1. The pillow: NapUp Fly+
Designed for long-haul fliers, this ingenious kit contains a travel pillow, sleep mask and pair of headphones in one. Just attach the NapUp Fly+ to your seat, connect your phone to the headphones and cradle your head in the forehead strap. It might look odd, but who cares if you get some shuteye? Having exceeded its crowdfunding target, the NapUp Fly+ is set to ship soon and comes with a hard-shell carry case, too.
2. The jacket: BauBax 2.0
Drawing on customer feedback from the first jacket, launched back in 2015, version 2.0 now offers a whopping 25 functions within one great-looking piece of clothing. There are straps and pockets for AirPods and other items, a retractable keychain, space for your power bank and even a footrest. What’s more, it’s now available as a vest, windbreaker, bomber jacket or sweatshirt.
3. The translator: Travis Touch Plus
This palm-sized gizmo from the Netherlands can translate your voice into a preferred language as you’re asking that Parisian the way to Le Métro. It’s capable of translating more than 100 languages via WiFi and 16 without, and that’s not all. A soon-to-be-launched Travel Edition has a global SIM card with a VPN Internet Hotspot, a voice assistant for currency conversion and a language- learning mode.
4. The suitcase: Ovis
This is perhaps the ideal suitcase for travellers who miss their dogs. Using computer vision and mapping technology, the case autonomously rolls alongside its owner like an eager Border Collie. Just grab the handle to cut all motor power. It can also charge all of your other gadgets on the go, while its security features include a “smart band” that vibrates if the Ovis is more than two metres away from you.
5. The bottle: Larq
The San Francisco startup behind this insulated water bottle claims that by employing UV-C LED light, it can neutralise up to 99.9999% of harmful, odour – causing germs, providing “pure water in 60 seconds”. The stainless steel bottle, which comes in a range of colours, turns on every two hours to purify the water. A single charge lasts up to two months and it can be charged via the waterproof USB on the edge of the cap.
6. The travel bag: Vinnibag
The best ideas are often the simplest. Take this reusable and inflatable holder designed to protect bottles of wine, olive oil, perfumes, medications or other fragile items inside your luggage by suspending them within a makeshift air cushion. Never again will you need to wrap that Château Lafite Rothschild in a wad of your socks and shirts and hope for the best.
Illustration by Elen Winata
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This article was originally published in the May 2019 issue of SilverKris magazine
