kobo sage and libra2 best buy contestNever travel without a Kobo eReader. Slip it in your carryon and you have a whole library of books, without affecting luggage weight limits, and without limiting your reading choices to one or two books during your trip. An eReader is a must have travel item, as essential as a toothbrush or a camera. So read on to learn more and to learn how you can enter for an opportunity to win one of the two newest Kobo eReaders that we recently reviewed on the blog.

An eReader is one of the essentials you need for travelling

Travelling requires planning and making tough choices of what to bring and what not to bring. Even after carefully considering our options, we often find that we packed too much, including many non-essential items, finding that either the luggage is so over stuffed that it won’t close or it does close but is so overweight we risk having to pay a fortune in extra airline fees. Worse, you think you packed everything but arrive at your destination lamenting not having remembered one item. You need an objective list of things that are essential when travelling, like the Travel buying guide we just created on the blog.

It isn’t just a great resource for things to purchase when about to take a trip, it’s also something to guide your packing choices. If it’s not on the list, it may not be a true travel essential. I know what some of you are going to say: my medication isn’t mentioned in that article and it’s essential. Clearly, we couldn’t cover everything for everyone. However, most of the things you might want to take on a trip will be covered in that buying guide. Incidentally, blog articles are editable: if you have a suggestion of something we missed, you can add it in a comment and it might get included in the next round of editing.

Relax, recline, and read

You might have notice that I didn’t actually say why an eReader is essential for travelling. Let’s take a minute to consider a typical trip. You get to the airport and wait for sometimes hours. You try to access Wi-Fi but get no signal: their Wi-Fi is down. You are prepared for this. You get your eReader and scan the selection of books that you downloaded in advance. You feel that the classic Fitzgerald you are half-way into doesn’t suit your mood. You find several others you have been eager to start and pick Rushdie’s “Midnight Children”. When you hear the boarding call, you are surprised to not have even noticed the time fly by. You nudge the person sitting across the aisle with eyes closed and headphones on: she might have missed her plane if you hadn’t been there to awaken her!

A similar scenario could capture the benefits of the eReader while flying across the ocean for many hours. The fact is, an eReader provides the kind of experience you won’t get from other forms of entertainment. You could watch a movie, and might do that for a couple hours, but a book does so much more than a video or film. You aren’t at the director’s mercy for how the story is interpreted, how the characters look, or how the scene feels. Books require you to use your brain with the payoff being you get more out of the experience. There’s a reason why the book is usually much, much better than the film version of the story.

Your whole trip is better thanks to having an eReader along. The two Kobo eReaders we are giving away in this contest are perfect no matter where you go. Read at the beach, the E Ink screen is unaffected by the bright sun; reading is just like on paper. But of course you’ll have thousands of books in a Kobo and it’s waterproof—get it wet and keep reading without a worry. Even at night, under the stars on the patio of your AirBnb, the comfortLight in the eReader means you can read in comfort, without impacting your ability to count shooting stars.

I’ll just add one note about the Kobo Sage and its accompanying Kobo Stylus that we are giving away. You can learn about the similarities and differences between the Sage and the Libra 2 by reading the review on the blog. The biggest difference is that the Sage enables you to take notes right on the screen using the Kobo Stylus. You likely won’t be writing a novel on your travels, but you may find the ability to jot some notes really useful. For example, you could note some of the landmarks you photographed: one of my pet-peeves is looking through my photos after a trip and not being able to remember the names of some places.

How to enter

Entering this contest is easy and you can enter in two different ways.

  1. Read the Travel buying guide on the blog, then in a comment below, tell us one item in that guide that you consider the most essential, and one item not mentioned in that guide that you think is also essential and we should consider adding to improve the buying guide.
  2. For up to two (2) additional entries, create a public post on a social media channel (one entry per channel!) telling your friends and followers that you are entering to win a Kobo eReader from Best Buy; include the hashtag #BBYKOBOContest, so we can find your post, and include a picture of the Kobo prizes like that shown here or above. Then return here and tell us in a comment below, on which channel you posted it and the name of your channel (since many people use pseudonyms) so that we can check and verify your entry. You can use any social media channel (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, etc) but the post must be public so we can verify it is there. Add one comment below for each social media channel for up to 2 contest entries.

