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Gadgets You Backpack Around the World With?
ryrw writes "I'm planning to spend a year backpacking around the world and the hardest question I have to answer is: What technology do I take with me? Aside from the obvious (digital camera, ipod, et. al.) what technological devices would you you take? Specifically, I wonder if I should bring my nice and shiny MacBook Pro. I can think of lots of uses for it (offloading pix, updating weblog, email, etc.), but I'm worried it will be lost or stolen along the way. Does anyone have experience with travel while toting technology?"
Taking a notebook entirely depends on where you are travelling to. If you are travelling in the Europe, US or Australia, then you can happily chug your notebook with you. On the other hand, if you are travelling to Asia, it would depend entirely on your destination. The same goes for parts of Africa and South America.
:)
Now, you mentioned backpacking - so I am assuming that you do not particularly plan on staying at a hotel. A lot of backpackers stay in hostels, the Y and so on. If the latter is the case, you cannot leave your stuff in the hotel-room and go look around. So, carrying a notebook becomes a liability that needs to be taken care of constantly.
As someone who's travelled a lot, I usually do not carry my laptop around if I am backpacking across the world. Most parts of the world have Internet-cafes or similar places where you can check your mail, offload your pictures etc. And lugging that extra weight (light as it may be) is still a pain. What happens if you get caught in the rain, or if you decide to get drunk in a totally random place? You can't always be worried about your backpack and doing so is likely to give a big hint to folks that there is something worth stealing in your backpack.
Secondly, you will also need to get power adapters for various locations (Europe uses a different plug design and have different voltage/frequency setting than the US, and parts of Asia are a mixed bunch - in some countries, the plug is different but the voltage is the same as US or Europe and vice versa).
If you really feel the urge to be in touch, get a PDA with wireless features and carry that around. If you can check your email from a wireless access point, then your PDA would work as well as your shiny MacBook. And you can also ensure that it's always on you all the time.
The other accessory that I would take would be a nice, cheap, light tripod - look at some of the cheap, ultralight Amvona ones on eBay. They are very light and are totally worth it. And oh, carry a flashlight and a Swiss army knife. Both always come in useful. Also, get a good travel watch - I do a lot of outdoor stuff and I have a good Casio Pathfinder. It is absolutely worth it - it has a digital compass, a thermometer, a barometer, an altimeter and a slew of other features. Granted, you may not always use every feature, but at some point of time or the other, you will use at least one of the features. I have the PAG70-1V, and absolutely love it.
And finally, a good, light backpack (preferably one with a camelbag that's always got at least some water in it), good cargo-pants, good shoes and a light jacket go a long way towards making your life less miserable. Goodluck!
A map and compass? Useful and no batteries to charge.
The days of the digital watch are numbered.
I brought my old, trusty iBook on a trip to Japan for 3 weeks (when the iBook was new and fancy). It was super-handy to have, for all the reasons you mentioned. You do need to be aware, and hide it. Be careful what hotels/hostels you stay in. Always be aware of your surroundings.
Did anyone else fall for the original "Palm Software-Only GPS" download?
It drew a big "X" on your palm pilot screen, along with some text that read "You Are Here".
------ The best brain training is now totally free : )
Not knowing a lot about the type of traveling you're doing or your own needs... When I travel I take my GPS. I have a Garmin iQue M5. I only have the North America pack for it so traveling overseas may require additional software but it works well for me. Since I only keep a 512 meg card in it it's also useful to get the details of a local area loaded to it with the laptop. I don't know if they have Mac software for it but none the less, that's what I like to keep handy.
Also, in my times of travel I've never had anything stolen or lost. I don't know how common that kind of thing really is.
Dedicated Cthulhu Cultist since 4523 BC.
You dont really know when you will be surrounded by stone age natives planning to include you in their dinner plans. I have it in high authority that if you could show you control fire, they might mistake you for God. Since you are not bound by the prohibition against "impersonating a deity" unlike the protocol droids of the C3 series .... Dont leave home without a cigarette lighter.
sed -e 's/Chuck Norris/Rajnikant/g' joke > fact
Dont take your MacBook with you. It takes too much space, will probably get stolen or break (in some countries buss/train/taxi-"staff" will throw your bags up the roof of the veichle etc. before you have any chance to stop them).
.txt viewer (for adresses to friends/family etc.). And it supports UMS (usb mass storage devices). Just connect your digital camera and backup your pictures.
Sell the ipod and buy an Iriver H340 (or something similar), 40GB HD, music and movie player as well as picture and
Internet access is avalible and cheap as long as you keep to the "beaten track" but not always high speed.
nobody gives a fuck about Apple outside the US...
You won't come home with it. Someone will stab you in the head and take it.
Typical PC user. Always contradicting themselves.
I tease.
Dude. Decaff. Seriously.
Why would you go out backpacking and drown out the sounds of nature with your ipod? Enjoy the outdoors. Take a few minutes and observe your surroundings instead of burying your face into the glow of some i-product.
Of course, perhaps you are talking about backpacking from city to city and hanging out, which I wouldn't really call backpacking, more living the life of a hobo. If you are going to live the life of a hobo, don't bother lugging around a computer.
I frequently take long geocaching trips and like to have few things with me while I hike. It may be a leftover thing from when I was in Scouting and was constantly out backpacking, but it might just be that I hate carrying shit.
Anyway, I *always* carry with me a mobile phone with Internet service (EDGE/GPRS). In my case I don't have one that I can tether but if you are seriously interested in bringing your computer (I wouldn't, the weight is too much) then at least you will have connectivity in many more areas than if you just had wifi. In addition, I can take quick snapshots and upload them immediately to my mobile images gallery on my website from where ever I am. The quality is shit but at least people can tag along virtually until I upload the nice pictures.
Also, a nice GPS unit with good battery life (this is less of an issue these days with my Garmin 76CS (I haven't upgraded to the x series yet) will last three full days (~30 hours of the unit being on) on two lithium AAs. If I'm using 2500ma rechargables I might get 12 hours total.
The GPS is a nice touch if you want to geo-tag your photos later. Upload your tracks and use one of the pieces of software out there to match the EXIF data to your GPS tracks and then you can map the photos, etc, etc. It's a nice touch.
A quad-band GMS phone with a provider that has service worldwide could come in handy. While rates can be expensive, it may still be cheaper and more convenient than trying to get setup in each country or region that you visit.
I'd go for even less, myself, ideally a GSM phone/pda (and a couple global cards) with a portable keyboard to upload blogstuff and images. I'm generally an ultralight packer, though I can't see myself needing to code on the road.
Ok, I know its not geek correct, but really, don't take anything. Digital camera, ok, with lots of extra film, and a gps. But taking a lot of other stuff will only hold you down. Id bring my sketch book and a pen. I travelled in Europe for 3 months on such, and never missed gadgetry (but I tend not to have it anyway . . . just got a cell phone a few months ago, after 15 years of not having one . . . wow have they changed). Enjoy the world around you while you are travelling. There are always internet cafes, and hostels usually have connectivity too. Make arrangements for storage space accessible through the "tubes" and you can back up your pics as you go.
You are my hero.
When I've done long travel, I've tried to go as multi-function as possible.
Camera
Paper journals (books)
Phone
iGo charger or equiv (or a charger that can handle your phone + camera + whatever else)
PDA for everything else from currency conversion to translation help
That's a good set in my experience.
An operating system should be like a light switch... simple, effective, easy to use, and designed for everyone.
I'm as techie as the next /. reader. But seriously dude, unplug for a while. Spend your time and energy on the experience of the trip. With the possible exception of a decent digital camera to record your memories, leave the toys home.
As to the problem of theft, don't take anything you are not fully prepared to lose. or break. If you MUST take a laptop, get an old junky one, and make sure it has zero personal info on it. I have an old Sony Viao 505fx that I take on motorcycle trips. It's tiny, but powerful enough for uploading photos and surfing the web. All I need, and if it got stolen tomorrow, no great loss.
Stony
Having travelled extensively, including around-the-world, with technology. My best piece of advice is to purchase at least one Pacsafe mesh bag and ALWAYS use it when storing your gear in your room. Lock it to something that cannot be removed from the room.
In all my travels the only thing I had stolen was one of those small space pens that can write upside down. Given that it was stolen from my bag in a locked room, I'm certain that if I hadn't had Pacsafe I would have been missing MUCH more...
WH
I agree with the earlier post that a laptop would be more of a liability than an asset, but I've not backpacked in many moons. Have you inquired at the most traveled people website? It seems like they would at least have an informed opinion.
Obviously it depends on how much effort you want to put into taking care of it. This means things like always making sure you can find a safe storage location, lockable lockers, etc, which aren't always easy to find.
That said, I think part of the fun of backpacking is not taking everything with you -- it's about seeing how well you can live without luxuries. Also, when you're backpacking, every kilogram and every litre counts; brining a laptop + its accessories means you'll have to sacrifice space that you could use for another couple pairs of underwear or a shirt.
As far as pictures go, get a large memory card for your camera. You'll find places that will take your pictures from your memory card and burn them to CD while you wait. Internet cafes are ubiquitous in many parts of the world. I think you overestimate your need for a laptop.
I wouldn't take a laptop. But it's really up to you.
Depending on your attitude to photography, if you're anything like me, one big use for the lappy would be offloading pictures. If this is a big reason, you can get a portable hard drive (linked is just one example; there are a ton of others) that has flash readers built into it that you can directly copy them off onto the hard drive. (Combined with a PDA that would solve a lot of your problems.) There are some that have MP3 capabilities built into them. Alternatively, it's possible someone has built an adapter for iPods to do the same thing.
Do yourself a favor and leave the electronics at home. What an opportunity this will be! You'll be in interesting places, meeting new people ... why filter the experience through an assortment of electronic nonsense. You'll have plenty of time to carry that crap around during your entire career when you get home.
This might be your last opportunity to live relatively low-tech. Embrace it.
I do travel with my laptop but I also don't go anywhere that I am worried about getting it stolen. I go to Japan, and the youth hostels there either give you a private room, or if in a dorm they give you a coin locker that is visible at the front desk, so the chances of someone breaking into them are slim.
I would recommend instead of bringing a laptop for offloading pictures, get a portable media reader with hardrive. That way, when your card fills up, you turn on reader, plug in the memory card and hit copy, 3 minutes later the memory card is all copied to the hard drive. When you want to offload it go to an internet cafe, grab a blank CD/DVD and burn the images to another media type for backup. I have a 40GB drive that I do this with, and I love it.
Make sure you pack a towel. (and GPS!)
If you're backpacking, that 5 or 6 pounds will really wear on you. You can check email, update blogs, and download pictures using internet cafes, which are plentiful in even smaller towns now.
Then again, you're a geek who reads Slashdot. If you want to geek out during your trip, you'll need the laptop.
So, now the obvious question: why did you buy a brand new MacBook Pro right before you're about to spend a whole year backpacking? Why not wait till you got back?
The less useless junk you bring with you, the less you have to carry. Especially if you are going to stay at places that are, shall we say, less than secure. My short, not very sweet story of traveling woe is that, I went to the Caribbean to visit a friend and his wife. I met him in Puerto Rico, and we traveled on from there to sint maarten, and then to saba. whilst on sint maarten, we were drugged and robbed, and the only thing I had left was my Backpack, whatever was in my pockets, and my digital camera. I lost a 20Gb iPod, 12" PowerBook, various cords and whatnot, clothes, and a nice bag. Granted, had I not felt the need to be able to offload my pictures to something else, I would not have taken the laptop
the moral of my story is: 1) be careful where you have a beer in a foreign country, and 2) don't sleep in your rental car. My friend lost a laptop, 60Gb iPod, camcorder, two digital cameras, and a bunch of other crap at the same time. Travel light, it's less to get stolen, and less to carry with you. =D
I'm sure other insurance companies do similar stuff. Just be upfront about what you're doing when you get it so that you don't end up surprised later.
Mod me up, mod me down, do your worst you modding clown.
Do not take any 'gadgets' with you. You will not need them. You will not miss them. You are planning to backpack around the world. Why? To experience the world? Then do so. Gadgets will only distract you from that experience. Mp3 players and iPods are a horrible idea. You will miss the sounds of the world. Even the little seemingly meaningless sounds can be profound in there own ways. Having headphones on or looking at a digital screen all day will make you unapproachable and you will not get to experience the culture as much as you would otherwise. Bring a digital camera if you must, but be careful not to use it too much. With digital cameras people have a tendency to experience the world through the camera's LCD and not with their own eyes. Forget about gadgets, go out, touch, feel, taste and experience the world.
my 2 cents
A unique way to learn a language: http://languageloom.com
If you must have music, get a music player that will take SD cards, buy as many as you think is reasonable, fill them with music at the start of your trip, and shrink your music collection as you grow your picture collection. (prices are ~$10 for a 1 GB card, so 10 or 20 cards is fairly reasonable, and more isn't crazy for a year long trip).
So you start with a lot of music and can take thousands of pictures without doing any fiddling anywhere.
Nerd rage is the funniest rage.
I'd take a lightweight boat. For roughly 3/4 of your trip, you'll need it.
Failing that, the GPS / Phone is handy. One of those multi-tools is ridiculously handy, too.
I'd also bring a spare set of sturdy waterproof steel toed boots (and put some gel inserts into them too). Sore feet suck.
