Travel Smarter With Our Favorite New Tech

As much as you might look forward to skipping town for business or pleasure, one thing’s for sure: the getting there is rarely as good as the arrival. From the cost of tickets (not to mention the price of beers at the airport bar), to the stress of airport departures , to making the most of your suitcase space, there’s a lot to endure before you get to your beach or boardroom. Luckily for you (and us), next-level travel tech has begun to hit the market: apps, sites, luggage, and more, all designed to get you where you’re going faster and hassle-free.

1. Use Skiplagged to score vastly cheaper tickets
Real talk, travel is stupid expensive. But what if there was a service that took a brand-new approach to booking and hacked the rules for you to get you a better deal? It’s not just marketing language, that’s exactly what Skiplagged brings to the table. In fact, they’re so good United Airlines sued them for it. New approaches to booking like securing flights to your destination as a layover and just having you skip your connecting flight and unearthing hidden fares are just a few of the tricks up Skiplagged’s sleeve. Their revolutionary approach cuts out so much booking B.S. that it can save you up to 80%.

2. Let The Hitlist App track flights to your favorite locations
Need a little help finding new destinations that fit your travel profile and your budget? That’s where Hitlist comes in. It’s a unique app that makes use of intelligent filters to find you amazing travel opportunities. You can build your own list of preferred destinations, and even get tips from friends or other Hitlist users you trust. Once your profile is built out, Hitlist will send you custom deals that will get you off the couch and in the air for a lot less than you’d find elsewhere. We really like this attention to detail and the sense of personalization Hitlist offers.

3. App your way to a better airport experience
Yeah, sitting around the airport pretty much sucks, but thanks to a new slew of sweet apps, it has gotten a whole lot easier. Fire up GateGuru and in seconds you’ll have info and locations for all the airport’s bars, restaurants, shops and more, all at your fingertips. Love airline lounges (snack mix!)? Lounge Buddy features locations, ratings, membership info and need-to-know details for hundreds of airport lounges. We’ve all sweated it out in a cab on the way to the airport wondering about security wait times. MiFlight alleviates that stress by collecting security wait time information for over 50 airports worldwide. How fast you sprint through the terminal is up to you.

3. Pack smarter with a Bluesmart suitcase
Kickstarter phenom Bluesmart wants to make lost luggage a thing of the past, so they’ve created the world’s first smart suitcase. While that may seem like a ridiculous proposition, you might change your mind after you’ve seen the spec sheet on this bad boy. Sporting location tracking, a Bluetooth lock, USB battery charging, and even trip data for the analytics geeks, Bluesmart gives you a safer and more trackable experience. It's a suitcase reimagined for the connected generation that doesn't skimp on style, and one we think will be a no-brainer for the regular traveller when it begins shipping this Winter.

4. Get clean, stay clean with Dolfi, the next-gen washing device
If you pack light for a weekender, spilling a margarita on your khakis can really kill the vibe. Enter Dolfi, the hand-sized device that can clean your clothes when you’re away from home using the power of their ultrasonic technology. It essentially turns your hotel sink in a powerful cleaning station that’s both gentle on your clothes and effective on stains. The fact that it’s perfectly portable and incredibly simple to use will make it a must-have for globetrotters when it launches this December.