While most of the tech we recommend for travel will be eyed with suspicion by airport security the Bellroy Travel Wallet will delight airline check-in, staff, customs, your fellow travellers and you. The aptly named Travel Wallet has all the usual sections and slots you’d expect of a modern-day wallet, and more besides. The first thing you notice is the leather wallet’s length. It’s 15cm long (9.4cm wide) when folded, which makes it big enough to hold not only your passport but those long boarding passes, tickets and customs cards without folding or creasing. The passport is held in an easy-access, open pocket, so there’s no need to keep checking it’s with you at all times. There’s even a handy little biro (with a refill) for filling in the forms or doing the crossword. There’s a notes section for the different currencies you’ll need, and slots for at least eight cards. When you’re flying to a destination that requires lots of visa-waiver and customs form filling it’s great to have your passport in your pocket and not in your carry-on bag that’s buried in the overhead locker. Like the biodegradable packaging the wallet’s leather is environmentally friendly (unless you;’re a cow, that is): vegetable tanned (so no chemicals), responsibly sourced and non-toxic. After tanning the leather is dyed through as semi-aniline leathers, which Bellroy claims means they should age more gracefully than just surface painted leathers. The leather is thinner than you’ll find in most wallets, so reduces unnecessary bulk and encourages the wallet to better shape to your cards. The Bellroy Travel Wallet costs £89, is available in four sober colours (Midnight, Cocoa, Mocha and Slate) and has a three-year warranty. Bellroy’s great travel tips are also worth reading. Simon was Editor of Macworld from the dark days of 1995 to the triumphant return of Steve Jobs and the launch of the iPhone. His desk is a test bench for tech accessories, from USB-C and Thunderbolt docks to chargers, batteries, Powerline adaptors and Fitbits.
