Music helps to calm your mind, reduce anxiety while travelling or need to converse hands-free to loved ones back home, best travel headphones come in handy. But what attributes do superb travel headphones have? We were looking for travel earbuds that could withstand a trip across the desert terrain of Big Bend National Park and headphones that could withstand rain so you could tour Seattle.
We had various people test 26 different headphones in order to discover the best ones for travelling. They took into account everything, including noise cancellation, comfort, and music quality. Our best pick was the Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700. We can declare with certainty that you should add these to your packing list because they have a 20-hour battery life, clear sound quality, and excellent noise-cancelling characteristics.
Continue reading to learn about some more popular travel headphones and how they may make your trip more enjoyable.
Bose noise-canceling headphones
What We Enjoy
- 20-hour battery life and a 30-foot Bluetooth range
- At once, pair up to two devices.
- Alexa, Siri, and Google Assistant are all connected to Spotify’s Tap Playback feature.
- Ear cups with intuitive touch controls
- 11 levels of noise reduction are available.
Things We Dislike
- really pricey
- When there is too much movement, they don’t remain put.
It should come as no surprise that Bose headphones would be the best choice. The company is well known for its high-end audio equipment, and the Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 benefit from that creativity. These over-the-head travel headphones are available in black and silver, and according to our testers, the sound is so clear that it simulates hearing a band perform live.
You can choose from 11 various levels of noise reduction on the headphones, depending on your preferences. Being unable to hear your own voice, according to the tester, may feel a little strange at first, but at least you get a feeling of just how amazing the noise cancellation is.
The Bose app, according to our tester, makes it incredibly simple to set up the headphones. The software also offers guidance on how to use the ear cups’ simple touch controls. For instance, the headphones will launch the most recent Spotify playlist you were listening to and begin playing the next song as soon as you touch the right earcup.
Even though the headphones are pricey, they are well worth the money if you want headphones with a 20-hour battery life and a 30-foot Bluetooth range. Always keep in mind that these are not the greatest headphones for vigorous activity, such as working out.
Price as of publication: $379
Bluetooth range: 30 feet; size: 2 x 6.5 x 8 inches; battery life: 20 hours
Best Noise-Cancelling Anker Soundcore Earbuds
What We Enjoy
- Water-resistant
- Three noise-cancellation settings
- Boost the bass using BassUp mode
- You may adjust sound settings and look for lost earbuds using the app.
- 35-hour battery life and wireless charging capabilities in a charging case
Things We Dislike
- There is no Bluetooth range offered.
- Phone call audio quality should be improved.
The Anker Soundcore Life P3 are best travel headphones are roughly $75, which is not exactly “cheap,” but you get a high-quality item for a price that is less expensive than others, which is ultimately why it is our budget option.
When listening to music, our tester referred to the sound quality as “vibrant.” It’s a lovely addition to include the BassUp mode, which amplifies the bass. The three noise cancellation settings on the earbuds—Transport, Outdoor, and Indoor—remove noise according to your surroundings.
The difference in sound quality between a spoken call and music did not impress our tester. Additionally, they complained that the noise reduction functions didn’t perform well during calls and that both they and the other party could hear background noises.
There are a tonne of features that our tester overlooked that we find to be really intriguing, such the ability to use the Soundcore app to change the sound quality and select from preset modes like Game mode, which produces an immersive audio experience when playing mobile games.
Price as of publication: $80
Bluetooth range: Unknown; Dimensions: 2.56 x 1.97 x 1.18 Inches; Battery Life: 7 Hours
Best Price Galaxy Buds Pro by Samsung
What We Enjoy
- impervious to water and muffles wind noise while making calls
- Voice commands and touch controls
- The SmartThings app lets you find misplaced earbuds.
- when you speak, the noise cancellation automatically stops.
- Connection automatically swaps between devices
Things We Dislike
- Unknown Bluetooth frequency range
- When the noise cancellation is enabled, there is only 5 hours of playtime.
Although Samsung manufactures the Buds Pro earbuds also best travel headphones. An Android device is not required to utilise them. In fact, after pairing these earphones with their iPhone, our tester was astounded by the sound quality. They called the audio “crisp and clear” and claimed they could make out every instrument in a song.
These earbuds from Samsung are meant to eliminate wind noise while you’re on the phone and let you choose how much noise cancellation is used. Therefore, if you don’t want to hear anything around you, that is an option. However, if you require ambient sound for safety reasons, such as when strolling through a metropolis, you may also have that.
The earphones’ battery life left us a little underwhelmed. When using noise cancellation while conversing on the phone, the battery life is only four hours. Unfortunately, watching movies or listening to music only slightly improves battery life (5 hours with noise cancellation on and 8 hours without it).
