Vacation Gadgets – What’s Worth Bringing and What’s Not

(Vacation-Proof Your Gadgets, too)

The ABCs of Vacation Gadgets

One article cannot cover every aspect of digital gadgetry that may – or may not – benefit a vacation. Use the words below as a primer or fundamental checklist for things that may have have not occurred to you as you plan your vacation. Though they can vary by degrees from one to another, just what sort of vacation are you going to take? The type of vacation will dictate what sort of gadgets you need to drag along. For the sake of simplicity, consider three kinds of vacations, keeping in mind that there are infinite degrees of necessity and desire between each:

1. Absolute Getaway – Camera, Mobile, Maybe Neither
   If this is your vacation style, then you know what you’re doing with your life – enjoying it. You might want to take your smart phone, but check with your carrier to understand roaming and its costs for your specific plan. Some folks either rent or buy a phone once they reach their destination and reload it as necessary using local currency. If you’re not a real picky shutterbug, your smartphone camera might be enough for your vacation snapshots. If not, pack a DSLR or video camera. Some folks are happy with just an iPhone. You’re going to new, exciting places and it won’t hurt you to be unplugged. Besides, if you absolutely need the web, most hotels and airports have media rooms and you can usually find a net café in most cities and towns around the world.
2. Getting     Away but Staying in Touch – Camera, Mobile, Pad or Laptop
   So, you’re not going to really work; you just want to keep in touch. You might blog a couple times, check your email and bank accounts, and send photos to relatives and friends. Take your smartphone or consider renting or buying one after you arrive. You will probably want a DSLR or video camera along. You’ll need a pad or laptop to catalogue, modify, and prepare your pictures for sending to friends and family. And either will be indispensable if you want to do any serious writing.
3. Relocating Your Office to a Beach or a Resort – Everything You Can Carry
   You poor sap! This is called a “working vacation” which means that you might be sitting on a beach or on a mountaintop, but you’ll still be sweating the job, not so much the sun or the fun. Just grab everything you usually have access to when you’re really working. You probably won’t need a desktop PC. You might even want to include your electronic picture frame from your desk at home. If you’re going to be working, why not have the whole set-up? Just remember, clearing customs if you venture abroad can be a real pain with all that electronic gear.

Special Vacation Considerations

If you’re not going to leave the country, your banking and connectivity needs shouldn’t be too demanding beyond the way you currently take care of such things. The inevitability of being delayed during your travels should be considered. How are you going to handle money needs? What comforts would be pleasant to have along? You must consider these things as you venture from hearth and home, especially if you’re going abroad.

• Money Gadgets
  – Credit Cards. You need to call your credit card issuer to get a solid idea of which sort of transactions you will be able to do once you arrive at your destination, which ATMs you may use, fees for currency exchange, use of your card for shopping. You will also     want them to know that you will be travelling. If they are not aware of this and start seeing strange charges from strange lands, they could very well put a hold on your account.
  – Prepaid Currency Cards. Rather than travellers cheques, you may want to get a prepaid Visa or MasterCard in the currency of the destination. This could save you from unnecessary or ridiculous fees as you have need for local money. They offer a higher level of security and ease of replacement as well.
• Gadgets for Kids
  Face it, travel delays and rainy days happen. Active young minds don’t deal with     these situations very well. You would do yourself a favour to have along some electronic devices that would offer youngsters some entertainment in the form of movies, games, or even educational software.
• Environmental Gadgets
  Most everybody loves to read while on the beach or in a cool glade. Go ahead and pack your Kindle or your pad device and bring along those e-books you’ve been meaning to read. You may want to enhance your environment with music that is special to you. If you need the drone of white noise to ease you to sleep, bring along the electronic gadget to supply it.
• Protective Gadgets
  – Storage media. If you’re not going to be cataloguing your pictures or blogs, or sending them to a cloud or a remote storage device, be sure you bring plenty of storage media.
  – Zip-lock baggies. Silicate packets. Rubber bands. These items are not electronic gadgets, but they could become indispensable to keep your electronic gear dry or clear of dust or sand in particular environments.
  – Chargers. You should bring these for each device dependant upon them. You can even find devices called “hammocks” so that your devices don’t hang from sockets or lie on the floor.
  – Electrical adapters. You can find universal adapters that adjust to almost any sort of electric power you may encounter.
  – Sturdy travel cases. For your smartphone, your laptop, or other electronic devices, you should have sturdy, protective cases. When you are shopping for them, look for those that are easy to open and remove the devices to cut down on time and aggravation at customs checks.
  – Insurance. Check to see if your household insurance covers your electronic gadgets from theft, loss, or damage     while travelling. If not, you should probably arrange for insurance for these items.

The Gadget List Goes On and On

As noted earlier, this is not an all-inclusive list. Access to solar power may be a consideration. Car socket chargers come in very handy. Many devices have apps engineered for almost every aspect of travelling – from digital travel brochures to GPS reckoning. You can even cruise the web and find electronic gadget lists specially geared to particular countries. Don’t forget about updating your Facebook! Technology certainly can contribute a lot to enhance travel nowadays. Just remember, don’t take stuff you probably won’t need. If there is any doubt that you will use something – don’t take it. A lot of unnecessary gadgets is just going to be a drag on your travel and your relaxation. Happy trails.

Author Bio: Aileen Pablo is part of the team behind Open Colleges, one of Australia’s leading providers of online TAFE courses equivalent and TESOL courses. When not working, Aileen blogs about travel, lifestyle, and beauty tips. She is also often invited as a speaker in Personality Development Seminars in the Philippines.