Writer Tiffany Lo used the power bank as a hand warmer during her travel in Lithuania (Image: Tiffany Lo)
With local train travel getting more expensive in the UK, many have opted for a weekend getaway in Europe instead of a staycation during the winter months. As an avid traveller, I followed suit and hopped over to Lithuania to experience the festive spirit ahead of Christmas.
Right before I jetted off to the Baltics, I found a power bank on Amazon that doubles as a hand warmer and I have to say, it’s a game-changing gadget and a must-have for winter travel. Currently on offer for £29.99, the comes with a cute Cath Kidston design in a lovely forest green and floral pattern.
The multi-purpose device, which measures roughly the size of my palm, was a the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius, during a -7°C blast. It kept my hands warm and powered up my phone when it ran out of juice.
The VQ Cath Kidston power bank is also a rechargeable hand warmer (Image: Tiffany Lo)
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The VQ power bank has a battery capacity of 10,000mAh, meaning I could charge my iPhone and earphones whenever I needed to. While it’s not a MagSafe product and is not as lightweight as other power banks that I’ve had (such as the , it saved luggage space and I got to enjoy two benefits on one device.
Using the power bank as a hand warmer was easy; simply press the button, and the screen will light up, showing the temperature, which can go up to 52°C. My down jacket did an excellent job to keep my body warm but my hands were cold so this VQ power bank came in handy.
I kept it in my coat pocket, and the heat setting went up by five degrees every few minutes – you might think that you could burn your hand at 52°C, but it actually . I tended to turn it off when my pockets were warm enough so I can reserve battery.
The cold up at the Gediminas Castle Tower don’t bother me when I had the hand warmer in the pockets (Image: Tiffany Lo)
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Using it as a power bank is also straightforward, simply plug in your charging cable and connect it to what you want to charge. It brought my phone back to life .
After a full day of walking in the old town and Christmas markets, the power bank ran out of juice. I worked out I had to charge it at the end of the day for next-day use. While this isn’t an issue for me – it’s worth thinking about if you will not have access to charge it back up.
The VQ power bank Cath Kidston edition is now on Amazon with 25% off and shoppers can instead of £39.99. But you can get it even cheaper at plain colour, available at Black and Cream, at £19.99.
Some Amazon shoppers also recommend the , saying they can “block out the cold for hours.” The battery pack covers the entire back of the hand and fingers, and the fingertip is sewn with a touch sensor, so you can use your smart devices without the need to remove them in the cold. If you’re more interested in staying warm than charging your tech, this may be a better option for you.