Document Organizer

How often have you had to fish for your passport, buried deep in your backpack? If the answer is “too often,” adocument organizerwill change your life. Theoretically, you could stuff your passport, boarding pass, and other necessary documents into a single pouch, but a document organizer makes things much more accessible.

Universal Adaptor and USB Cable

Many first-time travelers fall victim to the realization that their destination country’s power outlets aren’t what they’re used to. While most hotels provideuniversal adaptors, you won’t typically have this option at a hostel or B&B, so having one goes a long way.

Multi-charging cablesare also handy for charging and connecting your phone, camera, and devices.

Pocket WiFi for Roaming

While you can easily subscribe to a cellular roaming promo abroad, you can escape hellish charges with convenient pocket WiFi!

Cherry Roamhas options that support 5G connections in over 140 countries. If you’re not a frequent traveler, you can rent a device instead of purchasing one.

Electronic Luggage Scale

Intense shoppers know the nightmare of overweight baggage! Trust me, there are more effective ways to stay within your numbers than eyeballing how much something weighs and praying you stay within your baggage limits.

What with excess baggage fees steadily climbing, you’re better off avoiding overpacking in the first place. However, not every hotel will have a scale available.

Fortunately,electronic luggage scalesare accurate, compact, and available almost anywhere.

AirTag/Tile

As someone who has had to shoulder international shipping rates for forgotten luggage, making sure you’ve packed everything will spare you major headaches.

Apple users will benefit from anAirTag— just attach it to items you often misplace, like your passport organizer or camera bag.

Android users haveTileas an alternative.

Wireless Headphone Jack

Movies are an excellent way to tide you over on a long-haul flight or bus ride. However, headphones with jacks are a thing of the past. Nowadays, wireless is the way to go.

Did you know you can connect your wireless earbuds using a dongle to watch in-flight entertainment? An affordable option is theAirFly, which boasts over 20 hours of battery life. Are you traveling with a companion? The AirFly has a duo option!

Power Bank

Now that we’re highly dependent on our smartphones for travel, we don’t want to risk losing battery in an unfamiliar place. The good news is that you’ll find power banks everywhere — from bazaars to official resellers. With that in mind, narrowing your options can be a nightmare, especially when you run into confusing acronyms like mAh (milliamp hours).

So, where do you start? The magneticRock Spacepower bank is ideal for users who prefer to charge wirelessly. It supports USB-C and USB-A output ports for plugging in newer and older phones.

Need something more heavy-duty? TheS2002 Smartifactpower bank has up to 20,000 mAh, which can charge your phone at least four times.

TheiWalk mini portable chargeris another even more compact option you can easily throw into your pocket or a carrying pouch.

Portable Fan

Locals know how hot traveling around the Philippines can get. Nothing is more uncomfortable than how sticky you get at the end of an outdoor tour, especially without a shower in sight. Thus, a portable fan is not a want but a need!

Tylexhas a hands-free neck fan that weighs only 260 grams so it won’t give you neck pain. It also has three wind speeds and lasts up to 12 hours (given that you aren’t running it at its highest speed).

If you prefer something handheld, theJISULIFEhandheld fan is for you. This sleek-looking handheld fan is impressively powerful, with 5-gear wind capabilities and a super-long battery life of 16 hours. Note that at its highest speed, the JISULIFE fan will only last about three hours.

Weather Apps

Notice how the weather from Metro Manila to Baguio is surprisingly unpredictable. Sure, the Philippines only has two seasons (rainy and sunny), but you’ll be astonished to know how quickly the temperature can change.

Whether traveling domestically or internationally, you can’t go wrong with weather preparation using AccuWeather. After all, weather changes will dictate what you pack and what outdoor attractions you can enjoy.

AccuWeather is my favorite weather app because of its ability to provide detailed hourly forecasts. It can help you plan something as simple as when to meet your friend at a restaurant while waiting for the rain to stop.

WeatherBug is ideal for outdoorsy folk (think Pulag or Mt. Fuji). It has a feature called the Outdoor Sports Index, which indicates how favorable the weather is for activities like hiking or biking.

Translation App

If you’re traveling abroad, the most significant barrier you’ll likely encounter is a language one. If I’m being honest, Google Translate often suffices, given that you’re not trying to be an international grammar guru. In most cases, you’ll only need it for translating keywords like directions, food allergies, or specific items.

Google Translate currently supports 130 languages and offers 70 voice translations with offline capability. However, it isn’t the most accurate with Asian characters.

Another good translation app is iTranslate, which allows users to save their most-used translations and even speed up audio playback.

Food and Drink Apps

Whether food touring around the Philippines or internationally, an all-in-one food and drink app can help curate an ideal itinerary. Tripadvisor is ever-reliable, and you can search beyond restaurants and bars—it’ll list things to do within a specific radius and even doubles as a booking app.

More importantly, Tripadvisor hosts millions of user-generated reviews, so you’ll get unfiltered opinions on various itinerary destinations and activities.

If you’re looking for a more food-specific app, use Foursquare City Guide. This app does a better job of filtering options for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. You can also filter options according to your mood for a snack, cup of coffee, or drinks.

WiFi Map

If you’re not keen on renting a pocket WiFi router or shelling out for roaming data, you’ll want to know the nearest places to connect to the Internet. Fortunately,WiFi Map can do that for you. With WiFi Map, you can get a global eSIM, find WiFi hotspots, access an offline map, and secure your browsing activity using a secure VPN.

Commuting Apps

You’ll be surprised how quickly transportation fees can accumulate, even when traveling domestically. If you want to save on Grab fees (or your location doesn’t support Grab), using a reliable commuting app can help.

Sakay PH is my favorite commuting app. It will provide step-by-step directions for reaching your destination through public transportation and tell you roughly how much the trip may cost.

Another option is ikotMNL, which allows users to track LRT train arrivals and departures. It’ll even provide a reasonably accurate picture of how crowded a particular stop may be.