Traveling with Technology

After a long, long winter we’re finally able to emerge and enjoy the outdoors! Our eyelashes won’t freeze to our face, the simple act of breathing won’t be painful; truly have we suffered. But before too long we’ll be planning getaways and trips and excursions and generally enjoying all the joys which leaving the house has to offer. Something we often tend to overlook is what tech to bring with us to help plan and capture these memories. I for one, being someone who’s relatively technology-heavy in their life, tend to over pack in this regard. It’s been pretty common however for me to have to loan out chargers and such for people who have arrived without, so what’s an appropriate amount of electronics to fill your baggage with?

Appropriate is, I think the operative term here. It doesn’t make sense to pack a non-weatherproof camera for let’s say a kayaking trip, as it’s additional weight, potential breakage and a thing to misplace which is unlikely to see much use. The same works in reverse, in that you’re unlikely to need your GoPro on a trip filled with stunning vistas which your fancy camera is better suited to capture. Lest we forget though, our cell phones are nowadays able to take incredible photos and video. They’re also in the case of anything modern, for the most part waterproof. This may well save you a few pounds in your carry on.

What about laptops and tablets? Well the reasons to leave them behind are numerous. Firstly, unless you’re duty bound to work while away you’re probably better off leaving anything enabling you to do so at home. When I’m taking downtime I don’t even want the ability to work, sitting in a laptop bag as temptation. These devices are also seldom ruggedized for travel. If photography is a hobby of yours and you like to process things on-location, that’s one thing. For most of us however, our cellphones (again) offer all of the posting, tweaking and chatting tools which we’d need on vacation. I like my iPad mini for this purpose. It’s too small to meaningfully work on, but powerful enough to run the software I use to check my holiday snaps.

So you’re assembling your bag or backpack. You’ve identified the things which you will and won’t need to bring on this particular trip. I like to pop an AirTag or similar tracking solution deep inside the bag, just on the off chance it should grow legs or be adopted while my attention’s diverted. It’s less the cost of the equipment, and more the value of the memories it contains. If anything with a screen is traveling with me, I’ll routinely use the innermost pockets to give it the best chance against knocks and dings. Cables are a great thing to occupy outer pockets, as it makes them easy to get to while providing additional protection for your other items. I’d never put anything with a battery in it into my checked luggage, if I happen to be flying.

What’s a good, basic starting point then? Well being that your smartphone is the do-all solution technology has made it, I’d focus on that. A solid, tested to be working charging cable and matching wall charger’s a must. If you’re spending time off the grid, an appropriately sized battery pack will save you from the dreaded zero percent. Most things charge from a simple USB cable now, so a couple of those to make sure you’re covered for cameras and other tech would be sensible. The most important thing? The travel itself. A forgotten cable or device won’t ruin the experiences you enjoy when taking time off from the daily grind. Enjoy it.