Five essential gadgets for your city break

CITY SLICKER

Packing light for a brief city break doesn’t mean you have to leave the tech back at home. These pint-sized powerhouses really do punch above their weight, and make the ideal travel companions for a quick excursion into the urban jungle.

DENON ENVAYA POCKET DSB-50BT

The tech in most hotel rooms begins and ends with a travel kettle; so if you want something to soundtrack your afterparty, you could do worse than Denon’s teeny Envaya Pocket. It comes in boring black or this natty Municipal Library Carpet Beige, and goes just loud enough that the only people you’ll have banging on the walls are the ones who want to come and join the fun.

BOOM TRAVEL+

Stick the little Boom Travel+ plug adaptor in your cabin baggage and it’ll be to hand as soon as you land — and what’s more, if your phone needs perking up mid-flight, you can use its built-in 6000mAh battery to make sure it doesn’t conk out before you’ve finished watching all those Netflix shows you offlined in the departure lounge. Once it’s plugged into the wall its two USB ports are still accessible, so you can charge all your tech at once. Oh, and did we mention it works in over 150 countries worldwide?

WALLI SMART WALLET

Losing anything on holiday is a pain, but there’s one thing that’ll leave you really gutted if it goes missing: your wallet. Never mind the cash – just think of all the cards you’d have to reply. This Smart Wallet has a Bluetooth tracker sewn in, so if it gets left behind or strays too far from your phone you’ll receive a notification with its last known position. And it works the other way around too: double-tap the Walli’s corner and your phone will let out a bleep.

HUAWEI P20 PRO

Can’t fit a separate camera in your carry-on baggage? Budget airlines don’t make it easy, but it’s nothing to worry about if you’ve got a P20 Pro in your pocket. As the first smartphone to get three cameras on the back (40MP telephoto, 20MP monochrome, and 8MP standard), it gives a whole new meaning to the term ‘camera phone,’ capturing images that are bursting with texture and detail. We’d never ditch a dedicated camera if we could help it, but having one of these bad boys certainly softens the blow.

MATADOR PACKABLE FREERAIN24 BACKPACK 24L

When you hit the streets of a new city for the first time, you’re only going to need the essentials: wallet, phone, hotel key. But as you explore you tend to accrue bits and pieces — fridge magnets, sweets, maybe a tarantula for Granny — and carrying an empty bag makes you look like a bank robber, so stick one of these squashable, waterproof rucksacks in your back pocket instead.