8 best home appliances for people who travel often (you can even fit some in your suitcase)
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PUBLISHED ONDecember 15, 2023 6:33 AMByAudrey Ng
‘Tis the season of travel! Beyond the annual holidays, we all likely have that jet-setting friend who is constantly hopping on a plane, whether it’s for work or leisure. Maybe you’re the one with a passport full of stamps, jetting off every few months.
Regardless, when your life is a constant journey from one destination to the next, simplicity and efficiency become essential in your home. Home appliances, and their portable counterparts, that can streamline a globetrotter’s life are incredibly valuable.
If you’re in search of the perfect Christmas gift for your wanderlust-filled friends, or even for yourself to ease those post-holiday blues, check out these eight home appliances.
They’re designed to make life easier for frequent flyers, ensuring more restful sleep or, who knows, perhaps even earning you a fully-paid-for seat with those coveted air miles!
To take with you
1. Portable pour-over coffee maker
Coffee is something that helps many of us function during our workday, especially if we had a sleepless night tending to a sick child or if we binge-watched (and cried to) Korean dramas on Netflix.
For travellers, red-eye flights and traversing time zones further exacerbate the need for a cup of joe. While coffee is pretty much a universal drink, not all coffee is made equal. Having a bad cuppa can totally ruin a day, while a great pour can energise you.
The Wacaco’s Cuppamoka is portable and allows the user to create aromatic pour-overs wherever in the world they may be.
Buy it from Wacaco at S$51.90; free shipping to Singapore available.
2. Mini steam iron
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A portable steam iron is essential for that friend who is forever travelling for work, and who keeps a pre-packed luggage with a spare change of clothes in the office for last-minute business trips.
Granted, many hotels these days do have full-sized irons and evening ironing boards in their rooms, or offer an ironing service to their guests. However, when coming in on a late flight, sleep takes precedence over administrative matters or scrambling to contact the front desk at 5am because your meeting is at 8am and your shirt is wrinkled. It can even help your clothes look freshly pressed once more after you emerge from a crowded subway.
Buy it on Amazon at S$56, free delivery available.
3. Water bottle with an in-built filter
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Such a water bottle can come in handy for the adventurous ones who like to go hiking in the mountains or off the beaten track to explore lesser-known destinations.
Not every country has water you can drink from the tap like in Singapore and having a water filter on hand would be super handy. You don’t want to get a bout of travellers’ diarrhoea that can set back travel plans or have you scrambling for the toilet while in the wilderness.
The LifeStraw Go series features water bottles that are each fitted with a replaceable water filter that can remove up to 99.9 per cent of contaminants, and protect against common waterborne pathogens. Each filter can last for about five years, and it cleans about 3,700 litres of water. Bonus points for sustainability!
Buy it from Amazon at S$55.68; shipping fee calculated at checkout.
4. White noise machine with night light
It can be tough to get a good night’s rest in a strange bed and a foreign country, especially if your body clock is still confused. Consider using a portable white noise machine with soothing night light (some hotel rooms can be very dark) from Yogasleep. According to WebMD, the “grainy static” of white noise can improve sleep for more than one-third of people as it helps to tune out background noise.
Buy it from Lazada at S$58.42; shipping fee calculated at checkout.
5. A fan you can wear
Staying cool and comfortable is of utmost importance when travelling, whether it is squeezing with others at a local market or during the commute to your next site visit. Check out this portable bladeless neck fan from Nitecore Singapore, that can even be used during your workout. It’s fantastic for sweltering Singapore weather as well!
Buy it from Nitecore Singapore at S$49; shipping fee calculated at checkout.
To return home to
6. Multifunctional Pressure Cooker & Air Fryer
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The Kith 17-in-1 multifunctional pressure cooker and air fryer comes with only one lid. That means it is easy to clean and operate for time-starved jetsetters who still want the comfort of home-cooked food. When not in use, quickly stack and store it… this product from appliance treasure trove e-commerce store CASA is a time-saving gem for frequent flyers.
It even comes with a recipe book so you can quickly utilise this one-lid, 6L one-pot wonder to do anything from making tummy-warming soups, to air frying your favourite local foods and even making your healthy yoghurt!
Buy it from CASA at S$299 (retail price $499); free shipping available.
7. Washer and Dryer
Imagine touching down on a Monday, past midnight, rushing home and realising you need to urgently wash and dry something before you fly off again on Tuesday morning.
Rather than contend with the unpredictable weather and tire yourself out rushing to wash clothes after 2am, why not invest in a washer-and-dryer system like this exclusive model from Beko? It can wash up to 9kg and dry up to 5kg, so it’s great for handling bulky clothing like cold-weather gear.
Buy it CASA at S$1,150 (retail price $1,399); free shipping available.
8. Magic cooker
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Hear us out while we extol the virtues of a magic cooker. This 8L appliance from Kin is highly versatile and can handle a wide range of cooking tasks, such as boiling, simmering, stewing, and blanching. It can even accommodate whole chickens, large cuts of meat, and a substantial amount of vegetables, grains, or pasta.
With a patented thermal technology that promotes even heat distribution and precise heating, the Kin Magic Cooker is supremely user-friendly.
Tip: The superior insulation means you can leave a hot soup inside with the power turned off, return home from your work trip two days later, and still enjoy it warm.
Buy it CASA at S$109 (retail price $149); free shipping available.
ALSO READ: Best year-end travel destinations to beat the crowd
This article was first published in MoneySmart.