Travel Must Haves For Summer (or Any Time) Trips
We are well into the summer season now and vacations are in full swing. While many of us travel throughout the year, there is certainly a concentration of trips that happen across the summer. I often get asked what I travel with, or if I have any tips on how I can make traveling easier. Whether you travel for fun or work, being able to stay connected, productive, and fully charged (both you personally and your devices) is vital. I thought I would share some products I use or recommend to help in those areas.
Keeping your devices fully charged
Charging your device(s) is one of the most important things we have to think about now before any trip. When might you need to charge your device? How will you charge it? Will you have access to a plug, or do you need the ability to charge anywhere and on the go? Here are some of my recommendations for all of those scenarios. I always carry multiple chargers, several cables, and at least one portable battery to charge anywhere I need.
Taking care of yourself
Travel takes its toll on you and your body. And most of us also have a need to carry around medications. Even if you don’t have prescription medications, you might want to keep things like painkillers or vitamins with you. Here are some ideas on keeping yourself going during any type of trip.
Staying Organized
Keeping all your gear organized and easy to find can become a challenge when traveling. I have found that using a few simple items to organize my equipment comes in very handy. My must-have is a travel pouch. Not only does it keep my tech gear together, it makes it easy to move from bag to bag as well.
Ready, set, productive
If you are traveling for work, productivity remains an important part of your days. I hate to say it, but I tend to travel over prepared. Having an extra presentation clicker, or connector has come in handy more than I care to recall. I feel like a traveling Support Desk sometimes, but you just never know what you (or someone you’re traveling with) might need.
Connection dongles and hubs
Presentation clicker(s)
Travel easier
Technically, none of these are necessary, but I have found that all these can really be useful travel tools. I used to carry a briefcase for my travel. Once I discovered the convenience of travel backpacks and having both hands free at all times, there was no looking back. You see so many more of these now. At some point, everyone else realized it too and now backpacks are the ‘cool’ briefcases. They are perfect for travel, though. Here are a few other things that can make traveling a little easier as well.
Travel backpacks
Organize your bag
Find your things
Related Post: Collect all your travel info in TripIt.
These won’t be able to solve every problem you’ll face when you’re on the road. But they can help ensure you’re better able to face any delays, extended stays, or unexpected events while on the road. I have tried to include anything I currently use, have used in the past, or plan to use in the future. Travel tools do evolve or shift over time. And they can also be different based on the type of trip you are taking.
The one tip that I have for anyone, regardless of the travel you do: have a second item for anything you use regularly that you know you will need on a trip. For example, don’t unplug your home set up for charging your phone or other devices, have a separate one that is always ready to go when you are. Remembering to pack all those items up, or going to the hassle of getting under a desk to unplug things gets old quickly. Then you forget. I have a travel accessories bag I can grab and throw into any backpack or carry-on I am using for a trip. It reduces what I need to remember when I am packing, and ensures I always have the cables, chargers, or batteries I need wherever I go.
Happy summer traveling! What other items or ideas do you have that are part of your travel must-haves?
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