Comments on: Technology and Travel

By: Pev

Pev — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 03:13:53 +0000

I cant believe all these people talking about kit and not cases…! I carry my 15″ macbook pro, psu, cables, 3x portable HDD’s, mouse, ricoh GR digital and a few extra bits in a Peli 1490 case. Its not cheap, and not that light but it protects all my critical kit against weather, my clumsy-ness, rubbish baggage handlers etc. I also do a lot of work at muddy festivals and it protects amazingly against that environment too. A seriously recommended investment…

By: Juha Liikala

Juha Liikala — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 11:32:40 +0000

Thanks for the great list! Just curious.. Which iPod applications have you found most useful while you’re on the road?

Hope all is well with you and your current world location!

By: Kyler Mikulski

Kyler Mikulski — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 18:06:26 +0000

I thought of only one essential piece of technology that you have forgotten: the ol’ pad and pen.

I’m by no means a Luddite, but I can say that I keep much of the contents of my brain in electronic devices and thus, sadly, if they die, my heart may very well stop pumping blood. To counter this, I bought myself a Moleskine planner – it’s basically the internet on paper with a Notebook and a Calender feature. Since I’ve picked it up, my life has become significantly easier.

Particularly if you (like me) went for power over portability (i.e. own an iMac as opposed to a Macbook), having something that can fit in your pocket or purse and doesn’t need to be charged is pretty handy.

One caveat: you may lose all of your pens, so get one of those 9000 packs for a dollar at Staples or something. Good luck.

By: Mel Sowa

Mel Sowa — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 13:58:20 +0000

Great post Chris! I think your list was spot on but I wouldn’t travel anywhere without my Kindle. It has made this road warrior a happy girl! I would also not leave home without my Bose headset especially in the summer if I get caught on a “nursery flight.”

By: John McGlynn

John McGlynn — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 22:06:11 +0000

Chris, you didn’t mention how to keep all your gear charged. Consider the iGo charging products … one charger with the availability of adapters for every device you own. Saves lots of room and weight, and eliminates the confusion of all kinds of cords, powerbricks, etc.

By: Brett

Brett — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 21:50:14 +0000

I’ve been debating picking up a Netbook for my next trip abroad… but it’s hard to accept the possibility of a laptop making it home in one piece.

Have a feeling that things will work out just fine with a simple setup. Now I’m leaning toward a pocket camera and an assortment of SD cards and USB sticks.

Very tempted to upgrade my 3 year old Canon Powershot elph (which still takes awesome shots) to the Panasonic Lumix ZS3…have heard great things about the HD video.

By: David Bordewyk

David Bordewyk — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 15:55:27 +0000

I picked up a Droid last week with Android OS. Not a ton of experience with it yet, but it does let you work on Gmail offline.

By: Todd Harris

Todd Harris — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 13:25:19 +0000

Great article, Chris!

GMail Offline is essential. Another user mentioned problems with syncing. I’ve noticed some snags but these have been widely noted and quite quickly resolved.

Since I’m always working on the road, I travel with two laptops just in case one dies: a Macbook Air and hackintosh netbook.

Good headphones are essential. The Shure in-ear noise isolating variety are awesome for cutting down airplane/passenger drone. In lieu of them, I use cheapo foam ear plugs. Reducing noise reduces fatigue on long hauls.

Finally, I carry a small handheld GPS. I know it reduces the serendipity of travel, but for short pop-in, pop-outs, it’s a great time saver.

By: Kylie

Kylie — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 12:53:36 +0000

I haven’t understood most of the comments here! Especially relating to jailbreaking, quad-this and that, FTP and so on.

I guess it’s a good thing I haven’t started blogging yet!

I’m planning an epic-road trip-adventure-of-awesome in 18 months time, from Europe to the Middle East and Asia down to Australia. Hopefully I can work out how to stay connected across so many places!

By: soultravelers3

soultravelers3 — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 12:52:22 +0000

Oh BTW, we researched and bought a top of the line global quad phone before we left and just hated it. In 2006, we had to dial a million numbers just to begin! Ick!

That was one of our few choices that did not work out & we found out that with our lifestyle we don’t really need a phone. We usually can find free wifi or cheap hi speed connect..if not, we’re glad to be unplugged a bit!

It’s much easier for me to connect on Twitter (& that’s how the NYT’s got a hold of me for our recent interview!). I’m not a digital native w/ talented thumbs!

We use Skype for all our calls, even local. We did break down and bought a cheap phone for when we winter in Spain, but never use it as we have it primarily so our local friends not on Skype can call us easier.

So many ways to be digital nomads & nonconformists!