Having the right tech on a trip allow you to relax and keep connected.
Having the right tech on board – or on the road – makes everything easier. In the words of Mama Cass, things are getting better every day – today’s tech is lighter, more powerful and useful than ever before. Here are some of the best gifts for a mother who likes to be on the move.
Bolt Magnetic Speaker
The Bolt speaker has a magnetic plate that can attach to a car, boat or golf cart.
From tailgating to boating or bringing some sound to a rental kitchen, the new Bolt speaker ($79.95) from Outdoor Tech has a powerful magnet meaning you can attach it to any metal surface whether a car, fridge or golf buggy. Using bluetooth (no surprise there), it’s also waterproof (handy for jet skiing) and can charge your tech in its spare time.
Kindle Scribe
A Kindle Scribe allows you to read, write and anotate with your tablet
Not opting for the smallest, lightest Kindle might sound counterintuitive in a travel tech guide, but the ability of the Kindle Scribe (from $339) to multitask makes it an inflight winner. It has up to 64gb to play with, weighs a delightful 433g and – at the end of the day – does more than any other Kindle. You can take notes, the conversion to text even works for my doctor-bad hand-writing. Lots of people will use it to annotate text in a work tool but for those of us who are born doodlers, we get to decorate the margins of the books in a completely guilt-free way.
Torras Coolify Cyber
Aircon becomes portable, thanks to this gadget
For when you need some air-conditioning alongside getting into nature, the Torras Coolify Cyber ($279) allows you to add serious chill when exercising or sightseeing. An instant temperature reduction of 10 degrees cools the face, neck and back, thanks to three thermoelectric semiconductors and four high-speed motors but it’s lightweight and almost silent.
Bang & Olufsen Ader Error collaboration
This Danish/South Korean collaboration is a very stylish one
When it’s important that your mother’s speaker is very stylish indeed. The cult Danish audio company Bang & Olufsen has launched a limited-edition collaboration with the Seoul-based fashion brand. A fusion of fashion and music, the company’s Beosound A1 portable speaker (from £450) has been allied with Ader Error’s signature Z-blue color, accompanied by a bespoke leather speaker bag and speaker stand.
MZ Skin Lightmax Minipro Eyeconic LED
High tech lightweight skin care from a leading firm.
Seeing red can be a good thing on Mother’s Day, when they give power packed facials at home. While a full face LED mask can look a little full-on (and is not ideal if you’re feeling claustrophobic), these MZ Skin Lightmax Minipro Eyeconic LED eye patches (£300) won’t scare the grandchildren. Harnessing Red 630nm and Near Infrared 830nm wavelengths to silicone LED pads that are conducted through Hydrocolloid patches, there’s a travel pouch to make transporting them easy.
Denon PerL Pro earbuds
These Denon earbuds measure your hearing and adapt automatically
One of the very best stealth audio brands, these Denon earbuds ($349) – equipped with Qualcomm aptX Lossless technology – automatically measure your hearing and create a unique profile while spacial audio from Dirac Virtuo puts you in the center of your audio. Easy to switch between powerful noise canceling or a social mode, the earphones have a powerful eight hour battery life while the case delivers three additional charges and – should you wish to chat to your mom, there are eight microphones for voice pickup.
Tile Mate tracker
A Tile Mate tracker could help reunite you with your luggage
In December, having an Airtag allowed me to observe – at an annoying distance – my suitcase languishing in Antigua after I’d made it onto a puddle jumper to Anguilla. In happier news, my tracker meant that I could steer the airline staff to it. Since I periodically question my slavish devotion to all things Apple, a Tile (from £19) is an Android equivalent and usually cheaper.