What's the point of owning a shiny new Macbook Pro if you're going to leave it at home for a year? If you don't want to take it, sell it and buy a new one when you get back. Carrying a laptop is a bit of a drag though. The iPod, camera, etc can pretty much be toted without any effort. A laptop is a real pain (5 pounds with cords,etc) and I'd find myself worrying about it too much. If you are traveling alone, only take what you can drag with you into the can.
_damnit_
It's my job to freeze you. -- Logan's Run
Nobody said what it was to be used for. And notice that usually there are plenty of thieves that don't have a clue about what they are stealing, would you risk your life for that piece of crap?
best...post...EVER!
If you do elect to bring the laptop along, I would recommend considering encrypting the disk. That way, if it is stolen, there will not be any identity theft risks associated with people uncovering your account informations or credentials.
for sale
I'm a self-modifying sig virus
Suppose he said:
... I can think of lots of uses for it, but I'm worried it will be lost or stolen along the way.
I'm planning to spend a year backpacking around Michigan and the hardest question I have to answer is: What technology do I take with me?
Developing nations have no monopoly on electronics theft. Walk around the poorer sections of Detroit, or Baltimore, or Chicago, or Cincinnati.
Three Squirrels
If you grab one of the decent Archos players you can copy all your pictures onto that as well as store your music. I went with a creative n200 (I think) as my tiny carry about with me player. The archos gmini504 and a digital camera. I could transfer music to the creative player from the gmini and copy each days pictures from the camera on to it.
You'll enjoy the experience more without the technology. Especially if you're traveling alone, you'll start to see the devices as your companions, and miss out on a lot while you're plugging away. Definitely bring a digital camera, and take advantage of Internet cafes.
Regardless of where you go, when you go, or how you go, everyone should have a gps of some type. You don't need a $500 unit. Get something cheap off ebay. I agree that the geotagging part is kind of neat. However, always knowing how to get to your next destination is something everyone needs. I always have a GPS with me. Sometimes two.
A camera and a good sense of adventure also help...
And batteries
Equipment:
Camera: Canon S45
MP3 player, FM tuner, Photo storage (w/CF slot) and sound recorder: Archos Gmini 120
Text input: Palm Pilot IIIxe (AAA batteries + serial cnx) + foldable keyboard
Conclusion:
The camera worked nicely for my needs, although the battery was very sensitive to cold temperatures. I would offload the CF card contents onto the Archos device, deleting music as I went. Burning to CD was easy in Internet cafes (even in India). A better text input device would have been greatly appreciated: Make sure you can access your content with a USB connection. Being able to write emails, prepare webblog in your hotel room is a must (or spend lots of time in an internet cafe). A laptop is very heavy - I am still thinking I might my hands on an Archos PMA430 for entering text and as a replacement for my Gmini 120.
jp
Others have poo-poo'ed taking an iPod - I'm leaving for the Bahamas in 18 hours or so, and I'm taking my iPod for one reason - digital photo backup. I have a little widget that plugs into my iPod Photo and my Canon 20D and sucks the pictures out. I can then erase the flash card, and keep going. I stored 5000 pics on it while in Scotland. It was great! No laptop required.
Tiller's Rule: Never use a word in written form that you've only heard and never read. You will end up looking foolish.
I had a good friend take a 2 year around the world trip, and his only technology was a Digital camera and an Alpha Smart.
The alpha smart went through only 2 sets of AA batteries in the entire trip. He'd type notes on the unit, then when he got to an internet cafe it would plug in as a keyboard and upload the text to the computer. Small, lightweight, very rugged.
In 2 years of hard backpacking, it only needed one repair; a minor solder repair on the batter connector.
www.kedl.org has more details
Leave the ipod and take a good PDA, like a Dell Axim x51v. It's got WiFi, Bluetooth and irDa for connectivity, hardware-accelerated GPU for smooth playback of MPEG (including MPEG4 / DivX at high-resolution), VGA resolution LCD, standard VGA output for viewing movies, etc on larger screens, it actually works really well as a VOIP skype phone over WiFi (just turn it upsidedown and put your ear over the D-Pad - the mic is near the top). You can put a good browser like Opera on it, and with the VGA display you can surf the net far, far better than with a cell phone. It also has both SD and CF slots, so you can have lots of storage and extra hardware like GPS at the same time.
Oh, and it can play MP3s.
Anyway, I would take a device with maximum portability and flexibility. An iPod can be cajoled into doing other things, but if listing to music isn't 95% of what you'll be using the device for, I'd take a PDA instead.
Dan East
Better known as 318230.
First time I went abroad, I brought all sorts of gadgets with me: a mini-television to watch all the exotic foreign shows (before I understood the difference between NTSC, NTSC-J and PAL), a MiniDisc recorder to take "audio" photos of different places (worked out nicely), a laptop to "do work" (ended up using it as a glorified travel diary). The camera was low-tech film, so no worries about backing up files. I also brought a portable immersion water heater to boil noodles or make pasta.
The second time I went, I brought the heater, the camera and the minidisc recorder. The heater had adapters for nearly every kind of AC socket, so that was fine. The other two relied on batteries. The key was that they could use simple, easy-to-find batteries (AA's, primarily). I wouldn't want to be at the mercy of a rechargeable battery for anything really important because you'll have to cart around a bunch of adapters, but more importantly, if the batteries die you have to wait a number of hours before you can use your little slice of technology again. (Sorry, iPod).
The more low-tech, the higher the reliability. No-tech gadgets like travel journals (with real paper) might cramp up your hand, but at least they'll work in the middle of the jungle.
Don't go backpacking without a 1/4 roll of duct tape. You can make splints and bandages out of it, bodge just about anything, oh - and patch up your laptop after you drop it in a hostel fight.
From experience Hotel = Laptop, Hostel = pad of paper
Don't forget that travel is about experience, not about having your nose stuck in a computer. If you're going to do that, stay home - it's cheaper.
I take it you're not a Mac user, then?
Seven puppies were harmed during the making of this post.
Without knowing your exact travel plans it's difficult to make a recommendation, but I'd certainly consider leaving the laptop at home. I was on the fence about bringing a laptop with me when we went to Europe for about 2-3 weeks. I'm glad I didn't, as you'd just worry about it getting stolen the whole time. If you're sticking to major cities, most hostels have internet connections to use for free or cheaply, and internet cafes are still common. In Rome we found a place that does your laundry for you (!!) while you use the computers. You'll have to get used to the different keyboard layouts in each country, but it's not too difficult when you get the hang of it.
If you're a shutterbug, I HIGHLY recommend a camera that takes AA batteries. Sometimes power outlets are difficult to come by, and you need converters to get anything to work anyway (although you can just fit a different set of prongs on your iPod and MacBook chargers, they accept all the input voltages you'll encounter natively). Take multiple flash cards, not one giant card. We scoured Rome with a guy we just met looking for the flash card he lost somewhere that day. It had every picture he'd taken for his entire 2 month trip on it. I took 3 cards in rotation, uploading them to a server I set up whenever I found a place with a fast internet connection (rarer than you'd hope).
My handheld GPS unit was invaluable for striking out on your own, but you can't take it anywhere. Keep a compass and a basic map with you at all times, if at all possible. You will get lost.
I'd leave behind everything you possibly can. Most people over-pack and end up ditching stuff along the way. If you're not going to use something at least 4-5 times a week over a 1yr trip, leave it. If you end up needing it, you can always get it there.
Have fun!
While a fresh-faced junior in college, I took a tour of Europe. One day, I left my camera in what I thought was a secure place. It was stolen, and along with it went all of my exposed film. Today, while film is essentially dead, the spectre of catastrophic loss looms even larger because it's even more convenient than before to store all of your information in one place, like your laptop.
Therefore, my advice is, no matter what devices you plan to bring with you, take pains to have multiple copies of your data (photos, songs, whatever) and keep them physically separated to reduce the likelihood that both would get stolen at the same time. I use a laptop drive in an external USB enclosure as backup storage when traveling. Professional photographers have a mantra-like phrase, "protect the take," that means to guard the captured data.
Put my fist through my alarm clock with its ding-dong death inside my ear. - The Blackjacks.
.... Is one of these Travel Plug Adapters from Kensington:
A ppleStore.woa/wa/RSLID?mco=1F805214&nplm=M8794G%2F B
http://us.kensington.com/html/5519.html
http://us.kensington.com/html/7207.html
They allow you to plug in any device that does voltage conversion (check your AC adapter before you leave to make sure it does) into any outlet. That way you don't have to walk around with a ton of cables.
Also, if you're an Apple Fanboy, Apple has the World Travel Adapter Kit that does the same thing with the power adapters that come with iPods, iBooks, PowerBooks, MacBooks, MacBook Pros.
http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/
All of these are light and don't take up a lot of space.
This is my opinion. To make sure you don't steal it, it's covered by the DMCA.
I say if you're gonna be packing everything with you on your back everywhere, you've got to keep light. I read that even mp3 players are a bad idea, because every ounce (or kilohectare, for you metric lovers) counts when you're going any real distance with a pack on your back. I combine the mp3 player with the phone (but it doesn't do me any good, because my wife wants me to leave the phone at home with her).
I went on a 15-mile hike with the Scouts a few weeks ago, and I felt every pound I had on me. One of the leaders even told about how he dumps excess water if he knows there's a stream a mile ahead.
So I guess it's up to you. If you feel like you can take it, go on a 15-mile hike with everything you think you want to take. After 15 miles, you'll know what is worth hauling around and what's worth leaving. That's what worked for me. After that 15 miler I got a different pack, changed what I ate, changed how much water I carried (and how I carried it), and bought some new boots.
Test-drive your pack. It's worth it!
I cried real tears when Li Mu Bai died.
I did this in Europe in 2004. I took a Zaurus SL-5500 ($200 off eBay) and a wireless CF card ($40 off a LUG member). I ran Kismet and had the standard ssid "linksys" and "default" preconfigured. (BTW, the best open wifi was next to the Pompidou in Paris.)
Checked my email, posted to my blog, looked up public transit routes, checked train times, etc. Never paid for Internet cafes.
The Zaurus (or like device) is small enough to not notice, has a lanyard loop, and is reasonably durable thanks to the hard screen cover. There must be something more modern now, but that's what I would do.
I'd rather have someone respond than be modded up.
http://www.randomhouse.ca/author/results.pperl?aut horid=15080
There was a Polish, Ryszard Kapuscinski, reporter who roamed the world. He had approximately zero budget and he took next to nothing with him. The result was that he wasn't worth robbing and wasn't killed for his worldly goods. In fact he said something like: "To have things is to die." He was also quite non-threatening and was able to go places and get access that the richer reporters could never get.
His philosophy was much like the parent. You're going somewhere to get the experience. Why junk it up by bringing all the distractions you have at home. If you can't live without all the crap then don't waste your time and money by going.
I have traveled all over Asia with my Macbook and I have to say take it. #1 reason: You are sitting in a mountain village in Tibet and the only thing around you are some nomads and their yurts. 5 kids come up to you and want to ask you questions but you can't talk to them, they can't talk to you. Enter Photobooth. In 1 minute you are the superstar and everyone is laughing and having a good time. For security, get a laptop sleeve and a messenger bag or light daypack and just take your laptop with you when you are out on the town. When you are staying in a hotel, leave it in your bag. It's so worth it.
Fancy handmade instruments at The Camel's Back
The all look great BTW.
The simple truth is that interstellar distances will not fit into the human imagination
- Douglas Adams
I strongly recommend you not carry a laptop while backpacking. You will not use it much, and it will be a 10 lb (w/ accessories) monkey on your back the entire trip. You'll never be able to leave it anywhere.
An unlocked GSM treo with a travel power adapter and a cheap 2 gig SD card or two should provide ample storage for maps and such, and all the connectivity you're likely to want via locally-purchased sim cards. This and an ultra-compact digicam that takes SD cards (and has a multi-voltage charger) is all the technology I'd pack for such a trip. Keep the electronics pocketable and under a kilogram in total or ditch them entirely.
-Isaac
I am not a lawyer, and this is not legal advice. For Entertainment Purposes Only.
Don't bring a laptop, you'll just stress about it. Travel as light as you can. After a few months every extra pound feels like 10.
I would highly recommend you go with the clothes you have on your back (plus extra socks and underwear) and buy what you need locally. This gives you have a natural reason to talk to european sales girls and you end up looking less like a tourist, which is nice.
Btw don't get a money belt, they are an amazing hassle, just keep your cash and passport in your front pocket.
Enjoy.
I can't understand it. You want to see the world, yet you want to bring along some music to listen to. Ditch the safety blankets and listen to the world around you.
Also WTF is up with taking your laptop? a) you're going to be worried it will be stolen, b) you're going to scramble around looking for power, c) why do you need to surf slashdot when hiking, d) you're going to piss off the locals with your technology, e) why are you going hiking again?
If you are backpacking you want to take something that you deal with loosing or breaking. You want something that you can keep in an ordinary pocket. My advice would be a smart GSM ‘phone with Bluetooth (and maybe WiFi).
I choose a Sony Ericsson P910. The camera is good enough for blogging. I can type away e-mails on the keyboard. GSM works most places in the world. T-Mobile offers a $5 a month data plan that lets me surf the web (slowly) from all over the globe.
Plug in a memory card and you have a device you can read ebooks on (travel guides and books you meant to read that never got round to). Carry a bluetooth GSM device and your ‘phone now is every map you would need to bring.
