DocAndersen
If, and by if I am asking, what are the ten devices you need to have with you? For example, if you had asked me ten years ago, I would have said extra batteries and extra storage. I also had a portable GPS in my suitcase and a portable XM radio.
Then five years ago, I stopped traveling every week. That changed what I packed. In the days I was traveling every week, I seldom unpacked the majority of my suitcase. That was stuff I used on the road, not at home. As I slowly weaned myself from constant travel, I began to evaluate. When I did travel, I asked myself what do I need.
Now in fairness, there is a huge difference. First, when you travel every single week, there are things that you will need away from home, that aren’t critical when you visit once or twice a year. That is an important distinction. The other is the evolution of technology over the past ten years. When I had a portable GPS, it was because it took my smartphone 5-10 minutes to lock onto a GPS signal. The portable GPS locked and was ready to roll in less than 2 minutes. The other issue was normally when I landed, I had to let home know I was ok, and I needed to call and confirm the location of the meeting. That meant I needed to use the phone right away, so not having the GPS would have been difficult. I also carried a portable speaker (I still have that one) for the rental car, so I didn’t have to stress about talking, driving, and navigating. I would leave my house in Indiana at 3:30 in the morning. Landing somewhere in the Midwestern US around 9 am and on-site working by 10 in the morning. That happened for 11 years. A few times, I drove, which made packing even easier. I could carry more materials in my car because it was my car.
That did get me to have kits in all my cars long before the various auto-safety groups recommended them. I had a battery, blankets, a shovel, and other tools in every single one of my cars and because my mother taught me, a first aid kit in all three cars.
Now when I travel, for the most part, I am carrying different things. I have to say that it is because the larger trips I take now are with my family. So now I carry cameras and a computer to transfer the pictures to and of course to blog. But, I don’t carry as much technology as I used to years ago.
The balancing act is interesting, and one that would be very different today. I would most likely carry my iPad, cellular phone, and laptop. But, back in the day, I carried a laptop that was between 9 and 10 pounds. Now the entire weight of all three is less than 8 pounds. Add to 1 pound GPS and the cellular phone from back in the day, and I am carrying between3 and 4 pounds less. I don’t have all the batteries I used to carry, don’t need them as much as I did.
All of that is leading me back to my original question. What are the ten five devices you have to have with you?
Cellular phone
Charging cable
Tablet
Laptop
Speaker
I would probably not carry much more, although I might pending the length of the flight carrying an extended life battery. There is something about landing with the cellular battery at 10% that makes me nervous. But I realized ½ way through this article, I would only carry five devices now. I guess things have changed a lot!
Great post. All the topics you mentioned above are very well explained. Thanks for this article.
thanks for the kind words! Nice of you to say!
I try to always be prepared. I especially need my laptop and phone for sure.
i can understand that – i need a good speaker as well, but that is so I can talk hands free in the rental car.
Whenever I travel, all these things accompany me. Thanks for the wonderful post Doc.
you are most welcome – so glad you are back!!!!
I had not traveled in years. So for me after my soul mate passed on leaving Latvia was very traumatic. In fact through the grief and all and knowing I was not returning I had no idea what I had put in my suitcase. Now mind you, the things in the suitcase would have been the last things I took from my life there everything else I chose to keep was coming in boxes. When a grief stricken person packs there should be someone supervising and I had no one with me. My stepdaughter brought me to the airport the next morning. My suitcase was overweight and I explained that what I had in it was all that remained of my life in Latvia. I paid extra and off I went. When I arrived in Florida and opened the suitcase I did have my laptop but I also had such things like two short sleeved flannel shirts of my late husband I guess for the memories, a tablespoon, a small egg spatual we used to use and an odd assortment of things that only a person with no mind at all at the moment would pack. It boggled the mind.
i can’t imagine that sadness in packing. I know, when we left Thailand we were in a similar boat. What would be in our suitcase (we had three weeks from Thailand to the US again). the rest had to be packed in a box that was shipped (and didn’t arrive in the US for nearly 4 months).
My list is so very different. I think I shall keep it to myself!
fair enough! what we take is always personal!
Actually, I was just thinking of all the medications that I take for Bro – because that is the most important thing and it’s a long long list! #meaningfulcomments
i would bet that is a long list.
The funny thing is the list I have here, is about 1/10 of what we packed when the twins were little!
My list is like yours. All of the above!
it makes traveling easier.
When traveling officially we need more things. I only need a laptop, smartphone and charger for my vacation.
that is packing light! good for you!
Interesting post … I always have everything with me except my tablet and speakers … 30 years ago I didn’t know what a computer or a mobile phone was … I was cruising around Europe for a month but I had it all in one backpack and I felt great
it is interesting when you travel for work sometimes you need more things.
A business trip is something else …. a trip today or 40 years ago … like night and day
oh yeah, we traveled from the US to Thailand 40 years ago. It was a different experience.
But I used to travel around Europe every month for a month with a motorcycle vacation and had very little luggage
i was always in an airplane heading to a customer, and didn’t know what I would need when I got there!
I always envy those who need just one backpack and they are ready to go to the other end of the world. I always carry a lot of things, but I think you beat me here
i was traveling for work so had to have a lot of things. But i did probably carry too much!
Has your position on edited posts changed?
As i said in my original post, i have the same position.
High view low comment posts, should be edited and brought back now to benefit the site. If the post is high view, it is likely SEO optimized and that is value!
High view high comment posts should not be edited until we get that issue fixed.
Thanks for the clarification! How many comments do you consider low/high?
my personal line is less than 10 comments more than 300 views.
(that is wholly what I have found works, not a rule)!!!!
with the posts that have 300 or more views, they when edited do not pop onto the most commented list, but still gain 50 to 100 views.
that helps the site!!!!
this particular one was a test case.
Low views low comments.
it has moved up well, so i may add another category. Let me know what you find out!
Less than 10 comments may be a problem to me, because I don’t post very often and my posts have some time to collect comments, but I will try finding some and hopefully won’t upset too many people in the process.
i am seeing really good results so far with that criteria.
Carol picked up nearly 80 views in one day on one edited post.
Sounds great! It’s nice to know that posts have a long time value.
i am always trying to find ways to keep our site alive.
if people go get their high view posts, and share them again, there is a great deal of value!
Very interesting piece, Scott. I have always travelled light. All I usually carry of this nature is phone, charging cable and power adaptor. (Power sockets are the same here as in the UK, but a different format from anywhere else.) I used to carry a SatNav (GPS) but my phone does that job very efficiently now.
I am always curious – but I was traveling for work so I had more stuff with me!
The vast majority of travelling I did for work was within the country, and you know how small Ireland is, so it was rare that I would even be staying overnight. The travelling I refer to above is largely for leisure and international.
yeah I traveled a lot over the years internationally for work.
so i had a heavy bag!
Informative post, thanks for sharing.
THanks! IT information is my personal favorite thing to share!!!
You have Treasure of IT knowledge .
it is amazing what you remember after 30 years.
That’s great………………………….
Wow, that’s a lot. I’ve been working as an online freelancer but whenever I travel, I just bring my mobile phone with me. Gladly, there are free apps like Microsoft Word and Google Drive
that is very true apps on the phone are amazing now!
You must be an excursionist. 🙂
I used to travel a lot for business!
wow, you do take a lot with you
You never know what you will need when you get there.