The proper travel accessories can make any vacation so much better.
Especially when traveling internationally.
We’ve fallen in love with packing cubes, super-charged device chargers and the perfect beach read.
But the latest item to rock our world travels has to be our Ray-Ban Meta Wayfarers. The company sent us a pair of clear Wayfarers and now our husband has gotten his own pair of Wayfarer sunglasses, making us a two-Meta-AI-glasses household.
(And we want more!)
Powered by AI and all sorts of technological bells and whistles, each pair has the potential to truly transform your time away in other cities and countries.
Hell, they even make our time wandering around Dallas or working out at the gym immensely better (although we have to admit, the open-ear speakers aren’t loud enough to block out the music Equinox pumps into the workout spaces.) But in most situations where there’s limited music or noise, they’re fantastic.
Hear As Clearly As You See
First and foremost, the sound quality of phone calls and music that play through the temples of the glasses rocks (and rolls). You don’t have to stick anything in your ears, and people standing right next to you can’t hear what you’re listening to, either.
Phone calls come in crystal clear, and like everything these glasses do, your next conversation can be summoned instantly with voice commands. You can even make video calls that allow the other person to see what you’re seeing through your glasses.
AI Sight Is 20/20
You can get prescription lenses (including transitions) in both regular glasses and sunglasses at select optical stores. In some instances, you can even use your vision insurance to help cover the cost of this fashionable technology.
Go On A Hands-Free Shoot
“Hey, Meta! Shoot a video! Now take a picture!” Your wish is Meta’s command. And you don’t even have to touch your phone to capture high-resolution photographs and videos, preserving for posterity (and social media) exactly what you’re seeing with your very own eyes.
Learn From Your Adventures
See something in front of you that you’re not sure about? Ask Meta to describe what you’re looking at, whether it’s getting a bit of history of the Golden Gate Bridge or discovering the most traditional type of tacos in Puerto Vallarta and where to get them.
Speak A Whole Other Language
The absolute most remarkable feature to use while traveling, however, has to be the live translation function. Turn it on, and when a handsome man starts speaking Spanish to you, you’ll know exactly what he wants to do when he takes you back to his hotel room. (Just a hypothetical situation, of course).
Use the Meta AI app on your phone at the same time, and not only will you hear the translation through the arms of the glasses, you’ll also see the text being translated in real time. It will translate signs, menus and anything you see in another language (Spanish, French and Italian for now).
The accents spoken are far from accurate in many instances, but we know this function will only improve with time.
Options, Options, Options.
You can get your Ray-Ban Meta glasses in three frame styles: Wayfarer, Skyler and Headliner, each with a variety of frame and lens color combinations.
Because Ray-Ban Meta glasses start at $299 (only $50 more than top-of-the-line AirPods), even if you only used them for phone calls and listening to music, they’d be worth it. By comparison, Original Wayfarer Classics are only $244 (without AI, microphones, speakers or camera), so even if you just bought these to shade your eyes from the sun, you wouldn’t be spending much more than for a pair of glasses that do nothing else at all.
And these do sooooo many cool things, which makes us confident you’re going to become as obsessed as we are.
When you visit the Ray-Ban website, sign up for emails from the pop-up window that appears. Once you get an email from them, you can sign up for a Ray-Ban account and you’ll get $20 off your first online purchase, so… BARGAIN, BABY!
Glasses for the New Generation
We reported on these glasses early in the summer, but we wanted to publish this update after checking out the new version in stores recently. These Gen 2 glasses now feature 3K Ultra HD for super-high-quality video resolution, up to 8 hours of battery life in use (and an additional 48 hours with a fully charged case), plus all the other cool features of the first generation.
We adore our Gen 1 pairs, so if you want to save a little money, they’re fantastic. But if you’re a latest-and-greatest kind of person, then go for the new ones and take your vacations to a whole new level of convenience and memory-making.
While looking damn cool in the process.
Ray-Ban Meta
Generation 1 starting at $299
Generation 2 starting $379 per pair
ray-ban.com
