The Best New Travel Tech of 2017

With Anker’s solar charger, you don't need an electrical outlet to stay powered. Under direct sunlight, its PowerIQ solar technology makes a fast charge of 2.1 amps, which allows it to generate enough electricity to charge two devices at once. Plus, with its compact size (folded 11 × 6.3in or open 18.1 × 11in), and water-resistant polyester canvas construction, it’s perfect for spending time in nature. This way, whether you’re in The Great Outdoors or on The Great Wall of China, you’ll never be low on power.

If you're going on a road trip, don't leave home without the Garmin Dash Cam. The gadget mounts on the dashboard easily and comes with G-Sensor technology that instantly captures footage in case of emergency. Its wide-angle lens sees the whole road at once, its built-in GPS identifies exactly where you were and when—including direction, speed, date, time, and location details— and its LCD screen allows you to easily review footage.

This off-grid texting and GPS device allows you to send both GPS locations and texts when there’s no coverage or Wi-Fi. Since the gadget is super portable and weatherproof, you can take it anywhere, especially the outdoors. goTenna also includes an app that allows you to access maps offline— a godsend if you can't make contact and still need to find your way to your destination. Bonus: the device is sold in pairs, so you give one to a friend and stay in touch even when you’re out of reach.

The lack of electrical outlets in airports is a major problem, one that is not likely to be solved in the immediate future. For the time being, make do with the Bluesmart suitcase, which has a built-in battery and a USB charging port so it can charge whatever devices six times over. It also has 3G GPS tracking so you can find it anywhere on the globe, as well as a remote digital lock that connects to your phone. Another plus: the suitcase’s reinforced nylon and Class A Makrolon exterior is scratch and weather-resistant and surprisingly lightweight.

Whether it’s a large room or a small party, the Dali Katch speaker can fill a room with just the right amount of sound. Choose its ‘Clear’ setting for personal setups, or ‘Warm’ when you want a little more bass. Connect with Bluetooth for a totally wireless experience, and don’t worry about charging—when powered up, the Dali Katch can play for 24 hours straight. The Katch also works digital and analog technology, with space for both a USB charger for your phone and external jacks. Not to mention, it comes in a variety of colors, so you can personalize your style choices.

If you need Wi-Fi but there’s none in sight, Mobile Wi-Fi will be your best friend. It can support 10 devices at once, and its strong battery works for up to 10 hours. You can also choose between 2.4GHz or 5GHz dual band Wi-Fi based on your needs, use 4G LTE with download speeds of 150Mbps and upload speeds of 50Mbps, and use the router’s microSD card slot to take advantage of 32GB or extra, additional storage. Hook the router onto a backpack or toss it in a bag to get online in a matter of seconds.

Podo turns any surface into your personal photo booth. Just place it on level ground, and let Podo’s Bluetooth technology connect to the specially designed Podo smartphone app for hands-free selfies. Podo shoots at 30 frames per second, has an 8GB memory, and a 90-degree wide-angle lens that can be used for not just photos, but also time-lapses, videos, and so much more. Not to mention, if you want to experiment and get more than one snap, you can manipulate up to 6 of them at once using the app. Suddenly, the world becomes a photo playground like you’ve never experienced before.

Want professional-quality photos without having to lug around a heavy camera on vacation? The lightweight Sony Cyber-shot RX100 IV is the camera for you. Not just because it has incredible zooms (2.9x optical/11x digital/5.8x Clear Image) on its 24-70mm f/1.8-2.8 lens, but because it also allows for continuous shooting, face detection, white balance control, image stabilization, the ability to add photo effects, and so much more. And, of course, because it connects to Wi-Fi and near-field communication so you can easily share bold, high-resolution shots as you go. Why make friends and family wait to see your vacation photos when you could share them instantly?

When you’re traveling, you want to be outside seeing, not inside waiting for your phone to charge. The LumoPack portable battery does away with the wait, charging devices at 140 Watts (14-28 times faster than regular chargers.) That means your devices can be fully powered in 6-18 minutes. The device itself only needs 30 minutes to be entirely charged, so you’ll never be stuck waiting for the battery to charge, either. LumoPack also comes with three methods of charging—a micro USB charger, a wall charger, and a car charger—so you can use it literally anywhere.