Entertainment Travel Gear: Lightweight Options
Entertainment While Traveling
There are many types of gear which are necessary to travel. Clothes, passport protectors, sleeping gear or water bottles are all vital components toward long-term comfort and survival on the road. But also important to humans is entertainment travel gear and joy.
Understanding how to manage your time while staying entertained is an important part of the journey. As such, it’s a good idea to invest in some entertainment travel gear. Like everything else on a travel list, weight is vitally important. Finding light entertainment travel gear can help make a journey more entertaining during the off hours of travel.
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Phones
Of course, a phone is the ultimate piece of entertainment travel gear. It has digital games, books, articles, internet connectivity, communication and so much more, all inside a traveler’s pocket.
The problem with phones as a source of entertainment is their indispensability. Phones are so useful for necessary features, such as digital airline tickets, navigation and translations that running out of battery power becomes problematic.
Make sure to have an extra external battery or power bank for your device while traveling. Phones are excellent for travel entertainment, but it’s good to have other forms of entertainment when batteries run low or electricity is scarce.
Emulators and Offline Games
One of the best forms of entertainment can be found playing emulators or offline games. An emulator is a software recreation of a video game system, such as a Game Boy or Nintendo 64. These emulators can be installed on an existing computer and then played with a keyboard, rather than a controller. These games are generally designed to be played offline and are old enough to avoid using much processing power.
Alternatively, a person can just download games from game-software platforms. These games are designed for computers and run fairly well. Offline games should be prioritized for this, since there isn’t always a good internet connection when traveling.
Deck of Cards
There is no entertainment travel gear more timeless and versatile than a single deck of cards. There are countless card games, popular around the world. Iterations of different kinds of entertainment are endless. A deck of cards is light, cheap and can be used without electricity anywhere.
When getting a deck of cards for travel, get a set of waterproof cards. These tend to last longer in general and can handle the rigors of the road better than standard playing-card sets.
My choice of waterproof cards comes from Joyoldelf Waterproof Playing Cards. They’ve survived time on the road with me for years now with almost no signs of wear-and-tear
Dice Set
The other lightest and most common gaming item is a dice set. A few dice can be used to play countless different games. Generally, a set of five standard plastic dice are perfect for traveling. They can be packed in a narrow column and be used for many different games.
I personally travel with a regular set of five dice and a secondary set of DnD Dice. All fit in a small pouch inside my entertainment kit. They’re absolutely not necessary for most travelers, but playing one-shots with random travelers has brought me unparalleled joy.
Pen, pencil and paper
Having a miniature notepad and a pencil nub is endlessly useful while traveling. Bringing one can also be a good way to stay entertained, writing down notes, guesses and scores.
Readers and Books
With long hours spent in the air or on buses, many people choose to bring books on their journeys. While traditional paper books are often seen on vacations, they tend to take up too much space to bring more than one at a time.
However, it’s still a great idea to bring a book on your journey. Many hostels have book exchange programs where you can drop off your finished books and pick up a new one.
Alternatively, a person can bring a device to read books on. The Kindle Reading Tablet is the most well known and battery-efficient of these devices.
Phones also have apps which can support reading and there are also extremely battery-efficient devices which allow for reading, such as a Kindle Reader.
Keep in mind that many countries offer wonderful library programs to download digital books temporarily while traveling. For example, Libby and Overdrive in the United States are a digital library services which allows for temporary, free content downloads.
Streaming Services
Entertainment has largely moved onto streaming platforms and digital services. With countless streaming platforms out there and plenty of devices compatible with them, streaming services are an excellent form of entertainment while traveling.
However, streaming services differ in availability from country to country. For example, a show airing on Netflix in the United States might not be available on a UK server. Some countries, such as China, block certain streaming platforms entirely.
To use a streaming service in the desired country, consider investing in a VPN (Virtual Private Network) which can access servers in a country of your choice.
Miniature Speaker
One of the best ways to spend late nights with a group of friends involves listening to music on the beach or porch.
Miniature speakers are excellent for travel entertainment. They’re small and lightweight enough to be very manageable and weigh almost nothing. Bluetooth speakers are endlessly fun to travel with, especially when sharing music.
A good option in this camp is the Waterproof 106 Pro Portable Bluetooth Speaker. It’s tiny enough that the weight is negligible and durable enough I feel safe when bringing it to the beach.
Mini Projectors
When traveling with a group, it’s sometimes hard to gather around a single laptop. A good workaround comes in the form of a travel projector.
A mini travel projector can be hooked up to a laptop and then play a movie on a wall or hanging sheet. It’s a good way to enjoy a quiet night inside.
Cork Ball
Naturally, a cork ball is actually used for hiking. It’s rolled over legs and limbs to massage out stress. It’s a useful tool for presenting injuries with long-distance trekkers.
I primarily bring my Rawlogy Travel Cork Ball on trips where I’m trekking. However, I’m not opposed to tossing it back and forth between friends when bored.
Rollout Board Games
The last item on this list is also the one I hesitate most to include. Tablets usually have digital versions of board games that weigh nothing. However, there are fabric rollout mats with light plastic pieces that can be packed very small. Checkers, Chinese Checkers and Chess are all available on a single, double-sided mat.
Generally, I avoid bringing such games. Time-intensive strategy games are hard to schedule in while traveling.
Notes on Traveling with Entertainment
People tend to both overestimate and underestimate how much time is available for idle entertainment when traveling. When you are going between destinations, waiting at airports or lounging on a bus, there are huge swaths of time available for games. When exploring a city with friends or enjoying a day on a beach, most time is usually spent experiencing an area.
Try bringing a few items at a time for each trip you take. Figure out which games and entertainment actually receive the most attention and bring what’s necessary for that form of entertainment on your next journey.
If you make it two months on the road without using something, it might be time to donate it to the next hostel you visit.
Best regards and excellent trails,
Old Sean