Last but not least, these headphones are waterproof, trackable via the SmartThings app, and swap between devices automatically.
Price as of publication: $200
The earbud measures 20.8 x 19.5 millimetres, and the casing is 4.75 x 3.5 x 1.75 inches in size. | Unknown Bluetooth range | 4 to 8 hours of battery life on a single charge
Comfortable Sony WH-1000XM4
What We Enjoy
- features for noise cancellation and music pauses when you speak
- Controls via touch sensors with support for Alexa, Google, and Siri
- able to simultaneously pair with two separate devices
- automatically pausing music when removing headphones
- battery life of 30 hours and rapid charging abilities
Things We Dislike
- It’s a little difficult to set up.
- For the price, noise cancellation might be more effective.
The Sony WH-1000XM4 over-the-head travel headphones provide comfortable ear cushions and enough flexibility to comfortably fit most heads. The battery life of 30 hours is where they excel the most. In addition, five more hours of playback can be obtained in just 10 minutes of charging.
The sound is excellent, according to our tester, whether playing music or listening to podcasts. They indicated a menu with an equaliser that users could use to customise the sound anyway they saw fit or to select pre-set levels labelled “mellow” and “excited.” The noise cancellation worked well.
Even though some features are automatic, users control the headphones by touch activation. For instance, if you’re listening to music and take off your headphones, the song will automatically pause and resume from where you left it when you put them back on.
Price as of publication: $350
Bluetooth range: 1312 feet; size: 7.27 x 3.03 x 9.94 inches; battery life: 30 hours
Best Bluetooth wireless Headphones
What We Enjoy
- Google Assistant and Alexa support
- Three levels of noise cancellation
- 20-hour battery life is possible.
- Join two devices simultaneously.
- Each time you turn on headphones, a voice prompt asking about battery life will play.
Things We Dislike
- Expensive
The Bose QuietComfort 35 II are over-the-head headphones you might want to take on your trip. You shouldn’t experience any problems whether you’re strolling around a metropolis or running on a treadmill; at least, our tester didn’t. In our evaluation of these headphones, we discovered that the sound quality was exceptional, particularly when talking on the phone.
Three levels of noise cancellation are available on these headphones: low, high, and off. All extraneous noise is effectively drowned out while noise cancellation is activated and music is playing. It’s likely that you won’t hear any music or TV shows unless they are on standby.
We were quite shocked that these headphones lack touch-activated controls given their pricing. To change the volume or enable Bluetooth, you must press buttons on the side of the headphones.
The battery life is not securely 20 hours; rather, it is up to 20 hours. The battery life is probably impacted by noise cancellation and whether you’re talking or watching a video.
Price as of publication: $299
30 foot Bluetooth range; 3.2 x 6.7 x 7.1-inch size; 20-hour battery life
Apple AirPods Max are the best splurge
What We Enjoy
- a canopy made of mesh for a cosy fit
- You can hear outside noise in aware mode.
- Bluetooth automatically switches to other devices
- when putting on and taking off headphones, the music pauses and resumes.
- designed to produce 3-D audio and experiences that sound like they are from a movie
Things We Dislike
- Water-resistant but not
- Bluetooth range unknown
- Not every feature will function on Android smartphones.
Apple AirPods Max are best travel headphones if you have the money hanging around. They include a special mesh canopy that fits your head comfortably throughout most activities, but they may come off if you’re engaging in strenuous activity.
During our tests, we discovered that the sound quality was outstanding. Expect crisp, clear audio as well as certain instruments that you likely wouldn’t have heard with less-than-stellar headphones. Even while operating in “Aware” mode, noise cancellation is excellent.
Price as of publication: $549
Unknown Bluetooth range; 6.64 x 3.28 x 7.37-inch size; 20-hour battery life
Most Weatherproof Wireless noise-cancelling headphones
What We Enjoy
- intelligent active noise cancellation and water-resistance
- works with Google Assistant, Alexa, and Siri
- Battery life of 36 hours on a single charge
- Utilise the app to find headphones and adjust the sound settings.
- automatically turns off and on the sound when you take off and put on your headphones
Things We Dislike
- not a light weight in particular
- The audio may be of higher quality.
The Jabra Elite 85H headphones are water-resistant, which is great news if you’re caught in London’s downpour or want to listen to music at the beach. We like that these headphones have a battery life of 36 hours with noise cancellation turned on and 41 hours without.
These headphones were a little weighty, according to our tester, and the sound was “average.” Perhaps you can achieve a better sound quality by modifying the sound settings using the app. If you lose your headphones, the app also aids in their recovery.
It has clever noise cancellation, so the headphones automatically modify the noise cancellation to match your surroundings.
