These clever-seeming gadgets are often more trouble than they’re worth.
The world of travel accessories is a booming market, filled with an endless array of clever gadgets that promise to make your journey easier, safer, and more convenient. While a few of these are genuinely useful, a huge number of them are overhyped, single-purpose items that are a complete waste of money and precious space in your luggage. They are solutions in search of a problem.
These are the gadgets that look great in an online ad but will almost certainly be a source of regret when you are actually on the road.
1. The high-tech “smart” suitcase is a dumb idea.
For a few years, the “smart” suitcase, with its built-in battery for charging your phone and its GPS tracker, was hailed as the future of luggage. The reality is that they have been a complete flop, and for good reason. The lithium-ion batteries that they contain are a major headache for airlines, and in many cases, you are required to remove the battery before you can check the bag, as shared in We Travel We Bond.
The other features are often more gimmicky than useful. Your own portable power bank is much more versatile, and an Apple AirTag is a much cheaper and more effective way to track your bag.
2. The portable luggage scale is a classic “unitasker”.
The portable luggage scale is a gadget that is designed to solve a very specific problem: avoiding overweight baggage fees. The problem is that it is a “unitasker,” a single-purpose item that you will use exactly twice on your trip. It is a completely unnecessary piece of electronic clutter in your bag. You can easily weigh your suitcase on your bathroom scale before you leave home, according to Real Simple.
On the return journey, you can get a very good sense of your bag’s weight by simply picking it up. It’s a gadget that just adds to the weight it is supposed to be measuring.
3. The travel steam iron is just a bulky paperweight.
The idea of a small, portable steam iron seems like a great way to keep your clothes looking crisp on the road. The reality is that these devices are heavy, bulky, and often not very effective. On top of that, a high-wattage American steam iron will often not work with the different voltage in other countries, even with an adapter, and you risk blowing a fuse, as per The New York Times.
The much simpler and more effective “hack” is to simply hang your wrinkled clothes in the bathroom while you take a hot shower. The steam will cause most of the wrinkles to fall out.
4. The Scrubba Portable Wash Bag is more work than it’s worth.
The Scrubba is a clever little dry bag with an internal washboard that allows you to do a load of laundry anywhere. It’s a popular gadget in the backpacking community. The reality for most travelers, however, is that it is often more trouble than it’s worth. It’s a messy and labor-intensive process, and you are still left with a pile of soaking wet clothes that will take forever to dry in a humid hotel room.
For a long trip, you are much better off simply finding a local laundromat. For a short trip, washing a few small items in the hotel sink is just as easy.
5. A personal wi-fi hotspot is now a redundant device.
There was a time when a personal, portable Wi-Fi hotspot was a useful tool for staying connected abroad. In 2025, however, this technology has been made largely obsolete by the ease and affordability of modern cell phone plans. Most American carriers now offer surprisingly affordable international data plans that you can activate for your trip.
An even cheaper and better option is to buy a local SIM card when you arrive at your destination. This is almost always the most affordable way to get a huge amount of high-speed data, making a separate hotspot device completely unnecessary.
6. The inflatable travel pillow is a recipe for a sweaty neck.
The U-shaped neck pillow is the iconic symbol of the uncomfortable realities of long-haul travel. While the giant, bean-filled ones are a cumbersome nightmare, the inflatable versions are not much better. They are a hassle to inflate and deflate on a crowded plane, and the plastic or vinyl material does not breathe at all, which can leave you with a sweaty and uncomfortable neck.
Many seasoned travelers will tell you that they are completely useless. You are often much better off using a simple, rolled-up jacket or a small, packable down pillow for a more comfortable and less sweaty sleep.
7. The UV water-purifying wand is often impractical.
A UV water-purifying wand, which uses ultraviolet light to kill bacteria and viruses in water, seems like a high-tech and lightweight solution for getting safe drinking water. The problem is that it has a number of practical limitations. It only works in clear water, so it cannot be used to treat cloudy or murky water. It is also an electronic device that is dependent on a battery.
For most travelers, a more reliable and versatile solution is a simple water bottle with a built-in filter, which can remove not only germs but also sediment and bad tastes from the water.
8. A universal sink plug is a solution to a problem that rarely exists.
This is a classic “over-packing” gadget for the worrier. It is a small, rubber plug that is designed to fit any sink drain, for the purpose of doing laundry in a hotel room that might be missing a sink plug. The reality is that the vast majority of modern hotel sinks do have a working plug.
In the rare case that yours is missing, you can easily improvise with a plastic bag or even a sock. Carrying a dedicated sink plug is a perfect example of packing for a remote and unlikely possibility, and it is a piece of clutter you can definitely live without.
9. The airplane seat-back organizer.
This is a small, fabric organizer with multiple pockets that you are supposed to hang over the seat-back tray table in front of you. It is designed to keep all of your in-flight essentials, like your phone, your headphones, and your book, neatly organized and within easy reach. The problem is that it is a complete pain to set up and to pack away.
It is also one of the most likely items to be forgotten in the seat-back pocket in the rush to deplane. A simple, small zippered pouch that you can keep in your personal bag is a much more effective and less cumbersome way to keep your small items organized.