grind. Whether you’re on Team Go or Team Tired, the good news is that there’s new luxury travel technology this year that will make any journey just a bit more efficient. And more fun. Our correspondent Julie Chang Murphy breaks down the top trends and the best new luxury travel technology, including smart suitcases, sleep and sound tech, language translation and photography gadgets.

top trends in travel tech

As much as we boast about our upcoming travels, the truth is: traveling is stressful! Some of us agonize about our safety and health while abroad; others overthink their packing – setting aside multiple options for every scenario; and even the most adventurous and free-spirited will want to be sufficiently informed as they plan their itinerary.

Thankfully, the latest in luxury travel tech innovations are more intuitive, compact and gorgeous than ever. The last thing we want is to be worrying about how to operate our gadgets ahead of a client meeting or while we’re trying to unplug in the first place, allowing for those revelatory moments that make travel so soul-sustaining.

the best new luxury travel technology this year

Let’s start chronologically moving through the three stages of traveling from packing, to the plane, and to paradise. Away we go!

1. packing technology

Smart suitcases

A little preparation in the packing phase is critical to a successful trip. While we have a soft spot for the heritage look of Goyard and LV suitcases, sometimes a traveler needs a suitcase geared for modern needs. No more hunting around for an outlet or worse, sending withering looks at the guy hogging the outlet. Enter these smart suitcases, which hardly sacrifice style for functionality.

Away Travel

Away Travel has developed a cult following among stylish travelers like models and social media influencers. Their carry-ons all feature a TSA-approved ejectable battery with charging ports for your phone and other devices. We love their range of color offerings- 11 in the permanent collection, ranging from sophisticated dark green, brick, and violet to whimsical, candy-shelled sky and blush. Plus gorgeous seasonal limited-edition colorways.

Arlo Skye

Designed by alums from Tumi and Louis Vuitton, Arlo Skye suitcases also feature a charging port for all your devices. And if you’re feeling nostalgic for a hand-painted monogram, rest assured. You can get a modern update with your initials laser engraved on any of their pieces.

Planet Traveler

Taking it up a notch, or two, or three is Planet Traveler’s SC1 Suitcase, which fancies itself the “world’s smartest suitcase.” We believe it. It has the charging port, as well as a robotic lock that opens with your fingerprint, a global tracker, digital self-scale and speaker system. If you’re wondering how these features will hold up on your around the world sojourn, rest assured, its battery holds up for 225 hours.

Packing Cubes

All of our well-traveled friends swear that packing cubes are the “technology” that has changed the game for them in terms of hassle-free travel. The gold standard right now is Paravel Travel packing cubes ($55).  They come in 5 standard colors in sets of three sizes. The brand’s motto? “If dresser drawers could travel.” We are All. In.

Smart Luggage Tags

Adero

Unfortunately, even a smart suitcase can’t pack for you. But Adero’s Smart Tags (Starter Kit, $79.95) can keep all your essentials organized with Bluetooth enabled taglets. Simply stick one on any of your must-have items. With the press of a button on your main “control center” tag, you’ll know something is missing if it glows red. Check your Adero app and find its location in seconds. Does this mean we never have to get down on the hotel carpet and search under the bed again?

2. On-board technology

Now that you’re on the plane, what are the latest gadgets that will help you be enjoy the ride?

Brilliant Audio

Ultimate Ears

For the music lovers, it doesn’t get more bespoke than custom ear buds. From Ultimate Ears come wireless ear buds that are molded specifically for your ear via an in-home kit that takes an impression of your inner ear in less than a minute. Once they receive the impression, you can choose from different speaker systems with the most luxurious and technical being a set that allows you to hear the most upper register harmonics in clear detail.

Shure Aonic 50 Headphones

Introduced at CES 2020, the new Shure Aonic 50 over-the-ear headphones have padded ear cups for comfort, and adjustable noise-canceling. The company is best-known for its headphones and other devices engineered for the professional audio industry. So they’re used to working with people who wear headphones all day for a living.

Perfect for travelers, the Aonic 50’s come with an Environment Mode to allow wearers to hear things like PA announcements. And the battery life is approximately 20 hours. They’re slated to be on sale this spring, and Adam Levine will be the face of the inaugural advertising campaign.

