I'd highly recommend fiction, history, and biographies. If you can, find things written about people and events in the region(s) you're visiting. Detailed maps

I'd highly recommend fiction, history, and biographies. If you can, find things written about people and events in the region(s) you're visiting. Detailed maps are also great, because they let you go wander around and get a bit lost, then find your way back to wherever you've staying. My usual media/gadget inventory while traveling is a compact camera, Kindle and a paperback or two, and a battery-powered speaker for listening to music at night. No headphones (too isolating), no tech books (distracting, and honestly frustrating w/o the Internet to do additional research) and only as many hours of video as I need to keep myself distracted during the flight.