Getting Ready for Some Travel - Suggestions on What to Bring

[Mike Temporale]

It looks like I have some travel coming up in the not too distant future. As it is now, I have been on one business trip in the last 6 or 7 years. I think it's safe to say, I'm a newbie at traveling when it comes to business. :mrgreen: Currently, I am planning on taking my Smartphone, ThinkPad, and I'm going to dust off my iPAQ 4150 Pocket PC - mainly for WiFi use. I'll have to pick up a portable Bluetooth keyboard, most likely the Think Outside one, since that new mini thumbboard (http://www.smartphonethoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=8991) device is not available yet. I don't imagine there is any other hardware that I would need. Is there? My other concern is software for my Smartphone. I think the most travel related application I have right now is Fizz Traveller. Is there anything that you would label a must have for business travel?

I still have a some time before I fly out. However, I'm planning ahead on this so I can purchase, install, test, or configure anything that I may be lacking. So all you travellers out there, tell me what I need. :D

[hotdram]

Mike,
Lately I have been looking at the iGo "gadget" charger system. I am tired of bringing 38 different chargers with me when I go somewhere (phones, ipod, ipaq, cameras etc). A friend of mine uses one and he likes it. It is a single charger that you can plug into a plane, a car or a 110 outlet and charge a multitude of devices (provided you have the right tip). The model I am looking at (7500 series) will charge a laptop and another device at the same time.

http://www.igo.com/default.asp

~Rob

[Jerry Raia]

Mike I have been living out of a suitcase for almost 2 decades and I have learned one thing. Bring everything. I mean all the gadgets and accessories you like to have around you. They aren't all that bulky and when you get right down to it you feel better knowing you have them even if you don't use them. I stopped driving myself crazy long ago trying to decide what to take and what to leave. Bring all of it!

[Sven Johannsen]

Bev Howard, a fellow MVP, just updated his travelling light article. You might not want to travel light, but he has a lot of great info in there and can maybe spark some thought for you.

http://bevhoward.com/TravLite.htm

[bnycastro]

@mike maybe a mobile charger that can do double duty for your two smaller devices (I use the boxwave versacharger and minisync) as for the software side maybe a phrase book or dictionary (if needed). I travel alot to China and I have H&H Eng Chi dictionary on my imate JAM. You can also use METRO if you'd be commuting. Of course you'd want to load up on games, ebooks, mp3s, videos for those dull moments. I guess that would be it. :D

[Sven Johannsen]

I use the boxwave versacharger
If you get one of these, test it thoroughly on the things you plan to use it with. Great concept but mine only works on half the things it should work on. In some cases it actually seems to accelerate discharge. It makes the device believe it is on external power, keeping it full on, but doesn't have sufficient current to actually contribute to charging.

[Mike Temporale]

Mike,
Lately I have been looking at the iGo "gadget" charger system. I am tired of bringing 38 different chargers with me when I go somewhere (phones, ipod, ipaq, cameras etc). A friend of mine uses one and he likes it. It is a single charger that you can plug into a plane, a car or a 110 outlet and charge a multitude of devices (provided you have the right tip). The model I am looking at (7500 series) will charge a laptop and another device at the same time.

http://www.igo.com/default.asp

~Rob

Neat system, but it's a little pricey. Well, for me anyway. I don't tend to do much in the way of business travel and I don't expect that to change any time soon. If it does, then I'll look into this, or something like this.

[Mike Temporale]

Mike I have been living out of a suitcase for almost 2 decades and I have learned one thing. Bring everything. I mean all the gadgets and accessories you like to have around you. They aren't all that bulky and when you get right down to it you feel better knowing you have them even if you don't use them. I stopped driving myself crazy long ago trying to decide what to take and what to leave. Bring all of it!

Well, I really don't know what I want with me. Besides the hardware already mentioned. I don't really own a MP3 player. I've always used my Pocket PC / Smartphone. But now I'm wondering if I should get a more dedicated player. Partly because there are some cool ones out there, and also to reduce my reliance on one devices battery to last the entire flight.

Oh, and I might end up having to take 2 laptops. I really hope this doesn't happen. The last thing I want to deal with is an extra laptop just in case I need to connect to one clients network. :(

[Mike Temporale]

Bev Howard, a fellow MVP, just updated his travelling light article. You might not want to travel light, but he has a lot of great info in there and can maybe spark some thought for you.

http://bevhoward.com/TravLite.htm

I've read Bev's article, and it is pretty informative. I'm not overly worried about weight, but I would like to pack smart and make sure I have all my bases covered and Bev has certianly thought of just about everything. :D

[Mike Temporale]

I use the boxwave versacharger and minisync

I'm thinking that for any device that charges using USB, I'll just bring the USB cable (most of them are retractable) and leave the wall charger at home. So I don't expect the VersaCharger to offer much value.

as for the software side maybe a phrase book or dictionary (if needed). I travel alot to China and I have H&H Eng Chi dictionary on my imate JAM.