Travel Fitness Tech

Hyperice

For the movers and shakers, it’s hard to not, well, …MOVE! Hyperice has two compact, and TSA friendly products that can help soothe or activate muscles during your flight. 

The Hypersphere ($149) is only 5” in diameter and delivers 3 different vibration settings for localized relief. Their newest product, the Vyper 2.0 ($199), is a 12” long vibrating fitness roller that is also TSA friendly. Like the Hypersphere, you can switch between 3 vibration frequencies. Until First Class comes with a massage table and masseuse, we’ll be bringing these along!

3. Technology for once you’ve reached your destination

You’ve now arrived at your destination, well rested with your luggage intact and devices charged up and ready to go. We travel to get out of our comfort zone but that doesn’t mean it has to be unnecessarily stress-inducing.

safe storage for valuables

One of the most new products previewed at CES 2020 is the Trova Go ($250). It’s a lightweight, wireless portable miniature safe. It’s sufficiently large to hold small personal items, has a magnetic ring holder, and comes in four sophisticated and understated colors.

You can open the Go box with either a passcode or biometrics.  If the safe is opened, you will be notified via the Trova app on your smartphone. It also has a “never lost” feature that marks the device’s last-used location. The company’s slogan is “enjoy the luxury of privacy.”

Air purification

Levoit

How many of us want to be extra-careful to protect our health while we’re on the road? The Levoit Core 300 True HEPA travel-size air purifier ($99) is designed to fill our work and hotel room environments with crisp, clean air. The device that can purify and sterilize up to 99% of allergens, bacteria and chemicals, including pollen, dust, pet dander and smoke, in an area up to 215 square feet.

 

Language Translation Tools

Vasco

Maximize authentic interactions and avoid potentially disastrous misunderstandings on your trip via the Vasco Mini Translator ($218). While there are more involved pocket translators on the market, we love this device for its ease of use. Toggle between one of the 40 languages it translates to and from and simply speak into the slim, pocket-size device.

clearer conference calls

Pow AUDIO Una Biz Speaker

Pow Audio has a new product for business travelers called the “Biz” ($150). Designed to improve teleconferencing audio, Biz is a pocket-sized magnetic wireless hand-held portable speaker with a 360-degree microphone, automatic echo cancellation and noise suppression. It promises bigger and better sound for professionals working remotely or traveling.

Biz can be collapsed to just 1 inch when it’s time to pack it away. You can affix it to any metal surface. Or mount it using the Universal Mount that comes with the device. It will be available at retail later this year.

Photography Assistance

Yuneec Drones

Everyone back home is wondering what you’re up to and eager to see your vacation mode pics. But trying to capture everything can be overwhelming. Stay with us…have you ever thought of bringing a drone? The Yuneec Mantis Q drone is beginner friendly, folds up and only weighs 1 lb. Launch it into the air for up to 33-minutes of photo and video-taking so you can actually be in the moment.

NexOptic “DoubleTake” Binoculars

NexOptic Technology Corp presented an updated version of its sleek “DoubleTake” binoculars at CES 2020. This is an extremely functional device that one review describes as “half-binocular, half-camera, with the zooming power of a telescope.”

The new version has a dual-lens design, and image stabilization that enables real-time, high resolution panning. It can shoot 4K video and photos, and it has a 10x digital zoom via its wide field lens. You can switch back and forth from 2x to 10x with just the touch of a button. The DoubleTake is shockproof and water resistant. And it looks really, really cool.

the best new luxury travel technology this year

That’s it – a roundup of the best new luxury travel technology this year. Further proof, if any was needed, that tech doesn’t have to be perplexing and cumbersome. Especially when it comes to the latest in travel. It can be clever and graceful, which will always epitomize luxury in our eyes.

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Crediting her training as a cultural anthropologist at Wellesley College, Julie has immersed herself in various industries in the last 15 years including fashion design, event planning, fitness and even investigating police misconduct. Julie lives in NYC where she loves trying every ramen and dumpling restaurant with her husband and three children. She finds joy in bold prints, biographies of fierce women, kickboxing and spending way too long finding the perfect polish color to express her mood.

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