When you are traveling with the intent to learn something about yourself, the question of what electronics to bring becomes very important. \u00a0Electronics can provide a lot of things to support you in your trip. \u00a0For me it has been helpful to think about what I am trying to accomplish with these devices, and then back into what devices to bring, since some devices can serve different roles. \u00a0For interest an iphone can be a e-reader, video and photo camera, GPS, phone, blogging device (albeit with a very small screen), and internet portal.<\/p>\n
8 things you should definitely consider when considering what kind of device to bring include:<\/strong><\/p>\n Reading device<\/span> – a Kindle or other device such as an iphone\/ipad touch\/tablet can serve as an electronic reading device. \u00a0You may want to read historical books on the region, travel guides, biographies from other travelers, or fiction stories for pleasure. \u00a0If you are packing light this will save a lot of space vs bringing physical books. \u00a0If you do bring physical books, note that you\u2019ll be able to pick up and ditch books during your trip as well.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Take photos \/ record video and upload<\/span> – it\u00a0goes without saying that you\u2019ll want to capture your experience to share with others and recall your travels later in your life. \u00a0A digital SLR will give the best photo quality, but you will need to be careful not to lose it or get it stolen. \u00a0A compact\/pocket camera can provide good photo quality and be easier to carry around and less susceptible to theft. \u00a0A smartphone can offer good photo\/video quality as well, and allows for pictures to be easily uploaded. \u00a0With a camera\/digital SLR, you\u2019ll need either a wireless SD card, laptop with USB port to download pictures onto, or tablet that accepts SD card or mini SD card to be able to upload your content. \u00a0Other options are to bring your SD card into a photo store that can upload your content or burn onto a CD. \u00a0And lastly you can of course wait until you get home to download your pictures.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Browse the internet<\/span> – A laptop, netbook, tablet, or smartphone can provide access to the internet. \u00a0The larger devices are more powerful and have full or compact keyboards. \u00a0Smartphones are compact but lack a physical keyboard, though you can buy a bluetooth keyboard to get around that issue. \u00a0Finally, you can go without a device and rely on internet cafes to access internet — but be aware internet cafes may not be available in more rural areas, and the computers may be infected with viruses to steal your passwords or cause other mischief.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Access and get on the internet<\/span> – Even if you have a device that is capable of browsing the internet, depending on where you are you may not have the ability to get on the internet. \u00a0Wifi is available in larger cities. \u00a0For more rural areas, an unlocked phone or tablet can get you on the internet with a local SIM card purchased in country. \u00a0If you have a tablet or laptop, a Mifi or USB wireless adapter can also take a local SIM card and create a wireless hotspot for you to access with your device.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Backup photos\/video<\/span> – Internet can be spotty or slow, making online backup options like Dropbox or Google Drive less feasible. \u00a0You can bring a portable hard drive to backup content. \u00a0With respect to harddrives, there are models with wifi hotspots built-in to upload from devices that can\u2019t connect directly to a hard drive such as an iPhone. \u00a0There are also models with SD card slots that allow you to upload directly from a camera to the hard drive without needing a laptop. \u00a0Another option is to use a laptop or tablet\/smartphone as your backup device. You can use a USB cord to transfer to a laptop. Tablet\/smartphones are a bit trickier to backup onto, with your options being a wifi enabled SD card, SD to microSD adapter card (if your tablet\/smartphone takes a microSD card), or OTG cable and special software to transfer pictures via cable. Finally, you can take SD cards into photo stores and have a DVD burned with the content, which you can then mail home as backup.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Blog<\/span> – For the most part devices that you can use to access the internet will allow you to blog. \u00a0Just be aware that typing without a keyboard can be time-consuming, and using a device with a large screen may make it difficult to proofread content.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Listen to music<\/span> – A smartphone, tablet, or laptop can offer this functionality. \u00a0If you have one, it is probably not worth bringing a separate device like an ipod that just allows you to listen to music, unless you want a compact device to run\/exercise. \u00a0Don\u2019t forget headphones! \u00a0Ear-bud style headphones pack smaller and are less noticeable than larger noise-reducing or other over-the-ear style headphones. \u00a0You may also opt for a portable speaker.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Given all of the above, I\u2019ve decided to bring a Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 7\u201d with a bluetooth keyboard, cheap ear-bud headphones, and an inexpensive yet good quality Panosonic Lumix DMC-ZS15 camera. \u00a0I\u2019ll backup my content by burning DVDs from my SD cards and mailing home along the way. \u00a0Finally, I got an Anker Astro 3E external portable battery. \u00a0This combination allows me to accomplish all of the tasks above.<\/p>\n As I\u2019ve researched my trip and the different experiences that I am planning on taking, I\u2019ve realized that there is a tremendous opportunity for me to have a transformative life experience that helps shape my perspective when I come back to the USA. \u00a0In fact, just sitting back and doing nothing except keeping my eyes and ears wide open and living in the moment would get me most of that life-changing experience, I\u2019m sure. \u00a0But by capturing photo\/video and blogging, I\u2019ll be able to stay accountable to my goals to treat this as a learning experience, and recall what I\u2019ve learned in the future after my trip.<\/p>\n Lessons Learned<\/strong><\/p>\n When you are planning for an experience, consider what tools you will need ahead of time<\/p>\n<\/li>\n If people have gone through an experience before you, they can be an invaluable group from which to get advice and ideas on the pros and cons of different tools to consider<\/p>\n<\/li>\n No solution\/tool will be perfect – figure out what is most important to you, and what you can obtain to accomplish those tasks. \u00a0Everyone has a different perspective, so hear what they have to say, and then make your own decision on what you think makes sense to bring<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n What are some of your favorite devices to travel with? \u00a0What do you accomplish with those devices?<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n
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