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
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.
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545 COMMENTS

  1. I think the power bank and camera are essential and I also like the idea of noise cancelling headphones.

  2. I could use new headphones to add to a unlocked phone. sick of being stuck with one carrier

  3. Power bank and camera are essential and I too like the idea of noise cancelling headphones. cheers!

  4. I think Power bank is essential to keep touch with your loved ones.
    Credit card that can be used internationally would be another essential item for me.

  5. An important item for me is a powerful small flashlight to find my way to the washroom in strange surroundings in the middle of the night and to illuminate tricky cobblestone walkways after a late outing.

  10. I think an essential item in the guide is a camera, because I love taking pictures and it’s a great way to capture memories.

    And I think you should add some sort of granola bar or energy source for those times you’ll be out and about for long periods.

  11. A power bank is the way to go – you can charge all your devices any time and any where. Not on the list – bring comfortable footwear and extra socks – you will probably be doing a lot of walking/standing while travelling.

  12. An unlocked cell phone is best as it allows you to make emergency calls and lets you take pictures.

    Might want to bring ear plugs when you are travelling with a kid. LOL

  14. Having good luggage/carry ons is important. I would add proper clothing and footwear depending on the weather.

  15. The power bank is the item in the buying guide that I consider to be the most essential. I think the guide should also include a Fitbit, which is an essential item for making sure you stay active and on time while travelling!

  16. I really appreciate the tip to make sure you bring an *unlocked* cell phone to be able to use a local SIM card – I’ve travelled a lot but not thought of that.

    I would add wireless headphones and/or a small baggage scale to the tech list. Thanks!

  17. Carry-on luggage is super important with all the travel disruptions these days. If you can have everything you need in that and no other bags, you should be fine. On the other hand what is missing from the list is RFID protection for ID such as passports and bank cards.

  18. 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.
    *I wasn’t sure if you wanted the comment in this site or the “Travel buying guide” site, therefore I entered a comment in both sites.​*
    1- I think that a GPS watch &/or fitness tracker are essential and not mentioned is wireless headphones that are a must have.

  19. I think the day backpack is most important as you need to keep the most important items with you as you travel. I would add outdoor protective items such as sunglasses, hat and rain poncho to help stay healthy while out and about.

  21. travel power adapter is the most important item for changing your devices and I think what’s missing is wireless headphones

  22. I think the travel power adapter is the most important – no point in having devices that you can’t charge!
    The missing thing is hand sanitizer and/or travel wipes. After using devices and touching stuff everywhere, you need a way to clean hands and devices!

  23. I find the packing cubes essential when I travel. Not mentioned is a lightweight, windproof umbrella.

  24. The water resistant feature is something every electronic device should have. Also the brightness making reading in sunshine would be goodl

  25. I believe an unlocked cellphone is the most essential as it includes a battery, GPS, phone, and computer/tablet in one device. A traveler’s cheque could also need to be considered in a travel plan.

  26. 1 item that is essential is a backpack to carry everything. I would add a waterproof case for the phone. Good if you are going to any place wet like a beach or water park.

  28. The luggage scale is a great idea – that way you can share the load to make sure all bags are carrying the right amount of weight. Definitely a good set of noise cancelling headphones would be an extra to take along that I didn’t see mentioned.

  29. Luggage organizers are essential. A headset is very useful, especially if there is a flight involved.

  30. A tablet is absolutely essential in my mind. You can download ebooks and movies and use the tablet on flights and hotel rooms. An item I also consider essential but missing is noise cancelling headphones.

  31. One item I would deem essetial is a camera remote as it would give you the best pictures especially selfies. One item that I would add to the guide would be to add a distinct feature to your luggage or a tracker to ensure you know where your luggage is at the time of arrival.

  33. Powerbank is essential so I don’t run out of batteries for my devices on the go. I would consider adding a smart thermostat for the home while away.

  37. The one item I would consider my essential is the power bank. I am using my phone way more often on holidays and I feel my battery runs down quite a bit.

    The item I would add to the list is noise cancelling headphones. These headphones would help if you are on a plane, train, or even a noise hotel.

  39. I like your suggestion of packing cubes, and I’d add wireless headphones for a great audio experience on the plane.

  40. A luggage scale is a great idea. Vacations are expensive enough without having to pay for overweight luggage.
    An important travel tip you neglected is to mention checking the website for travellers with warning and advice. In Canada it is https://travel.gc.ca/travelling/advisories. This lets you know what degree of caution to take in visiting foreign countries. For example currently Spain is “Take normal security precautions” but Ecuador is “Avoid non-essential travel”

  41. Lots of great ideas in the travel guide but my number 1 would be the unlocked cell phone. Maybe it’s a given, but I would include a great set of ear buds.

  42. tHIS IS NOT A DUPLACAT OF ANY OTHER INTERYS
    Would like TO WIN the stylist To wire down quotes and thin I want to remember for our Christmas letter. I WOULD LIKE A CASE TO PROTECT MY STYLIST

  43. would like the stylist To wire down quotes and thin I want to remember for our Christmas letter. I WOULD LIKE A CASE TO PROTECT MY STYLIST

  44. A wireless ear buds would help Don; like wire write would like the stylist To wire down quotes and thing i want to remember for our Christmas letter.

  46. Travel power adapter. A smartphone is useless without a charger. Also earplugs for the plane.

  49. Essential is a charger with multiple ports. Emergency poncho for sudden rain storms can be useful

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