Travel Wins -- Charging and Power

I carried 2 items that proved themselves essential, and 1 item that I wish I had had. Let's start with the most important:

The ANKER PowerCore 3 10k:

This little box is magic. You charge it by plugging one of the USB ports on the bottom (in the blue), and let it fill up. Then, you can either plug a USB cable into either of the two ports, or you can charge your wireless phone by hitting the round button and resting it against the charger:

I regularly had the charge drop below 50%, but then I'd start the battery pack to charging, and put both the phone and the charger in my pocket. In a few minutes, I'd usually have gained 10% charge or so.

More importantly, you can charge the battery pack and the phone at the same time, and still plug one other USB device to pull power out of the battery. This let me leave one of my wireless charging pads at home permanently. Every ounce saved, and all....

The PlugBug

I had to carry my work Apple laptop with me, and I have a 87W Apple USB-C charger for it. That was more than enough power to charge everything, but I needed the cord ends for the UK and Ireland, and Apple wants $35 for a pack of them. I caught the PlugBug half-off, so it was an easy purchase. If you have an Apple laptop, this is an essential accessory that makes 2 plug-ins into 1. 

Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/Twelve-South-PlugBug-Charger-MacBook/dp/B07GN6Z5KV but sometimes it's cheaper at their site: https://www.twelvesouth.com/products/plugbug-duo

Alternate Choice: If you don't have an Apple charger or a laptop, try out a charger like the KKM USB-C Charger Adapter. It has plenty of charge for an iPad or the PowerCore above, and could slow-charge a turned-off laptop in a pinch. However, it's probably cheap, so you're going to test it well pre-trip.

Alternate 2: Wait until you get there, and buy a 18W to 30W USB charger in an airport shop or a local computer shop, or buy one from Amazon and have it waiting for you at the hotel/hostel.

Wish list: Short Apple Watch chargers

I have a cellular Apple Watch, and I used a lot of battery life on the plane listening to music. I ended up trying to charge my watch using the battery and my long charger cable. That night, I searched these chargers out and ordered one with delayed shipping so it'd be at the house when I got here.

A two pack of Apple Watch chargers at https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09BJ9XKHS/ would have been useful. You could plug this into the top of the PowerCore to charge the watch as well, or into the PlugBug to charge the watch overnight.