***Technology To Go is written by Bruce – my husband, and frequent travel companion***
I took my first overseas trip in 1989, when I was 29. Since then many aspects of travel have changed. Not the important ones mind you. You still see amazing places, meet wonderful people, and have to overcome hurdles as you travel. What’s changed for me are the activities around travel. Certain aspects are now much easier than when I was young. Researching, planning and organising trips can all be done in much greater detail thanks to the internet. From a travel tech perspective it’s a whole new world. Back then I had a guide book (Let’s Go Europe), a novel to read then trade when done, a yellow walkman cassette player with a few cassettes (hoping to trade along the way for variety), and my SLR and lenses. I packed this and my clothes into my way too large backpack and attached daypack.
I took my first overseas trip in 1989, when I was 29. Since then many aspects of travel have changed. Not the important ones mind you. You still see amazing places, meet wonderful people, and have to overcome hurdles as you travel. What’s changed for me are the activities around travel. Certain aspects are now much easier than when I was young. Researching, planning and organising trips can all be done in much greater detail thanks to the internet. From a travel tech perspective it’s a whole new world. Back then I had a guide book (Let’s Go Europe), a novel to read then trade when done, a yellow walkman cassette player with a few cassettes (hoping to trade along the way for variety), and my SLR and lenses. I packed this and my clothes into my way too large backpack and attached daypack.
Shortly, Tanya and I are embarking on a trip to SE Asia. I’m bringing my Kindle, iPod, headphones, earbuds, digital camera, tablet computer, keyboard, mouse, guide book (Lonely Planet SE Asia), BlackBerry Bold, various cables and chargers. Everything has to go into our Osprey Porter 46 packs along with our clothes. Having learned over the years, we now only travel with carry ons. If you’re like Tanya and your eyes have glazed over by this point, that’s ok, enjoy the rest of the site, I’m not offended. If you’re a geek like me, read along as I detail my travel tech. I’ll give my thoughts on why each of these join us on our trips.
Kindle: Unlike my single novel from my first trip, I can carry any number of books with me. Depending on where I am in the world, I can buy and download more. Lightweight and relatively compact, I can easily carry it with me for reading at any time. As a bonus, and it can be a big one, you have internet access through a basic browser. The Kindle uses 3G celluar networks (Amazon’s Whispernet) for purchasing and transfering books. It has a basic webrowser that can be used to surf the web and access your web based email. It’s not fancy, it renders in greyscale and doesn’t have java or flash, but it’s free. During our trip around Iceland we could easily keep in touch with our family and friends, and read news from back home. On our upcoming trip, we’ll be spending quite a bit of time in Cambodia, unfortuately one of the few countries that the Kindle doesn’t have access in.
iPod, headphones, earbuds: I love listening to music. On a plane, train, or in a hotel room, music helps me relax and pass the time. As with the Kindle, my iPod lets me carry a large amount of music so I can usually find something to suit the mood. Headphones allow me to shut out ambient noise without having to increase the volume too much. I bring along earbuds as a backup to my headphones since they don’t take up any space.
Tablet: We use a BlackBerry PlayBook. We bought it when they were on sale for half price. It is the 64GB version with wi-fi, but not 4G LTE. What I like about it is the size. It’s light and small enough to go in a shoulder bag or Tanya’s purse. It’s main purpose is email and surfing the web from hotel rooms. We also use it to watch movies on planes, and listen to music in our room (it has decent stereo speakers). What it doesn’t have is an SD card slot or USB On The Go. More on that under cameras and keyboards. The BlackBerry also doesn’t have as many apps as Apple or Android, but I prefer to go on the web. To protect it is an Otter Box case. Very sturdy and it has a built in stand for easier viewing.
Keyboard and mouse: These are new additions to our travel tech. Previously we travelled with a laptop. Both of us have been very happy with the switch to the PlayBook. Where tablets fall short is the lack of a keyboard for serious writing. Using an onscreeen keyboard is fine for short emails to family and friends, or surfing the web, but for updating the site, a real keyboard is needed. With the inability to attach a keyboard physically, I purchased an HP Bluetooth keyboard. Thin and light, yet has a full size keyboard minus the number pad. It fits easily into one of our bags. To reduce the frustration level trying to touch small sized links on the screen, especially when editing the site, a Dell Bluetooth mouse was added.
Camera: On our trip to NYC this summer, Tanya’s 5 year old Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-H3 wouldn’t focus at times. Frustrating to say the least. After much discussion (well, Tanya in colourful language suggested we get another camera, and I readily agreed) we started investigating. Reasearching online, attending a travel photography seminar from Intrepid Travel, and discussing our needs with the presenter, led us to a Nikon Coolpix P510. Larger than our previous camera, it still is an acceptable size for travel. We’ve been using it for the last few weeks and are very happy with it. One area that has been a struggle is coming up with a method to transfer pictures from the camera for the site. Remember I mentioned that the PlayBook doesn’t have an SD card slot or USB OTG? It was looking like adding pictures to the site would require taking the SD card to an internet cafe or hotel computer to upload them. After doing some research, I discovered the ez Share 8GB SDHC card with wi-fi. The ez Share Card has your camera act as a wireless hotspot, allowing you to connect to it’s signal (password protected) then use your web browser to view and download pictures. I took the plunge and bought it. Works!
BlackBerry phone: I’m a dying breed I admit, but I love my Bold 9700. I prefer the physical keyboard over a touch screen. I carry it around with me so that when there’s free wi-fi I can check email and BBM (BlackBerry Messenger) quickly and easily. I can install a local SIM card and use it, but I’m considering purchasing a cheap GSM flip phone for that.
As time has gone on I’ve progressed from my yellow Walkman and novel to a 120GB iPod and Kindle, added in a smart phone, digital camera, and small sized computer. These have enhanced my travelling experience, but at it’s core, it has remained the same for me: out exploring new places, meeting new people, and hopefully learning more about myself in the process.
Now that I’ve told you about my travel tech, I would love to hear about yours or answer questions you have about mine in the comment section