Travel Tech

John

Level 2 Member
What Technology do you travel with/can't do without.

Technology I travel with:

IPad Mini (loaded with lots of movies, TV shows for layovers, insomnia and guidebook chapters DL in PDF)
Kindle Paperwhite (nothing like having dozens of books to choose from to read without the weight)
IPhone & lightweight speaker (for obvious reasons and for great music to share with new friends you meet)
Camera
Noise cancelling (Bose) Headphones (really helps with all that plane noise)
Various charges, cords and adapter plug
I especially love traveling with a 6' Extension Cord. What is it with hotels and where they place outlets.

I don't think I missed anything.
 

littlenemo

Laughing Coffin Member
Good list. I've recently added TrakDot and a an 11 ounce tripod to supplement the camera. Cannot depend on others to take a decent picture of my wife and I together in a shot.
 

John

Level 2 Member
Good list. I've recently added TrakDot and a an 11 ounce tripod to supplement the camera. Cannot depend on others to take a decent picture of my wife and I together in a shot.
You are right. I use a swivel screen camera for taking us together & selfies. I dislike asking people to take a pic. Of course, the quality of my swivel screen photo is limited
 

Haley

I am not a robot
Otherwise my lust is very close, iPad, iPhone, headphones. Power strip, adapters as needed, extra cords.
My husband carries a ridiculous camera kit, 3-4 lenses, speed lamp, things I'm not sure what they do and don't want to know what they cost, a monopod. He does get great photos.

How about apps? STAYconnect turns your iPhone into a remote for many US hotels (Comcast). Anyone ever use it? I hardly ever even turn on the TV, but I like the idea of the app. If it works.
 

AU1

Level 2 Member
I've found the TripAdvisor app to be very helpful for finding and keeping track of places to go.
 

BoonDR

Level 2 Member
I love my new Jackery portable charger. It is a pain sometime to charge devices when overseas. The Jackery helps a lot. We just bought a second one for my wife.
 

Voyaging Doc

Level 2 Member
extension cord, international power converter, backup/portable batteries, tablet, phone, earphones, bluetooth portable speaker, (micro)SD cards with OTG devices that can transfer pics/videos/data between tablet and phone, USB flash drive
 

littlenemo

Laughing Coffin Member
I love my new Jackery portable charger. It is a pain sometime to charge devices when overseas. The Jackery helps a lot. We just bought a second one for my wife.
Thanks for the info...I added to my amazon wishlist. Have been looking for a while for a battery pack with good reviews. Haven't pulled the trigger because all the other devices seem to not be near perfect.
 

Tyler2

Level 2 Member
One power adapter and then a small power strip/extension. That way one converter feeds several devices.

This is probably obvious to anyone posting here. However, I've found that for others who are traveling abroad for the first time, the concept of having just one adapter for multiple devices doesn't make sense at first glance.
 

Evernyte

Level 2 Member
I have my Toshiba thrive for video/movies/tv shows. Nook for my reading. All power cords, 3 pairs of earphones and my targus bag in which I carry it all in.
 

ddavidch

Level 42 Member
I'm in the android world and carry spare batteries to swap as I tend to watch movies/listen to music on long trips...
Another useful thing is a Google Chromecast - its completely portable and you can get it on the WiFi network at your hotel and watch Netflix, etc. with your phone as the remote.
My other stuff is mostly like everyone else; camera(s), lenses, charger(s), cables, etc.
 

konorth

Level 2 Member
I can't live without my Mophy juicepack iphone case. Lightweight and a full charge or more for the phone. My next Mophy will have the extra storage so I can load extra movies and stream it to my ipad mini as I often forget to load new movies onto the ipad. Not a Bose fan, love my earbuds with my custom airplane play lists.
 

Ryan U

Level 2 Member
Think the thing I can't travel without is my travel power strip with 2 2A USB ports built in. It saves space because I just need to take my apple cables and not the power adapters.
 

