Finding the Right Tech Gear for Your Trip
There are certainly still travelers these days who set off on around the world trips – or even on shorter jaunts – with the goal of stepping away from their tech-heavy work lives. If you’re one of those travelers, congratulations – you’re doing something I’m not sure I’m even capable of anymore. Also, if you’re one of those travelers, this article probably isn’t for you. Sorry.
For the rest of you, keep reading.
Staying connected on the road is one of the things many RTW travelers have at the front of their minds when they’re preparing for their trips. It’s not just about blogging your trip or sending emails to Mom to let her know you arrived in Botswana safely, either – although both of those things are good. Depending on how long you’re planning to be gone and whether you’ve got ongoing responsibilities to attend to, staying connected might be something you need to do rather than just want to do.
With the right tech gear, you’ll be able to not only keep up a blog, email friends and family, or edit photos you take along the way. You’ll also be able to do things like online banking and maintaining a web-based business (if that’s how you’re financing your trip). But since you’re traveling long-term, chances are good that you’re traveling as light as possible. So it’s all about getting the right gear.
Although they’re less powerful overall than a full-sized computer or laptop, netbooks can be the ideal solution for travelers. They’re lightweight, and newer models come with more robust operating systems than the original ones used to, making them a reasonable choice for long-term use. Couple any one of the best netbooks for traveling with an account with an online backup system and you’ve got the start of the perfect tech travel setup.
No matter what tech gear you’ve got in your pack, if it needs to be plugged into a wall at some point and if you’re traveling to several different places, you’ll need to have a good set of travel converters and adapters so you don’t fry your equipment or set the hostel on fire. The best ones for long-term travelers who are trying to travel light are all-in-one gadgets that have multiple plug options and serve as both converter and adapter. There are less pieces to misplace and it’s a smaller size overall.
Finding the right tech gear for your trip may take some old-fashioned research, but if you’re planning to do more than check in from an internet cafe every now and then you’ll be glad you did the legwork.
photo by Todd Barnard