I’ve been writing about laptops for about 15 years now, but long before I was covering them for a living, I was using them for schoolwork.
These days, I review laptops for a living here at Tom’s Guide, which is convenient since I often have to travel for meetings and events. Taking my work on the go with me actually helps me write better, more informed laptop reviews, but I still loathe flying because the cramped conditions on board planes make laptops a pain to use.
Or at least, I used to feel that way. I still have a hard time with the lack of leg room, but after investing in a few laptop accessories I have a much better time working and gaming in the air. These days I almost look forward to long flights, although I do have to lug more gadgets than usual in my carry-on bag.
Of course, accessorizing can only do so much — you’ll also want a laptop that’s small, light and long-lasting for flights, and many of the best MacBooks and best Windows laptops will serve you well.
Whatever laptop you have, I have some tips on what to take on flights to make it a bit more enjoyable to use. I have a flight to Texas coming up in the near future, and I’m taking these 5 laptop accessories with me to make my flight a bit more enjoyable.
AR glasses
A good pair of AR glasses is the No. 1 gadget that makes my long flights with a laptop bearable. I like to use a set of Xreal Air 2 specs, but any decent pair should do you just fine.
Plug any good pair of AR glasses into your laptop and you should see a replica of your display floating in front of your eyes, just as though you had an external monitor attached to your face. The built-in speakers on the temples can be decent but if they’re too loud, you might consider plugging in a pair of headphones as well.
This can give you the feeling of sitting in front of your own private movie theater screen when working, gaming or watching videos, which can make any long flight feel a bit more luxurious.
But for me, the real reason I pack a pair of AR specs in a bulky carrying case is comfort. Because once you can look wherever you want and still see what you’re working on, you’re free to relax, stretch your neck, and work in whatever position is most ergonomic and comfortable for you. It’s the most comfortable and least painful way I’ve ever found to use a laptop on an airplane, so my first tip is to recommend you buy a pair of the best smart glasses you can afford.
A good pair of headphones
Your AR glasses or earbuds will do in a pinch, but if you have a good pair of wired headphones, I recommend you pack them in your carry-on. Nothing helps block out distractions and annoyances than a good pair of closed-back headphones.
I’m partial to my Sennheisers, but any decent pair with noise-cancelling will be a huge upgrade on long flights.
You can check out our guide to the best headpones we’ve tested if you’re looking for some suggestions on what to buy. I highly recommend you get a pair that have some sort of wire or headband as well, because it’s no fun at all to drop an earbud or AirPod between airplane seats and watch it disappear for ever.
An ergonomic travel mouse
If you’re going to use your laptop on a plane, in an airport or a hotel, trust me — you’re going to get tired of using the little trackpad.
Even if your hands don’t actually start to ache and cramp, you’ll be risking long-term damage if you keep your hand hovering in a claw over your laptop for an entire flight, so I highly recommend you pack an ergonomic travel mouse.
I prefer the Contour Unimouse because you can get one with Bluetooth connectivity in either right-handed or left-handed configurations for $100, and it’s ergonomic in a way that makes it easier to pack: you can adjust the height roughly 35 degrees, meaning you can fold it down for easier packing.
If you’d like more suggetions and buying advice, check out our guide to the best wireless mouse for all occasions!
A portable PC gamepad
If you expect to do more gaming than working on your trip, it might be wise to pack one of the best PC gamepads instead of a portable mouse. It will make it easier to play games on a tray table and save your hands from having to claw over the keyboard for hours at a time, which can make PC gaming on a trip way more fun.
If you can afford to pack a comfy gamepad and a pair of AR glasses, you can basically enjoy your favorite PC games in something more akin to a (cramped) living room than a plane seat.
A good portable power bank
There’s nothing worse than running out of juice while you’re still halfway through a movie or project, which is why I always try to travel with a a laptop-grade power bank in my bag.
While many power banks are marketed for recharging smartphones and tablets, many modern laptops can charge via USB-C and thus pull juice from a power bank in a pinch.
The trick is finding a good power bank that’s both capable enough to give your laptop a meaningful charge and small enough to pack in your carry-on. Because trust me, it’s no fun to get stuck on the tarmac for a few hours and find out there’s no charger built into your seat.
I think the Anker Zolo model I’ve linked above is a pretty decent budget model, and you can run through our list of the best power banks for some ideas and tips on what to look for in a good laptop-grade model.
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