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Electronics to bring on the road. Photo: Abigail Elder / Flickr
Are you a digital nomad? Chances are, you wrestle with dodgy Wi-Fi, electrical adapters, and figuring out what apps could help you travel more efficiently. You don’t care which startup just had a big IPO or the latest viral meme. What you’d like is a convenient guide to what gadgets you need.
Enter Too Many Adapters. A site by digital nomads, for digital nomads. They cover all the different types of digital tools a modern-day vagabonder might use. The back story behind the name is appropriately international:
Suggested in Siem Reap, refined in Reykjavik and completed in Chiang Mai, developing this site ended up being a truly global experience. Brainstorming for a name took a while, but looking at the mess in our respective backpacks eventually told us what it needed to be.
The site is already off to a good start, with articles on a wide array of electronics. One of my favorite recent posts was, Could I travel with just a smartphone? Goes beyond a simple tech review to really dive into the feasibility of using a single mobile device for your daily necessities while on the road. With smartphones becoming multipurpose devices, it’s certainly an attractive idea. But can its functionality rival that of of a laptop?
I’m amazed at how far things have come along. Only a couple of years ago, the only electronics I brought on my travels were a digital camera and an unlocked cell phone (not a smartphone).
How about you? Do you bring a lot of high-tech gear with you on the road? Or do you keep it simple? Share what’s in your backpack in the comments.
February 17th, 2012 at 2:21 am
Funny you should ask. I happened to do a post on the topic of my digital paraphernalia back in July of 2011. Here – http://theinfamousj.livejournal.com/408725.html – it is for those who are interested. It is entitled, “Travel: Save Weight by Taking Less Tech”.
February 17th, 2012 at 8:07 am
When I went around the world sans luggage in 2010 my only tech item was an iPod with a Bluetooth keyboard. It ended up working fine, though when people asked me what item of gear I missed most I usually said “laptop.” This could be a writer thing, though — I’d be interested to hear what other people think…
February 18th, 2012 at 3:41 am
Over the years I’ve had several laptops with various screen sizes and a smartphone. Coming from a photographers standpoint, it’s nearly impossible to travel without a normal size laptop. I backpacked for several months with SLR gear, a Netbook and two external hard drives. For writing, Netbooks are great. But even a 10″ laptop will “screen-crunch” which doesn’t work for filtering Raw photo files or viewing a whole webpage layout.Guess it depends on what types of needs you must meet while traveling…
February 18th, 2012 at 8:20 pm
For me the worst thing is actually the cords – the chargers/computer connection. It’s a given that I’m bringing my laptop, considering my work, but could the world possibly agree on one universal USB to device connection cord?! Come on, people, it ain’t that hard…
February 22nd, 2012 at 9:30 am
I do travel with a laptop (Macbook Air) and a smartphone (HTC Inspire) but no SIM card, usually. However, the most used gadget in my backpack is my Kindle Keyboard 3G. It has gotten me out of a jam more than once with the free 3G Internet. It’s a PITA to use for surfing the web, but in a pinch works well for email, directions, etc. It’s great for reading too.
February 22nd, 2012 at 11:17 am
Good Lord. Do you have to hire porters?
April 7th, 2012 at 6:05 pm
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