5 Amazing gadgets to make your life easier on board

We have done quite a bit of travelling around the world so have got pretty good at knowing what travel gear works and what doesn’t. Now a lot of our travelling has been done by airplane, ship, boat and road and over that time have found our favourite bits of stuff that in our opinion and travels have become invaluable.
Can our favourite travel items turn into must have boat gadgets for our sailing adventures? We think so.

Travel gadgets now sailing gadgets

So as you know we have started our new adventure. Last November we sold up in England and moved to Crete for the winter, where we now live aboard our sailboat, Dream. We soon realised that some of our favourite gadgets became useful items on board our boat, especially for when we start cruising in a few weeks.
Storage on a sailboat is a premium, one of the hardest things for us was weeding out what we were keeping and what had to go. It was tempting to try and take as much as we could and cram it all in using every nook and cranny. However, we have had to stick to must haves.
Here’s our take on some of the gadgets we think are invaluable for not only travellers but for a life on board.

1. iBeani iPad and Tablet standThe iBeani was actually designed by a friend of ours so we have been using one of these for quite a while. They are so comfortable and make reading a Kindle, using an iPad so much easier. They are great to use anywhere.iBeani is a UK Made, Gift of The Year award winning tablet stand – Well known for its style, comfort, versatility and premium quality; the must have lifestyle tablet accessory for every home.

   This iBeani tablet bean bag securely holds all iPad, tablet and eReader devices currently on the market, from the smallest Kindle to the largest iPad Pro. Prefer a book? iBeani will hold that too!

   Thanks to its unique design, your iBeani tablet cushion will hold your device securely on any surface, at any viewing angle, portrait or landscape, with or without a tablet case. The perfect tablet accessory to use on your lap whilst relaxing & browsing on the sofa. It’s also a great iPad stand for your bed when catching up on the latest box set or movie. If you’re looking for an excellent iPad and tablet or book stand for the kitchen, iBeani is also fully washable allowing you to follow recipes hands free… It really can be used anywhere!

   iBeani tablet bean bag cushions are also multi-functional and can double up as a book stand, steady camera mount or a travel pillow / camping pillow.

   Want to get your hands on one of these? Follow this link to GET YOURS!

    

2. 12 Volt Mac chargerWe use our MacBook Pro for all of our social media stuff. The battery life on the Mac is quite good and whilst we are in a marina we are hooked up to the mains so there’s no issue recharging. However, when we are on the road or sailing 12 volt power, courtesy of our solar panels and wind generator becomes our main power source. That is where this piece of kit comes into its own. Simply plug into a 12 volt outlet and you can charge up your Mac. There is a choice depending on which model you have. Even if you don’t need one for sailing, its ideal to keep in your bag so you can use it in a car/van etc.Want to add one to your bag? Get yours HERE!

    

3. Kindle
   Where would we be without our Kindles? We absolutely can’t be without ours. Ours get used everyday!
   Originally, we started reading e-books using the iPad but once we used a Kindle there was no going back. These come into their own for travellers, sailors etc. We had literally over a thousand books when we sold up so obviously we weren’t going to be able to take all of those with us. Enter the Kindle. Now we can carry all of those books in our pocket. We even have on the computer on the boat a piece of software that has a collection of 12000 books which we can just download to our Kindle to read.

   We have Kindle Paperwhites.  In our opinion, these are so much better than the Kindle Fire if you want an e-reader.    The light-up screen allows you to read both in the dark and in glaring sunlight, so they are awesome for overnight travel, lounging on the beach, or swinging in a hammock on the foredeck.  And the battery lasts for weeks on one charge. 

   
   If you like reading and want to have books at your fingertips get one HERE!

    

4. Canon Powershot G7X mark 11
   We have a few cameras in our arsenal of photography equipment but this is our go-to camera for everyday stuff. This is one of the most popular vlogging cameras used by thousands of You-Tubers all over the world so you can be assured when buying one of these that you are getting a proven camera. The video footage is really good and not forgetting it also takes great pictures. We have had ours now for around a year and still love it as much today as the day we bought it, it comes with us everywhere.Want a good camera for photos and/or video? Get it HERE! 
5. Waterproof dry bag
   We love a good waterproof dry bag. We carry small dry-bags with important documents and money safely tucked away in them.  And even better, we have a couple of  10 litre waterproof dry-bags with shoulder straps.  They roll up neatly when not being used. If we take a trip to the beach or in the dinghy we pull it out. Great for diving and snorkelling trips, boat trips, or just when we you are somewhere wet or raining and need to keep stuff dry.Keep your gear dry by getting yours HERE!
   

So that’s our list of must have travel gadgets….

These are the things we know and love for travelling and now sailing, but we’re sure you know of more.  If you can think of anything that you think should be essential for every traveller, add it to the comments below, and we’ll  add it to the list.

We hope you have found our list useful and find time to visit the links and hopefully grab yourself something useful.

Have a great day.

Carl & Jenny