Get a USB thumb drive that also works with your memory cards. That way you can easy transfer data from your ‘phone to PCs in a Internet café.
Ideally choose devices that charge from USB ports. This cuts down on the number of chargers you need.
I practice lightweight backpacking, but I still sometimes carry some tech gear with me, especially if its multi-purpose.
My TMobile MDA Windows Mobile phone (HTC Wizard in other markets) - Cell phone, web access (if I'm in an area with coverage), PocketPC applications for keeping logs, reading eBooks, listening to mp3s & podcasts, and I sometimes leave the camera at home and just use the built in camera in the phone.
Pair the phone with a bluetooth GPS (I use a Pharos 500 in a GPS-BTII cradle) and a good mapping application for the PocketPC makes the phone/PDA serve another purpose. I carry a compass and topo map, and I know how to use them, but I rarely ever do if I have the GPS with me.
Solio photovoltaic charger (http://www.solio.com/v2/) - I love this thing... it has a built in battery that can be pre-charged from a wall socket, and then you can keep it charged from the sun. You can get tips to charge most of the major cell phones, but it comes with the common ones, a miniUSB, a female USB, and a car charger port (so you can charge anything you've ot a car charger for, if you feel like lugging those cables around). My phone/pda and GPS will all charge from USB or MiniUSB. A full day with this strapped to the top of my pack is enough to fully recharge my phone/pda.
5.8oz for the PDA, 2.3oz for the GPS, and 5.6oz for the Solio charger. All my tech needs in under a pound, with some earbuds and misc cables.
I have a base weight (backpack, clothes, shelter, sleeping bag, first-aid kit, water filter, and misc gear) minus consumables (fuel for my stove, water, and food) under 8lbs, including my "Geek Gear". I've used this loadout for up to a month at a time, with limited resupply.
If you are going to take mp3players/cameras..
take ones that use AA or AAA batteries. That way you wont get stuck with the bulk and restrictions, and hastles of chargers.
Buy a 20 pack of AA batteries every once in awhile and be done with it.
a 2 or 4 gig memory card in a good 4.0 megapixel camera will take about 1500 or 3000 pictures. not switching memory chips means not losing them.
I buy AA cameras most of the time so it will continue to work without having to buy a new lion battery every 2 years. the li-on batteries go bad after 2 years no matter how much or little you use them.
Stop invalid scientific research. Ask your local scientists to feed their lab rats with a phytoestrogen-free chow.
... while difficult to classify as a gadget, a towel is the most massively useful thing an interstellar hitchhiker (or international backpacker) can have...
...you can wrap a towel around you for warmth... ...you can lie on a towel... ...you can sleep under a towel... ...you can use a towel to sail a miniature raft... ...you can wrap a towel around your head to ward off noxious fumes... ...you can wave your towel in emergencies as a distress signal... ...you can dry yourself with a towel (if it's still clean enough)...
Just think of the potential uses...
More importantly, a towel has immense psychological value... The possession of a towel gives the casual observer an impression that you are on your way to some place in which they imagine one might need a towel. They may assume you initially set out with other items as well, and may be more inclined to allow one to "borrow" said items, since they are under the impression that you probably left home with said items and have momentarily misplaced them. You do not appear to the casual observer to be someone who is incompetent and unprepared for what life has to offer. Instead of appearing to be a leech on society, you appear to be a responsible adventurer who may occasionally merely fall upon hard times. The uninformed is more prone to assist you after first glance. In fact, waving a towel about can be almost as advantageous an act for a male hitchhiker as flashing a nice set of legs can be for a female hitchhiker.
It can be said that anyone 'will think is that any man who can hitch the length and breadth of the [world], rough it, slum it, struggle against terrible odds, win through, and still knows where his towel is, is clearly a man to be reckoned with.'
And whatever happens... Don't Panic!
-- Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
chown -R us
Do not, under any circumstances, ever check any luggage.
EVER EVER EVER.
Take one bag that you can carry on, and NEVER let it out of your sight, otherwise you're going to have to pay a fee, tip, or bribe in order to get it back. Local cops are often in league with the local criminals to prey on travelers.
Agreed on getting rid of the iPod, it's useless for doing much of anything without coaxing. Get a media player that supports dumping photos to it like an iRiver. Ditch the laptop and get a PDA with USB and wireless.
If you take a media player, you should not ever be listening to it or have it out in a non-secure area like in a bus station or walking down the street.
If you're *really* going to the backwoods of nowhere, a solar charger may be good.
Mail back any souvenirs, don't carry them with you.
Instead of an iPod, if you need music on the road, get a CD player or an AM/FM radio. When you need to listen to weather reports an FM radio will be more useful than an iPod. A camera is a good idea but think about the total number of pictures you need to take. Even if you only take 10 pictures a day, that's over 3000 pictures you'll be going through once you get back. Are you really going to do that? Is it useful in any way?
I wouldn't bother with a tripod or an SLR camera. Carry something like the equivalent of a Canon Elph. Small, lightweight.
And for god's sakes don't take a laptop.
Small potatoes make the steak look bigger.
Perhaps a http://www.solio.com/v2/ would be in order? It certainly won't help with the laptop, but it could keep your phone, GPS, iPod, and maybe the digital camera charged. You get that warm-and-fuzzy-save-the-planet feeling when you recharge from the sun, but you can also charge it from the wall and charge another devices at the same time. Mine came with a handfull of power adapters for use in other countries. I find it to be a fairly useful gadget, simply from the standpoint that it can recharge most of my 'gadgets' on it's own without needing to take a half dozen power adapters.
I am posting this from Val's Hostel in Dangriga, Belize using my Nokia 770.
It's a pocket-sized "Internet Tablet" - WiFi and bluetooth with what I believe is the best screen on any pocket computer available.
As well as reading Slashdot I use it for viewing and uploading photos from my bluetooth cam-phone, playing Freeciv, reading ebooks, VoIP...
If you're going off the beaten track the meamo-mapper program will interface with a BT GPS and show you where you are.
The newer N800 has a camera and FM radio built in.
Carrying a laptop when backpacking is a major headache but my 770 does most of what a laptop would and lives in a pouch on my belt.
I travel once every 3 months or so. My technology of choice is a PocketPC Cell Phone (not a smartphone) with Bluetooth / EVDO/GPRS / SD-slot, a Bluetooth GPS and a decent 4-6Mpx camera with SD-slot, and a SD chip. You can pick up a wireless IRDA or BT keyboard if you want. This combination allows me to do pretty much everything I want (technically) while on the road/trail (music,geocaching,shopping,email,web).
Get some more SD cards for your music, and run solid state 100%, I wouldn't want to take any device with a harddrive around the world.
Current arsenal: Audiovox PPC-6700, Pharos BT GPS, 2gb SanDisk SD, Canon PS SD500. Total weight is less than 1lbs, great for a backpack.
The first trip I did in Asia, I didn't even bring a camera. I bought a very cheap watch (you do need to catch trains, ferries, etc); that was it. The next trip I did bring a small camera and a shortwave radio; on a long trip in the boondocks it's nice to stay in touch with the BBC World Service. It was a bit disconcerting to be on an isolated beach in Thailand hearing about the Tiananmen Massacre live, though. The more stuff you take, the more you're a prisoner of it. Taking photos instead of experiencing it live -- when you can buy a postcard of the same sight, only professionally shot. Why on earth would you want a laptop? -- you'll never be able to forget it while you're travelling; you can never relax, and there is an excellent chance it will get broken or stolen. It'll weigh you down much more than its weight. Get a $2 notebook and a biro. Don't take an MP3 player. Talk to people on the train/bus. You can catch up on your tunes when you get back to commuting. Take apack of cards and play Solitaire, or invite a companion to play.
I would never bring my premo laptop, too expensive and big. If I just need email, I bring a 2nd-rate PDA (even a Palm Vx is good enough). Otherwise I bring an old Toshiba Libretto, weighs 1.5lbs, with WiFi (WeeFee as the French say...), and allows email, surfing and digital pix transfers from my digital camera. A GSM phone is handy, with a Riiing SIM (www.riiing.com), a SIM that works almost anywhere and has good rates. And I bring a "suicide kit", which is basically an RJ-11 phone cord with alligator clips so I can tap into any non-standard analog phone line, and a few patch cords (alligator clips on both ends) so I can adapt to any power outlet that might be available. Note that at 220V, it is far more lethal than the US 115V, so be careful. But its been very helpful on many occasions.
Take into account the potential cost of losing your shiny Mac. Now, go ahead and spend some cash on a phone that contains a decent camera, works like an ipod, and has a web browser. No need to worry about having to unload a memory card from the camera, just upload them and take more. Wanna blog a photo, no problem, most blogging places handle moblogging well (as do several OSS softwares if you want to maintain your own). When you want tunes they're right there too. Handle your trip blogging via the phone's web browser (for my blog I made a stripped-down admin page just for using via the cellphone). Plus, it's still a phone, so you can call your SO, Mom, whoever, and tell them how groovy your trip is going. Now you're down to your backpack full of clothes and a phone.
I have started spending more time working at various Ren Faires around CA. Taking only what I need (mostly clothes and tools), living in a tent, working for cash, and putting smiles on peoples' faces, I've learned that, believe it or not, my life feels much fuller without a daily dose of Slashdot or social networking (eg myspace) or Email.
Personally I figure if you're even thinking of carting along any more technology than a phone, you're pretty well missing the point of backpacking around the world.
I'm with you.
I backpacked/rode-trains across Europe (London to Budapest and back) a while ago, and I didn't bring a laptop with me. Granted, they have lighter ones today than when I went, but I still don't think it's that justifiable.
An iPod might be a better bet, particularly if you got one of those adapters that let you download files from a digital camera card directly to its hard drive for storage. But all the other things that you could want to do with a laptop, you can probably do at an internet cafe for a few cents a minute. Email (just remember to change your password frequently -- you don't know who's logging your keys), advance bookings for the next stage of your trip, research, etc.
IMO, it'll probably be harder to find someplace where you can charge your laptop and find connectivity, than to just find an internet cafe and plunk down a few Euros to use one of their computers. Particularly in less affluent cities, these places are everywhere (very popular with migrant workers -- many of them have very cheap long distance via VOIP, too).
Bringing a camera, of whatever sort you prefer, is a definite must. (I brought a film camera, but like I said, it was a while ago, I might do it differently today. Although with film, I just bought new film as I moved around, and just stored the exposed rolls, double-bagged in heavy Ziplocks, in the bottom of my backpack.) The iPod might be nice, although I think I'd skip it if it was me; just another thing to worry about charging and getting stolen. Definitely no laptop. If you want entertainment, bring a big softcover book, and then when you finish it, trade it at a used-book shop (many hostels, particularly the nicer ones, have a 'leave a book, take a book' shelf somewhere, if you ask). And of course, the tour book (Rough Guide, Lonely Planet, Fodors, etc.) of your choice.
The one thing I might bring, if I were doing it today, would be a GSM cellphone handset, and then pick up a cheap prepaid SIM when I got to Europe. Payphones over there seem to be a dying breed, and most of them in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland don't take coins. In order to use them, you have to buy little prepaid cards, which you then stick into the pay-phone. Absolutely obnoxious, and really no advantage to using them versus just buying a prepaid long-distance card (the one where you dial a freephone number and then enter the number you want), even for local calls. I spent a whole lot of time during my trip, wandering around villages trying to find payphones, or a shop where I could buy one of those cards (try doing that on a Sunday in Bavaria), in order to call the next hostel on my itinerary and make sure that we had a bed for the night. A cellphone would be worth its weight, just to avoid that hassle. Minimally used, it probably wouldn't need recharging except for once every few weeks, either.
I suspect that the payphone situation in Asia is probably even more dire than in Europe, and that getting a GSM SIM would be even easier and cheaper, so that's definitely the route I'd go.
"Ladies and gentlemen, my killbot features Lotus Notes and a machine gun. It is the finest available."
**1) Portable hand-crank and/or solar powered flashlight.
2) Portable hand-crank and/or solar powered radio.
Of these the first two is indispensable, often ignored but indespensible even if you only use it to find your way to the loo in the middle of the night.
My experience traveling with expensive electronics is that it's difficult to keep track of them ALL of the time. It's fine to be aware and in control 98% of the time, but it turns out that's not enough. Only bring what you are willing to lose. I lived in Spain for a long time and spacing out on the metro one day a fellow slit a hole in my backpack and very nearly carried off my laptop. I didn't even notice the rip until I was home.
-- Cameron
Honestly, I'd find an old iBook G3 to do do this with. I backpacked a lot with mine and the hard candy, err... plastic shell is really nice in this case. Serisouly, I took mine up a mountain in my backpack which also had a couple of large rocks in it (don't ask long story) and it survived with just a couple scratches. Also, they have a very good battery life if you get a 600MHz+ cpu. And the HD is plenty big enough for a stack of pictures. And best of all, if this one does get stolen you're only out a couple hundred bucks as opposed to a couple thousand.
You need therapy to get over your Apple envy issues before you stab someone in the head and steal their MacBook.
Avoid Missing Ball for High Score
I guess we have different ideas on backpacking.
I recommend that you Bring what you need, not what you want. You will be lugging everything around and once you count in things like clothing, water, food, sleeping gear, tent, rope, knife, shovel, stove, etc etc, do you really want to bring your laptop? to me that is a few extra pounds of unneeded weight, if the batteries die, then what good is it?
