If you are a traveler and a musician, you may experience frustration with the inability to play music while you’re on the road. Ukuleles are great instruments to travel with because they are small and portable, and luckily, there are many great options for lightweight and durable ukuleles that can survive travel.
The best travel ukulele is the Flight 4-String Travel Series Soprano Ukulele because it is weather-resistant, durable, and affordable. However, there are many great options for travel ukuleles such as the Donna Carbon Fiber, the Enya Concert Fiber, and the Hola and the Everjoy’s Soprano bundles.
The rest of this article discusses your best options for travel ukuleles. Keep reading if you’re looking to hit the road but still want to strum your uke!
Best Overall: Flight, 4-String Soprano Ukulele
This ukulele is ideal for traveling because it is durable, weather-resistant, and sounds great! The neck and fingerboard are plastic that doesn’t react to different weather conditions, so you’ll be able to enjoy your uke on a humid beach or in a desert without worrying about it going out of tune.
Furthermore, this ukulele uses a zero fret and an adjustable saddle, so you don’t need to worry about the intonation changing.
Although the body and fretboard are plastic, that doesn’t mean that this ukulele doesn’t sound great. Luthiers create the soundboard out of laminate linden wood, which helps give it a bright and pleasant sound instead of the hollow sound many plastic ukuleles have.
This ukulele is available in various colors and designs, including a mandala design if you want a more traditional look. It also comes with a denim-colored gig bag for extra protection and an instructional booklet if you’re a beginner.
Finally, the affordable price makes this an excellent choice for a travel ukulele. Although this is a sturdy instrument, you may break it, or it could get stolen out of a hostel locker or from your backpack while you’re on the move. If this were to happen, you wouldn’t be out hundreds of dollars because this uke isn’t as expensive as other models.
Pros
- Bright sound, even though it contains plastic
- Tuners keep a tune well
- Inexpensive
- Many different colors and designs.
Cons
- Made mostly of plastic
- Isn’t as lightweight as some travelers prefer
Best Budget-Friendly Option: Hola! Music Soprano Ukulele Bundle
If you want more bang for your buck, look no further than this affordable bundle from Hola! Music. This bundle comes with a 21” (53 cm) soprano ukulele, a canvas bag, a strap, and three pick sizes, so you’ll have everything you need to travel and play.
For such an affordable price, the ukulele boasts surprisingly high-quality materials. The strings are premium Aquila nylgut, a synthetic string combining the best features of nylon and gut strings (hence the name). The ukelele neck is made of nato wood, the body is maple, and the bridge and fingerboards are walnut.
These materials make for a great-sounding ukulele and one that is sturdy enough to handle the bumps and occasionally rough conditions of travel.
If you’re a beginner, purchasing this bundle also comes with two months of free online ukulele lessons. There are many different colors to choose from, including a traditional-looking three-tone color as well as orange green, and blue.
Pros
- You get a lot for a low price
- High-quality materials for its price point
- It comes with a canvas bag for traveling
- A thin neck makes for easy playability
- It comes with free online lessons
- It offers a bright sound.
Cons
- Professional players may be disappointed with the feel
- You will need time to break the strings in, so it won’t be in tune for a few days after purchase
- Tuners aren’t as quality as the rest of the instrument.
Best Splurge: Donner Carbon Fiber Travel Ukulele
If you have a little more money to spend and want a travel ukulele that will knock your socks off, this ukulele from Donner is a great choice. The high-density carbon fiber top makes for a sweet and crisp sound, and the material is reliable and maintenance-free, even in drastic changes in temperature and humidity.
This ukulele is exceptionally well-designed. The unique shape of the sound hole further contributes to the great sound of this ukulele and the one-piece construction body that increases the efficiency of sound transmission. Furthermore, the frets are round and made with smooth material, so this ukulele is more comfortable to play with than alternative options.
Pros
- Unique design makes for great sound
- Reliable and durable
- Weather-resistant
- One-piece construction body
- Unique tone.
Cons
- More expensive than other options on this list
- It only comes in black, green, red, or white
- Included strings break easily.
Best Lightweight Option: Enya Concert Fiber Travel Ukulele
The ukulele that comes in this Enya bundle is only 1.25 pounds (0.56 kg), and the body is only 2 inches (5.08 cm) wide, so if you’re looking for a uke, that won’t be a burden to carry around, this is your best bet!
Additionally, this is an excellent travel ukulele because it is waterproof, so you don’t need to worry about getting caught in the rain or traveling by boat. This bundle offers a case, strap, capo, strings, and online lessons.
The ukulele boasts carbon fiber composite polycarbonate, which is durable, and the body’s design makes it easy to clean. This instrument also features a side sound hole, which makes for better self-resonance.
Pros
- Ukulele is extremely lightweight
- Waterproof
- Designed for players at all levels
- Bright sound
- It comes with a case, strap, capo, and strings.
Cons
- Not compatible with wound strings or strings containing metallic compounds
- Not as many color and design options as other ukuleles on this list
- Some users struggle to keep it in tune
- The neck might be too thin for some players
Best Tenor: Travel Ukulele Tenor Zebra Ukulele
This ukulele offers a genuine rosewood fretboard and bridge, which makes it one of the best-sounding travel tenors on the market. It is also highly portable and compact and only weighs approximately two and a half pounds, so it won’t weigh you down while you’re on the move.
The Kala brand is known for its workmanship and pleasant aesthetics, so with this ukulele, you won’t be sacrificing quality and beauty for portability. The audio quality is rich and full even though the instrument is small, and the die-cast chrome geared tuners keep the uke in tune.
Pros
- High-quality tuners keep the uke consistently in tune
- Lightweight
- Compact design
- Aesthetically pleasing
- Comfortable to hold and play.
Cons
- It might be too thin for some players
- It doesn’t come with a bag or strap
- Lots of fret buzz
- The uke lacks attachment for a strap.
Best for Beginners: Everjoys Soprano Ukulele Beginner Pack
For an affordable price, beginners can get this soprano ukulele made of fine basswood and blackwood, a digital tuner, a strap, spare picks, a polishing cloth, a bag, and a songbook to help them get started with their ukulele journey. The nylon strings are highly playable and stay in tune, even in changing climates.
Pros
- Affordable
- Lots of different color options
- Includes ukulele, tuner, strap, and songbook
- Smooth frets increase comfortability.
Cons
- Included strings are not high-quality
- Tuning pegs are not highly secure on the head
- The sound isn’t as bright as the alternatives.
Final Thoughts
There are many great options for ukuleles to travel with, as many ukulele companies have recognized travelers’ desire to have their instrument with them as they globe-trot. The best overall choice is the Flight 4-String Travel Series Soprano Ukulele, but you can’t go wrong with any of the options on this list.