Fortunately for me, this trip is within North America, so there won't be any language barriers. I'm horrible with English, and I've been using it all my life. I can't imagine if I had to learn another language. :oops:

You can also use METRO if you'd be commuting. Of course you'd want to load up on games, ebooks, mp3s, videos for those dull moments. I guess that would be it. :D

Hey, metro/maps. Good call. I'll have to look into these. Thanks!

I've got a wealth of games, music, and videos. So that shouldn't be a big issue. Provided my battery lasts the flight. As I mentioned in another reply, maybe I should be looking at a dedicated music/video device.

[HalM]

I didn't see where you will be traveling, but I just spent 8 days in Great Britian, Wales to be specific, with only my SMT5600. It was all I needed. A 12V (DC) charger is probably a good accessory to take.

[hotdram]

I considered buying a Play Station Portable as my music/media device, plus you can play games on it. It uses a Sony memory stick that you can put your music on (and any movies you might have "ripped"?). You can also buy movies for it (I think the format is UMD). I stopped short because the price is $250 USD, the games and UMD movies can get expensive, plus I would have to buy a large Sony MS card. If I didn't already have a bunch of crap, I probably would have gone that route, but in a rash of sanity, I said "I don't need another gadget". I should get checked :)

~Rob

[Santa Fe]

Jerry must have an additional airplane available to hold his toys... :o

[Sven Johannsen]

I've got a wealth of games, music, and videos. So that shouldn't be a big issue. Provided my battery lasts the flight. As I mentioned in another reply, maybe I should be looking at a dedicated music/video device.

You could also just consider something like http://www.socketcom.com/product/power.asp and just extend the legs of your current devices.

[Mike Temporale]

Jerry must have an additional airplane available to hold his toys... :o

I hear he just re-routes passengers luggage to make room for his bags of gadgets. :mrgreen:

[kcwester]

Have a great time. I leave on a vacation for 3 weeks on Sat. At the top of my list is my GPS system and maps! I like to know where I'm going and find map reading to be confusing and not nearly as much fun. My car charger is also a must.

[Kris Kumar]

Have a great time. I leave on a vacation for 3 weeks on Sat. At the top of my list is my GPS system and maps! I like to know where I'm going and find map reading to be confusing and not nearly as much fun. My car charger is also a must.

Good suggestion. GPS and Maps [Pocket Streets and/or Mapopolis].

For pleasure trips, I have stopped carrying my laptop. And rely on the Pocket PC and Smartphone combo to get the work done.

Before leaving on the trip, I make sure that my Pocket PC has been trained to use the Smartphone as a modem. So that when I am not in the WiFi zone, I can still use the the Pocket PC.

For business trips, the laptop is in the picture and the Pocket PC is out ( Unless I am going to developer/mobile conference ;-)).

Software for me, I am happy with the base applications provided by the OS. The only additions are mapping program and my own CCDialer. 8)

The most important software and thing to be done before the trip - BACKUP. Create a backup image with all the contacts etc. And have the installer for the Backup program on the storage card. It has happened a number of times, at least with the older Windows Mobile OS (not with 2003 SE). That the Smartphone refuses to boot up. And then hard reset has to be done. Having the CAB installer on the Smartphone and the backup image on the storage card is the most important thing.

[ctmagnus]

Mike,
Lately I have been looking at the iGo "gadget" charger system. I am tired of bringing 38 different chargers with me when I go somewhere (phones, ipod, ipaq, cameras etc). A friend of mine uses one and he likes it. It is a single charger that you can plug into a plane, a car or a 110 outlet and charge a multitude of devices (provided you have the right tip). The model I am looking at (7500 series) will charge a laptop and another device at the same time.

http://www.igo.com/default.asp

~Rob

Neat system, but it's a little pricey. Well, for me anyway. I don't tend to do much in the way of business travel and I don't expect that to change any time soon. If it does, then I'll look into this, or something like this.

I got an iGo system yesterday but I was really wishing I had one a few weeks ago.

I was going to Calgary for the weekend and had had my Tecra M4 for only three days at the time. I hibernated the system around midnight and packed up everything I'd need for the weekend. However, the system woke up to do a Microsoft AntiSpyware scan at 2:00 a.m. and the system failed to shut itself back down afterward. I took the Tecra out of the bag around a third of the way to Calgary to look something up and it wouldn't turn on!