Most Comfortable Headphones For All Your Travel Needs This year

Shirley Green
5 min readFeb 1, 2021

Despite the current restrictions in many places due to the ongoing pandemic regarding travel, every experienced traveller knows that a great pair of headphones should always be the first thing you are packing to help make the journey easier. Whether trying to enjoy an in-flight movie or listen to your favourite podcast to make the journey easier, a good pair of wireless Bluetooth headphones with long battery life or quality true wireless earbuds can make all the difference.

While there are now thousands of different options out there right now, from tiny earbuds to oversized noise-cancelling headphones, it’s important to get the right pair that suits your needs. Instead of wasting money on uncomfortable headphones or ones that run out of charge after just a short use, here all things, and the specific products, you’ll need to ensure you get the right pair.

Consider everything from padded ear cuffs and cushioned headbands to sound quality and battery life, all while staying within your budget can quickly lead to confusion. From sleek over ear headphones to soft earbuds, there’s an option for everyone listed beneath. These are the most comfortable headphones you’ll need when you’re on the move:

Enduro ANC

Available February 2021, this is the first pair of long-lasting headphones that can outlast even the longest of journeys and the days that follow, all without needing a charge. With cutting-edge noise cancellation (up to 25dB) and a game-changing 60 hours of playback, which is more than double the industry average, these headphones provide tranquility and comfort that lasts. The playback is rated with noise cancellation and Bluetooth turned on, whereas other brands typically only rate on Bluetooth. With powerful active noise cancellation, the Enduro ANC is able to block out ambient noises while the Bluetooth 5.0 with AAC and AptX Adaptive features combined with 40mm Patented Ironless Drivers produce bold, articulate, premium sound. Plus, everything can be easily customized through the handy Cleer app. The companion app allows you to graphically adjust the levels of noise cancellation, ambient levels, and the EQ settings. Or simply update your headphones firmware if instructed. These will even work out in a pinch with the quick charge feature giving you 2 hours of playback on just a 10-minute charge, while a full charge only takes 3 hours.

Ally Plus

Perfect for people who travel a lot or just like a greater level of freedom when listening to something. While technically these are small, lightweight true wireless earbuds, these Cleer Audio products come with active noise cancellation, too, allowing you to zone out and check in to whatever you may want to listen to. As premium wireless earbuds, they also offer other features such as water resistance, a 10-hour battery life, and a charging case which provide a further 20 hours of battery life, meaning you’ll never have to worry about them dying on you at a critical moment. The Ally Plus also has 10mm Neodymium drivers, improved bass response, and therefore can provide high quality soundscapes that are incredibly impressive for wireless earbuds, ideal if you find over ear alternatives uncomfortable. A premium, do-it-all set of wireless noise cancelling earbuds all at a low price.

This pair has been approved by customers, stating that this product is very trustworthy. In fact, Consumer Reports has recommended them in their latest wireless earbud roundup.

Sony WH-1000XM4 Wireless

Regarding these Sony headphones, they are comfortable, well-built over-ear devices which have an ANC feature that blocks out background noises like bus and plane engines when travelling with long continuous battery life well-suited to long journeys.

They have a bass-heavy default sound profile but if you prefer a different sound, there’s a graphic EQ and presets available in the compatible app it comes with to help you customize your listening experience. These over ear headphones also allow for multi-device pairing, making it easy to switch your audio source from your laptop to your phone when you’re on the go.

However, while high quality, they are incredibly expensive and unfortunately, its bulky design means it isn’t the most portable of devices, although they do fold down into a more compact format, and they come with a carrying case. Overall, they are versatile if pricey with a performance that should please many different listeners.

Razer Opus Wireless

These ANC Bluetooth over-ear headphones are good value for money and highlight how you don’t need to spend a fortune to get an impressive, well-built and premium design. While these look very similar to the Sony products, and have the same comfort issues, their default sound profile is very well-balanced and accurate, making them versatile enough for most genres and content when travelling. While some may find they lack a bit on the bass front, their sound profile can easily be adjusted via a graphic EQ and presets within their dedicated companion app. Their ANC performance is to a high standard, and they do well at blocking low-bass sounds like bus or plane engines better than the more expensive alternatives.

Unfortunately, if you take a lot of phone calls while on-the-go, these may not be the best choice as their microphone performance is pretty lacklusterre but you can now pair them to two devices at once, making it more difficult to quickly switch between your phone and laptop at a given moment.

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Shirley Green

Shirley is a contributing writer and specializes in reviewing smart audio products, and is fond of headphones, speakers, and recording gears.