The tablet is loaded with films, the handheld has a favourite game installed, and the headphones are somewhere in the day bag. The part that is easiest to overlook is how you will charge everything once the journey starts.

A useful family travel charging kit has two jobs: keeping devices going when there is no convenient socket, and getting them ready for the next day when you reach your destination. A power bank handles the first. A wall charger handles the second. The right cables connect the two without filling your bag with duplicates.

For a family carrying several devices, our starting point is VoltaGo MAX for portable power, a cable for each device that needs charging at the same time, and the 140W Giga GaN Charger for wall charging at your accommodation. You do not need to buy the whole kit if suitable equipment you already own covers part of it.

Start with the devices coming on the trip

One child's tablet and a parent's phone call for a different setup from two tablets, a gaming handheld and a laptop. Pack around the devices you are actually taking, rather than every charger in the house.

Give each device that will charge simultaneously its own cable. If two children will use their tablets throughout the same journey, one cable with interchangeable tips will not provide two wired charging connections. If they will charge in turns, sharing a suitable cable may be enough.

A gaming handheld deserves particular attention. Playing can use a substantial part of the incoming power, so a device may gain charge slowly while a game is running even though it charges normally when idle. Choose a power source and connection that meet that device's charging requirements, not just one that fits its port.

For the differences between handhelds and the connections they need, use our magnetic cable guide for Steam Deck, ROG Ally and Switch. The image shows handheld use, not a promise of identical charging performance across those devices.

Choose VoltaGo MAX for the stretch between sockets

Choose our 27,000mAh VoltaGo MAX when you want a shared portable power source for a mixed-device family bag. It has three USB-C ports, one USB-A port and Qi2 wireless charging for compatible devices.

That combination gives you wired connections for tablets and handhelds, with a wireless option for a compatible phone. The useful feature for a family is having several connection options available, rather than having to buy a separate power bank for each connector type.

Choose this level of portable capacity when several devices will depend on it. For a short outing with one phone and easy access to wall power, a smaller existing power bank may be all you need. VoltaGo MAX makes more sense when the extra item in your bag serves more than an occasional top-up.

Its capacity is not a fixed number of tablet or console recharges. Battery sizes, conversion losses and how heavily the devices are used all affect how far the stored energy goes. Several ports also do not mean every device receives its maximum charging rate at once.

For help deciding how much capacity and output your family needs, see our power-bank buying guide.

VoltaGo MAX - 27,000 mAh

$205.00

35% OFF

27,000 mAh Airline-Safe Portable Power Bank VOLTAGO Max is a singular power system that will work with just about any device you own. Made to ...

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Use a wall charger to reset the kit at your destination

A portable power bank is not a substitute for a wall charger throughout a holiday. At your hotel, apartment or family home, wall power gives you a practical place to recharge devices and prepare for the following day.

Our 140W Giga GaN Charger is the current VOLTA recommendation when you want two USB-C ports and one USB-A port in one charger. It suits a shared charging point for compatible tablets, phones and gaming devices.

Plan for shared power: the 140W total rating is not 140W for each connected device. If one device needs a dedicated high-output connection, charge the others separately or keep its suitable original charger in the kit.

For a family trip, the benefit is fewer separate wall adapters to organise. It is not a promise that every tablet or phone will charge faster than with its own suitable charger.

Choose MAX for easy reconnection across different ports

Families often travel with a mix of newer USB-C devices and older Lightning or Micro USB accessories. Our VOLTA MAX Cable uses interchangeable magnetic tips for those connector types, so you can move a cable between compatible tipped devices.

Choose MAX when repeated connection is the nuisance: unplugging a tablet to pass it across, reconnecting a handheld after a break, or moving a cable between a parent's phone and a child's device. With a matching tip seated in the device, the cable attaches at the magnetic joint.

Our MAX cable supports up to 240W in compatible USB-C charging configurations. That capability does not raise the output of the charger or make a tablet accept more power than it supports. Lightning, Micro USB and USB-A connections do not inherit the same high-power USB-C capability.

Use separate cables for devices charging together. For very young children, keep small detachable tips under adult control rather than loose in a seat pocket or toy bag. Route charging cables so they do not cross an aisle or wrap around a child.

Keep the charging kit together, not buried in different bags

Choose one accessible place for the power bank and cables, so you can reach them without unpacking everything. Keep separate charging connections easy to identify, and return loose accessories to the same place after use.

Our VOLTA Carry Case is an optional addition when organisation is the problem. Choose the case variant for the equipment you plan to carry; accessories are not included, and the case is not an additional source of power.

An example packing arrangement, not a prepacked family bundle.

Make the entertainment work without a connection, too

Charging is only useful if the activity works once you are on the move. Download films, books and offline games before leaving, open them once to confirm they are available, and finish any large game updates while you still have reliable internet access.

Pack headphones and agree on when screens will be used, rather than treating a bigger battery as a reason for an uninterrupted gaming session. Audiobooks, drawing, travel games and looking out of the window give devices a break as well as children.

Keep devices and power banks away from direct sun, hot parked cars, water and sand. If a device becomes unusually hot, pause use and charging rather than covering it or continuing to play.

What we would pack for a family journey

For several tablets or handhelds away from sockets, start with VoltaGo MAX and enough suitable cables for the devices that will charge together. Choose MAX where magnetic reconnection makes the routine easier. Add Giga if you want one shared wall-charging point at your destination, and a Carry Case only if you need the organisation.

Keep suitable equipment you already own. The goal is a kit you can reach, connect and put away easily, with enough power for the journey you are taking, not a bag full of charging accessories nobody uses.