5 Useful Tech Gadgets To Upgrade Your Next Train Journey
5 min read
Woman working on a laptop on a train, with a phone and power bank plugged in – DimaBerlin/Shutterstock
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Even in an age where speed and efficiency are in the ascendancy, train travel remains one of the best ways to get around. It is romantic, exciting, and enjoyable in a way that flying almost never is, with the opportunity to watch the world go by and enjoy the journey rather than just wait for it to be over. It is fast, at least compared to a road trip, and lets you relax and enjoy the ride rather than having to concentrate on the road. It is hardly surprising that people often say train travel is the best way to get around.
But even the most passionate train fans will agree that there’s always room for improvement, particularly on a long-distance rail trip. There is a range of travel tech and innovative gadgets that take train journeys to the next level, from entertainment devices and headphones to added security, extra power, and even portable coffee makers. Here are five incredibly useful gadgets that are guaranteed to transform how you travel by train.
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E-reader
Bald man wearing glasses reading on a digital tablet seated by a train window – Freshsplash/Getty Images
One of the best things about train travel is that the journey itself is exciting. It is possible to spend hours watching the landscape race past the window or pass the time with strangers in the dining car. However, on longer journeys, a little entertainment or distraction can be a huge benefit, and E-readers are one of the best ways to pack an enormous amount of entertainment potential into a small, portable, convenient gadget.
E-readers are essentially a portal into an entire library’s worth of books, meaning you can download as many as you want for your journey, so you’ll never have a dull moment. Most e-readers work offline, so you don’t need to rely on train Wi-Fi (although if you are lucky enough to have a decent connection, you’ll be able to download more during the trip), and many even allow audiobook playback, in case you struggle to read while in motion.
Noise-cancelling headphones
Young woman wearing headphones on a train – 24K-Production/Shutterstock
While train travel can be a sociable and convivial experience, sometimes you just want some time to yourself, free of distractions or background noise. This is true whether you are on a spectacular sleeper train in Europe and need to get some shuteye, or just on an intercity route that lasts a couple of hours. Noise-cancelling headphones are one of the best ways to shut out the outside world and retreat into a relaxing cocoon of peace and quiet.
These headphones function like regular headphones, so you can listen to your favorite tunes or the latest podcast, but also counteract ambient noise, using innovative technology that cancels background noise by playing inverse soundwaves. The noise cancellation function on most headphones can be switched off to save battery, and it can be used whether you are listening to something on the headphones or by itself, if you just want to rest in silence.
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Portable charger
A woman charging her phone using a power bank while seated at a table on a train – Dejan Sarec/Getty Images
Electronic gadgets and high-tech gizmos are great ways to pass the time on a long train journey, but you are always relying on their battery to last all the way to your destination. True, many modern trains have power outlets, but not all do, and they don’t always work. This is why a portable charger or power bank is a must for any long train trip.
A decent power bank lets you use your phone, your e-reader, your noise-cancelling headphones, and any other gadgets you might have without worrying about running out of juice, letting you enjoy the journey with peace of mind. While there are plenty of budget power banks out there, it is worth investing in a high-quality version, with at least 20,000mAh of capacity (usually enough for four full charging cycles for a smartphone), and several charging ports. Don’t forget to bring extra cables so you can charge multiple devices at once.
Travel safe
Lady looking shocked after discovering a theft from her bag on a train – BearFotos/Shutterstock
Trains are an incredibly safe and secure way to travel, but it is always worth making the extra effort to lock up your valuables so you can travel with complete peace of mind. A travel safe or anti-theft bag is the next step up from a luggage lock, adding an extra level of security for your most precious or expensive items.
Designed to deter opportunistic thieves, who might try to snatch small bags that are out of your eyeline or take advantage of times when you are taking a mid-journey nap, a travel safe locks to an armrest, table post, or overhead rack with a steel cable and combination lock. They are made from an innovative blend of durable canvas embedded with steel mesh, so they can’t be sliced open, and let you store tablets, laptops, phones, jewelry, passports, and other easily snatched items, so you can have peace of mind when you travel.
Portable coffee maker
Portable espresso maker – tinhkhuong/Shutterstock
Most long-distance trains have a dining car, or at least some kind of refreshments trolley offering snacks and beverages. However, the quality of the offering can vary, and if the idea of a long journey without a good cup of coffee horrifies you, then a portable coffee maker might be the ideal luxury upgrade to your next train journey.
Portable espresso makers like the Wacaco Picopresso are the perfect way to add a deliciously decadent moment of caffeinated heaven to your trip, making it easy to grab a wonderfully crafted cup of coffee anywhere. Incredibly portable and lightweight, these devices fit easily into a small rucksack, and they are really simple to use. All you need to do is add boiling water to the tank, with no need for an electrical connection, and you can use pre-ground coffee from the supermarket, so no need to bring an additional coffee grinder.
Methodology
Young woman traveling by train and using phone. – Maria Korneeva/Getty Images
While compiling this list, we referred to authoritative travel websites and blogs, as well as exploring train travel-specific guides and tech websites that offer advice on the best gadgets for travel. We cross-referenced the information with opinions from social media and review websites, as well as including personal experience.
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