Planning to go on a big vacation later this year that involves air travel? Even if you’re flying within the United States, you better add one more item to that to-do list: Update your license to Real ID. Anyone who has a license that isn’t Real ID–certified may not be …
Read More »22 Best Portable Chargers (2025), Tested and Reviewed
Other Portable Chargers We Tested Photograph: Simon Hill There are so many portable chargers out there. Here are a few more we like that just missed out on a place above for one reason or another. OnePlus Slim Magnetic Power Bank for $70: Sleek in silver grey aluminum with a …
Read More »How to Pack Your Beauty Routine for Travel (2025)
So, you’ve got the plane routine down. (Or not: My colleague Nena Farrell says, “I get on the plane ugly, get off the plane ugly, and do my makeup routine in the airport bathroom”—a practice shared by many of our colleagues, including myself.) But what about outside the airport? Keep …
Read More »Best Day Hiking Backpacks (2025): Osprey, Rab, Yeti
Day hiking packs come in a nearly endless array of shapes and sizes, with everything from ultra-minimalist frameless packs to 35-liter monsters with separate sleeping bag compartments. The best day hiking backpack for you will depend on what you’re doing, but after thousands of trail hours, here are some things …
Read More »Parallelle Traveler Review: Unparalleled Attention to Detail
If a Transformers toy existed for grown women, it would be Parallelle’s Traveller series of toiletry bags. Ribbed on the outside like Optimus Prime’s boots, the Traveller looks like a typical (albeit stylish) makeup bag on the outside, but peer inside and you’ll see a warren of different-sized pockets and …
Read More »Protecting Your Phone—and Your Privacy—at the US Border
Lauren Goode: I think Katie should go first. She’s the boss. Katie Drummond: So as you all know, because I can’t stop talking about it, I recently returned from France, and one thing in particular that I am now pathologically fixated on, that I am recommending to all of you, …
Read More »How to Protect Yourself From Phone Searches at the US Border
Privacy and digital rights advocates largely prefer the approach of building a travel device from scratch, but they caution that a phone that is too squeaky clean, too much like a burner phone, can arouse suspicion. “You have to ‘seed’ the device. Use the phone for a day or even …
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