Prime Day Deals on Travel Gear

Tl;dr: Big savings on travel essentials.

It’s Prime Day today over at Amazon, and that means big discounts on a host of items, including many travel essentials to make your next journey more enjoyable. It seems as good a time as any to share some of my go-to travel tools, as most are available with sizable discounts today.

But first, what credit card should you use to make your purchase? The Amazon Prime Visa offers 5% cash back on purchases from the site, and is a great option if you have it. If not, a card with good baseline earnings like the Capital One Venture X or Citi Double Cash are all good options. Those with American Express cards might also be able to use some of their points to save even more.

That out of the way, here’s what I rely on to make my enjoyable even way back in the 30th row:

A tablet

Most flights these days have on-board entertainment with an extremely wide variety of programming options, often on seatback screens, but also usually available via free in-flight wifi through the airline’s website. However, I prefer to download whatever I’m binging on Netflix or Hulu. That way, I know I’ll be able to watch what I want to watch, and that I won’t be dependent on the (iffy) reliability of in-flight wifi for entertainment. I use the Kindle Fire 8, which offers a large-enough screen, great portability, and excellent battery life and storage capacity. It’s usually a worthwhile investment at $99 but going for $60 today, makes even the longest flights tolerable. If you’re more of an iPad person, there are some deals available there too.

A flight flap

The Kindle is great, but you won’t want to hold it for 5-10 hours. The flight flap is a sleek, light little device that gives you a handy stand to watch shows from your in-seat tray table. You can also use it to hang a tablet from the tray table in its upright position, getting your neck into a more comfortable and upright position. The device is flexible and durable, so depending on the layout of the airplane you might find any number of ways to deploy it. We were also able to deploy it as a makeshift GPS holder in our rental car in Japan. Although it’s not discounted today, it’s only $12. (At home, I prefer to use this basic stand, but it could work on a plane as well.)

Portable power.

My Kindle usually lasts for at least 8 hours, more than enough for all but the longest international flights. But on those long flights, I can cut it close on battery life. My phone, meanwhile, doesn’t always last all that long. While most airline seats these days have power outlets, their effectiveness is inconsistent. At best. Meanwhile, finding a power outlet in certain airports can sometimes be an adventure unto itself. Having a power bank on hand just makes life that much easier. I have this one from INIU, which, while not a Prime Day deal, is currently half off at just $18. Its power is starting to decline after four years, but it’s still enough to get me through any flight. Others like this one or this one from Anker are significantly discounted for Prime Day. 

Noise-canceling headphones.

Okay, so you’ve got a tablet filled up with bingeable Netflix shows, fully charged thanks to a power bank, and a flight flap to watch it from. That’s great, but not much good if you can’t hear anything. The single greatest flight investment I’ve ever made is this pair of Anker noise-canceling headphones. The noise-canceling feature greatly reduces the oppressive noise of the cabin, and the high maximum volume makes it easy to hear all the important audio from whatever show you’re watching or podcast you’re listening to. Their normal $60 price point is an absolute steal, so the $45 Prime Day pricing is incredible. 

Air Tags.

I hate to pay to check bags, but thanks to my AA Aviator and Delta Amex cards, I can do so for free on those airlines. Southwest Airlines flights and some international flights also offer free checked baggage. Overall, checking a bag is a low-risk proposition, but bags do get lost, and if it happens to you it can be a very costly inconvenience at best. By placing Air Tags in your bags, though, you can keep an eye on your luggage, reducing the risk of your bags running off and increasing your odds of recovering them if they do. While this one is more of a luxury than an essential, it may be worthwhile if your future travel plans include checking bags. While single Air Tags are not on sale today, you can get a slight discount on the 4-pack, which might be worthwhile if you have travel companions to share with. 

Hand sanitizer

While most airlines are pretty good about offering wipes or gel at the entrance to the plane, it’s always nice to have some extra on hand. Just make sure it’s a TSA-friendly size, like this one.

Underseat bag

We both purchased versions of this Matein bag prior to our last trip to Europe, and we’ve been quite happy with them. It fits comfortably under the seat, has an excellent collection of pockets, and has useful travel features like an anti-theft wallet pocket, exterior USB charging port, and a strap to allow you to easily slide the backpack over the handle of roller luggage. The Prime Day deal dropps the price to only $33

Conclusion

If you’ve got a lot of travel in your future, Prime Day might be the perfect opportunity to get some great deals on products to make your next journey a lot more enjoyable.