5 Must Have Electronics When You Are Traveling

Before the turn of the 20th century, the only thing with a plug in my luggage was a hair dryer. Today, it’s almost impossible for anyone to leave home without a pile of gadgets with their matching cords weighing down a carryon. Unfortunately, while its a good idea to carry all your electronic gadgets including backups, airlines impose weight limits. If you are having a hard time choosing which ones to put on your luggage, here are 5 must have electronics when you are traveling:

Smartphone

This gadget has become so ubiquitous that it is now considered a fashion accessory. Technology has also come far that most smartphones will work almost anywhere (although roaming will cost a little more) in the world. You can use this to stay in touch with family and friends, purchase tickets, book hotel reservations, map your position, navigate your way around, play games, take pictures and upload them on the cloud, and, if the screen is big enough, read an e-book to pass the time. In fact, if you only have room for one gadget, this is the one to pack.

Digital Camera

While this may be redundancy if your smartphone has a camera, there are still a lot of people who would rather have a separate gadget devoted solely for taking pictures. At the same time, you don’t want your phone to run out of juice because of all the pictures and videos you’ve taken. For the dedicated photographer, a digital camera has all the bells and whistles that make it worth the weight you have to carry around.

Tablet

For those who cannot stand surfing on their smartphone but don’t want to carry a laptop, a tablet is the ideal compromise. You will have plenty of downtime when traveling. A tablet can help you pass the time. You can read an eBook, edit your pictures, surf and take photos in a size that will not hurt your eyes.

Powerbanks

A real-must have for the traveling techie, powerbanks will let you charge anywhere you are in the world. There’s nothing more frustrating than running out of juice just as you are about to take an award-winning shot. You can prevent this with a powerbank. Bring one with the highest mAh that you find so that you don’t have to keep charging it at the end of the day. Tablets and smartphones usually require several thousands mAh, so choose one that can let you charge all your gadgets several times.

Memory Cards/Portable Hard Drives

Yes, you can immediately upload to the cloud so that you can free up your memory. But what if you are in a place with no signal? With several memory cards, you can snap all the photos and videos you want without worrying about signals and memories. You can edit them at your leisure, or keep them for posterity.

It’s such a techie world. For most people, it’s no longer possible to be unplugged during a vacation. If you are one of those, then these five gadgets are all you need to have a great vacation.