Look up some information on backpacking light first and foremost. as a photographer I think you would be better off bringing a few extra memory cards for your camera and uploading the pics when visiting a cybercafe or run into someone that might be nice enough to let you use their computer. anyway, check out this site for light weight backpacking http://www.backpackinglight.com/.
good luck and have fun on your trip.
If you really want to be mobile and go a lot of places and see a lot of things, the key is to *NOT* encumber yourself with bulky/heavy/unreliable things.
I traveled around Asia with a laptop, large camera bag, dive gear bag, and a backpack.
I've done other backpack-ish trips with my PDA and phone.
Long story short.
Laptop: Spent a large amount of money on it right before my trip. Had to carry it in a separate backpack. Had to hold it over my head while I walked through waist high flood waters on the sidewalk. It broke, a travel buddy broke it, ruined a friendship. No place in Thailand could fix it. Warranty couldn't be honored without long trip to another country. Heavy. Needed lots of converters. Lugged a broken laptop around on my travels. Wasted travel time trying to get it fixed. Stayed in bungalows that had poor locks/security - worried about theft. By the time I could fix the laptop, it had depreciated to the point that I would have been better off buying a new one.
Camera: Bring a small camera with extra memory cards as your PRIMARY camera. Burn CDs of your pictures regularly. Burn two copies. Keep one with you. Send one to somewhere safe. Large SLR cameras: Get a good telephoto lens and don't bring extra lenses. Decide how much you love photography and how much of your pack storage you're willing to devote to YOUR SECOND camera -- once you factor in the chargers and extra batteries and ram cards for each camera. Also, consider the security factors of your camera gear. Cameras are small and valuable/desirable and need to be protected. Keeping the number of things you have to protect to a minimum is a benefit when you travel. Also, you'll want to have some waterproof bag to put your camera/electronic gear in so that when you travel between cities in a minibus and your bags are on top of the minivan for 12 hours, you won't worry about the 4-hour typhoon-like rains ruining your electronic gear.
Dive gear: Not gadgets, per se. If you're a diver and your travel focus is diving, nothing beats traveling with your own gear. On the other hand, try being one person carrying 150 lbs. of bags with you and see how mobile you are when you're looking for deals on accomodation... Check your gear and stow it in reliable lockers in a big city when you're not going to be using it.
Backpack: Not a gadget, a necessity.
PDA: in my experience, PDA battery life and backpacking around aren't very compatible. I *WANTED* to use my PDA a lot while traveling, but battery life drains after a few hours and requires a long time to charge. Do you want to travel or spend time sitting in cafe's waiting for your PDA to charge? On long trips, your PDA battery will die and when you need it, you won't be able to use it. You'll run your battery down very low and get used the scary warnings about "BATTERY LEVEL CRITICALLY LOW: RECHARGE IMMEDIATELY OR RISK DATA LOSS"
Phone: chances are that your phone won't work in all of the countries you're traveling to. It's actually a good thing to have a working phone while you travel. Do your research in advance with your cell service provider. Make sure you have all of the proper adapters.
Internet cafes are easy to find. Don't encumber yourself with unnecessary gadgets. You'll find them much more of a burden than a benefit in general. They'll keep you from meeting interesting new people. *IF* you choose to bring gadgets, make some tradeoffs so that you don't bring too much stuff and keep your bag light.
Use your iPod for storing your photos. You can get one of the camera-iPod adapters reviewed on ilounge.com or just bring your cables and drag 'n' drop whenever you can borrow someone's computer.
For your internet connection, if you can't get by with what's in a cafe, try Nokia's Internet Tablet 770 or 800. They're tiny, have high resolution screens, and work reasonably well with most web sites. The 770 is (or will be) discontinued, and so cheaper, but you'll probably like the 800 better. It's getting the software updates that the 770 isn't.
Otherwise, I agree with most of the other posters: travel light!
The most useful thing to bring is a notebook: the kind made of paper, with pages that can be torn out. It's fantastic as a universal translator (you can draw pictures, and much of the world understands Arabic numbers), as a travel diary, and as a calendar. And nobody will steal it, unlike a computer-notebook.
I travel with a 366mhz Apple iBook
why:
ABS and metal case - very tough
replacement 4400mah battery gives 6-7 hours usage
worth little so its safe to use anywhere
Running OS 10.3, it can connect to Wifi, dial-up, any ethernet router and bluetooth cellphone modems (via a USB dongle)
Its slow but its never let me down - and I can charge it from a cgarette lighter socket using an aftermarket charger
I have been a user for about 10 years. This ends Feb 2014. The site's been ruined. I'm off. Dice, FU
dont bring your laptop. doesn't matter where in the world you are, if you're obviously a tourist, then you are a target and there is a very good chance you will get screwed. duh.
Yes, I mean the lot. Forget the camera, the iPod, the lot. Spend that year listening to the sounds of the world, not the sounds of you iPod, and being a participant, not a spectator through the lense of you camera.
Not only will your experience be hightened but, when you are inevitably ripped off, you haven't lost anything.
init 11 - for when you need that edge.
With this, you can browse the internet/post to blogs, listen to your music, watch movies, never get lost (via gps and google maps mobile), make calls via quad band, it fits in your pocket or bag easily, and I wouldn't shed a tear if it was stolen or lost (with cheap cell insurance). All-in-all, a great travel companion. Just make sure to bring extra batteries and power adapters, it will suck the battery empty in 5-6 hours if you're using wireless/bluetooth. I feel completely lost without mine.
The iPhone can probably do most everything you want. Its a phone, email, decent camera, replaces the iPod, etc. I'd take the iPhone and leave everything else.
I'd go with just the clothes on my back, an iPhone, and that's it.
Avoid Missing Ball for High Score
why not buy one off-lease from TigerDirect or something? $350 gets you a nice P4 with enough going on to do what you want, and it doesn't hurt as much if it gets stolen or broken. It'll come with XP -- keep it and load OSS, or wipe it for Linux. Just keep anything you don't want to lose on thumbdrives in your pocket. You can't find a Mac for that kind of money, but you can probably find a nice HP or even a ThinkPad. And while I'm not sure about this, I bet you can find cheap thumbdrives all over the world and ship your old ones home using the cheapest/slowest shipping option as they fill up with stuff you don't want to delete.
But really, most of the people around here are right -- while I haven't had the opportunity to travel around the world yet, when I do travel here in the states I always take a computer that I end up lugging around and hardly using at all. Leave it home, use Internet connections as you find them, and savor your surroundings. Only once have I NEEDED to take my laptop with me, and even then I was still stymied by a hotel's dead Internet connection and stuck trying to work on my Treo.
It is pitch black. You are likely to be eaten by a grue.
Don't take anything on your trip.
You don't need that shit. All it does is make you look like a disaffected Gen X-er who can't think outside your comfort zone of lattes, email, and Birkenstocks. Leave it at home and enjoy the culture of the places you're going. Questions like this are exactly why people hate Americans. You just don't get it.
Get this - there are places on Earth (our planet) right now that do not have electricity. Never mind wifi or Internet or broadband - NO POWER. There are people who consider light bulbs a miracle - fucking light bulbs, man. There are places without running WATER or available FOOD. Get a grip and see how life is lived by the majority of the world.
You want restaurant reviews? Ask people about good places to eat or just stop in to a place that looks interesting. Order the daily special without asking what it is.
You want to keep in touch with your friends? Send postcards. Use the phone. Send a motherfucking telegram.
For pictures, get disposable cameras. Otherwise, you're just going to end up giving the camera away to some stranger. They're cheap, they're good, and nobody will steal them.
A "cheap, throwaway" laptop is cutting edge in some places. "386? Wow, we're still using TRS-80s."
Unless you're just backpacking to meet foreign girls (or guys, I don't judge or care.) and hope to look sophisticated enough to write poetry on your laptop in the same cafe that Einstein went to when he was an undergrad, yet humble enough to take a leave of absence to discover the meaning of life. In that case, save some money and try somewhere closer. Since you seem attached (rather unhealthily) to your laptop, try Internet dating.
The only modern tech you should bring with you is full immunity to nasty diseases. Get your Hep shots and your DPT boosters.
That said, if you're going to places with lower tech, get a bunch of those cheap dollar store squeeze LED keychains. (They are a wondrous item to some people out there.)
---
ECHELON is a government program to find words like bomb, jihad, plutonium, assassinate, and anarchy.
You cant take the GPS in the water, and it'll get stolen on the beach so it stayed behind.
No public lockers at the beaches?
If I were doing this trip I'd be big into public lockers so I wouldn't have to carry everything I owned for the trip everywhere.
Or have they been eradicated as 'terrorist bomb depositories'?
The man's ideal device, an integrated digital camera/gps/ipod/wifi computer doesn't exist yet. Maybe in a couple years the iPhone will have enough flash to store a year's worth of pictures.
My God, it's Full of Source!
OUTSIDE_IP=$(dig +short my.ip @outsideip.net)
You really only need two things, a decent notebook (Moleskines are great) and a roll of toilet paper.
Both of these can fit into an ultra-light pair of cargo pants with dryweave or something.
You don't even need extra clothes, just wash and hang your pants and shirt every night. The new water wicking clothes will dry in about 20 mins.
Like others have said, the lighter, the better. After a week, 10 pounds of macbook, ipod, pda, etc will weigh a ton.
built for the ipod that lets you offload pictures from your digital camera. I suggest you pick one of these up. Also if you have a video ipod loading up a bunch of movies is a great way to kill time on planes and trains.
I recently got back from a 3 week trip to europe, it would have been nice to have a laptop but certainly not worth the trouble. I have an old Titanium powerbook, around the same size and weight as the laptop you are thinking about bringing. I suppose if I was going for that much longer I might have brought it. I would suggest looking into a smaller information device instead if you really feel you want something. Some kind of subnotebook. lugging a large notebook around would be a pain and hiding it away is more difficult.
I was considering purchasing a Nintendo DS and a copy of opera for the DS but since it is not available in the US it would have taken too long for me to hunt down a copy (I could have bought one in Europe I guess).. that actually would have been great for connecting to the wireless networks that seemed to be everywhere in europe but the lack of a real keyboard might have driven me nuts.
Best of luck to you and enjoy your travels.
"In America, first you get the sugar, then you get the power, then you get the women..." -H. Simpson
It depends, but I am perfectly well with
OS and internet-enabled mobile phone + camera.
Instead of CDs or DVDs you just take some more of the SD cards (or something similar), and offloading pix as much as you like.
That's all. Music,updating weblog, email, maps, etc. a decent phone should be able to do, unless you are out of radio coverage.
If someone spent a month or so as a tourist in another country, would you consider them to be a hobo? That is basically what this is, a backpack is just easier to lug around than a suitcase, especially if you are using lots of public transportation. He might not be doing much hiking at all. This phenomenum/terminology may be odd to Americans, as we don't have the public transportation or cheap lodging to support it, but it is extremely common pretty much anywhere else.
So neither of those situations are completely applicable. He isn't trying to get away from it all, just trying to be mobile. And while he probably wouldn't want to bring highly valuable stuff that is easily stolen, he definately is going to have more niceties than a hobo would.
Fleshlight
I don't understand why so many people are telling this individual to leave the technology at home. If I went a year without my favourite music, I'd probably go crazy! Besides, being able to have access to address books and backup storage for photos is invaluable.
If I were leaving on a trip, I'd get solar panels and a Palm LifeDrive, with an external keyboard. It's cheap, can hold some music, and can run a decent amount of software. Plus it all fits in a pocket (or two). If you lose it all, you'll be out much less money than if you brought your Mac. Add Palm's GPS, and you're set.
I did something like this a couple of years ago (backpacking the length of Vietnam) and faced similar decisions. I came to the conclusion that whatever tech I took with me had to be light, durable and inexpensive (aside from my SLR camera, which was a non-negotiable item because I wanted to take lots of pictures). I didn't want to be too upset if my tech stuff got lost, stolen or dropped off a clif. My solution, at the time, was to get an inexpensive Palm pilot, but this wasn't really satisfactory.
These days I would recommend getting a used subnotebook computer on which you can load your OS of choice. An old Toshiba Portege can be had for only a few hundred dollars and can be loaded with OS and software to do just about anything you'll need to do. The Porteges are small and light, so it will fit easily in your backpack and won't greatly increase your load. The only real problem is that, like most clamshell designs, it's not particularly durable. A small and simple tablet computer would be a much better option, but I don't know of any that cost lest than a thousand dollars. The Portege also comes with a universal power brick which should work almost anywhere in the world, so long as you have the right plug (just get one of those adapter sets that they sell at Radio Shack).
Alternatively, you might be able use a Palm Lifedrive or one of the Windows Mobile devices, but I have no experience with either solution so I can't make recommendations.
just a ghost in the machine.
I posted some tips on backpacking / blogging in a similar discussion here a few years back that you might find useful. Although clearly some of the apps I mentioned there are now well out of date...
---- scrm
I took my Canon Digital Rebel, two lenses, iPod and Powerbook along with misc cables with me to Australia last year. It was almost a necessity because of all the pictures I took, I needed someway to store them and I chose to bring the laptop so I could blog it (www.obinge.com/australia). The one thing I learned is make sure you have a comfortable backpack because the things you travel with get heavy quickly and can become a real nuisance. Also, make sure you get one where the laptop can be removed quickly for those airport screeners. I have also found that internet access is not cheap in some places, so map out any free hotspots before you go wherever it is that you are going.