Price as of publication: $250
9.25 x 7.64 x 3.31 inches in size; 33 feet of Bluetooth range; 36 to 41 hours of battery life, depending on whether noise cancellation is turned on or off.
Suitable for Tech NovicesPro Apple AirPods
What We Enjoy
- Siri and touch controls are supported
- Outstanding noise cancellation
- Waterproof and sweat-resistant
- One tap to enter transparency mode
- time headphones are put on and taken off, the sound stops and starts, at least for Apple users.
Things We Dislike
- Only 4.5 hours on a single charge for the battery
- All Airpods Pro capabilities are inaccessible to Android users.
When they were first introduced, Airpods changed the game, so it’s not surprising that people still adore taking them on trips now. These straightforward earbuds are sweat- and water-resistant, and they come with three different tips to match different ear sizes.
Although the sound quality of these earbuds is fairly decent, one reviewer said, “It didn’t knock it out of the park for me.” The noise cancellation, on the other hand, impressed the tester to the point where they were hesitant to wear it when walking outdoors because it was difficult to hear other people and cars.
If you turn off active noise cancellation and transparency, the Airpods Pro can last up to 4.5 hours of listening time on a single charge and only 3.5 hours if you converse nonstop. That’s not a lot of battery life compared to others on this list.
Even while we recommended the Airpods Pro for “tech newbies,” it really applies only if you own an Apple smartphone. Apple customers will have no trouble connecting, and Siri can assist with notifications, phone calls, and even adjusting music.
Price as of publication: $249
Each device measures 0.94 x 0.86 x 1.22 inches in size, while the wireless charging case measures 1.78 x 0.85 x 2.39 inches. The Bluetooth range is unknown, and a single charge lasts for 3.5 hours of talk time.
Best Noise-Cancelling Multi-UseBeats Earbuds
What We Enjoy
- Waterproof and sweat-resistant
- Wingtips that are flexible for a good fit
- may only wear one earbud at once
- Apple and Android users both benefit from unique features.
- Transparency mode, Active noise cancellation, and Adaptive EQ mode
Things We Dislike
- Call sound quality is inferior than that of music.
- No more than 6 hours of listening time per charge
These Beats Fit Pro earbuds are really fashionable and provide excellent value. Enjoy an extremely secure fit thanks to the flexible wingtips. You can wear them without risk when working out because to the sweat- and water-resistant function. You can include this headphone in your best travel headphones list.
Our tester noted that the “base and rhythms of the music translate very well on different octaves” when describing the sound quality. The sound quality felt stronger and louder while not utilising the noise cancellation, they remarked, even though it performs a great job of eliminating all background noise.
These Beats Fit Pro earbuds are really fashionable and provide excellent value. Enjoy an extremely secure fit thanks to the flexible wingtips. You can wear them without risk when working out because to the sweat- and water-resistant function.
Our tester noted that the “base and rhythms of the music translate very well on different octaves” when describing the sound quality. The sound quality felt stronger and louder while not utilising the noise cancellation, they remarked, even though it performs a great job of eliminating all background noise.
Price as of publication: $200
Bluetooth range is unknown. The device’s dimensions are 1.18 x 94 x.75 inches for the bud and 2.44 x 2.44 x 1.12 inches with the charging case. Battery life is 6 hours for listening on a single charge and up to 18 hours with the charging case.
Best Headphones Jabra Elite 85t Wireless
What We Enjoy
- Better calls with wind and rain resistance
- Use just the right earbud
- works with Alexa, Siri, and Google Assistant
- 11 noise cancellation settings and a hear-through mode
- Test of hearing that modifies sound to your hearing profile
Things We Dislike
- only 5.5 hours on a single charge when the noise cancelling is turned on
The Jabra Elite 85t earbuds should ease pressure in your ear canal and are water resistant. They also operate with Siri, Google Assistant, and Alexa. We recommend taking the hearing test in the app after you’ve configured these earphones because it checks your hearing in both ears and tailors the sound to your unique hearing profile.
Even though the bass could be stronger, the sound quality is excellent. In fact, our tester felt that the Jabra Elite 85t had superior sound quality over the Airpod Pros for music and TV programming.
Remember that with noise cancellation set on, the battery only lasts 5.5 hours, however with it off, it might last up to 7 hours. Twenty to twenty-four extra hours of battery life are stored in the charging case.
Price as of publication: $230
Depending on whether noise cancelling is turned on or off, the device’s dimensions are 5.12 x 4.41 x 1.65 inches, and its Bluetooth range is 33 feet. Its battery life is 5.5-7 hours per charge, with 20–24 additional hours when it is charging in the case.
