After being locked down for several months as tourism starts to revive, there is a greater emphasis on safety and health. As travellers start to pack for a new adventure, they need to add a few items to their travel bag.

We are jumping on the bandwagon of optimism, already preparing for a world where coronavirus no longer stops us from going places. But we do so with decided caution. After months of lockdown where even heading out of the four walls of our homes for buying groceries had been a challenge, a journey to exotic lands is indeed the trampoline to help us jump back into our ‘normal’ lives. Only this time around, there is perhaps no end to how much precaution can be taken to ensure that coronavirus does not catch us in the form of travel bug.

But no need to worry too much. The travel industry, as it reopens, is already making changes in the way things were done to be sure that not just the guests but also their own staff remain healthy as business resumes. Hotels, restaurants, entertainment parks and sites as well as airlines are all putting safety and hygiene right on top of their priorities.

It is time for the travellers also to gear up with some innovative and useful gadgets to ensure that there is an additional layer of safety and their travel experience remains fun. Here is a list of five such gadgets that are a must add to your luggage and backpacks this season.

Infrared thermometer

Travelling is not just seeing new places but also meeting new people everyday. Be it the airplane, airport, hotels, public places or anywhere else, one is likely to make a friend or two while travelling. With fellow humans being the easiest carriers of the virus these days, it is important to be sure of one’s own and the other person’s body temperature. Even though wearing masks and sanitising their hands properly does work to a point but if the infection comes in then, there is no way to stop it. As an additional precautionary step, one should have an infrared thermometer handy to test the temperatures from a distance.

Price Range: INR 700-1500

UV Light sanitiser box

As cellphones and tablets are the most used devices on the go by almost everyone these days, often these two devices carry the most harmful germs. Sadly, disinfecting these is a difficult business. Sanitising other gadgets and electrical devices can get tricky too, as they cannot be just sprayed with the regular liquid disinfectant and wet wipes. This is where UV light sanitizing box will come handy as it makes use of the UV-C light to kill germs and pathogens. You have to simply place your device inside the box and let the special bulbs which emit UV-C light do their job. You may need to lightly wipe the surface of the item you need to clean, as this device works best on smooth surfaces.

Price Range: INR 2500-4000

UV Light sanitiser bar

UV light sanitiser bars are simple sticks with a UV light attached to one end. You can simply turn them on and point them at the object you want to sanitise and then bathe them in the UV-C light to kill off any germs within a few seconds. Depending on how large a surface is, the bar takes around 10 seconds to three minutes for sanitising and claims to sanitise about 99.9 pc of germs.

 

Price Range: INR 3000-6000

Portable charger and cable

Dealing with a low battery phone is never convenient while travelling. However, it is even more of a struggle during the pandemic. People may be hesitant to let you borrow their power banks, chargers and trying to find a public phone and sanitising it can be pretty difficult too. In fact, even using a public cable or charger plug can be a hazard. To prevent yourself from running into these problems, pack a portable charger and a cable in your bag before you head out anywhere. It is better to carry a charger with multiple plugins so that it can charge cellphones, tablets and laptops as well.

Price Range: INR 1000-2500

Pulse oximeter

This tiny device can be clipped onto a person’s fingers, toes or ears and can quickly (and painlessly) tell the oxygen saturation of the person. It should be noted that silent hypoxia (extremely low levels of oxygen in the blood, without any evident distress) is one of the warning symptoms of the novel coronavirus.

To nip the problem in the bud, it is advisable to invest in a pulse oximeter to regularly monitor your oxygen saturation, especially if you need to venture outdoors and belong to the high-risk category. It is important to ensure that you do not move or shake while taking the reading and do not have any pigments (nail paint/henna) applied on your nails.

Price Range: INR 1000-3000