When you are traveling with the intent to learn something about yourself, the question of what electronics to bring becomes very important. Electronics can provide a lot of things to support you in your trip. For me it has been helpful to think about what I am trying to accomplish with these devices, and then back into what devices to bring, since some devices can serve different roles. For interest an iphone can be a e-reader, video and photo camera, GPS, phone, blogging device (albeit with a very small screen), and internet portal.
8 things you should definitely consider when considering what kind of device to bring include:
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Reading device – a Kindle or other device such as an iphone/ipad touch/tablet can serve as an electronic reading device. You may want to read historical books on the region, travel guides, biographies from other travelers, or fiction stories for pleasure. If you are packing light this will save a lot of space vs bringing physical books. If you do bring physical books, note that you’ll be able to pick up and ditch books during your trip as well.
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Take photos / record video and upload – it goes without saying that you’ll want to capture your experience to share with others and recall your travels later in your life. A digital SLR will give the best photo quality, but you will need to be careful not to lose it or get it stolen. A compact/pocket camera can provide good photo quality and be easier to carry around and less susceptible to theft. A smartphone can offer good photo/video quality as well, and allows for pictures to be easily uploaded. With a camera/digital SLR, you’ll need either a wireless SD card, laptop with USB port to download pictures onto, or tablet that accepts SD card or mini SD card to be able to upload your content. Other options are to bring your SD card into a photo store that can upload your content or burn onto a CD. And lastly you can of course wait until you get home to download your pictures.
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Browse the internet – A laptop, netbook, tablet, or smartphone can provide access to the internet. The larger devices are more powerful and have full or compact keyboards. Smartphones are compact but lack a physical keyboard, though you can buy a bluetooth keyboard to get around that issue. Finally, you can go without a device and rely on internet cafes to access internet — but be aware internet cafes may not be available in more rural areas, and the computers may be infected with viruses to steal your passwords or cause other mischief.
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Access and get on the internet – Even if you have a device that is capable of browsing the internet, depending on where you are you may not have the ability to get on the internet. Wifi is available in larger cities. For more rural areas, an unlocked phone or tablet can get you on the internet with a local SIM card purchased in country. If you have a tablet or laptop, a Mifi or USB wireless adapter can also take a local SIM card and create a wireless hotspot for you to access with your device.
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Backup photos/video – Internet can be spotty or slow, making online backup options like Dropbox or Google Drive less feasible. You can bring a portable hard drive to backup content. With respect to harddrives, there are models with wifi hotspots built-in to upload from devices that can’t connect directly to a hard drive such as an iPhone. There are also models with SD card slots that allow you to upload directly from a camera to the hard drive without needing a laptop. Another option is to use a laptop or tablet/smartphone as your backup device. You can use a USB cord to transfer to a laptop. Tablet/smartphones are a bit trickier to backup onto, with your options being a wifi enabled SD card, SD to microSD adapter card (if your tablet/smartphone takes a microSD card), or OTG cable and special software to transfer pictures via cable. Finally, you can take SD cards into photo stores and have a DVD burned with the content, which you can then mail home as backup.
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Blog – For the most part devices that you can use to access the internet will allow you to blog. Just be aware that typing without a keyboard can be time-consuming, and using a device with a large screen may make it difficult to proofread content.
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Listen to music – A smartphone, tablet, or laptop can offer this functionality. If you have one, it is probably not worth bringing a separate device like an ipod that just allows you to listen to music, unless you want a compact device to run/exercise. Don’t forget headphones! Ear-bud style headphones pack smaller and are less noticeable than larger noise-reducing or other over-the-ear style headphones. You may also opt for a portable speaker.
- Recharge – In addition to bringing your power cords, you’ll want travel adapters to allow you to plug your charger into the wall. A compact surge protector can provide multiple outlets for your electronics, which is especially helpful when staying in shared accommodations with others. Also, if traveling outside of major cities or hiking for extended periods of time, consider an external recharable battery.
Given all of the above, I’ve decided to bring a Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 7” with a bluetooth keyboard, cheap ear-bud headphones, and an inexpensive yet good quality Panosonic Lumix DMC-ZS15 camera. I’ll backup my content by burning DVDs from my SD cards and mailing home along the way. Finally, I got an Anker Astro 3E external portable battery. This combination allows me to accomplish all of the tasks above.
As I’ve researched my trip and the different experiences that I am planning on taking, I’ve realized that there is a tremendous opportunity for me to have a transformative life experience that helps shape my perspective when I come back to the USA. In fact, just sitting back and doing nothing except keeping my eyes and ears wide open and living in the moment would get me most of that life-changing experience, I’m sure. But by capturing photo/video and blogging, I’ll be able to stay accountable to my goals to treat this as a learning experience, and recall what I’ve learned in the future after my trip.
Lessons Learned
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When you are planning for an experience, consider what tools you will need ahead of time
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If people have gone through an experience before you, they can be an invaluable group from which to get advice and ideas on the pros and cons of different tools to consider
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No solution/tool will be perfect – figure out what is most important to you, and what you can obtain to accomplish those tasks. Everyone has a different perspective, so hear what they have to say, and then make your own decision on what you think makes sense to bring
What are some of your favorite devices to travel with? What do you accomplish with those devices?
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