Take a powerstrip. On endless amounts of travel, i've found that having a powerstrip in your bag with all of the stuff in it plugged in inside the bag allows for you to plug in one cord without exposing what you are charging to everyone around. Secondly, if you take a laptop, make sure to get an extremely strong sleave for it. I've dented my macbook in travels. Third, and this is entirely up to you, i always use the crappiest looking bag i can get my hands on for the outside of shell. People seem to assume that if it's a crappy bag, it contains crappy stuff. I like that post about the lock down pac or whatever. Hope you read this.
It's a question of how you think about your lines of supply and re-supply.
If your travels are neither very remote nor very strenuous, and/or you require instant feedback and/or reporting capability, then the sky is the limit on what you carry. If you're going to be fewer than nine hours away from reliable electric power at any given point, and have a reasonable expectation of gaining network connectivity, heck, carry whatever you want.
Of course, that might limit your total mobility. A laptop will be about 2 kilograms; with power brick, 3 kilograms. Add that to your camera and iPod, and then see where you're at. If you can live with the extra mass (several kilos !) and volume, by all means carry whatever. But remember also Ecclesiastes 5:12:
. Your very expensive gear is highly valuable, not only in itself but also for the data it contains. See how well you sleep knowing you're carrying a few kilobucks' worth of gear into a strange country/city.If, however, your travels are more remote, more improvised--or they do not require instantaneous feedback to your home base (i.e., you are not a journalist filing daily or hourly dispatches)--you can dispense with all the electronics. I recommend a compact camera--35mm film. The Olympus Stylus Epic (Mju II in Europe/Asia) is probably your best bet here. No zoom, but excellent optics. For keeping notes, I recommend a pencil (or pen) and a reporters' notebook. For music--God gave you ears to hear and a voice to sing (or at least hum quietly to yourself as you walk).
Oh, this is slashdot. I have to put gadgets in the post. OK. If you must have electronic gadgets: a GSM mobile phone--nothing too current or too old. In many parts of the world, it will be possible to get cheap local prepaid SIM cards and battery charges. And if you can spare the space, maybe a small shortwave radio.
Things NOT to forget: your passport, your tickets, and that the world has been traveling for a LONG time before iPods were invented.
I am on such a trip now
I use/have used a mix of the following, sometimes more, sometimes less
Sharp Zaurus newer is better (USB host)
GSM Phone (with a good international data plan and Bluetooth or IRDA)
Good Walking/Trail Shoes (black, well ventilated)
Dahon Folding Bike w/mountain bike deraeuler and Schwable marathon tires
Immersion (coil type) water boiler
Synthetic Clothing (zip off pants, wool or synthetic socks)
Flat Universal Drain Plug, Dish Soap, and Bungie Dry Line
Quality Camera using SD cards (or adaptable mini/micro)
USB/SD cards for camera Zaurus and USB net-cafe utility (or carry a reader)
Sewing Kit
AA Zaurus Charger
Lightweight Non-Flashy Hooded Gore-Tex Jacket/Pullover
Alcohol Stove
Metal Cup
Sleeping Bag, Bivvy Sack, Hostel Sheet
Damn Small Linux on USB and Card-CD
LED Flashlight or headlight
Bike Dynamo or Solar Charger if needed
First Aid Stuff (bandaids tape gauze imodium roboxacette neosporin charcoal-tablets)
padlock and door jamb lock
pull-cord(for pack)/door jamb alarm
electronic language dictionary
consider light synthetic dress pants, lightweight button shirt and tie
Leatherman tool (in pack not on belt)
Bike and repair tools
lots of cheapie souvenirs from your home town/state/provence for gifts
a paperback book of short stories or travel guide book for if power is out
You'll notice that there isn't much technology on there. Generally you'll need it far less than you might think. You're not likely to talk on your cell phone much since rates overseas are usually US$1-$4 per minute. Email is better so get the most compact email system (smartphones or cellphone/pda with bluetooth are great) you can manage. Don't depend on it working though because it might not. Generally avoid the any beverages that don't come sealed (including water and ice). Take a few snacks you know you like but be aware of local customs regulations. (don't take fruit, veggies or meat)
Otherwise have fun. Traveling overseas is a blast.
If you're carrying everything around on your back for a while it'll soon feel a lot heavier than it did to start with. There's no way I'd consider a laptop, and I'd leave the iPod behind too. These days I'd take a phone though (but if you're staying anywhere for a while check out the cost of a local SIM card). If you're taking a camera I'd definitely consider how big and how heavy it is, but if you've got a cameraphone and a cost-effective way of getting the pictures off it you may not need that. Don't bother taking a use-once camera with you, buy it if you need one.
I do a fair bit of hiking, and so would take a handheld (waterproof!) GPS as well, but unless you're going off the beaten track you don't really need one.
In the unlikely event that money is no object how about getting a phone with a camera, GPS, and the ability to play music and send and receive email and built in?
I backpacked around South America last April and May. It all depends one where you're going, and how. If you're in an organized group, staying in hotels with a safe available, fine. But for me, I could go for 4 days at a time without a power socket of any kind, so besides my mp3 player and camera, anything bigger was useless and just dead weight. I don't see the point in a laptop since it doesn't server any function that you can't get at an internet cafe (and they're everywhere!) If you want to use the laptop for storing pictures, just buy / borrow more memory cards. You'll be grateful for the decreased weight on your shoulders.
Now if by backpacking you mean carrying your backpack from hotel to bus to train to hotel, then that's entirely up to you. But for backpacking in a third world country, a laptop is not worth the extra wight, or worry. It's already difficult trying to blend in wearing a baseball cap, flashy clothes and being 50% louder than other people in the area, flashing your laptop just adds a big red arrow pointing at you, when you're already a target.
First, as other responders have mentioned, a laptop might be a big liability for you as a backpacker, as it'll have to stay on you at all times. Even the smallest MacBook is bulky, and you will also need a charger and adapters. A lot depends on what you want to do. If you are a writer, by all means take a full size keyboard laptop. But if you are doing this you might want to consider a Toughbook, one of the waterproof, really rugged ones. Also, laptops with solid state drives (including a Mac) appear to be right on the horizon, and will greatly decrease the likelyhood of you loosing a lot of work if you drop it or the hard drive craters. Some manufacturers offer an extended warranty that can be used worldwide. You'll have to deal with shipping, import/export taxes and such if you are really out in the wilds, but in many countries you could get it repaired. Now, as to a list of what to take, here's my own personal thoughts: Digital camera with HUGE memory (say 8-32gb), USB cable and charger. Addition smaller memory as available for backup. Laptop, preferably a Toughbook, charger, GPS CF card, some CD/DVR-R media for burning pictures and such, and a solar charger. OR High end PDA with external Bluetooth keyboard, charger, solar charger, and some extra batteries (make sure and get one that has removable batteries). As much memory as you can get in it, preferably the same kind your camera uses. GPS CF/SD card. Lastly, here's a site that may be of interest: http://www.strikingviking.net/ , he went around the world on a motorcycle, documenting his progress via an online journal, and he took a laptop, but on a motorcycle you have a lot more ability to lug stuff around.
I've had a total of 4 laptops in 6 years and 30 countries, and none of the died a premature death or was stolen.
Take it along, and stay in touch with the tech world; maybe you'll even be able to write some code?
I got into the travelling-while-coding lifestyle so much that a year turned into 6...
Here is what a MacBook Pro can take: http://www.outscape.net/trip/archives/entries/froAny other travelling consultants / freelancers out there?
and rape them
"Don't meddle in the affairs of a patent dragon, for thou art tasty and good with ketchup." ~ohcrapitssteve
BrinkX, he is going all over the globe, mainly by biking. But you are thinking too heavy, breakable and power hungry. Think light and easy to power / recharge and more durable.
Anti-biotics.
As for taking digital cameras and pounds of other technology, the more time you spend looking through an eyepiece at something, the less time you are actually looking at it with your own eyes.
"Anybody who tells me I can't use a program because it's not open source, go suck on rms. I'm not interested." (LT 2004)
Backpacked on a round the world ticket November 2001 - Feb 2002: UK-India-Singapore-Cambodia-Thailand-Australia-New Zealand-USA-UK
1. Don't take anything you mind losing, feel too precious about. If you take stuff that is really valuable to you, you will be a slave to the technology rather than it helping you have a better time. You'll be turning down possibly exciting, wonderous adventures because you're scared your tech might not survive the adventure / get stolen etc. Do you really want to get home and say you turned down the chance of a lifetime because you were scared your laptop would get stolen?
2. Coolest things I took: a camera, and an audio recording device. Snapshots of all those lovely places. Half of which I lost when I dropped my bag when I was ill in Oz - so there's a lesson. The minidisc recorder with an expensive but small mike was amazing. BAck home now a few years later, sitting down in the evening with my eyes closed playing back the sound track of busking musicians in a Cambodian ruined temple, the sound of the surf off a Thai island, American redneck radio stations, traffic noises in Delhi - these are as evocative to me as my photos.
3. Handy thing: handheld GPS. When you wake up in a new town, set the hotel as your base station, and go for a wonderful big walk knowing that eventually you'll find your way back! Really came in useful in Delhi. Just went for big walks and when I was tired I'd unobtrusively check it and start ambling back in the approximate direction, check again a while later, and I'd zigzag my way back home. Some places don't have as good A-Z street maps as London.
4. Really useful tech. My clasp knife. Old British Marines ex-MOD knife, super handy multipurpose tool.
I did a 5 week motorcycle trip last fall. If there is anything prone to gadgetry it is motorcycle touring. I tried to keep it to a minimum tho. Garmin 56cx. Not too big, not too small. Ruggedized. fits in a pocket. not a replacement for a paper map, but very useful. A one gig micro SD holds detailed maps and routing info for 2/3 of the US. Palm TX + Palm keyboard. Turned out to be far more useful than I had thought. I jotted notes, exchanged email and had an extensive list of contacts for folks on the road. With the wi-fi capability and the freebie 30 day trial with the Tmobile hotspot, I could let folks know where I was anytime and contact folks nearby when I needed a place to stop. It aint no laptop, but it packs down to the size of a paperback plus AC adaptor. SPeaking of which..if you are backpacking in the wilderness, the TX wont be very useful without AC outlets. Creative Zen jukebox - although the TX could store the music on SD cards, the controls are easier to manipulate on the Zen. I didnt use it that much. But making time through some of the flatter chunks of texas was less tedious. Canon Camera - despite being tossed in a tankbag and dropped repeatedly, it took great shots and kept working.
1.2 lbs. Extended battery. Unit straps to your belt. Cingular EDGE. Works great. My next trick is to set up a Bluetooth earpiece with Skype, leave the cell phone at home -- anyone tried this?
I have personally spent a couple of years traveling and the gadgets I most used were a 12 inch powerbook and a GSM mobile phone. The laptop was great and being the 12 inch was pretty light. Internet cafes can be uncomfortable, spyware infested dives. Having your own laptop means you can at least try and be secure. The phone is also good. Just buy a SIM card in each country you are traveling through and the price becomes pretty reasonable. They can be a godsend for booking places while you are on the moved and can save you time hiking from hostel to hostel.
Security can also be an issue but if you have your own room you can normally leave the laptop in there. Try and find a good hiding place for it. Also make sure you get a good daypack that has a laptop section in it but doesn't look like a laptop bag.
Oh and a camera. Take whatever you feel comfortable with. An SLR is great if you love taking photos but can be a hassle to carry. I personally have a great camera on my phone (Nokia N73) and by girfriend carries the SLR.
[Please type your sig here.]
I'm mostly in the "no gadget" camp as well, as I love collecting maps and atlases from places I travel.
As for the gadgets you DO take, I suggest some form of off-grid charging capability, like a solar or crank-powered PDA/phone charger. I'm not done testing the performance of my Solio [www.solio.com] solar charger (just got it last week), but I think it'll be better than the sustained, 120 RPM crank speed necessary for most manual chargers.
Most of these devices usually also work like iGo universal chargers, except they can store a charge for later.
If you plan on taking a phone, the 6900 is a great global GSM device. If you pair it up with a digital camera that uses sd cards you won't need a laptop.
Features
wifi
Maps and GPS
Surf the web
Email
MP3
movies/videos
view edit pictures: a few 2 GB sd cards will be needed and depending on length of stay. you can allways use a kiosk with a cd burner if traveling though an area with those services.
Remote desktop to home
I've owned a 6500 series for over a year and they're awesome. the 6900 has a faster processor.
If you're going to travel around the world, don't bring your familiar little cyber-world with you...it will only occlude the stuff you are taking great pains to see. Don't worry about google maps and stuff...the best thing you can do in a foreign country is get really, really lost. Someone will help you, and it will be great. Slashdot will still be here when you get back.
I backpacked for 3 months in Europe in 2003. The only electronics that I carried were my digital camera and the Sony 505tr laptop. The laptop is an extremely small 300mhz computer, weighing in at 4 pounds with power adapter. I upgraded the hard disk to 30gb for photo storage. It runs Windows XP with all options turned off(most services, all sounds, themes).
I met 3-4 people who had their electronic gear stolen, which just made me be even more careful. Since the laptop is so small, it is easily hidden. I would go for days at a time without mentioning or using it. When I deemed it safe, it was great to be able to watch SeaLab 2021 in Barcelona and South Park in Rome with some (seemly) trustworthy people at my hostels. More importantly, I was able to take as many pictures as I wanted. I needed not worry about filling up the two camera memory cards. I would take it again on another trip.
