Best Tablet Accessories for Travel
A tablet has turned out to be a better travel computer than anyone expected in 2010, and the accessory list that makes it work is short.
The two that matter:
- A keyboard case, if you intend to write anything longer than a message. This is what turns a tablet from a consumption device into a working one, and it is the difference between taking a tablet instead of a laptop and taking a tablet as well as one.
- One high-wattage USB-C charger that also does your phone, headphones and camera. A single GaN charger plus the right plug adapter replaces most of a 2010 cable bag.
Worth it for specific trips: a stylus if you sketch or mark up documents; a USB-C card reader if you shoot photographs and want to review them properly; and a small stand, though a keyboard case usually does that job.
What to skip: the screen protector, which modern glass does not need; the bulky waterproof case, in favour of a plain dry bag when you need one; and the second charging cable.
The things that actually make a tablet work on the road, and none is an accessory: download the films, maps and documents before you leave; put a data eSIM on it if it takes one; and remember that spare batteries and power banks must travel in the cabin, never in checked bags.
One genuine limitation to plan around: file handling. Tablets have got much better at it and are still worse than a laptop, so if your work involves wrangling folders full of things, test the workflow at home before you rely on it abroad.
Part of the guide to gadgets and power.