Kindle Accessories for Travel

I bought my Kindle because I travel a lot and I love to read a, so the Kindle was the obvious answer to both the weight of books, and their cost overseas.

However if you are traveling with a Kindle what are the best accessories that you might want to check out? 

Well to me the best travel accessories split into four groups: 

• accessories that protect your Kindle;
• earphones for your Kindle;
• accessories that light your Kindle; 
• accessories that power your Kindle. 

Lets look at all three in turn, though for some people the first is the only accessories that you may want. 

Kindle's are pretty tough. The cases are rigid, the glass seems scratch resistant, but at the end of the day they are still electronic, and electronics hate water and dust.

If you are traveling or commuting with your Kindle you may want a sleeve or closing cover which protects your Kindle from knocks and bumps when in your bag or pocket. I personally prefer a Kindle case or cover which closes securely with a zip

One of the reasons I think Kindles with e-ink are so much more useful than the new Kindle Fire, is you can read it in bright sunlight! So, if you are taking your Kindle to the beach or pool, then you really do want to look at waterproof cover for it. This will save your Kindle from getting damaged by sand and grit as well. Of course a good quality sealable plastic bag will do the same, but some of the waterproof pouches look pretty cool! 

If you are using your Kindle in public places, and you like to either listen to books or play other MP3's - then you really need some good earbuds so the rest of the world doesn't need to listen as well! 

In fact if you are flying long-haul, you may really want to consider some good quality noise isolating earphones, they really do help with long-haul flights. 

NB the entry level Kindle 4 or "Kindle" does not have the ability to play sound. 

Although of us are familiar with using our smart phone or table under the covers, unless you have a Kindle Fire you are going to need light to read your Kindle by! 

Now depending on the type of place you stay at you may always find that your hotel room has ample reading lights. However I tend to travel a bit cheaper than that, and often find I'm struggling to find enough light to read by. 

So now you have some options: you can use a headlight torch, nerd alert, but it works. Or you can get a clip on light for your Kindle, or you can buy a lighted Kindle case. All work, and LED lights don't need much power. Some Kindle cases which incorporate a light, are powered off the Kindle's own battery, while others use batteries. Obviously a light will deplete your Kindle's battery life, while with a separate battery for the light you may have to buy batteries from time to time. 

With the exception of the Kindle Fire, other Kindles will last a month on one charge, even longer if you turn the WIFI off. However if you are using the light on a Kindle Case which powers off the Kindle's battery, you will definitely shorten that battery life. 
If you need to charge your Kindle on the go, you have several options:

•  charge your Kindle from your laptop using a USB cable; 
• use a car charger if you are on a road trip, will charge your cellphone too; 
• if you are traveling internationally look for a compact plug adapter, which incorporates a USB charger - the Kensington one is a good design and reliable.