The Northern Lights shine above as you watch from a glass-covered room. It's 15 degrees Fahrenheit on a clear night in Iceland, and nothing can beat this view. You plan to stay up as late as possible to watch the colors in the sky, so you prep a cup of coffee to enjoy while under a cozy blanket.

As the coffee pot brews, anticipation builds for that first delicious sip. When the coffee is finally ready, you take drink. P-tui! You practically spit the coffee out in utter disgust. No way are you finishing this silt. Now, you're coffee-less as you watch the sky into the night.

Have you ever experienced this before? Hopefully not! If you have, though, here are the four best ways to make a tasty cup of coffee on the go so you aren't left with a disappointing alternative.

1. AeroPress

This fantastic little coffee brewer can be taken anywhere, with almost no storage space required in your travel bags. The AeroPress, and the newer AeroPress Go, is the ideal coffee-brewing method on your adventures.

The AeroPress also has amazing versatility. You can create a brew similar to espresso with an inverted method or you can brew a pour over, among other methods — all which work while you're traveling.

2. Kalita Wave/Hario V60 

These brewers make fantastic pour over coffee. Though each method can be nuanced in its own right, both practically guarantee a tastier cup than most hotel coffees. The two pour overs are around the size of a cantaloupe, but compact enough to fit in your carry-on. 

Both pour overs have competitive results among their different ways to brew. Fortunately, many recipes can be found online for free to help you out, an we're happy to provide our own brew guide for the Kalita Wave.

3. French Press

In all likelihood, you've seen a small, strange-looking glass pitcher in the kitchen of someone you know. Who would have thought this simple contraption could brew amazing coffee?

The French Press is easy to use, though the fine details of brewing with it can be tricky to master, as the final quality depends sensitively on each step being done right. Check out our detailed French Press brew guide to ensure your coffee tastes that much better. 

The French Press also comes in different sizes. There are some large selections, but you can find more compact, durable versions made of metal that are ideal for travel.

4. Wacaco Nanopresso

This little brewer is impressive. It's a traveling mock-espresso machine for enthusiasts who must have crema in their daily coffee. Though it won't be "true" espresso, it will create a great cup of coffee for camping or traveling. The brewing method is similar to a full espresso machine — it has a portafilter that fits about eight grams of finely ground coffee, and uses a small manual pump that builds up enough pressure to push the water through the grounds.

This mock-espresso maker can build 10 to 12 bars of pressure, which is more than enough to brew a cup similar to a single-shot Americano. Due to the design, the pressure is not evenly spread across the brew. But we are traveling here, and this espresso will definitely taste better than many of the standard batch coffee machines. 

Just because you're halfway around the world, that doesn't mean your coffee must be bad. Use these simple, portable brewing methods to ensure your travel coffee meets the same (or close!) delightful standards of home.