A career as a food and travel writer may sometimes appear rather glamorous, but the reality can be quite different. It often involves long and exhausting days researching and exploring in all kinds of weather conditions. For all the beautiful days we may enjoy experiencing a picturesque olive harvest, we have those stretches of walking through farms or vineyards when it’s sweltering out, and those humid jaunts can get progressively sweaty and uncomfortable if you’re not sporting the proper attire and gear.

While sometimes our work will go indoors, where we can try the wines or freshly harvested fruits and vegetables in the comfort of air conditioning, that’s not always the case. And as the world has been experiencing record-high temperatures in recent years, it’s become a job necessity to find ways to stay cool and comfortable while outdoors by whatever means I can, whether it’s staying hydrated and wearing a sun hat, embracing cooling clothing options, or – of late – taking along the PenKou Portable Neck Fan.

PenKou Portable Neck Fan

Currently 20 percent off, the portable neck fan offers instant, 360-degree, gentle cooling via 72 thin ventilation slots (or wind outlets, as the brand calls them) and a lightweight and adjustable wrap-around design that honestly, at an initial glance, looks a lot like headphones resting on your neck. The PenKou Portable Neck Fan has a sort of geeky gadget aesthetic that would appeal to the tech nerds among us for sure, but what I was most concerned with was not how it looked — vain as I can be at times (and this trip had big picture moments) — but if wearing it would cool down my head and neck enough that I could do my job and be reasonably comfortable even in a rather unbearably hot setting.

I’ll be honest, I didn’t originally buy this portable neck fan for travel purposes. I currently live in an apartment without air conditioning, and it can get particularly toasty on sweltering summer days. I have a few well-placed fans around my apartment, but when I discovered that portable neck fans were kind of a big deal on TikTok (and that there was a wearable option that could keep me cool as I worked during those oppressive days), I had to give it a try.

PenKou Portable Neck Fan

I remember the first time I told my mom I was going about my workday (and travels!) with a fan around my neck, and she had several stereotypically motherly concerns. She was imagining fan blades circulating around my neck, poised to injure or maim. The reality couldn’t be further from the truth. What it does do is create a refreshing cooling breeze, even if you’re in a stuffy room or environment on one of those windless humid and hot days. 

Much like wireless headphones do with volume control, the PenKou Portable Neck Fan has a button at the side that allows you to cycle through during fan speeds, and it’s also built to last all day thanks to a rechargeable battery that will last between three to 24 hours depending on the speed used. This serves well when working or exploring outdoors, or just trying to sit at a cafe and get some work done on a steamy afternoon.

PenKou Portable Neck Fan

Between its recent TikTok fame and its 4,600-plus five-star ratings from Amazon shoppers, the game-changing PenKou Portable Neck Fan is definitely not a secret anymore. In fact, more than 30,000 of them were sold in the last month alone, according to Amazon. In their review, a Disney World parkgoer called the neck fan a “must-have” if you “are traveling somewhere hot, or just live in high-temperature places” because the battery “lasts a long time and [the fan] truly cools you off.” 

Chiming in, another shopper raved that it came in handy for a jungle vacation: “I didn’t have to recharge it my entire trip for five days. It was even cooling on the medium setting.” And, if you’re a hot sleeper, one reviewer confirmed that it’s comfortable to wear to bed. “I take this everywhere: traveling, hiking, sporting events, running, biking and I’ve even slept with it on.” 

What started out as a gadget I was using to survive in my apartment in the summer is now something I use to cool down between appointments, when I’m traveling, or working outdoors on those steamy days. The PenKou Portable Neck Fan is so portable and versatile that I cannot imagine living without it — even if one day, I do become a person who lives in an apartment with central air conditioning and avoids traveling during triple-digit temperatures. As if any of that would ever happen! 

Grab the PenKou Portable Neck Fan before your next adventure, and keep scrolling to explore the other cooling gadgets that Amazon has to offer. 

More Cooling Travel Accessories at Amazon:

Ergodyne Cooling Headband

O2Cool Deluxe Necklace Fan

Slenpet Portable Waist Clip Fan

Rogg Toggs Chilly Pad Instant Cooling Towel

Jisulife Handheld Mini Fan

At the time of publishing, the price started at $32. 

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