The new year is coming up fast, and there is no better way to celebrate the upcoming year than with a refresh of all your essential tech gadgets to prepare you for the next chapter of your life. It's time to up your travel game to the next level!
If you are a travel blogger, a digital nomad, or just a traveler who enjoys creating travel content, here are five tech gadgets that you should consider buying/upgrading for 2019.
To be honest, as a travel blogger myself, these are all the gadgets I wish someone would buy for me for the holidays 😅. So, if you are looking for a gift list for your tech-savvy travel friends, this is the list for you.
1. Sony A7CII Mirrorless Camera
One of the best things you can do to up your travel game is to upgrade your current camera to the latest and greatest. One of the most compact, yet advanced cameras you can buy right now is the Sony A7CII mirrorless camera.
With its jam-packed advanced features, extremely compact size, and a price of a mid-range DSLR, the Sony A7C II is one of the best travel cameras you can buy right now. Sony has improved upon its predecessor with the ability to shoot 33 megapixels photos and 4K 60p video recording, excellent low-light performance, better battery life, and, to top it off, it comes with a 5-axis internal optical stabilization.
You will not just have new cutting-edge features at your fingertips, but having a new camera opens you up to many more opportunities to improve as a content creator and allows you to be more creative in how you tell your story.
Your audience, friends, and families will notice the improvement in your photos, and there is no better way to motivate you for the new year than by having people acknowledge the changes you have made.
2. Insta360 One X3 Camera
There is no better way to capture your journey than with a video. I mean, would you rather watch a 3-minute video of your trip or go through 1,000 photos?
Exactly, and this year could be the year when you start recording more videos for the sake of your memory, as well as for your friends and family to enjoy. The first step you can take to improve your travel videos is to capture smooth cinematic footage of your trip.
The Insta360 One X3 Camera is a pocket-sized 360° video recording camera that allows you to quickly capture your surroundings in full, without having to worry about angles and frames.
Insta360 One X3 camera also comes with an "invisible" stick, allowing you to record yourself without the stick shown in the video. The camera, plus the invisible stick, is great for hikers who want to capture themselves while hiking as if there is a drone following, recording, and hovering over you. This allows you to capture some truly stunning footage of yourself, as well as the surrounding landscape, without having to fiddle with all the settings.
3. 14‑inch MacBook Pro with Apple M2 Pro Chip
This may seem like a huge upgrade, but if you are constantly editing photos and videos of your trip on your old computer and you feel like Adobe Lightroom and Premiere are taking twice as long as they used to, maybe it's time for an upgrade. When your cameras are capturing higher resolution photos and videos, you will need a more powerful laptop to handle all the pixels.
The 14‑inch MacBook Pro with Apple M2 Pro Chip is equipped with the latest Apple M2 Pro Chip, which is faster, more battery-efficient, and better in every way compared to its predecessors. The battery life is unbelievably great, with an average of 17 hours per day. I can't even get 3 hours out of my old 2015 MacBook Pro laptop! 🤣 It runs quieter, smoother, and much faster. By far, it is the best laptop for photo and video editing I have ever owned.
With the new native Apple M2 Pro Chip, your laptop will be able to handle whatever you throw at it, whether it be a 4K resolution video or a 60 MP picture. It also brings back a good keyboard (finally!), an SD Card slot (finally!), and an HDMI port (finally!) which I use every single day - the main reason why it took me 5 years to switch to a new MacBook Pro. If you are looking to buy a new MacBook for your friends and family, get the 14-inch MacBook Pro with an Apple M2 Pro chip. They are going to love it!
4. Samsung T5 2TB Portable SSD
If you are like me, you are probably carrying a few external hard drives in your bag to store all your photos and videos when you are on the road. Now that the photos and videos are increasing in resolution, you find yourself waiting a lot more for the computer to load. That is due to your old hard drive not reading and writing fast enough. It is time for you to upgrade your external hard drive to an SSD (Solid State Drive).
The Samsung T5 2TB Portable SSD is what you need to speed up your content creation workflow. Large files, such as 4K videos, open up much faster. The size is more portable, and due to the fact that the SSD has no moving parts, it is more durable than your old hard drive. This is important when you are on the road and always throwing your bags around.
5. Kindle Oasis
Here's another great tech gadget you can buy, an ebook reader. Look, I was a purist before when it came to books, and I used to haul 3-4 books around in my backpack for years, but when I used one of the Kindles, I was blown away.
First, the small size makes it easier for me to carry in my backpack; secondly, the battery life lasts for weeks, which has always been my concern with ebook readers; and lastly, you can switch books whenever you want! If you are looking to change something this year, try changing the way you read.
