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These are the best headphones for travel you can buy today for every budget
When you’re on a long journey, be that in a plane seat or the back bench of your mom’s classic Studebaker, you want to block out the noise with some headphones.
I know I do — and thanks to my extensive testing of headphones at all kinds of price points, I know what models you should be adding to your arsenal so that you can make traveling a whole lot more comfortable.
Taking selections from our best headphones and the best cheap headphones lists, I’ve created a round-up of some of my favorite travel headphones. Below you’ll find both affordable options if you’re on a budget, and then more premium cans if you want to splurge and get the very best.
Anker Soundcore Space One
The Soundcore Space One are a bargain travel set of headphones. They only thing they really lack is some kind of hardcase; beyond that, they’re about as good as they come under $100. They have a solid sound profile for something around this price too, so you won’t have to worry about your music sounding like garbage.
But there are two things we care about when it comes to travel headphones. The first — ANC. The Space One feature some of the best ANC for the price, blocking out all of the noise of whatever transport you might find yourself on.
The second thing you want for travel? A comfortable fit — and the Space One are very comfortable. They’re incredibly light, and their clamping force is such that they don’t press on your ears or head too hard. You’ll have no problem wearing them for even the longest trips. Plus, their 40 hours of battery is the icing on the cake.
Cambridge Audio Melomania P100 SE
With 60 hours of battery with the ANC turned on and one of the sturdiest protective cases around, the P100 SE are already a shoo-in at this price point for your next pair of travel cans. It really helps that they sound amazing, with one of the best judged sound profiles of just about any pair of headphones below $500.
The ANC is great so you won’t have any problems with the noisy plane engines that want to disturb you when you’re trying to listen to “Take That.” Grab yourself an adapter and you can use them wired to listen to your plane audio as well, which is always helpful.
They’re also ultra-comfortable, with lovely padded earcups and a newly designed headband. You can wear them for a long time, perfect for when you’re taking a long-distance flight.
Marshall Monitor III
When it comes to ANC headphones, you need to consider battery life. The Marshall Monitor III pack in over 70 hours of battery in a single charge. That’s the highest battery life of any pair of headphones that you can buy, making them perfect for long trips when you’re not going to be anywhere near a wall outlet.
The sound is good, angled more at rock fans than anyone else, and the ANC is effective, if not totally groundbreaking. It is bested by some of the other options on the list, which is a shame when you’re spending this much money. Still, what’s on offer is more than enough to get you through a long bus trip or a lengthy flight, blocking out the noise of engines and other passengers when you’re listening to music.
Another advantage — they’re mighty comfortable. They’re very light, but Marshall has put a whole lot of effort to make sure that the headphones don’t wobble around. The foam in the eacups is sublime, with multiple layers of different firmness foams so that you never reach hard plastic. I’ve worn these headphones for hours and hours on end before, and I never wanted to take them off once.
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones
They’re the kings of ANC — there’s nothing they won’t block out. Slip them on your head, turn them on, and the outside world melts away with a quick orchestral swell. Engines disappear, the annoying baby in aisle three is silenced, and the chatter of your fellow passengers becomes but a distant memory. Sublime. Unbeatable. Undefeated.
As you’d expect from something called the “QuietComfort Ultra Headphones,” they’re also super comfortable. They’re very light and feature some lovely thick padding on their headband and on the earcups to make sure that you’re never going to want to take them off.
There are a couple of issues, however: They feel slightly cheap for the price, and their limited 24-hour battery might put off those who travel frequently. But if you’re looking for the best sound that’ll still get you from New York to Tokyo without having to hear your seat neighbors, the QuietComfort Ultra headphones are a great way to go.
Bowers & Wilkins PX7 S3
I’ve spoken a lot about the B&W PX7 S3 over the past few months— and for good reason. They’re easily my favorite pair of headphones to release in 2025, unseating Sony from the top of our list of the best headphones. They’re also a great pair of cans for travel, with some of the best sound I’ve heard in a pair of wireless headphones. Detailed, bassy, and very well rounded, they’re a sonic powerhouse.
They don’t quite manage to block out as much noise as the QuietComfort Ultra, but their ANC is more than enough to make your long flight a whole lot more tolerable. Click the button, and you won’t hear any of the annoying noises in the plane cabin. Can’t promise it will negate turbulence, however.
They’re very comfortable as well, with some of the best padding around and a well-judged clamping force. I’ve only ever taken these headphones off because external factors forced me to — I could wear them for hours on end.
Sonos Ace
The Sonos Ace are here for a very important reason — the spatial audio. They’re by far the best headphones for spatial audio on the go, using Sonos’ expertise in the format. It means that when I’m watching one of my favorite movies with my iPad while traveling, I can still enjoy an epic surround sound experience.
They’re comfortable as well (sensing a pattern here?) with removable earpads should you need to clean them. The protective case is slim so that it can more easily fit into a backpack or carry-on bag.
They sound good, they block out noise, and they’ll last for 30 hours on a charge. The spatial audio performance makes them worthy of consideration, but the rest of their features make them an all-around solid pair of travel headphones.