I met one guy, actually who worked at ILM, who had all of his pictures on his camera. The camera was stolen mid way through his trip. He told me that he didn't care at all about the camera, but he just wanted the two weeks of pictures back. I would have lost at most two days worth if my camera was lost or stolen.
Last thought, if you plan on taking a lot of pictures, you can't upload them all via the internet(subjective, you could wait). I brought back 2 gigs worth with a 3.2MP camera. Even without a laptop, I recommend a USB portable 2.5 drive.
A typical OS X user, so stupid that they believe they are not using a PC.
After travelling to 14 countries in europa and 3 in asia this is my preference: 1) A cellphone (GSM) that is capable of downloading your email-headers (so to enable choosing to read important email) and 2) a paper copy of your phonebook (in case of phone-theft). 3) A dispendable mp3-player and a set of portable speakers. Do not rely on people being honest. In a country where the population have less than you they ARE more inclined to stealing what you have. If you do not need it; do not bring it. Part of the holiday-experience is to be free from "stuff".
If I was backpacking, first of all, I wouldn't really need a large MacBook, I have a 12" PowerBook whilst I consult in a different city than my home and that is big enough, I couldn't imagine lugging a 15" or 17" machine especially whilst travelling.
What I would do, if you have the funds available is get a hand-held computer that can double as and/or interface with a cell phone (GSM for abroad, IR (yuck) or BT), a GPS device (either Bluetooth or built-in, tethered is a nuisance) and e-mail/internet software (using WiFi or the cell phone modem, depending on where you go. Make sure it supports Asian/European/American frequencies)
Custom electronics and digital signage for your business: www.evcircuits.com
If you're going to be backpacking, everything you need will travel on your back (or front if you bring too much stuff for the backpack). So those 10-12lbs of electronic you're thinking of bringing are going to be easily a third of the weight you lug around.
But wait! It gets worse. You'll want to leave them somewhere during the days. If you stick to fancy hotels, no problems. In hostels and el-cheapo places you'll want to be very careful especially in large dorms with high turnover. So why bring the headache? Find what's the least you can get away with and only bring that.
I speak from experience, I did the same thing a few years ago. My laptop was a thinkpad X series with a BSD O/S on it. Pretty light at 3.2lbs. The power was no big deal, the adapter took 100-240 @ 50/60hz I got the wall cable for 5€ in a random computer shop/repair place in Brussels. The laptop was convenient for dumping my CF cards (I had a 32M card wth a 1.3MP camera) or at least that's what I thought at first. After about 4 weeks, I realized that I didn't use it nearly as much as I thought I would. That my bag was heavy. That I had to be constantly worried about something else then my passport and wallet. I sent the whole thing to my folks back home through surface mail and never regretted it (along with a bunch of other things I didn't want to carry for another 6 weeks).
I guess the bottomline is don't bring it unless it's absolutely essential. If it's essential bring the cheapest/simplest device that will do the job. Sending stuff back by surface mail is a good way to prune stuff you don't want to lug around (think souvenirs and copies of your pictures on CD).
As a final thing, throughout the "first world" just about anything you truly miss can be procured locally at decent price.
How about an EPIRB?
It could save your life.
First Aid Kit?
Water purifier.
Not all tech uses electricity.
See my blog http://ilovecookes.blogspot.com/ for light hearted technical information.
If you are going to take a Mac laptop with you, don't take the MacBook Pro; they're heavy and less rugged than the cheaper MacBooks. The plain white/black MacBooks have plastic skin which holds up better to bumps and such. Also, get the lightest one possible.
Finally, even though it sounds like you're not going to be hitting the wilderness for months at a time, it'd still be a good idea to research Ultra-light back packing. A lot of techniques and gear choices will help with urban travel.
I drank what? -- Socrates
Pack SMALL. You're going to be space-constrained as much as weight-constrained. Get a few compression stuff sacks for your clothes, sleeping bag, tent, etc. They'll bring your clothes down to a third or their regular volume.
The big question. Where are you going? I've spent a considerable amount of time in the wilderness of the Canadian Rockies but two of us spent ten days on the Clemenceau Icefield 5 years ago. This trip was the only time I've carried a GPS and we also had a Satellite phone with us purely for safetys sake. If I went there again I'd take both again.
Check out Andy Volk's excellent blog for his VERY extensive world tour hiatus from the tech industry. He has a particularly relevant packing list given this discussion thread.
Speedo and toothbrush. That's 'bout it.
take a digital , cheap, calculator watch. it's priceless when u have to do quick money conversions ,etc.
good breathable, waterproof shoes.
open mind
patience
remember that the rest of the world doesnt work like america. that's why u wanted to see something different right?
dont take anything u wouldnt mind losing.
for everything else. take the almighty dollar. accepted everywhere. (20's 10's 1's )
If I'm going somewhere remote, I take a Personal Locator Beacon similar to EPIRBs, with GPS position transmission. Some of them have two way radios that operate on emergency frequency 406 MHz.
This way, if you get stuck in a snow drift, stranded in the desert, kidnapped but not mugged, or whatever, just hit the big red button and wait for the sirens.
Okay, so a good tool isn't nearly as sexy as a GPS. But, if your GPS breaks, what are you going to fix it with? As a result, my personal favorite gadget is the Leatherman Wave. However, I've been told that it's foolish (and possibly illegal) to roam around France without a corkscrew. If that's the case, you may want to consider one of the Juice models that include that particular widget.
===== Murphy's Law is recursive. =====
Here's a blog from two people walking the Great Wall of China. They list some of the stuff they took with them, thought it might help with your decision.
Walking the Wall
Personally, I wouldn't take a laptop unless I plan on staying in a hotel room or have easy access to a safe to store it in. From what I've read, a modern cell phone would be more than enough to cover your tech needs.
When carrying a laptop, you should remember:
... and someone might just decide to look to find out.
- Crypto import/export rules vary from country to country
- Pornography rules vary from country to country
- Etc.
What may be "OK" on your laptop in the US, may not be in another country
Good luck!
don't know about the macbook but if you're going to europe get outlet converters....otherwise you won't be able to plug in your ipod/phone.
don't know brands but this is what i'm talking about.
http://www.traveloasis.com/plug-adapters.html
have fun dude.
A PDA loaded with the right software is a good choice.
- Get online via WiFi (pref. built-in) and a competent browser (Opera is much nicer than Pocket IE)
- Navigate using GPS (either built-in or CF or bluetooth)
- Get a big honking SD or CF card and use it for music instead of the ipod
- Watch movies on it
- Play games on it
- Use SD or CF to grab photos from your camera
- Consider (1) extended battery (2) multiple batteries (3) solar recharger
- For bonus points, get a quad-band GSM smartphone so you can make phone calls from almost anywhere
I have a Dell Axim x51V, an HP ipaq HW6950, and a few Pharos devices. Any of those would do the trick.
Slashdot: come for the pedantry, stay for the condescension.
Leave the laptop and travel as light as possible. Rick Steve has a nice book on backpacking (mostly through Europe) which has good check-lists of things that you really need to take with you and what you can leave behind.
I would bring a iPod photo-sync adapter to copy your photos off the camera for backup purposes (and depending on how many photos and how large an iPod you have, possibly a second iPod). Another life saver is to pack powder laundry detergent in a ziplock bag. Regularly doing your own laundry in a sink, creek, lake, whatever means you can get away with taking fewer clothes which take up valuable space. It really helped me survive a trip in Asia which went from a planned 3 weeks to an unplanned stranded 5 weeks.
Might as well tell him to go naked, with no money or food.
If you take your laptop with you, you will spend half your time looking for places to charge it, use it, and connect to the internet with it. You'll spend the other half your time, trying to ensure it doesn't get nicked/damaged. You said yourself it's nice and shiny. Keep it that way, and leave it at home.
I recommend you do take something to offload your photos to though. I have an iAudio X5, which I primarily use for listening to music, however it has a USB Host function so I can copy photos off my camera. I'm able to fill up a 256MB card in about a week, so if I go for any longer, it's very useful.
Take spare batteries - hundreds of them. The rechargeables for my camera will last about a week each, and I have two of them, backpacking in Europe it was easy to charge them up frequently enough to cover that, but as we were camping most nights we had to plan it!
With everything you take, think "What if I lost this?" and "what if this was stolen?" and the key question "Will the use outweigh the risk of loss"
If you want to check your email/use the net - find an internet cafe, it's much more convenient than trying to carry your own computer.
.sigs are for losers
You probably won't want to bring the laptop, but don't let it sit somewhere for a year. You should sell it and buy a new better laptop when you get back. Not to mention that you'll have to spend your first month back updating all your apps... Now if it were a windows laptop, I would say destroy it without even turning it on after leaving it off for a year, it'll turn on a seek out new viruses before you could even log in and turn off its network...
Yes! I wave my glove in front of you and defy you to take not even a single gadget. How about that? Take a film camera or something, forget about cell-phones, enjoy experiencing your trip without digital prothesis. I do this, I never take digital things to my trips, I'm already to immersed on them on day to day life. When you come back, tell us how it was! :D
depends entirely on how you're travelling.
Doing it in style and lugging/securing a laptop isn't a problem, then I'd take the laptop.
Backpacking and similar, then I'd try to travel as light as possible - and just rely on itnernet cafes. Just to avoid the problem with eternally full camera memory cards, buy twice what you need before you leave, or get an ipod adapter or similar, to empty them out every so often (and take along whatever you need to get them off your ipod) - I can think of few things worse than getting your ipod/powerbook nabbed and losing all your photos.
Something you could consider is one of those U3 memory sticks, never quite found a use for mine (nuked it to a normal one) - but can see how if you're eternally tramping between internet cafes instantly getting your own thunderbird/whatever might be quite nice.
Half-way house between the two might be a smart phone - I've got a HTC Tytn/Hermes/whatever it's badged as - BT, Wifi, 3G, keyboard and (big) pocket sized. With TomTom on it and a cheapie GPS module (solar powered is available - I've got one, but forget who makes it).
What else.. Oh yes - pay for a decent universal plug converter and get a switching USB PSU - and leads you need for all your kit. I used to f'in loathe the number of charging cables/PSUs I dragged around.
I never did anything close to backpacking around the world, but I live in Argentina so I can give you at least a brief hint at what you might come across in South America.
First, yes... there's a good chance they might get stolen. The flashier, the worse. Buenos Aires is a big city, with a decent quality of life and services, yet crime is very common specially in some areas tourists commonly visit. You should also be careful in public transport and taxi cabs (never hail them on the street, call a "radiotaxi"). If you look like a tourist (and chances are you will, even if you think you won't) you will be specially targeted. Also I have friends who had their camera taken from their bag while sleeping while they were taking a long distance trip by bus (don't remember where... Peru perhaps). And my cousin got her Discman picked from her backpack in the terminal bus station here in Buenos Aires without even noticing. I'd be extra careful with my stuff.
WiFi coverage is growing here, specially in bars, restaurants and hotels. But I wouldn't expect the same outside of capital cities... also, you should know that out outlets use 220v, so you might find yourself lugging a heavy adapter around with your notebook. Internet cafes are very common... so I would keep my gadgets to a minimum (non-flash digital camera, MP3 player, PDA) and get accounts in good web app services (GMail, Google docs, Google Notebook, Google Bookmarks, Flickr, etc.) in order to be able to access data anywhere. Take into account that outside from major cities you'll find very bad internet connections and outdated computers which might be ridden with spyware, so be sure to take that into consideration if you need to access sensitive data.
All that aside, I hope you visit Buenos Aires or at least consider visiting it. It's a completely unique south american city, with lots of things to do, great architecture, food, culture, etc. (plus, great exchange rate for you...) If you are more of an outdoorsy type there are many beautiful locations in Argentina for you to visit, like Bariloche, Calafate and other places in the Patagonia. You should also google for "Noroeste Argentino" (Argentine Northwest) which offers some completely different sights, food, music and people.
As a Slashdot discussion grows longer, the probability of an analogy involving cars approaches one.
One of the most useful things I've had while traveling is a small bluetooth gps receiver. For me it is very handy as I can use it with a PC and PC mapping software such as M$ streets and trips, or if I'm traveling lighter I can use it with a portable device such as a pocket PC/smartphone/palm/etc. I also save a lot of bulk by trying to carry all devices that charge the same way, usually by USB. Currently my smartphone/PDA, gps unit, camera, and a few other devices all charge via USB. I also found a Nimh AA/AAA charger that runs off of either 120vAC, 12vDC (car) or USB.
My name is coaxeus, and I approve this message. In fact, I think it is awesome.
The funny part is that you you missed the point where the PC user wants to rape the McUser. Kind of indicates that the PCUser really are whack Jobs. Next thing, they will want to get into the US or even british military and try to force windows in there to control guns and/or ships.
The best advice I ever got was to take twice as much money and half as many clothes.
And my advice is not to take any more than you can run with, and nothing you can't afford to lose.
In terms of technology, when I travelled around the world in the early 90s I took a small laptop, mainly so I could keep myself amused on 'waiting days' writing software. (From this grew the RoPS interpreter).
But it's generally not a good idea to show the technology in public and on balance I definitely wouldn't take a Mac -- it's simply too sellable.
