The world is recovering, slowly, from COVID and there are hopes that by late summer or early fall 2021 people will be traveling more. I wrote about the cybersecure traveler here: https://ericcrichardson.com/2021/01/18/the-cyber-secure-traveler/ but how about the tech-smart traveler??
Hardware
There are some “must have” items in my travel backpack, I’ve been fortunate enough to travel via work all over the world with my last trip being just two weeks before COVID shut the world down.
Noise cancelling headset
The great life saver for travelers, those who are flying. There are many good brands, out there and some fewer known brads which fantastic products that are much less expensive, so with a bit of work you can get a great deal on silence on the airplane. Now that, for most airlines, you can have your headset before taking off it’ll be a much better flight! Check for long term wearability as on long flights you’ll have them on quite a while.
Portable Battery USB Charger
There are many brands out there, look for well-reviewed ones usually with multiple USB charger ports. I choose one which also doubles as a flashlight in an emergency. These can get a bit heavy for their size but generally heavy means more available power and thus extended charging. This is the one thing that if I had the opportunity to charge just one thing it is what I charge as it charges everything else. I have a pretty big one and usually when I fly, I charge my phone/headset etc. with it instead of the USB power in the aircraft as often the physical USB charge ports are damaged.
Extra-long USB cable
If you are going to be charging on the go be sure you have at least one extra-long USB cable for your device. I keep my Portable USB Charger in my backpack, run the USB Cable out through the little port intended for headphones and into my phone.
Universal Plug adapter with USB ports
If you travel out of your continent, you will almost always be using a different plug. I recommend getting a universal plug adapter which is one chassis with different plug types which you can slide out depending on where you are. My favorite versions of this have USB Plugs right in them as well.
An extension cord
A simple thing which is easy to miss. When traveling plugs can be in weird places and often are sparse, bus stations and airports are adding more but it never seems to be enough. So, what I do is bring an extension cord and this way I seek out the awkward plugs and sit comfortably. I usually find one on a wall with seats nearby and pug in there. Obviously, you can’t have a cord where someone can get entangled in it or trip, so keep that in mind.
Spare USB Hub
Laptops never seem to have enough USB plugs, so what I do is bring extra. I travel with a 4-port hub which plugs into my laptop. The version I have also has a plug, as sometimes a laptop won’t be able to power it sufficiently. That also makes it a plug-in multi-USB power station on the go. Look for multi-port USB hub online to find what you are looking for.
E-reader
If you do not want a tablet or laptop out, an E-reader is an excellent choice to pass the time with a device that has extraordinary batter life which won’t draw down your phone’s charge as I like to keep my phone fully charged for use when I land. Not only can you buy books, but many libraries allow you to borrow virtual books, so outside of the cost of the E-Reader you can read for free if you like. The one I have had a physical cover on it so it feels like a book and it has a little LED reading light, it’s a very book experience all around.
Smart watch
A great all-around tech device is a smart watch, be it for tracking steps, sleep, or seeing notifications from your watch without having to dig out your phone.
Water bottle
Big reminder: bring a water bottle on your travels to stay hydrated. There are high tech water bottles, but it is a water bottle- that’s one thing that just does not really need to plug in. There are some very nice collapsible water bottles out there, so they take up nearly no space at all
Software
VPN
I wrote a full article about the ins and outs of the VPN here https://ericcrichardson.com/2021/01/15/the-ins-and-outs-of-using-a-vpn/ but when traveling it’s particularly important to use a VPN anytime you are accessing any sort of public WIFI from a security perspective. Outside of security you can also access content from the country of your choice, even when not traveling. An example is Disney + has more content in the UK than North America, so if you set your VPN to the UK you can access all that extra content regardless of where you are .
Audio Books
A good book is a great thing and audio books are fantastic for learning, or entertainment while traveling. Ensure your audio reader app lets you download books for offline listening so your device (phone/laptop/tablet) can have WIFI shut off while listening to save battery power.
Airline apps
I know it’s fairly obvious but always have an app for the airlines you fly on your phone. You can display your boarding pass via your phone (you printed a backup physical one just in case, right?). I like to use it to find out about gate changes or boarding time updates and when something weird happens those who have the app get to change flights faster than standing in line at a customer service desk. Also, most of the airline apps allow you to connect to the WIFI to view their entertainment systems and you can track your flight etc., again you can (if need be) change seats for your next flight while 35,000 feet up.
Bus/Subway/Train apps
When I travel I try to never rent a car, so I rely on local transit. That means knowing the bus/train/subway service layout and timings and the apps for them are super useful. In particular in countries with possible language barriers you can find out where and when to be for your intra-city traveling.
Airport apps
Know the airport you’ll be at. From finding places to eat, rest, plane watch etc. most of the larger airports have their own apps. I find they are great for navigating airports I’m not overly familiar with to find the taxi stand or rideshare pick up, let alone other cool amenities.
Hotel App
The best single way I’ve found to get upgrades in hotels when traveling on business, is simply to join whatever frequent stayer program they have and you can verify that with a hotel app. Some Hotel chains allow you to check into your room from your app and even use your phone as your door key. I absolutely love that feature and use it whenever I can. To be honest the last thing I want to do after a day of traveling is having to wait to get my ticket, so I’ve literally checked into my hotel while still flying the last leg of my trip this way I Uber to the hotel and go straight to my room to relax.
Translator apps
Translator apps are a great use when traveling, many of them use AR or Augmented Reality where you open the app use the camera and point it at writing and it’ll translate it live right there in the camera for you to see. It can also “speak” for you if you need to. I still recommend trying to learn as many phrases as possible, but it isn’t always possible. Even if you can speak the language, it’s a good way to double check what you think you are saying!
Eric C Richardson 