We personally use and highly recommend the following items. As we continue our adventures and broaden our horizons we will update the list. We’ve included links to make it easy to purchase and/or see pictures and reviews.
Full Disclosure: Some links may give us a small commission without increasing the cost of these items for you. Making purchases through our site is a great way to show support for Dang Travelers.
We have all our recommended items (including all the items we ordered for our Minivan Conversion) on our Amazon Page HERE!
Driving
Cell Phone Car Mount – Since we use our phones as GPS when in new areas, a car mount to safely navigate while driving is essential. The Abco Magnetic Car Mount works with any phone, and is awesome! We’ve been frustrated with vent mounts because they slide around or don’t fit in the vents properly if not horizontally aligned. Vent mounts also tend to be large, which makes them inconvenient to pack. Window-mounted holders require glues or suction cups, which don’t hold well and need to be adjusted from vehicle to vehicle. The Abco mount hangs on to any vent regardless of alignment, is easy to put on and remove, is very small and easy to pack, and has a strong magnet that securely holds your phone in place. It is the perfect phone mount.
Car Charger – Have you noticed that your older car chargers can’t keep up with the newer cellphones and tablets? This is because they have 0.5 amp power sources and most newer phones and tablets require 1.0 to 2.0 amps. This Car Charger Adapter takes a single charging port in your vehicle and turns it into 2 USB ports that each have outputs of 2.0 amps or more. This keeps both of our phones charging fast between stops so we have plenty of juice to take pictures and videos when on foot.
Bluetooth FM Transmitter – Do you drive or rent cars that aren’t Bluetooth-capable? If so, you will want this. The VicTsing FM Transmitter connects to your phone via Bluetooth and transmits the audio over FM. Simply tune your car radio to the same station it is transmitting on and listen to Pandora, Google Play Music, locally stored music, audiobooks, GPS navigation or any other sounds coming from your phone through your car speakers. This device made driving my older vehicles feel like I was driving a new car with all the modern entertainment options.
Jump Starter with Built-in Compressor – This Jump Starter has plenty of juice to charge your cell phones, pump up your bicycle tires, and can even power a DC fan all night long. It’s always in the car in case we need a jump. We also use it extensively when truck camping.
Packing
Packing Cubes – eBags Packing Cubes (Medium) are helpful in organizing items and maximizing space which is great for backpacking or luggage, particularly since most airlines charge for extra baggage.
Reusable Collapsible Water Flask – As long as it is empty, you can bring a water bottle or pouch through airport security. Save money your whole trip by refilling it everywhere you go. We like the collapsible kind so we can pack them in our bags if need be.
Gadgets
E-Reader – I like to read poolside, and when outside, a cell phone or tablet isn’t easy to see. The Amazon Kindle is the best device for this. No glare, easy on the eyes, incredible battery life, and even the ability to check out library books and transfer them to yourself over wifi! If you plan to do lots of reading at night or in darker locations, I would get the Amazon Kindle with Built-in Light.
Services
VPN (Virtual Private Network) – For a few bucks a month, we use a VPN service called Private Internet Access that works on up to 5 devices. A VPN encrypts your data and anonymizes your location. This is useful when on open wifi networks where other users could easily spy on your web connection. With a VPN, your connection is completely safe and anonymous. The VPN also allows us to choose where other websites think we are located, which makes US specific sites work while in another country. The VPN also works when in a country that limits the internet access of its citizens (think China or North Korea) allowing you access to all of the internet. Their services work on iOS, Android and Windows and are super simple to setup.
Web Hosting – After doing quite a bit of research, we settled on HostGator for our web hosting needs. Unlimited storage and bandwidth come standard on all their plans. They are a great combination of cost and performance for the average personal website. Use our coupon code “dangtravelers” and save an additional 25%.
www.dangtravelers.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.