Essential Tech Gadgets And Accessories Checklist For Traveling Overseas

For those adventurous types who has their sights set on traveling the globe, and maybe even blog about it, make sure that you pack yourself with the best portable tech gadgets to stay connected online with the world.

A secure padded lightweight laptop bag or backpack is essential. You’ll need something to carry around all those various gadgets. So you’ll need a check-point friendly bag or backpack allowing you to zip through airport security without needing to remove your laptop or tablet PC. It should be convenient enough so you can just easily open up the bag, then place it on the conveyor belt, allowing the X-ray machine do its job. There are plenty of excellent easy-to-carry light backpacks, like the one’s from Targus.

Netbook or Tablet PC
The weight as well as their size is usually your biggest concern. So a smaller netbook instead of a laptop should address these issues. Netbooks will give you the hard drive space you need which a tablet can’t, while they’re light and portable enough to carry around without busting your back. These devices are also compact enough so you’ll still have the room for all of the accessories that you need to carry along.

A Mobile Phone That’s Unlocked
Although we all know that unlocking a mobile phone will usually break the manufacturer’s warranty, carrying around a locked phone means that you’ll need to pay for international roaming charges. An unlocked phone also allows you to swap the SIM card anywhere in the world, which will save you a lot of money when phoning back home or browsing the internet anywhere.

A Small E-reader
There’s no way that you want to pack yourself down with a variety of printed books, so taking a small e-reader is the perfect solution when traveling around and you’re wanting to read a book during those down times.

Extra SD Cards For Your Digital Camera
SD Cards, similar to all your other portable storage devices, has limited life spans, they’re easy to lose and they tend to go haywire at the worst possible times. So packing around a few extra emergency SD cards will set you back just a few dollars, and it can potentially save you the nightmare of possibly missing those wonderful opportunities to capture while on that boat cruise.

Don’t Forget The Ethernet Cable
The majority of the hotels will usually have ethernet jacks in the rooms which allows you to directly bypass all of the unreliable wireless connections. Many of the airports also if you look close enough will have ethernet jacks which are hidden in the various corners of the terminals. Look for them for potentially free Internet using the wire. So one of those portable little retractable ethernet cables is a must.

Portable Heavy Duty Battery Pack
What always comes in handy is a spare backup battery for use during the day. Especially if you need to recharge your smartphone when it runs out of juice. There’s the i.Sound Portable Power Max Battery which can charge up to five devices via USB at once, even if you don’t have access to a plug.

USB Thumb Drive
Make sure that you keep all of your digital documents as well as your important files in a separate portable USB thumb drive (8 to 16GB should be enough). This just in case your netbook’s hard drive decides to die when on the road. You should be encrypting all of your client documents and passport scans as well. You can also load on the USB drive a portable operating system, which will give you a safer virtual environment when online in one of the various Internet cafés worldwide.

Bluetooth Enabled Headset
You should be considering sound quality as well as comfort when you’re selecting a good headset. You most likely already have one, but if you don’t, or you’re wanting a new one, take a look at a high quality Bluetooth headset that you could take along.

Extra Cable For Stereo Audio
Most of the rental cars are now fitted with ‘Aux’ outlets which allows you to directly plug your iPod or any other portable music device directly into the cars radio. So you’ll need an additional cable to plug in your device, which will save you a lot of time fumbling around for new radio stations while you’re driving. You’ll then be able to listen to your iPod while staying safe on the road.

Microfiber Cleaning Cloth
The world other than your own is an extremely dusty and grimy place. You will want all of your devices as clean as possible as they can accumulate a lot of dirt quickly. This will increase the chances that these dust particles will mess with your delicate gadgets. So take a few microfiber cleaning cloths as well as a few bottles of cleaning solution. This way, you can easily and regularly wipe down the germs off your sensitive video screens. One excellent product is the mobile cleaning kit by iKlear.

All-in-one Adapter
Rather than scrambling around and looking for the proper outlet type or even taking a risk and forgetting to take an outlet adapter altogether, make sure that you have one of these multi-plug adapters in your bag. Theses adapters will usually allow you to plug into almost any outlet in the world. There is one product called the “International Adapter All-in-One, or there’s also the iGo Dual USB Charger. They both have the same functionality.

USB LED Light
Make sure that you take along a lightweight LED light with a USB plug, which can illuminate your netbook or your e-reader. You never know what type of lighting conditions that you will encounter.

USB Antenna (wireless)
You’ll be able to improve your wireless reach as well as snagging those Wi-Fi connections which may be out of range using an USB antenna extender. One such model is the Alfa USB wireless adapter.

USB Charger Adapter For Traveling
The chances are good that your tablet or netbook won’t have anymore than just a few USB ports. These USB adapters will also allow you to plug in all of your USB-charged devices into a wall socket. Another great feature is that they charge a lot faster. One such USB adapter available by Eforcity is extremely affordable.

Additional Individual Power Adapters
So you’re wondering why would you need this if you already have the All-in-one adapter. That’s because a times, you may need to plug in more than just one device. Also, most of the foreign wall sockets are not completely firm, so these individual adapters are light enough to prevent your charger from falling out of the socket. There are excellent five-piece adapter sets from Lenmar’s.

Portable Traveling Strip
You will usually need a few more outlets than what your hotel room usually provides, so it’s recommended that you take along a couple power strips of your own. These are small portable Outlets, such as the Power Strip from Monster Cable, which has three additional AC outlets and a USB port for charging your electronic devices simultaneously.