When we travel, headphones are one of our most important travel items. Everyone in the family has their own pair, and we’ve used many different brands over the years. Since we have used so many brands, we think we have enough knowledge to share what the best travel headphones are. We also think most families will find something in this list that will fit their budget.
Not everyone wants to listen to the same book, watch the same movie, or listen to the same music. So, a good pair of headphones are a must for this family of four. Headphones during long road trips are much better than the sound of four different devices at once. And we don’t really need to explain the benefits of headphones for flying on an airplane. They are also used in our hotel rooms a lot. If Mom and Dad want to watch something on TV, the kids can catch up on schoolwork without the whole room also taking the lesson. If you travel often and haven’t invested in a good pair of noise cancelling headphones for each member of the family you should really consider it.
We aren’t a review site, so we aren’t going to go in depth with every last pro and con of the headphones listed here. We’re a family of four that travels a lot, so we’re going to share what we feel are the best travel headphones available. We’ll let you know what we like about them and we’ll provide options that can work for everyone in your family. If you’re looking for that in depth tech review this probably isn’t the place. But, if you’re looking for advice from some real world travelers about the headphones we love then please continue on.
Sony WH-1000XM4 – The Best Travel Headphones
Are the Sony WH-1000XM4 the best travel headphones available? Well, we think they might be. They have quickly become our go to pair of headphones for travel and probably will for most people that purchase them. These Sony headphones have amazing noise cancellation and the sound quality is incredible. They are also really comfortable to wear, and when traveling comfort is always important to us. One of our favorite features is the long battery life and the quick charge feature. With only 10 minutes of charging you can get yourself five hours of playback. We’ve used this feature before boarding flights when we realized we forgot to charge beforehand.
The bottom line is we love these Sony headphones. We truly believe they are the best headphones for travel and would recommend them to anyone. Currently we only own one pair and will probably add a second in the near future. They are a little on the pricey side, but the quality is well worth the cost. It’s also worth not having to fight over who gets to use them before every trip.
Our Favorite Features
- 30 hour battery life with quick charging feature
- Noise cancelling and sound quality is outstanding
- Comfortable to wear while traveling
- Easy setup (even if you’re not tech savvy)
- Alexa is built into these headphones
Bose Noise Cancelling Wireless Bluetooth Headphones 700
We have always been fans of Bose noise cancelling headphones, but these are a close second to the Sony’s listed above. With that said, don’t let us deter you from buying these if you’re a fan of Bose products. The headphones provide incredible sound quality, and the noise cancelling features are some of the best from any headphones you could buy. In fact, there are only two things that put these behind the Sony headphones in our opinion. The price, which tends to trend higher than Sony, and the battery life. The battery life is about 20 hours on these, so in reality you shouldn’t have a problem when traveling.
In our family, if one of us is already using the Sony’s these would be our next in line. And honestly, no one is ever disappointed if they get “stuck” using the Bose headphones when we’re travelling. If you have room in your budget you can’t go wrong with a set of these Bose noise cancelling headphones. Bose is known for their quality products and it’s why they’re on our list of best travel headphones.
Our Favorite Features
- Amazing Bose sound quality
- Noise cancelling features
- Alexa voice control
- Comfortable to wear
Best Budget Travel Headphones
Now on to the brand you’ve probably never heard of. Honestly, we had never heard of them before we purchased a pair of these headphones for the kids. We weren’t about to purchase the Sony or Bose headphones for a five or seven year old, so we started searching Amazon. When we came across these Anker Soundcore Life Headphones the reviews seemed to be overwhelmingly positive and we took a chance. There have been no regrets since we made that purchase. For our kids headphones, these are amazing. Actually, they’re good headphones even if you aren’t a kid. The sound quality and noise cancelling capabilities can’t really be beat at this price point.
If you’re looking for a decent pair of headphones for traveling and are on a budget, these could be a really great option. Or, if you’re sick of generic cartoon headphones for kids, then you should really consider these. We bought a second set after testing them out and both kids love them.
Our Favorite Features
- The price can’t be beat
- Battery life is surprisingly good
- Sound quality and noise cancelling is really good for the price
Which One Will You Choose?
You really don’t have to look beyond what we have listed here for the best travel headphones. We really feel that any budget will end up with a great set of headphones if you choose any of these. Of course the lower budget headphones won’t have all the features of a Sony or Bose, but you’ll still get good quality sound and noise cancelling from them. If you have the extra money to spend then you should really be looking at he high end headphones we have shared. The extra features they offer can’t be beat and often come in really handy.
Do you have headphones that you like that we haven’t listed here? We would love to hear what you think are the best travel headphones. We’re probably taking a break from buying any new ones since we’re happy with what we have, but we’re always looking for feedback on what our fellow travelers prefer. We’ve heard really good things about Bowers & Wilkins PX7 headphones and the JBL Tune 750BTNC headphones, but haven’t had a chance to try them. If you have, we want to hear about them and maybe they could end up on our list.