Dear Ate,
Every time you pack and leave, I tell myself it gets easier. It never does.
I still stand at the door a little longer after you’ve gone, replaying the last hug, the last reminder to text when you land, the familiar promise that you’ll be home again before we know it. We both know that’s how we’ve learned to say goodbye.
I can’t come with you this time, and I can’t make the distance any shorter. But I can help make the journey a little easier.
So, instead of sending another long message you’ll probably read while waiting at the boarding gate, I’m packing a few things in this letter instead.
Not pasalubong. Not reminders to eat on time or wear a jacket.
Just the best travel tech I’d want you and every OFW sister to carry — because a lot of the travel tech we once relied on is now outdated, restricted, or simply no longer the smartest option for today’s flights.
I’d rather tell you now than have someone at the boarding gate do it instead.
The power bank they might take from you
IMAGE CREDIT: Tourist Secrets
Most travel-tech checklists for OFWs haven’t caught up. Since March 2026, ICAO guidance adopted across member states has limited passengers to two power banks. They must be kept in the cabin, within reach, never in the overhead bin, and never charged using the seat’s power outlet. Several Gulf and Asian carriers also prohibit passengers from using them during flights. IATA’s own traveller guidance is worth reading — it only takes a couple of minutes.
Check the watt-hour rating. If it’s rubbed off, replace the power bank. A faded label is a common reason devices are confiscated, and I want your phone alive when you land because you always call me from the taxi.
Stop renting the pocket WiFi
An eSIM activates before you board and often costs less than renting a pocket WiFi device.
There’s nothing to queue for and nothing to return. You can even buy it through your wallet app. After all, we run our whole lives on these phones now.
Put a tracker in the bag
That bag carries your tools, your uniform, and a year’s worth of pasalubong. It holds far more than clothes — it carries pieces of your life abroad. It carries the long hours people rarely see, the homesickness that never quite goes away, and the exchange rate myths nobody corrects — the assumption that a stronger currency automatically means an easier life.
Yet somehow, it always comes home holding chocolates nobody asked for and a jacket for weather we’ll probably never experience here.
Don’t forget the adapter — and the earbuds
One universal adapter with USB-C fast charging replaces the four bricks in your drawer. Translation earbuds aren’t for chitchat — you’re past that, and
One universal adapter with USB-C fast charging replaces the four chargers sitting in your drawer.
Translation earbuds aren’t just for casual conversations. You’re past that, and your phone already handles the easy half. They’re for the clinic, the contract renewal, the housing office — the moments when I wish I could be there beside you.
The one travel gadget I’d buy you first
If I could buy you just one thing this year, it would be the tracker.
At around ₱2,500, it’s a small investment for the peace of mind that comes from watching your bag make it safely through the airport.
The best travel tech for OFWs isn’t the newest gadget. It’s the one that helps you travel a little safer, a little easier, and eventually brings you home to me.
To my ate out there — I miss you already.
Ingat ka lagi.
