A Guide for Traveling with Technology

A Guide for Traveling with Technology -

This is dedicated to a guest post by travel tech guru Dave Dean of too many adapters, website technology for travelers.

wondering what to take on the road when it comes to electronics? You are not the only one. Long gone are the days where a cassette player and movie camera was the height of travel gadgets. On foot in a hostel common room now, would you for thinking you stumbled into the local electronics store had to be assigned randomly. You're probably of laptops and tablet PCs, smart phones and DSLRs, and to be surrounded softly glowing Apple logos than you can shake a stick at.

often did not know what they really need, people carry a lot more in the end tech equipment on the street, as they should. After several years of traveling and although you are working online, I have found out what works, what does not, and what you really need.

Laptop

The gradual disappearance of Internet cafes in favor of Wi-Fi hotspots, a laptop is definitely worth considering. It is the easiest way to stay in touch up photos and wasting time.

I use to work my from the street, so I went for something quite powerful, but more typical application, a thin and light laptop like an Ultrabook (eg Asus Zenbook Prime) or Macbook Air can do anything to deliver need for a lower weight and (possibly) costs. Things that are important:

Size - Nothing larger than a 13 "screen or weighing more than 1 kg or less is definitely better, consider the size and weight. . the power to adapter These things can be very large

strength -. a little well done, which is not covered for the first time is struck in the bag into pieces Get a protective case for protection against cushion scratches and minor knocks, and the ratings of its durability read

battery life -. Five or six hours is the minimum 8+ is much better if you are planning a long night buses to take or trains

space -. not on the amount of memory not skimp you 128Gb is really the minimum, and more is much better all need these photos and downloaded movies more space than.. They think

SD card slot - There is not an absolute must, but having built a SD card slot in your laptop is very convenient. Assuming your camera uses SD cards (most do), a built-in card reader allows you to copy the photos super easy. All you do is insert the card and transmitted

The costs - The less you spend, the more money you can spend at the bar, right? is to mention be cheaper by the computer to make sure, and replace and less of a target for theft. Do not spend more than $ 1000.

If your budget stretch not so far or your needs are simple, you could go for a tablet instead. Mature technologies such as netbooks could also do the job, although they are difficult to find ever.

Tablet

If I did not work online, I would ditch the laptop and wearing instead a tablet computer. Smaller, lighter, cheaper and with better battery life than a laptop, the most famous example is known Apple iPad (mini or full-sized). While either of them to do the work for a traveler, the best value for money is at the moment in the Android range. A Google Nexus 7 or larger Nexus 10 would be much my recommendation.

It is to be said for choosing a tablet, if your main purpose is consumption (ie read websites, books, and e-mails or films) instead of creation (writing, editing video, etc.). Again, choose one with plenty of storage (either built-in or via microSD card).

to back up your photos, both for Apple and Android devices can plug in an external SD card reader, so you Pick those up as well.

If you shot absolutely no choice, you can use the camera on the tablet to get the must-have. Be be aware you'll look pretty stupid doing so.

phone

I carry a Samsung Galaxy S2. It has to be quickly saved an indispensable piece of the travel technology, with all my music, photos, apps and entertainment on the microSD card, and it was both cheaper and easier to make than the iPhone I use used.

I made sure that the unlocked version to buy from my phone, which means that I can call a prepaid SIM card anywhere in the world and take advantage of much cheaper and use data rates. Your mobile home businesses will charge incredibly high prices, if you are using your normal number abroad, calls and data roaming prohibitively expensive for most travelers.

The change to a local cell company when you arrive in a country, you can save a small fortune. I personally know people who inadvertently data when activated on vacation for a week and returned home to a bill of several thousand dollars. If you need to unlock your phone and absolutely use it while traveling, off at least the data connection, to reduce the pain

I use dozens of travel apps, but three of the best are .:

• Skype: As a general rule, all my international calls via Skype over Wi-Fi or 3G. It is quick and easy, and in the value of Skype Credit 'means to buy a few dollars that I can call any phone for hours in the world
• TripIt .: I have tried all sorts of ways to keep track of travel reservations, but TripIt is the simplest. Many confirmation e-mails can easily be forwarded to it to add to your list, and it does not take long to add the other manually. With the pro version I even of schedule changes and delays notification. have every detail at the fingertips, has saved me more than once at the check-ins and bus stations around the world
• Google Translate .: Google Airport only updated the Android version of its translation app, you can now download language packs for offline use me. Earlier was the app handy for finding out what was on the ground on the menu, or say / a few words in the local language my point appears to mediate. Now that I can use it anywhere, it is indispensable.

e-reader

I resisted an e-reader for a long time to buy. I am a physical book kind of guy. But now that I have made the leap to a Kindle, I am very satisfied.

It's incredibly small and light, more so than even a little paperback, and can store hundreds of books, guide books and whatever else I might need. I took the Keyboard 3G, which costs more than the Wi-Fi-only version, but the ability of cell phone coverage from anywhere new books to download is invaluable.

An unexpected advantage is the hidden "section experimental": a slow, clunky Web browser. Why is this so great? Because with the 3G connection, I have free access to e-mail, Facebook, etc. in more than 100 countries.

The browser is too painful my only way to be online, but in an emergency it is fantastic. This is the only Kindle model that has this feature. All other 3G versions only let you access to Wikipedia and Amazon Store.

when I take a tablet, but on the way to read there was really no contest. The Kindle is cheaper, smaller and lighter, the battery life is measured in weeks, rather than hours, the screen in sunlight is so much better, and I can, without worrying about lying happily on the beach.

Thanks for an event that I bought from eBay, it looks like a simple notebook, if I draw on the road, need to consider directions. There is no way, I do himself that would think with each tablet. I would be too much of a target.

security

I worked in IT, if I was not traveling, so the backup long been a concern mine. I just do too many travelers, who, lost irreplaceable data because of hard drive failure and theft, among other reasons. Do you want to lose every single photo from your US road trip, cruise on Halong Bay, and been everywhere else, have you? Probably not.

I copy photos to my laptop every night, then + use CrashPlan to do the rest. For a few dollars a month, it automatically manages backups both online storage and a portable hard drive that I keep in my backpack, having to think everything without me about it. Before splashing out manually until I secured in this Subscription everything, but found that I forgot to do it too often for my taste.

Although I use a Seagate portable drive and it works well, I would look at the robust Transcend version if I bought a new.

involved for the small amount of effort, is the peace of mind more than it's worth. Do not risk losing all your digital memories.

Other

Unlike chargers and cables that always seem to tie in knots overnight, I put the only other gadgets in my backpack have a universal power supply and a four-way power box.

You would struggle to spend more than $ 25 on the combination, if you tried, and they take up very little space in your pocket, are still worth their weight in gold in it every time I Remember to get a dormitory for 12 people to a power outlet. I plug all my equipment in the four-way box, connect it to the socket on my universal adapter, and I'm done. Easy.

Choosing the right gear to travel with does not have to be a difficult task. Making a of to what you really need to enter while avoiding some smart choices and limiting all the benefits to bring the technology, most of the disadvantages. Spend a little time and money to get it right before you leave - believe me, it will save a lot of frustration when you're out there on the street

Dave a half is. Team with too many adapters, a website dedicated to travelers Technology. An outsider, as long as he can remember, he was in the IT around the world for 15 years to combine his love of all things nerdy with an overwhelming travel addiction. Now based out of a backpack long Dave writes about traveling and Tech from anywhere with halfway decent internet and great views. You can also use it on the life of a find in long-term travelers conversation What to do Dave?

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