5 Must-Have Tech Gadgets for international travel with kids

Traveling with kids has changed a lot in the tech age. While I grew up getting car sick in the back of my parents’ station wagon whenever I tried to read a book in the 80s, my kids never have tummy trouble and are so quiet on road trips thanks to tech that I sometimes forget they are there.

Outside of entertainment, technology advances have allowed travelers to pack just one power converter instead of ten when they head to Europe. No more do I have to try to sleep without my beloved white noise either thanks to portable sound machines that allow my boys and I to slumber soundly across the globe.

I’ve tested and traveled with a lot of tech gadgets and apps over the years, but these are five of my must-have travel tech gadgets for international travel with kids.

Sound Machine: I’ve traveled with the same tiny sound machine for years, but when I was handed the Sound+Sleep Mini, a new world of white noise entered my dreams. This gadget has 12 categories with 48 unique sounds, making it more powerful than my standard sound machine with only two settings. It also comes with a USB outlet, can run on batteries if we go camping, and has a carrying case that fits the device and all the different power options into one snug package, no bigger than a standard travel hairdryer.

Plug adapter: I don’t know about you, but when I go to Europe, I like to hop around to a few countries. I mean, I spent all that money getting there, I might as well see more than one place. Even if you are only going to one country, whether in Europe, Africa, Australia, Central or South America, you will still need a plug adapter to charge up all of your electronics. The Ventev Global Charging Hub 300 allows for one 3-pronged device to be plugged in at a time, plus it has two USB ports to simultaneously charge phones, tablets, batteries, etc. The built-in adapters cover over 150 countries, making it easy to hop around the world without the weight of extra converters and adapters.

Portable charger: There is nothing worse than being on a trip and your phone dying. Never run out of power again when you travel with a portable charger. I loved trying out the Ventev Powercell 6000c while I was covering the Washington Auto Show for two days straight. I shot video, took photos and live streamed on my phone, so I was running power nonstop. Without a portable charger I would have been out of juice before lunch. I grabbed a heavy-duty rubber band to stick the charger to the back of my phone so I could continue using. The attached small charging cord meant that wires weren’t dangling everywhere and I could charge and work at the same time.

Tablet: In today’s tech age you really can’t leave the house without some sort of tablet or smartphone when enjoying international travel with kids. I mean you could, but I find that my life is easier when I have a tablet with me. We always pack our Kindle Fire Kids and Kindle Fires with us on every trip. These tablets make packing easier and suitcases lighter because all of the entertainment is in one spot. Books, movies, games, email and more can be stored on one little device. My kids are happy and it keeps me sane as we travel to and from our destination.

Headphones: No one wants to listen to video game and movie noise when you are traveling with kids, so it is imperative that you and your kids have headphones. We have long used the KidzGear headphones for our boys. A few years back KidzGear finally started offering the headphones in multiple colors, which makes it so much easier to keep track of which pair belongs to each kid.

What’s your favorite gadget to carry for international travel with kids?

Many thanks to Ventev and the Sound + Sleep Mini team for sending sample products for review. As always, my opinions are my own. When they aren’t you will be the first to know. Affiliate links are in this post. Please consider purchasing through them to help support this site. The product costs no more than usual, we just get a little cut from big business’s profits. 

Nyhavn in Copenhagen image via ShutterStock.com. This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase after clicking one of those links I will receive a small commission.