The Kindle Oasis is the perfect high-end e-book reader that has everything you need in a book and more. It has a high-resolution screen, a waterproof body, a portable size, and best of all, it's perfect for one-handed reading. Now, you can kill your travel downtime with whichever book you want.
6. DJI Mini 3 Pro
If you are looking for a new gadget that will help expand your skillset, there is no better gadget to get than the DJI Mini 3 Pro, an extremely lightweight but very capable drone. It will allow you to carry a drone everywhere without the weight slowing you down, while also giving you the ability to see a place from a perspective not many have seen.
Weighing only 249 grams, the DJI Mini 3 Pro is an engineering marvel of a device. With its new Ocusync technology, 4K capabilities, and many new features like the much-needed obstacle avoidance sensors, focus tracked feature, long flight time, and more, all packed into such a small form factor, I guarantee you that this drone is one of the best lightweight drones you can get right now.
7. GoPro Hero 12 Black
The GoPro Hero 12 Black needs no introduction from me. It is one of the most popular devices for backpackers who are into extreme activities such as hiking, white water rafting, kayaking, snorkeling, etc. The device is waterproof, built like a tank, and it comes with features that will allow you to capture moments in action unlike any other camera.
If you are looking to be a little more adventurous this year, you will love the GoPro Hero 12, one of the best action cameras money can buy, packed with incredible features like Hypersmooth 6 and 5.3K video, etc. Nothing will motivate you more to go out than that!
Want to take your photography game to the next level? Here are some resources to help you upgrade your work and photography gear:
Further Reading for Resources
Looking for more articles to help you with your travel, whether it be camera gear or clothing? Here is a collection of articles you might like:
- Ever wonder what a full-time travel blogger like myself carries in my camera bag? Check out: What's In My Camera Bag in 2025?
- For the best hybrid travel camera to buy, the Sony a7R V, with its 61-megapixel sensor and video capabilities, is hard to beat. Check out my review here: A Traveler's Review: The Sony a7R V Camera.
- Looking for the very best travel full-frame camera to buy for your next trip? How about the Sony a7C, the smallest full-frame camera with an EVF in the world! Check out my review: A Traveler's Review: The Sony a7C Camera
- For APS-C camera owners out there, check out: What's In My Camera Bag? - A Gear Guide to the Sony APS-C Cameras
- Looking to buy a new travel camera but not sure where to start? Check out our camera guide on 10 Best Travel Cameras to Buy.
- Bought a new camera and not sure what camera accessories to buy? Check out: 14 BEST Sony Camera Accessories You Should Buy.
- Looking for a good-looking and functional camera strap to buy? You are going to love the Langly Tactical, Premium Leather, and Paracord camera straps. Check out my review here: A Traveler's Review: Langly Camera Straps.
- Want to start a YouTube channel and looking to buy new cameras for travel vlogging? Check out: 8 Best Cameras For Travel Vlogging to Buy.
- Finding a great camera bag you can travel with is not as easy as it sounds. If you are looking for one, here are the 10 Best Camera Bags for Travel, Backpacking, and Hiking You Should Buy.
- Now, if you are looking for a camera sling/shoulder bag instead of a full-fledged camera backpack to travel with, here are the 11 Best Camera Sling/Shoulder Bags For Travel.
- Looking for the most versatile camera sling bag? Check out: A Traveler's Review: WANDRD Roam (Rogue) Sling.
- For a smaller setup, the Nomatic McKinnon Sling is a great camera bag to check out. Here is A Traveler's Review: Nomatic McKinnon Camera Sling 8L.
- If you are looking for gifts to buy for your photographer loved ones, check out: 12 Cool Gifts To Buy For Travel Photographers
- Traveling light with camera gear is all about balancing between what you need and what you want. Here are the 8 Best Tips for Traveling Light with Camera Gear.
- After years of research, I finally found the most beautiful camera backpack of all! Check this out: A Traveler's Review: Langly Alpha Globetrotter Camera Backpack
- If you are looking for a great camera accessory to help improve your travel photography skills, check out: 14 BEST Sony Camera Accessories You Should Buy.
- Are you looking for the best travel camera for your next trip? Why not consider the Sony a6500? Here's why the Sony a6500 is the best travel camera.
- If you want to carry just one lens when you travel, here is why the Sony 16-55mm F2.8 is the best travel lens to get for your Sony a6600 or a6500.
- This is the one lens I never knew I needed, but now that I have it, I can’t travel without it! A Traveler's Review: The Sony E 70-350mm F4.5-6.3 Lens.
- An ultra-wide lens is perfect for travel, and there is no better lens than the Sony 10-18mm F4 lens. Here is why: Traveler's Review: Sony 10-18mm F4 lens.
