gadgets

Praiano, Italy — I had to mend pants with duct tape here once upon a time.

Hi, I’m Jen, and I am a gadget geek. I am particularly susceptible to travel gadgets.

Will this hot new travel pillow change my life? Maybe it will. [Narrator: No, it will not. Jen will still be totally unable to sleep for more than a few minutes on a trans-Atlantic flight, if that, not to mention it will add more bulk to her small carry-on bag.]

What about that nifty tech pouch to corral my cords and chargers and whatnot? Sure, why not? I love organization. [Narrator: Those tech cases tend to be bulkier and unnecessarily complicated than the simple zippered pouch that works really well for Jen’s actual needs.]

Okay, what about that foot hammock that’s supposed to provide a good resting spot for one’s feet on a flight? Nope, that’s one’s a no for me. [Narrator: Jen’s husband, however, got one and tried it on a flight and deemed it worthless.]

How about some sort of tags to track my luggage en route? If I checked my bags, then yes, I probably would.

So what gadgets do I use regularly?

• Gear Tie twist ties to corral my cords

• zippered pouches in a variety of sizes to hold things like receipts, a sewing kit, face masks, and small necessities during flights

• Loop earplugs when I want to block out (or at least minimize) noise around me

• basic binder clips to hold things together and keep things like food bags closed

• duct tape, because you know never when you’ll need to repair something quickly

Most of these are basic items that don’t take up much room or add much weight but oh boy are they handy.

Gadgets I’m curious about:

• a small, lightweight, non-bulky tripod for my phone for selfies, timed photos, and videos

• a good, easy-to-attach tele lens for my phone (Android), but I’m not at all interested in macro or other lenses

Tell me about your favorite gadgets. What do you like and why?

Note: Products that I mention are items that I’ve bought and I was not asked to review them.