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One of the most essential pieces of technology included in every traveler’s packing list is a pair of headphones or earbuds. We’d be lost without them for long flights, train rides, road trips, jaunts around town or catching up with friends while we’re on the go. And even if Diplo claims he can “rawdog a flight,” I would certainly rather listen to FKA Twigs over my own thoughts.
Traveling can certainly be chaotic at times, but with the right pair of headphones or earbuds, you can create your own personal bubble of calm — ideal for enjoying your favorite playlist, discovering new music, catching up on podcasts, watching re-runs of your favorite shows, talking to friends and family, and even meditating.
Plus, respect to those digital nomads taking meetings poolside with a piña colada in hand – your boss never needs to know what you’re really up to thanks to advanced noise-cancelling tech.
While the importance of traveling with headphones is a no-brainer, picking the right pair is a fine art. Amidst the thousands of models and brands, you’ll want to look out for five important features: portability, noise cancellation, sound quality, and battery life. Check out a few of the best options below:
BEST OVERALL
Apple Airpods Pro
Despite growing competition, Apple’s Airpods continue to be one of the best earbuds on the market They boast comfortable ear inserts with multiple size options, portability, noise cancellation and transparency options, great sound quality with adaptive EQ and a longer battery life than competitors.
While the choice for noise cancellation is always a plus, I also find AirPods’ unique transparency mode especially useful for travel since they allow you to clearly hear sounds from your environment while also preserving the quality of internal audio. You can hear critical flight instructions through your music, or appreciate the lush cacophony of sounds from a tropical rainforest while listening to a podcast on your hike.
BEST SOUND QUALITY
Sony WF-1000XM5
These Sony earbuds provide users with the most nuanced, rich and highly detailed sound quality in the game. With three customizable EQ settings, an equalizer with 11 presets, top-tier noise cancellation and an AI-based noise reduction algorithm to transmit your voice clearly through calls in noisy situations, these earbuds will provide you with the highest audio quality — whichever side of the phone you’re on.
Controls are much more limited in these Sony earbuds than AirPods, and they also come at a high price point, but if sound quality is your top priority then these earbuds are the ones for you.
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Wireless Earbuds
Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II are hailed as the greatest noise-canceling earbuds in the game, creating an impressive aura of pure external silence when you’re tuned in. Some users even describe the pure silence as eerie. But that silence will make these earbuds become your best friend for overnight plane travel thanks to their superior ability to drown out the noisiest plane engine or the cries of a baby sitting next to you.
They also have impressive audio quality, especially with the “Immersive Audio” feature, which is basically surround sound for earbuds. These impressive technological features do come at a cost of battery life though, as these earbuds have the shortest battery life of other options on this list.
BEST BUDGET
Soundcore by Anker Space A40 Earbuds
If value is your top priority, you can’t beat these Soundcore Space A40 earbuds with their wallet-friendly price tag coupled with fantastic sound quality and noise cancelation that rival pricier options. They’re lightweight, comfortable, and have great battery life, too.
Where do they miss the mark then? The two main flaws I noticed were the quality of voice call audio quality, and a lack of automatic ear detection that allows audio to automatically pause when you take them.
BEST OVERALL
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Bluetooth Headphones
Bose QuietComfort Ultras are the industry-leading headphones for travel. They’re lightweight, extremely plush and even fold up into a compact case for easy transportation. Most importantly, they have mind-blowing spatial audio and top-of-the-line noise cancellation – you’ll be completely immersed in your own world while wearing them. Plus, they boast a 24-hour battery life on a single charge, a microphone that filters out background noise during calls, and advanced touch control settings.
bEST BATTERY LIFE
Sennheiser Consumer Audio Momentum 4 Wireless Headphones
The 60-hour battery life of the Sennheiser Momentum 4s blows all the others out of the water. To put it in perspective, that’s totals basically two-and-a-half straight days of listening time. Plus, you can fully recharge them 2 hours or, if you’re short for time, boost them to four hours of battery life in just 5 minutes.
They’re also rated well for being lightweight and super comfortable – the padded ear pieces and adjustable headband allow users to customize the fit as needed and preserve comfort even when wearing glasses or bulky earrings.
HONORABLE MENTION
Sony WH-1000XM5
These Sony headphones nearly took the cake as the absolute best travel headphones. They only lost a few points to Bose since they can’t fold up as compactly for transportation and may be slightly less comfortable. They rank just as high on all other considerations – sound quality, superb noise cancellation, crystal-clear voice calling, and advanced touch controls. The two factors they beat Bose on are battery life (they can last up to 30 hours with just one charge) and price (slightly cheaper at $400).
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