Tech Essentials for the Avid Traveler
Whether you’re constantly traveling for business or you’re simply a jet-setting globe-trotter always on the lookout for 
your next international adventure, you have probably had to face some setbacks in the course of your travels. Perhaps you’ve wandered around a foreign city in search of your destination because you don’t speak or read the local language. Or maybe you’ve had to give up on taking additional photos because your camera’s inadequate memory card was full. You might have even arrived at your destination and opened your luggage to find one of your many tech devices ruined by rough travel. All of these occurrences could cause you serious setbacks on your trip. So here are just a few tech essentials that every avid traveler should pack.
- Smart phone. There is no tech gadget more useful for frequent travelers than an international smart phone. Not only can it be used to contact loved ones and business associates back home; it can also provide you with information on the area you’re visiting, including directions (Google maps), eateries (Urban Spoon), and all types of businesses (Foursquare). There are apps galore to help you along. You can even turn your 3G phone into a wireless hotspot to connect other devices (like your laptop) to the internet.
- Solar-powered backpack. Look to the folks at Voltaic for one product that every traveler will be happy to have. You’re probably brining a pack or purse of some sort anyway, so why not turn your carry-on into a handy charger for all of your mobile devices? Just get the solar panel into the sun and you can charge all of your electronics (smart phone, laptop, mp3 player, etc.) on the go. And for days when you don’t have the sun at your service, try Kensington’s portable power pack. This tiny device can be pre-charged to deliver anywhere from 5 to 55 hours of extra play time on many mobile devices.
- Kindle Fire. Tired of carrying bulky books with you to while away the travel time? What about the slew of devices you use to watch movies, play games, listen to music, and browse the web? For the avid traveler, there’s nothing better than consolidating for a lighter bag, so a tablet is a great economizing device. But if you’re not too keen to pay $500+ for this space-saver, then the Kindle Fire could be the solution. You’ll get all the entertainment you want in one gadget, plus 5GB of free storage on Amazon’s cloud network (although you’ll have to be within range of Wi-Fi to access any media stored online). Still, it’s a steal at $199.
- Thumb drive. Since you can’t exactly carry your colocation services with you, it behooves you to find another form of storage for your media, and a simple thumb drive is an economical and compact solution. You can get 16GB of storage for about $20 these days and never have to delete another vacation photo. Just make sure your devices are compatible as some may sport a micro USB port (like the Kindle) or only support mini SD cards (like some cameras), for example.
- Scottevest. If you want your quality tech to remain intact, your best bet is to keep it on your person. In this respect a Scottevest is your new go-to garment. Dubbed “pocket nirvana” by the Washington Post, these handy jackets and vests have pockets for all of your electronic devices (from 6-16, and more). Some have clear windows for touch-screen access and the best part is that you can easily remove them (along with all your gadgets) and slide them through a security check so that you’re not holding up the line as you pull out your many devices.
