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. Unlocked cell phone & power bank essential.
    Recommend adding to your list Apple AirTags for luggage, wallet, etc.

  2. Definitely an unlocked cellphone.
    Missing must have item – power bar/extension cord (plugs are often limited and/or in bad locations)

  3. The power bank is absolutely essential in my books. The largest one you can comfortably carry and allowed to bring on board flights. An addition to this list I would add a SIM card from the local destination which has a good chance of being far cheaper than our telcos roaming rates.

  4. Luggage organizers have saved my trip more than once, so they are totally on my list too! Cords aren’t mentioned in your list, and theoretically people will remember them, but having just gotten back from a trip where we had to buy a new charging cord, well, theory doesn’t always pan out.

  5. Additional entries from Instagram _sarah_micallef and Facebook Sarah Micallef (Sarah Ng). Thank you!

  6. A few things to remember to bag besides an E reader which is very important to have. Sunglasses, Sunscreen, emergency contact information, good pair of walking shoes Anda proper clothing for where your traveling too

  7. A power bank to recharge my cellphone & I always bring my Kindle eReader however have been looking at purchasing a Kobo Libra 2 as it has the ability to borrow ebooks from libraries. Would be wonderful to win one!

  8. Keeping your home safe while traveling is one of the most essential tips here…thank you!

  9. A day pack is essential.
    I would add the LifeStaw water bottle, with built-in filtration, to always ensure a safe and clean water supply.

  10. I always, always take books with me, especially on an ereader because you can take more and it’s lighter, and I consider it essential–but I didn’t see an ereader mentioned, so that was left out. I think a power bank is essential (and a laptop or tablet and cell phone.) I would improve on the keyboard by making it an ergonomic folding keyboard.

  11. My fave item is the GPS, it’s essential if you’re going to be going somewhere remote. As for two more items to suggest, it’s not so much an item to own, but making sure you have travel insurance and all vaccines needed, if applicable, for where you’re going is vital. Not enough people invest in either. It can stop you from having a bad time.

  12. Great and sturdy luggage is a must as well as a luggage scale to avoid extra charges. My must for travelling is really nice and sturdy runners for walking and also packing light but still packing for all weather possibilities.

  13. My favorite item in the guide is the power bank. They’re so convenient. One thing I think should be on the list is a hydration pack, especially for travelers planning to do a lot of sightseeing or excursions. It is so easy to underestimate the weather in another country and those packs can be a life saver, plus they have plenty of storage for phones, money, and room keys. They help you travel light, yet still, be prepared.

  14. A good quality water bottle, because it’s easy to forget to hydrate when you’re having fun, but warm weather requires it.

  15. Unlocked cellphone is a definite must for travel, one item not mentioned is comfy shoes if you’re going to do lots of walking.

  16. A quality backpack will go a long way in making your travel enjoyable. One item not mentioned is sunscreen, if traveling to warmer climates.

  17. For me, a camera is most essential. Also I can’t go anywhere without chapstick and skin lotion. I’d be miserable without them.

  18. A power bank is super essential for travelling!

    One item not mentioned would be a favorite t shirt. When travelling comfort is key and I won’t go on a flight without my fav tshirt!

  19. For me maybe the local sim card is essential. The daily extra charges when in other countries can add up even with the preplanned daily smaller fees.
    An extra item I didn’t see mentioned was credit card stuff. Not what card to use, but many cards may call to confirm charges when in another country. This can be preplanned with the card company, or have your phone set up to work in the country your going to so they can reach you.

Comments are closed.