Technology drives just about every industry in the world—travel included.
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While most tech-travel content is focused on how AI will revolutionize the sector, there are still plenty of options when it comes to good old-fashioned gadgets.
Travel gear, after all, is constantly evolving.
But which picks are worth your hard-earned money?
With consumer trends slipping over into travel more and more every year, I’ve seen more domestic brands launch travel-related products—but not all fit the bill.
Let’s take a closer look at some of my favorite picks from the Travel Goods Awards 2024 and the TODAY Travel Gear Awards 2024. (It looks like the Travel Goods website is down, so I’ve included an alternative link that lets you view 2024’s winners.)
Travel products from 2024: the winners
Below, I’ve listed the picks that I would find immediately useful on a trip. On top of utility, these items also won’t make any part of travel more difficult, whether adding weight or requiring maintenance while on vacation.
Travel Sentry Foldable Backpack
You never know when you’ll need an extra bag when you’re on vacation. What better way to keep a last-minute option with you than a near-weightless foldable backpack? They’re durable, they’re spacious, and they’re going to save your ass on vacation someday.
D_b_ Photo Pro Luggage Bundle
If you’re ever traveling with specialized equipment—from instruments to high-resolution cameras—you need to have specialized luggage. This bundle makes it easy to carry all the tiniest pieces of your photography setup with you.
Thanks to its rigid and modular packs, you can fit small equipment into well-protected slots. Though designed for photographers, I imagine this type of equipment is helpful for just about any endeavor that has a lot of expensive, moving parts.
HYDAWAY Collapsible Water Bottle
Here’s my favorite water bottle pick—one that barely weighs a thing and doesn’t require any extra equipment to work. It collapses up to 75% while also being rigid enough to stand on its own. You can even adjust its height for all your drinking needs.
Delsey Chatelet Air 2.0 Pet Carrier
Pet carriers are a tough sell. Every pet is different, while every airline has different carrier requirements.
But I think the Delsey Chatelet is worth every penny thanks to its more unique and pet-centric features, such as its antimicrobial lining, safety straps so that you can buckle Fido’s carrier in, and great mesh sides so that your pet can breathe, bark, and growl its way to another continent.
Alpaka Bravo Sling Mini Waterproof
Forget those acrylic pouches that let you take your phone underwater—we’ve moved on to better and brighter territory. This Alpaka mini-pack lets you take all your most important goods into the water with you.
No more asking strangers to babysit your bag on the beach. (Seriously—this isn’t a water-resistant attempt, but a fully waterproof solution.)
Travel products from 2024: the strangest picks
I’m listing out some of the strangest picks from TODAY and Travel Goods, along with why I think travelers should think twice about these products. That being said, if you still feel that they’re a good pick for you, then go for it! After all, every product listed below took home an award from a major travel publication.
Northbay Kiddietotes Scooter Luggage
I’m going to be blunt about this one. Letting kids take off on scooters at airports sounds like a pretty big risk for two reasons.
First, airport floors are notoriously sticky, slippery, and hard, which makes them a bad place for a fall. (Especially before boarding a plane.) Second, I imagine it’s even more difficult to maneuver a scooter when there’s a hefty piece of luggage weighing down the front wheel.
But I’m not a parent or a scooter girl, so take my conclusions with a grain of salt.
Brita Hard-Sided Plastic Premium Filtering Water Bottle
Here’s the catch: Brita filters don’t make non-potable water safe, meaning this isn’t one of those purifying straws that are designed for remote use.
That means this is just a plastic water bottle with a disposable filter that you need to replace. So, you either need to order more replacements while traveling or pack them with you. Neither sounds like good travel practice to me.
Stanley IceFlow Bottle
One of the core tenets of packing well is to avoid heavy items. Aside from photo ops, I see absolutely no reason to have a Stanley-anything with you while traveling. That being said, this might be a great stocking stuffer for a traveler who sticks to resorts and other all-inclusive, simplified trips.
Props Luggage
This suitcase transforms into a luggage rack that has built-in clothes racks on the interior. The result is a shelf-like system that lets you easily arrange your clothes while staying in a hotel. It even doubles as a table that can hold up to 50 pounds.
That being said, the carry-on suitcase weighs almost ten pounds, which makes it a hard no for me. For context, other luxury carry-ons weigh the same—but I need a luggable suitcase way more than I need a portable desk.
If the opposite is true for you, and you’re looking for a suitcase-table hybrid, then know that this is one of the most hotly discussed and celebrated picks in terms of travel products this year.