What you can win 

At the end of this contest, we’ll randomly select two (2) winners: one will get the Kobo Sage and Kobo Stylus that were reviewed on the blog, and the other will get the Kobo Libra2 that was reviewed on the blog.

This contest runs from June 29th to July 12th.

Remember you can enter in two different ways, as discussed above. Increase your chances of winning by telling anyone you love to travel with about the contest so they too have a chance to win.

Win a Kobo eReader Contest Rules and Regulations

Good luck!

Martin Renaud
Editor in Chief
Martin loves working with the talented editors and writers on the Best Buy Blog as Editor-in-Chief. During his spare time he is either working on his next novel, cooking up a masterpiece in the kitchen, or adding some smart tech to his new home on Mayne Island in British Columbia.

545 COMMENTS

  1. I would say the power bank is the most essential. Nowadays, with the smart phone, everything is available on your phone, and you are really only limited by your ability to use it. Power bank ensures you have some backup charge available whenever you need. What’s missing though is an old trusty compass, in case you get lost. Sometimes low tech is important.

  2. The most essential, and one item not mentioned in that guide are a travel power adapter and Disinfecting Wipes

  3. A lightweight daypack is for sure the most essential. Most cell carriers nowadays have very affordable roaming plans, so there’s no need for an unlocked cell phone (plus a lot of people’s phones are already unlocked). A power bank wouldn’t be necessary thanks to the larger batteries on today’s smartphones. And a travel adapter would be useful but most hotels have them for free. One item not on the list that I think is essential would be a very comfortable pair of shoes that’s meant for walking long distances.

  4. One thing essential is great luggage, as you don’t want to deal with luggage issues.
    One essential thing not listed is nice walking shoes!

  5. The best thing mentioned was the luggage organizers using those made packing a breeze.

    The home should mention a connected water leak detection and automatic shutoff

  6. The most essential is unlocked cell phone , and one item not mentioned in that guide is sunglasses

  7. A power bank is essential – having your devices die is brutal! A solid water bottle would be a good addition.

  8. I think luggage organizers are essential! I also think that noise-cancelling headphones would be a good addition to the list.

  9. A power bank is essential as my devices are constantly dying during travel. A luggage tracker would be amazing to help me track down my lost luggage.

  10. The one item from the list is the GPS watch or fitness tracker; that way, I can see where I went and how many steps I took. I am always surprised by how much walking I do while on trips.
    The one item not on the list that, in my opinion, is necessary for travel is a travel adapter plug or even two – that way, I can charge my phone and style my hair!

    • Oh, dear didn’t see that the travel adapter was on the list.
      My next item that is NOT on the list is a good but small umbrella!

  11. An unlocked cell phone is essential for me as it has so many uses — communications device, translator, GPS, camera, etc. I would also add noise-cancelling headphones.

  12. An iPhone. It has everything you need for travel. Not on the list is my headphones for the plane. Noise cancelling for sure

  13. I definitely think the Travel power adapter is a necessity when I leave the country.

    I think you also have to bring a hat – eye shades!

  14. The power bank is essential and adding a set of noise cancelling headphones would be great

  15. The power bank is essential and adding a set of noise cancelling headphones would be great

  16. The power bank is essential and adding a set of noise cancelling headphones would be great.

  17. The power bank is essential and adding a set of noise cancelling headphones would be great.

  18. Always have a spare power bank on hand and extra batteries for those that require (e.g. camera)!

  19. Unlocked cell phone is essential for communication and as a camera. Noise cancelling headphones is a nice addition

  20. Luggage is essential! and the one thing that might be great for the list is a quick-dry towel!

  21. The water bottle is what I’d consider the most essential.
    I think noise-cancelling earbuds could also be added as a necessary item. For plane travel, but also for getting a good sleep in the hotel.

  22. The power bank is essential. Would be nice to have luggage tracker; the airlines keep losing my luggage and never seem to be able to find it very quickly.

  23. essential item listed – power bank
    essential not listed – luggage tracker tag, because of the current chaos in airports

  24. A travel power adapter is absolutely essential for charging any electronic device as well as a camera. Also a small zip lock with first aid supplies like band aids, anti itch cream for bug bites, sun screen, etc.

  25. A power bank is definitely essential! But I think noise-cancelling headphones would also be a great addition to the list.

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