Travel gadgets. Some are truly useful, but most of the time, many so-called “must have” items get lost at the bottom of my carry-on, left in a drawer, or just tossed out.

Here are a few of our favorite, eye-rolling additions to travel gadget mania that seems to grip travelers (and those who love them) at this time of year. Do you agree?

Neck pillows. The paper-thin, questionably clean white rectangles that airlines pass off as pillows are not the greatest. But those cushy, or inflatable neck pillows you see stuffed into (or tied onto ) carry-on bags serve little purpose other than to identify the user as a novice traveler. Are you a neck pillow fan? Tell us why in the comments!

Passport covers. Oh the vanity. Passport covers serve no real purpose. Does a passport really need that much protection? The covers only delay you when approaching the airline check-in counter or immigration desk (or kiosk) since they must be removed for scanning. Please save yourself (and everyone in line behind you) a few minutes and leave the useless sleeves at home.

Bulky headphones. You won’t find too many truly frequent travelers toting, or worse, wearing, those oversized, bulky headphones that seem to be all the rage these days. Their biggest drawback is that they are so difficult to pack. And they get in the way and bang into things when wearing them in small enclosed spaces like airplane cabins. Noise canceling earbuds or slimline headphones are much better.

Seat back organizers. These carefully constructed organized pouches that strap to the seat in front of you are just plain annoying. Do you really need to bring that many gadgets, paperwork, and electronics to set up a full-on executive desk in an economy class seat? What happens when something mistakenly falls out when your seatmate escapes to the bathroom? Working on a plane is fine; setting up a C-level suite at 35,000 feet is not.

Camera. It used to be that a big bulky and expensive camera was a status symbol. Now it’s a relic. While it sounds surprising to even include this popular item in this list, most smartphones now provide excellent picture quality. So lugging along a separate camera is increasingly a waste of precious space. Sure, professional photographers can’t do without their full repertoire of equipment, but for the rest of us, why bulk up your bag?

This is by no means an exhaustive list… are their any gadgets you could live without? Or, what’s the most useful gadget in your bag? Please share them below! 

NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about:  Delta free upgrades disappearing + Shipping vs. checking a bag +_San Francisco’s new long-haul routes + Is Newark our worst airport? + Delta, United forge new international partnerships

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