The equipment your travel with will largely depend on your work and how much luggage space you have available. Listed below are most of the things I use and a few others that other people have found useful.
Power Adapters, Transformers, Boards
I keep hoping one day the world will decide it is easier to standard power output and plugs world wide. Until that happens we will have to travel with adapters and transformers. Fortunately some smart people have designed all in one adapters so you don’t need to carry half a dozen.
Don’t confuse adapters with transformers and many a person has ruined their electronic equipment because they haven’t used a transformer. Most laptops come with a transformer so it is other things you need to be careful about using. All my electronic items, except the camera, can be charged via the USB port on my computer. This means I don’t have to worry about carrying a transformer, although the trade off is I have to power up the computer to charge things. Another option is to get an adapter that also has a USB charger option such as the Kensington one. I just use a regular travel adapter from, Tripshell that covers most countries.
Whilst I don’t travel with a power board many others swear by them. They act as an extension cable for when you can’t get close enough to the power outlet. This one from Monster is used by many and is also nice and compact. Perhaps the best reason is that when everyone else is using the outlets, you can still get power by just inserting your power board. A great way to strike up a conversation with fellow travellers too!
Luggage
Luggage is a very personal thing and depends on your personal circumstances. I use a backpack and one other bag. The backpack is a Crumpler model designer specifically for 15 inch laptops and camera equipment. It looks like a regular backpack and zips from the other side to normal ones so things are secure even when it’s on my back. A separate pack for the computer means it is protected whilst in the backpack and I can use it when I just need to carry the computer. The design makes it easy to remove the computer without everything else falling out and so going through security screening is not a juggling exercise.
The other bag depends on what I am traveling with because sometimes I have a bike. I can fit it in an OGIO Monster golf bag and only spend about 15 minutes to assemble or disassemble the bike. Plus, it disguises the bike and avoid the extra charges some airlines levy on bikes. It is tough, has a good wheel system and easy to carry if necessary. One downside is some airports put it in the oversize luggage area so I need to look out at both areas of baggage collection.
The other bag is an OGIO gear bag designed mainly for motocross gear although suitable for any luggage requirement. The same strong wheel system as Monster bag and not a flimsy set of wheels that doesn’t go straight. It fits a skateboard, my gear and room to spare. Both bags have a solid back so the more fragile stuff can be placed against that and somewhat protected.
Security
I use a combination lock computer security cable by Targus to secure my computer in public areas. All laptops have a standard cutout that fits these cables. Kensington and Targus are a couple of other brands. I prefer combination locks rather than keys so I don’t need to worry about losing keys.
Luggage locks are also combination type and TSA approved. If you are traveling through the US you either need TSA approved locks or you must leave your luggage unlocked.
Because I sometimes travel with a bike, I also have a lock specifically made. A 1.5 metre cable and combination lock. I measured the length to go through the wheels, frame and around a pole (or similar) and had a plastic coated cable cut to length. It has swaged ends and one is slightly smaller so it can pass through the other and form a loop. This cable doubles as a luggage lock so I can lock the luggage to a fixed object if necessary.
I also have a lightweight combination bike lock that fits in my pocket if I just need something to secure the bike outside the coffee shop or similar. Anyone with a pair of pliers could cut through it so it’s only god when leaving the bike or luggage for a couple of minutes.
Camera
In addition the the camera in my iPhone I have a Canon point and shoot camera. It’s very small, more megapixels than I need and shoots HD video. If you have a similar Canon brand camera be careful about getting grit and dust in the lens. It can jam up the lens and render the camera useless. I found out the hard way. The only accessory is a small flexible tripod about 12cm long. I can affix the camera to just about anywhere and was only a few dollars on eBay. The downside of this camera is a proprietary battery that require its own charger. Fortunately it doesn’t need a transformer.
I also have a Canon D40 digital SLR with two lenses, external flash and a few other things. A great camera and good for action shots with 9 frames per second, however, it takes up too much space and is too heavy. When I travel with my bike I have to use my backpack for clothing and this camera takes up all the backpack room.
Water Purifier
Bottled water is often a waste of money and the impact on the environment is staggering. It takes about four times the size of the bottle to produce the one bottle of water and then there is the empty bottle floating around the oceans and in landfills around the world. The Steripen water purifier can ‘clean’ a litre of water in about 90 seconds and works with UV rays. I can’t go into the technical details because I don’t understand them. What I can tell you is that it doesn’t change the taste of the water. That is, if the water tastes like rubbish before purification, it will still taste like rubbish.
It is nice and light and doesn’t take up a lot of room. It runs of four AA batteries and I use rechargeable ones. That said, check the specifications if you buy one because it needs the higher quality ones like digital cameras. I use the USB battery charger plugged into the computer to recharge them.
Noise Cancelling Headphones
I could not travel on aircraft without these headphones. I repeat, I could not travel. Once you have experienced noise cancelling headphones you will feel the same. Like above, I can’t explain how they work, I just know they work. You can enjoy the movies, music so much more and they cut out most of the drone noise in aircraft. I actually use hand me down Senntheiser ones and there are many brands on the market.
The ones I have are good because they are small (not buds and not full ear covers) and run off two AAA batteries. I have rechargeable batteries that I use with the USB charger. That said, battery life is very good and you can probably get away with regular single charge batteries. If space isn’t an issue go for the ones that fully cover your ears for even better performance. Some have proprietary chargers so be aware that you may need to carry another (!) charger.