- Wondering which Sony Mirrorless camera is right for you? Check out The Best Sony Travel Cameras to Buy in 2025.
- Just bought a new Sony mirrorless camera? Check out: 15 Tips & Tricks For Your New Sony a7C, a7III, and More.
- Wondering which lenses to buy for your Sony cameras? Check out The Best Travel Lenses For Sony a7III, a7C, a7RIV, and More.
- Looking for a compact and lightweight travel telephoto lens for wildlife and landscapes? You are going to love this lens. Here is A Traveler's Review of the Tamron 70-300mm F4.5-6.3 lens.
- If you are looking for a review of the first Sony 24-70mm F2.8 GM lens and want to see if it is worth buying now, check out: A Traveler's Review of the Sony 24-70mm F2.8 GM Lens.
- The king of travel lenses has arrived. The Sony 24-70mm F2.8 GM II lens is hands down the best travel all-purpose zoom lens I have ever owned. Here's why: A Traveler's Review: Sony 24-70mm F2.8 GM II Lens.
- Sony 70-200mm F2.8 GM II OSS lens is, hands down, the best telephoto lens to get for your Sony cameras, but with an extremely high price tag. Here is a complete traveler's review of the lens: A Traveler's Review: Sony 70-200mm F2.8 GM II OSS Lens.
- Looking for a lightweight and affordable landscape/architecture travel lens that is also extremely capable? Here is A Traveler's Review of the Sigma 16-28mm F2.8 DG DN Lens.
- Looking for the best travel portrait lens to buy for your next trip? You can't beat the Sigma 85mm F1.4 DG DN lens. Here is A Traveler's Review of the Sigma 85mm F1.4 DG DN Art Lens.
- Full-frame or APS-C Cameras? Here’s my take on which camera format to pick for travel: 5 Reasons Why I'm Sticking With a Sony APS-C Camera
- Picking a camera body is one thing, but picking the lenses is a whole different game. Here is the ultimate guide to the best travel lenses for the Sony a6500.
- Looking for a great drone to travel with? Why the DJI Mavic Mini is the Best Drone for Travelers.
- The best travel drone just got even better. Here is A Traveler's Review of The DJI Mini 2 and why it is the best travel drone to buy.
- Already have a Mavic Mini or looking to buy one? Here is 25 Tips and Tricks for New DJI Mavic Mini Owners.
- For more travel drone options, be sure to check out the 8 Best Drones For Travel To Buy In 2025.
- Looking for the best travel wireless earbuds or headphones? Here are the 7 Best Travel Wireless Earbuds & Headphones to Buy.
- You can't travel without a backpack, and if you are looking for one, check out my guide on the best Herschel Supply backpacks for travelers.
- If you like hiking and going on adventures for weeks on end, you are going to need a bigger backpack. Here is Why the Osprey Atmos AG is the Best Hiking Backpack To Buy.
- Looking to go on a short trip and want a backpack that has enough capacity but is small enough to use as a carry-on? Here is Why You Should Check Out the Herschel Supply Buckingham Backpack - A Traveler’s Review.
- If you are into making travel videos, here is my ultimate advanced filmmaking gear guide.
- Planning to go on your first-ever hiking trip? Here is How to Pack for Hiking and Camping.
- Technical hiking gear doesn't have to be ugly. Here is a guide to hiking gear that actually looks good on you.
- If you are a light-weight traveler and are looking for powerful gear to go with your setup, check out the extremely light-weight photography gear guide.
- Looking for gift ideas for your traveler friends or family members? Here are 16 Best Gifts to Buy for Travelers/Backpackers.
- Are you a Fujifilm camera user and currently looking for lenses to buy for your next travel? Check out The Best Travel Lenses For Your Fuji Cameras.
- If you are a blogger as well and are looking for free travel images to spice up your content, check out the 9 Best Websites to Find Free Travel Images.
- Want to know the secrets on how to travel the world cheaply? Check out: 16 Best Tips on How to Travel the World Cheaply.
- Looking for an Airbnb alternative for a better and more authentic stay in a place you are visiting? Here are the 8 Best Airbnb Alternatives to Use.
- Looking to plan your first backpacking trip around the world? Check out: How To Plan A Backpacking Trip.
- For more resources like this, visit my Resources page.
- Want to learn how I was able to take so many good pictures of myself while I travel solo? Check out: How To Take Great Pictures of Yourself.
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links.
2 Comments
I think you can add wireless chargers, earbuds, and external storage devices in the list. However, your tech list is interesting to check. I never forget to take the Camera and Kindle to any of my travel. On that way, I compromised with your article.
Great read.
Video stabilizers are now extensively useful and a must-have gadget for any photography lover.