A Better Travel Setup Than Packing an HDMI Cable
This travel setup replaces a dedicated HDMI cable with a Thunderbolt cable and a tiny adapter that does more
Quick Take
- A Thunderbolt cable does far more than a dedicated HDMI cable ever could.
- The tiny HDMI adapter barely takes up space, but still gives you an easy hotel-TV connection when you need it.
For years, I traveled with an HDMI cable in my bag. It came in handy more often than you would think, especially in hotel rooms and Airbnbs when I wanted to hook up a laptop to a TV. The problem is that an HDMI cable really only does one job.
Lately I have switched to a better setup: a Thunderbolt cable plus a tiny HDMI adapter. It does the same hotel-TV trick when I need it, but it is a lot more versatile the rest of the time.
That is the whole reason this works so well as a travel setup. A Thunderbolt cable is useful even when you are not connecting to a TV. You can use it for charging, data, displays, and all the normal things a good high-end cable is supposed to handle. So instead of carrying a bulky dedicated HDMI cable that might only get used once or twice on a trip, you are carrying a cable that can earn its spot in your bag every day.
The HDMI adapter is the second half of the trick. It is tiny, takes up almost no space, and lets you keep the TV connection option without packing a full-length HDMI cable. That makes this setup feel much smarter for travel, especially if you are trying to cut down on dead-weight accessories.
There is one important catch. The adapter will not work with just any random USB-C cable. It needs a Thunderbolt-capable cable. That is the part people can easily miss. If you try this with a basic USB-C charging cable, you may not get the display output you expect.
For me, this is just a better system. You still get the option to plug into a hotel TV or Airbnb screen, but the main cable is useful for everything else too. It is one of those small travel upgrades that makes your bag a little simpler and a lot more flexible.
Related TrekSavvy Reads
If you are building out the rest of your setup, these TrekSavvy reads are worth opening next.
- Why a 2-in-1 USB-C Cable Earns a Spot in Your Travel Bag
- This Adapter Is a Must-Have for Any International Traveler
- Belkin's 67W Charger Fixes One of the Most Annoying Travel Charging Problems
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