Personally I have a HP850 which has 8x optical zoom. downside is that it's a bit bulky and also power hungry so it's not very nice on the batteries. Since the camera is a bit old now there are better cameras around, but any camera with decent optics will get bulky.
Another thing you should consider is buying a large amounts of memory cards. SD cards are my preference, anything larger is getting bulky and anything smaller is tricky to handle in less than ideal conditions.
Anyway - pack the memory cards in different pockets so you don't lose all in case something bad happens.
And remember - avoid looking like a tourist unless you really want to. Of course it all depends on where you travel, but a tourist is always fair game - even if it's only salesmen.
If builders built buildings the way programmers wrote programs, then the first woodpecker would destroy civilization.
Nothing else matters if you don't have a good pair of boots
(and access to things you'd need to take care of your feet)
If you have to choose between buying super-ultra-mega-gadget and an expensive pair of lightweight boots, get the boots.
Seriously, even if you pay someone to carry your stuff around, when your feet are hurting... you aren't going anywhere.
[Fuck Beta]
o0t!
You do *not* want to lug a MacBook about. I don't even lug it about when going to a customer unless I've got a presentation. Even the idea of lugging it about on Korsikas GR20 or somewhere in the tundra of Kamtshatka is utterly silly.
Here's my list for '80% of landsurface' backpacking:
Leatherman or equivalent
Tent Repair Kit
Tent (VauDe or, if you've got the cash, Hilleberg)
Shampoo
Waterfilter (katadyn or the sorts)
Drinking Water Desinfectant (Micropur or the sorts)
Drinking Water Fold Container
3-4 underpants (2 synthetic, fast drying, 2 cotton/silk)
3 pair of kneesocks (2 synthetic, one cotton)
3 T-Shirts
Toothcare Kit
Fleece Pullover
Outdoor Pants, the kind you can wash and wear. At the same time if the need be. (Tactel, Fleece, whatever tech cloth there is)
Outdoor Jacket
Headlamp (modern rugged LED)
spare batteries
Sleepingbag
Biwakbag
Kompass
a good knife, if survival - no crap. Survival Knives tend to be crap. Look out.
Isul-Matt
Flask
Moutaineers Cup
Staticrope
Materialkarabiner/Snaplink
Plaster
Tschamba-Fii (universal natural sun protection and post-sunburn treatment)
A good book
Map
Backbelt / Materialrope/thin Staticrope + knowledge of knots
Medium Backpack to carry it all. Not to big, you'll only pack to much
general medicine
snakebite kit
heat blanket
storm matches
lighter
cooker (the best is a methalated spirits cooker, meth-spirit is uncommon in the US - except for costal areas where the powerboots ride on it, but this fuel is available as cooking fuel everywhere else on the planet, you can run it on high percentage liquor if the need arises)
If you absolutely need to take tech then add:
A mechanical photocamera. With FILM! (as in 35mm). You do not want your techie gadget failing at -10 degrees and the most beautyfull view of your life at K2 or on to the Goby desert. Take enough films with you. Don't take a cam that needs electronics to work! By an old cheap Minolta 70 or something. They've survived stuff any modern cam wouldn't, no matter how expensive.
If you think you need a phone (which I wouldn't know why) then take an Iridium. All else is pointless. Don't forget a solar charger.
As a gadget fitting the phone would be a good universal PDA with an optional electronic cam built in. Get a pouch that can keep it warm when in the mountains or someplace cold. See that the solar charger fits both Iridium Phone and PDA (I recommend a Zaurus) and that you got a RS232 link to connect to the Iridium.
Happy posting from the chinese wall.
One word of Warning: If I catch you somewhere in the boondocks of patagonias nature and suddenly your phone rings, I'll kill you. Promise.
The list above isn't complete and needs tweaking. Do not take electronics with you unless you really know what you are doing. You won't need them anyway.
We suffer more in our imagination than in reality. - Seneca
My pack capacity allows me to take on up to 5 litres of water -- 3 in the camel pack and 2 between the two nalgenes I carry (water filter pumps into nalgenes, then water has to sit for a while for iodine). You start really paying attention to those rivers and learning to "camel up" drinking at the water source rather than carrying on.
Getting a proper fitting boot is the worst damn thing. Learning how to get your pack packed right so you can get to everything without making a mess ranks second.
SIG: HUP
that the most important gadget to pack is a towel.
Others have mentioned a photo ipod with an adapter to upload directly from your camera memory card. I would strongly agree. Before this was an option, I used an XS drive. But if possible, put plenty of photos of your family and home on the ipod before you leave. People will open up to you more quickly and warmly and perhaps invite you into their homes, when you can show a few bits of yours. For any of the cheaper countries, forget the laptop. Without net its of limited value. If they have net, they have machines.
The packsafe is critical. The other thing is to make sure all of your electronic shit is dual voltage. If it doesn't come with a dual-voltage power supply, don't bring it. My shaver and laptop and camera charger are dual voltage, and everything else charges off the laptop. I don't bring AA powered stuff; AA's aren't worldwide. However, if you can find an internet cafe, you can charge your camera. The other thing is to get waterproof electronics, since they're also dustproof.
I don't backpack, but I'm often in a tent or hut. I bring a good waterproof digital camera, cheap casio watch (so you don't cry when it gets stolen), refurbed IBM thinkpad T series -- built like a brick but cheaper then a toughbook (toughbook is better) USB hub, webcam and cheap MP3 player (again, see theft) and a corless shaver.
Not your macbook. That's a huge label to get robbed in a lot of countries.
This has likely been brought up (I'm at work and don't have time to read on the comments) but one of my old bosses wanted to be able to administer his windows machine at home and also be able to do all his regular stuff on it as well (pop email, etc) so he wrote a program for his wirelessly enabled handheld that did basically the same thing as what VNC will do.
My suggestion is just set up a linux box runing `vncserver` (Mac probably has a vncserver, too) and get a good handheld device: Something with a color screen with enough processing power to play MP3s/OGG/FLAC and a vnc client (familiar linux can run on a number of iPaq models. I'm sure there's better solutions, however). You'll need a friend that can run your linux box for you to help keep it going and I'm sure you'll have to play with resoltuions on the server to be legible on a handheld.
If the handheld screen is just too small, you could do the same thing on something old and crappy enough that you wouldn't mind parting from should it come to it.
In all my backpacking through Europe, I'd say the most valuable piece of technology I had was my good old fashioned compass. Its important to be able to exit a train station and immediately orient yourself. Say you know the river is south of the train station and your hostel is located along the river near some famous bridge, its a piece of cake to find with just a compass. And don't take the laptop. Internet cafes are everywhere, but I WOULD take a nice big USB key and make sure you have some dump space somewhere on the internet to stick pictures or anything else. A skype account is also useful to call all your peoples back home.
First of all, I assume the OP is not American. Outside of the US, backpacking means traveling cheaply and staying in hostels. Humping a backpack through the woods is called trekking, tramping, walking, ... depending whether you are in Europe, New Zealand, Australia....
I most countries it's probably easier to walk into an internet cafe every few days than carrying around a laptop. If you are in deep South East Asia or similarly off the beaten path, you won't get any reliable internet connection anyway.
I rarely take a cell phone, but then I mostly communicate every few days via email and upload pictures or burn them on CD at an internet cafe.
Take a small AA battery mapping GPS. I bought a Venture Cx and it's been invaluable. If you purchase a Garmin, get one without additional memory and USB cable. A standard 1GB micro SD and mini-USB work and Garmin is overcharging at least 200% for theirs.
Your friends will never tell you the real truth... but I will!
;]
1. Take your Mac and throw it against the sidewalk. Repeat until you feel like purchasing a PC. [Dell]
2. Take your Nokia phone and run it over with your car. Purchase a HTC Trinity phone. [GPS - great for roads, mp3 player, 2 cameras - 2 mp...]
3. Take your 3 MP camera and give it to charity. Purchase a nice 5+ MP camera. [Kodak/Nikon]
4. Purchase a Magellan 600. [GPS, great for roads and trails]
5. Don't bring your new Dell laptop with you, most of things you'll want to do on the laptop can be done on you HTC Trinity.
6. Suspend your cell phone service for a few months. [USA]
7. Purchase prepaid sim cards from EBay for the country/countries you're visiting.
8. Purchase a simcard cloner and clone all of the simcards on to one simcard.
9. Bring along couple of GBs of SD cards. [Camera, GPS, Cell [mini SD]]
10. Bring a 1+ GB thumb drive. [Encrypt it] -- Make digital copies of passport, itinerary, drivers license, etc. and store copies on thumb drive.
Thats enough gadgets to bring along...
-x3lite
Don't just take off on your world tour, first take short trips to find out what works for you.
:-)
Don't listen to advice from anyone who hasn't done it. Do listen to those who have done what you are planning, but you need to find out what your threshold is. I will add to that post, though, some of the minimal experience I do have: get your GSM phone unlocked before you leave, try to have someone to check in with and worry about you if you don't check in, don't forget your passport, and bring toilet paper (ziplock bag with some folded flat, always with you). Trust me on that last one, I do have experience there
On the short trips try out your shoes (and spares if any). Try out schleping your portable and gear and charger and everything around. Camp out a few times, and try doing it in bad weather. Try a week-long trip before heading out. You'll have a much better idea of what you want to bring and what you don't (take (complete) notes). Maybe a solar panel on top of your pack will be useful.
I have no useful advice as I haven't done it (outside the Army, where they tell you what to bring). I know what I'd want to bring, but until I've at least done some trials my thoughts are as worth as much as this dork's.
Forget about the laptop. Go as light as possible. Small (ixus 50) digital camera and ipod would be the full extent of what you need. (and the ipod is being extravagant) Remember you are just going to need chargers + batteries for most things. A good backpack, clothes/footwear to suit the climate and try and fit everything into less than 60l backpack.
The packing list is pretty simple:
- iPod
- Digital Camera
- GPS
- CHEAP Laptop *or* wifi-enabled PDA. The MBP is too big and too heavy. Get an old 12" iBook or something.
- GSM cell phone
Plan to burn your photos and notes to CD-R or DVD-R and mail them home periodically. That'll give you a backup, just in case you lose the iPod or the laptop (both of which should be housing full copies of all your photos).
Don't forget power adaptors, USB cables, etc. If you're going to carry a laptop, it might be worth it to get USB charging cables for all your devices. At the same time, you're then creating a single point of failure. Weigh the pros and cons.
I carried a 12" PowerBook, iPod, and digital camera with me in Greece a few years ago. I opted to leave the laptop at home when I went to Italy last summer and regretted it quite a few times. Next time, I'll be packing a used 12" iBook with a big fat hard drive and a CD-R burner.
First was a Fujitsu P1000 micro-laptop (Transmeta Crusoe based, so there's your "linux/linus" reference, although it ran WinME). I used it for email, web browsing, updating a web page, managing finances, storage of digital photos, and as an MP3 player. It held up remarkably well in 15000 miles of on- and off-road riding, and did everything I needed it to do. No CD drive - the external one I used was left behind. The PCMCIA slot was used to mount the camera's memory card.
Next was a Kodak DC280 digital camera. It used AA batteries, and I used a small charger rather than buying new batteries. The weight of the charger was pretty low. The camera was beat up pretty well, but still works. Pictures were copied to the laptop as needed.
A couple of small earbud earphones with a splitter to let us listen to music in the tent, as well as an adapter to have RCA outputs to pipe audio to a hotel's TV or stereo when desired (music or webcasts).
Internet access was typically through dial-up, although I could use a local fast connection when available. You can either get a service with roaming support like iPass, or sign up for local service if you plan to be in a country for a while. We even used Net10's free service while in the USA; this was sufficient to connect, download/upload emails and cache a few web pages, and disconnect.
I had a cell phone - we'd get pre-paid SIM cards for use in local countries, and just tell friends our new phone number as needed. This was for emergencies, and for making travel arrangements and hotel bookings when needed.
No GPS receiver - although it might have been nice to have a log of our travels.
We used BOB trailers for most of the trip, and had a small daypack to carry the computer, camera, passports and cash with us at all times.
Take half the clothes and twice the money. (I have tried this and it really works)
Oh you were wondering about gadgets. I haven't seen anyone mention packing a decked out SWISS ARMY KNIFE --- that can save your life. As for myself, I have one with a little magnifying glass, the logic being that if my plane crashes and I end up on a desert island I can start a fire. Yea, I'm that geeky, never mind the fact that planes NEVER safely land on deserted islands in the middle of the pacific. ::sigh:: a man can dream...
Also be sure to bring a pack of IMMODIUM, now this WILL save your life, or at least prevent your insides from completely liquefying after you sample that oh-so delicious looking street food (you know, those little bbqed mystery meats ALWAYS look sooooo good until you try to digest them)
Also make a photocopy of your passport and keep it in a hidden place,that can save your ass.
Now, I'm Canadian eh, so I'm one of those patriotic freaks who sews a Canadian flag on my pack, I'm sure it will come in handy one of these days because hey, everyone loves Canadians! So far it has only worked to strike up conversations with cute random women while stranded in the international terminal :)
Also bring extra memory and batteries for your cam, and don't be one of those dorks who brings the telescoping lens and then regrets it later after they have been trekking around ruins in the jungle in 100% humidity. Trust me, if you want a good photo, buy one. There is nothing sillier than visiting to some ancient monument trying to savor the moment and seeing 100 people all setting up their tri-pods because they figure THEY are better photographers than the pros. I guess I just don't get it.