John

Level 2 Member
I love my new Jackery portable charger. It is a pain sometime to charge devices when overseas. The Jackery helps a lot. We just bought a second one for my wife.
That looks really interesting and they have one that weights 5,4 oz. i am a nut about traveling light. I bought a weight watches scale and my wife thought it was to weight food. No, it is to weight what goes in my luggage. There is nothing like having a partner to put up with your insanity.
 

John

Level 2 Member
I always take my Power Monkey Explorer (https://www.powertraveller.com/en/shop/portable-chargers/outdoor-adventure/powermonkey-explorer:1/ ). It's a portable charger with interchangeable charging tips (usb, iPhone, other phones, etc). It even comes with a solar panel you can use if you're way out in the wilderness or something.
I like power traveller products. They are a bit on the expensive side. I used for a long time their portable speaker which had great sound until I found something lighter.
 

smittytabb

Moderator
Staff member
extension cord, international power converter, backup/portable batteries, tablet, phone, earphones, bluetooth portable speaker, (micro)SD cards with OTG devices that can transfer pics/videos/data between tablet and phone, USB flash drive
I have one of those international power converters, but I never use it anymore because all of my electronics are 100-240 and so there is no need to convert. A lot of people pack those, but they are often not necessary at all. Check your devices to verify if you need it or not.
 

DarcyMae

New Member
Am I the only person who still loves her GPS device for getting around by car? Mine happens to be a Garmin. I know I could use my phone but I like the large graphics on the GPS and the live traffic updates/ability for GPS to redirect me to the best routing.
 

Miles

Level 2 Member
Am I the only person who still loves her GPS device for getting around by car?
I agree with you DarcyMae. My phone can do an OK job of navigation, but the GPS gives me better information on upcoming lane choices and has the option of a louder voice.
 

John

Level 2 Member
I have to say I bought the premium power Jockery and then fully charged the device. My Ipad mini was at 28% so i attempted to charge it with the Jockey. The Jockery Bar died before my Ipad reached 77% adter what seem to take the length of a bible. I am returning it back to Amazon.
 

bismark

Level 2 Member
Last two weeks we used my wife's unlocked AT&T iPhone 5 (A1428) in Japan with a b-mobile prepaid sim. Even though the phone is not officially supported (only the A1429 is), everything worked just fine (though with some spotty coverage in Takayama). Definitely don't know how we would have gotten around without a smartphone with maps.
 

kjnckelly

Level 2 Member
Hello all,
I've got a long international flight coming up. I am trying to figure out the right mix of what to have easy access to on the flight, vs what goes in the big carry-on (awkward to access). I like all of the travel tech you guys have listed in this thread, but i am more interested in the subset of those things that you need with you on the plane. I take a powerstrip, but it can be in my roll-aboard carry-on.

I am not a complete noob, but will admit to only having been on 5 long haul flights, and still don't feel like I've got this figured out.

So my question is, what do you need to have quick access to with you on the plane. The amenity kit has some things, but do you count on using them or bringing your own? And this can be answered for both Business/First and back of the plane.

Since one way will be overnight, and the return will be day time in which I want to stay awake, answer with things that you may need for both.

My list:
Nexus 7 tablet with movies/tv shows preloaded
"good" eye mask
quality (Bose) earphones
reading glasses
quality earplugs (the airline issued ones have been hit or miss for me)
melatonin

For the toiletries, the amenity kit is good enough, even though I have had some nasty toothpaste from an Asiana flight after which I was begging a FA for a drink/snack to change the flavor in my mouth.

So what is missing? What do you take?
 

ddavidch

Level 42 Member
Update with my new portable charger/battery...
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BQ5KHJW
These were $24 before the holidays.
I've owned multiple Anker products and been happy with their replacement batteries and this charger.

Also, found a replacement for carrying my DSLR/lenses that will fit in a pocket easily; the Sony RX100 Mark III.
Very portable and great quality, love the viewfinder.
Eats batteries though, so buy spares as I could barely get through a day of shooting on a single charge.

Hope this helps someone.
 
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