As I packed up for this summer's big family trip, I have to say that even I was surprised at the amount of gadgets that I packed to take along. After years of arguing that my wife and kids took too many unnecessary things, I found myself feeling sheepishly hypocritical as the cords, wires, and cables piled up.
I decided to share the electronics-related contents of my bags here on TechLore not to further embarrass myself (it quite a lot of stuff) but more as a way to document what the modern vacationer is up against when trying to survive away from home. Perhaps it will become the next "essential guide" for would be travelers.
I split up the list into two parts - the familiar gear and the bleeding edge of must-have travel accessories.
The Familiar Travel Gear
These days any self-respecting head of the household is expected to remember to pack these trusty items:
- Camera - digital of course but can't forget the extra media cards, the power charger and/or spare batteries.
- Camcorder - still a separate item as no camera is really equipped to take reputable video; this of course requires its own share of accessories include power cord, media (tapes, memory cards), spare batteries, lenses, flash attachments, tripod, ...
- Cell Phone - this is a given but yet another power cord, more media (no my camera doesn't use the same flash media as my smartphone - how smart is that?)
- Laptop - how else are you going to clear off the pictures from all those memory cards? Plus if you're lucky enough to find an Internet connection on vacation, you can mail the new pics to Grandma (ha, right!); and another power cord - that's 4 so far.
- Portable Gaming - we have a split vote in our family between Sony's PSP and Nintendo's DS as to which is "more funner" so of course we take both, each with their own collection of proprietary games, attachments, and - you guessed it - power cords.
- MP3 Player - you could argue that the laptop serves this purpose but I ain't draggin' my Powerbook in the sand so looks like we'll be packing the iPod and its white power cord with us
- Headphones - with all the music and gaming going on, the question isn't whether to bring headphones but how many pairs?
The Modern Traveler's Must-Have Accessories
Now here is where it gets interesting. You may have heard of some of these but I am sure none of you have ever packed ALL of these for a trip! Spare me the lectures, believe me I have heard them all. There is nothing worse than having a 7-year-old smarty pants look at your electronic "stash" and say, "Maybe you should spend some time away from gadgets."
- Segway - see I told you this was a great list. I am one of the crazees who bought (and love) this thing. How could I not pack it (and its power cord) for the trip?
- Portable Speakers - taking it down a notch perhaps, but what good is an MP3 player if you can't share the music with everyone else. The extra space needed in the suitcase is a small price to pay if you ask me.
- Wireless Hub - more often than not I am finding that I have a wired Internet connection at my disposal. Apple's Airport Express is a small, sexy accessory for creating the perfect wireless environment anywhere - plus it helps balance out the whole white/black power cord ratio.
- Web Cam - if you've got a laptop and an Internet connection, then there's no reason not to keep in touch with all your friend in cyberspace. "Don't be mad that I've been chatting online with babes all day."
- XM Radio - What? I still had room. It supposed to work the same all over the country, right? I had to be sure!
- Spare Laptop - now this one is painful, even for me. You see, I just picked up a Slingbox which is the greatest invention since TiVo. The Slingbox lets me watch my TV from anywhere that I have an Internet connection - and a Windows XP machine. So it was perfect timing for my trip but until they release a Mac client, I have to drag along another computer (and power cord) to enjoy my TiVo thousands of miles away from home.
- Power Converter - for long car trips, its good to have power outlets. These handy devices convert otherwise idle cigarette lighters to full-fledged power strips. With over 30 power cords in tow, something's gonna need to be plugged in!
Gadgets I Didn't Bring
Well this list is a lot shorter than it should be.
- Solar Recharger - the picture here is NOT of me but it does inspire me...
- 2-Way Communicators - Walkie-talkies were cool 5 years ago but don't seem as necessary these days
- GPS - the car has one built-in now so no need to drag along a portable version
- Console Gaming System - There is no good reason not to bring this on the road since it plugs in nicely to the LCD overhead system in the car and lets the kids blast away at each other as the miles roll on.
- Bluetooth Headset - Small enough to tuck away but if you are spending that much time on the phone, you are probably kidding yourself that its a vacation!
Did I miss anything? Let me know.