Final advice, don't wear a watch or flashy jewelry; you wouldn't want to entice a pickpocket would you?
Well I guess that about covers everything, and don't forget to buy travel insurance!
I took 3 weeks off from work and went backpacking in New Zealand. I took my iBook with me but I got a used one. I stayed in YHA Hostels for the whole trip. Something to check is if the hostels has some good lockers. The Christchurch City Hostel had good lockers. Pay a few dollars, drop you laptop and other valuables especially Passport for the day/night and not worry. I was discreet of making sure no one saw me drop anything into the locker so as not to draw attention. The only Hostel I couldn't find a locker was in Rotorua.
As already mentioned, take a Space Pen. You can get them on eBay. Also, you ought to strongly consider taking an LED headlamp. They can be a lifesaver when it comes to sitting in a dark place and writing, or reading, or whatever. Check eBay for those too. I recommend Princeton Tec, as I sell them and have found them to be the best LED headlamp company.
I agree Travel Light. You will hate your laptop if you need to carry it everywhere.
;)
If you're backpacking for a year you'll probably end up throwing out or sending home
stuff as you travel trust me light is right.
If you're addicted to your own electronics pick up a 1 GB USB key and put
portable apps suite on it.
http://portableapps.com/
Definitely add spybot search and destroy and clamAV so you can give the more dodgy looking computers a quick scan...
I'd also throw on putty.exe, winscp and skype.
checkout this site for other good tips:
http://www.runpcrun.com/usb-flash-key-2006
you can create your own menu with Pstart
http://www.pegtop.net/start/
If you have personal data set up the key with truecrypt (I still have to do this)
http://www.truecrypt.org/
more on encyption:
http://www.madirish.net/?article=156
Most internet cafes run windows so don't expect anything else... most have no clue about
security and I've used my USB key pretty much everywhere, just tell them you're saving a file, or cant speak the language...
Put a long neck loop or lanyard on it, and when you plug it in put the neckloop next to the keyboard so that you're less likely to forget it.
Worst case if you lose it you can buy another one and spend 1hr downloading alls the apps from the web again.
Have fun.
----- "Profanity is the one language that all programmers understand."
Kilohectare? Is it supposed to be teh funnies? The hectare is not a measure of weight, and multiplying it by one thousand won't help that.
"I think it would be a good idea!"
Gandhi, about Internet Security
... and it all worked out well for me. My laptop was invaluable (a thinkpad X31. it was very light)-- wireless is becoming more common, and I had to edit some research papers on my way, so it came in handy. Also, it was a necessity to transfer my digital camera pictures to a hard drive on a semi-regular basis. Then I would upload my pictures to flickr.
I don't feel I was lacking for anything with this technology on me. Much more important is to remember sun screen, a flashlight, a first aid kit, and a leatherman. A pair of binoculars isn't a bad thing, either.
I do wish I had brought with me a more durable watch (like one with a metal bracelet, not a leather strap) and a shortwave radio.
Also: medicines. Pepto and Advil are a necessity. For dealing with those long busrides or train rides in 3rd world countries, bring a packet of Immodium AD. Before your train/bush ride, look at the packet and see what the recommended dosage is. Take double that dosage.
Pack what you think you'll need, and then leave 1/2 of it at home. No one ever gets on the road and wishes they brought /more/ stuff with them.
Forget the laptop. On my first extended backpacking trip through Western Europe, I took a laptop with me and shipped it home within two weeks. It wasn't worth the hassle.
Doing laundry on the road is expensive and can be a major hassle. Get used to being dirtier than you are at home.
A sleeping bag isn't as important as I thought it was going to be, but I was still glad I carried it. Most hostels provide (or require you to use their) linens.
A small shoulder bag or backpack is a good idea. Something to carry your camera, lunch, book, etc. while you're out and about during the day.
Don't pack a year's worth of supplies. Take sample-sized products (shampoo, soap, etc.) with you to start out, and then replace what you need as you go.
Buy the largest travel towel you can find. They're the ones which feel like thick felt, absorb crazy amounts of water, and dry out super fast. One of the best investments I ever made.
Take a padlock with you. Most places that provide lockers expect you to bring your own lock. A combination lock is better -- no key means one less thing you have to no lose.
Everyone has different ideas about security based on their own experiences. I happen to think the fancy cable/mesh things you can wrap around your backpack aren't worthwhile. They just make it look like you've got something worth stealing. A simple combination luggage lock on your backpack's main zipper compartment should be all you need. Of course, do whatever makes you comfortable.
Don't be the American guy who dresses up like Ranger Rick to walk around foreign cities. Having said that, I usually preferred to travel with only 1 pair of shoes so they have to be versatile. I usually wear my light Timberland walking boots. Sometimes I'll take my Vans with me too. I also carry flip-flops 'cause I have a thing about the floors of public showers.
A small flashlight for digging through your bag while everyone else in the room is sleeping. A cheap watch. A pocketknife. A few books. Don't worry about running out of books to read - books are a commodity and other travelers will always trade with you. Many hostels have a take one/leave one bookshelf.
The biggest piece of advice I can give you is something that took me a long time to learn. Forget about trying to take fancy pictures of every architectural marvel, work of art, and scenic panorama you find. Take some of those, sure, but what you'll want when it's all over is pictures of the people you met and spent time with. Trust me. I have thousands of pictures public sculptures, beautiful buildings, cityscapes, mountain ranges, etc. None of them are half as interesting as the group shot of everyone crowded onto the bed in the dirty hostel in Rome, or the girl who cooked you a birthday dinner in Seville, or the guys you played soccer with that one afternoon in Taxco. For some reason, it wasn't intuitive to me that the really good memories revolve around interesting people, not interesting things.
There's a thousand tips that people can and will give, but most of them you'll have to learn on your own. Have fun!
I have found there are just two ways to go.
It all comes down to livin' fast or dyin' slow. -REK, Jr.
I would recommend not taking your iPod, Digital camera, or laptop. Take a decent analog camera of some kind, so you don't have to worry about off-loading images, or at least take enough digital storage so you won't have to off-load the memory. Take as few things that will distract from experiencing your trip as possible. Even the common ambient noises in another country are different and new, so using an iPod will detract from your experience. I would take a pen and paper journal, and a couple of books to read, and your necessaries. That's it.
I think a blanket would be a better use of space than a MacBook.
If you're traveling in the vicinity of cyber cafes or camera shops you can move your pictures from your camera to the Internet or a CD at regular intervals. If you'll be away from high tech society for long then your MacBook would run out of batteries. I'd much rather spend $50-100 on extra digital memory than have the potential of losing a laptop just so I can upload pictures.
I wouldn't take an iPod, either. You need to charge it every few days (better find a computer with USB and some time to kill), it's a big theft target, and it can tune you out from your surroundings. When I travel, I like to hear the sounds of the fascinating location, not my favorite rock song.
On the other hand, a GPS receiver can be a big help. Plan your course in advance with GPS coordinates, then let it help you navigate the street signs in a foreign language.
Last time I was overseas, I jotted down important information (host's phone number, imperial metric conversion, addresses for post cards) in a pocket paper notebook. It was still usable after I got rained on and I wasn't too stressed when I left it in a phone booth on my last day.
Also note that many (most?) hostels (at least in Europe) don't let you use a sleeping bag and charge for bedding. If you bring a warm blanket, you can circumvent that issue.
Ceci n'est pas une signature.
Clearly this guy is doing something completely alien to what I do when I backpack.
From what he said, it sounds like he'll be "backpacking" like "backpacking around Europe." That is, rather than taking a suitcase, the backpack will be the suitcase. Everything you need for the trip in there. You seem to be thinking of backpack-camping. That is where your backpack is your only thing. All food and housing (as well as water or water purification) must be contained within. That doesn't seem to be what he is doing. I've done both, and you pack differently for each. And we took a videocamera and GPS with us on a 40 mile hike, though we traded them off for who carried what at any given time. Oh, and of course, the cell phone, even though it was only good for about 2 of the 40 miles. But you gotta call for the pickup at the end...
Learn to love Alaska
Sometimes at certain internet cafes, you can't get wireless access but need to upload files. In this case, taking along an external hard drive can do the job for you. An iPod, of course, can serve the same purpose.
and some pens or pencils.
Granted, a digital camera/camcorder can be great, but actually jotting down your experiences in your own words is very rewarding. When you review your notes in the future it should make you remember the great things about the trip. You've documented a part of your life, in your own words, your own hand.
Not to mention all the technical and logistical headaches you'll avoid
My idea of backpacking around the world is very different from most of the posters I read here. I've done it and my recommendation is bring a good sturdy pair of boots, a toothbrush, and of course a small towel (tnx HGTTG).
Anything else will get broken, stolen, soaked, dropped, forgotten, traded.
I had two sets of socks, underwear, t-shirts, pants. One to wear while the other set was drying - I would rinse them out each night wherever I was, sometimes I had a sink sometimes a stream.
Leaving the rest up to ingenuity and fate forces you to become part of the place you are in and makes for a far more interesting trip.
- For the complete works of Shakespeare: cat
Bring a GPS, especially if you're going to a country that doesn't speak your language. I used a Garmin Summit and it saved my ass a couple times on my trip to SE Asia. I even gave directions to my taxi driver when *he* got lost! A compass and map isn't really an option because maps of all the cool tiny little backwoods towns don't exist, and even if you can find one, all the street names are in a different language. In China in particular, locals have no idea on how to give directions. If they can't understand you, or simply don't know the address of your intended destination, they'll point you in a random direction.
I even used it in conjunction with the lonely planet maps to find all the ruined temples in the "further afield" section of Angkor Wat. Some of them you couldn't see from even 10 meters away, and were hidden by bushes.
It's a great safety net. When you get into a new town, simply mark your hotel (or the bus station or wherever you are) and go out wandering. While other "backpackers" are hanging out in the hostel with other "backpackers" you'll be out meeting friendly locals, and experiencing the real country and getting completely lost. Unless you enjoy sleeping in the streets of an unfamiliar city, just turn on your trusty best friend GPS, and the oracle will point you home! My advice, is just get out there, walk on the streets, have no fear. Often having a GPS was the deciding factor on whether to explore or go home.
Seriously, at some points on my trip, I would rather be without my camera even that my GPS.
"Follow me" the wise man said, but he walked behind.
I wouldn't even take an ipod.. things can get nicked so often when your on a 'round-the-world' trip, especially on public transport. I met an embedded developer on a recent van trip to tunisia, he brought bagloads of gadgets (gps, walkometer, pda), but it was all very old and cheap wares, and the power consumption is minimal with old gear (which is another reason not to take too much).
just my 2 cents from doing these trips often.
If I were setting out to backpack someplace, I'd take what will fit in a backpack -- underware, socks, toothbrush, toothpaste, a real razor with some blades, a bar of soap, a towel. a couple of shirts and a spare pair of pants. I'd wear a good sturdy light jacket and carry at least one heavy wool sweater and one light cotton one. Then I'd throw in a pocket knife with a screwdriver blade, a versatile, compact pair of pliers, about a meter of soft steel wire, a little string. a compact, battery powered FM radio. A bit of thread, a needle and a couple of spare buttons might be a good idea. If I could get ahold of some broad spectrum antibiotics that aren't temperature sensitive, I'd take a dozen or so tablets along and a dozen asprin. A few bandaids. Maybe a few matches. Some sort of cheap sturdy camera that doesn't need wall power. And maybe a cell phone if I could figure out what will work in foreign climes, and I could figure out how to charge it without carrying two pounds of transformers and adapters. Two or three books -- at least one of them serious enough so you can resonably reread it once or twice while your are waiting for a bus or ferry that runs only when the weather and stars are propitious.
Hell, I'd even leave the duct tape at home.
Computer? Not this decade. Maybe in some future time when a serious PC will run for a week off an AAA cell. occupies about 20cc of space and weighs 200g or so.
GPS? Sure ... If you are going to hitchike across the Nullarbor plain, Sahara, or explore Tibet. Otherwise, plan on asking people where you are.
You can't see ANYTHING from a car, You've got to get out of the goddamned contraption and walk...Edward Abbey
When I set off to travel around the world, I brought a camera and spare USB-key for photo storage. A week later when the camera had been stolen, I felt liberated.
Enjoy the people, enjoy the sights, and use an internet cafe for any computer work you need to do. Internet cafes don't get stolen, and don't weigh you down.
You should definitely take an alarm clock. When you have to wake up to catch a 0500 bus, you will be glad you have one.
I wandered around Western Europe with no knowledge of any of the languages (save English), and Metro installed on my PalmPilot. I never missed a train anywhere. I never went to the wrong place.
Technology Consulting & Free Downloads
http://www.geekeasy.com/ - this guy, a friend of mine, has been travelling around the world for several years now. He talks about, among other useful topics, what he thinks you should pack. I believe he goes with his macbook, among other things.
I just got back from 2 months of Flash Packing in S.America (It was supposed to be longer, but family stuff came up)
Anyhow I took my gadgets, and loved them, they came in very handy. For the most part I was staying in hostels, but had my own room, although I did stay in a dorm room in Brazil, and just kept the gear locked up, and had no problems. I am heading to Europe at the end of the month, and will be bringing the same gadgets with me.
Laptop - HP NC2400, nice and light, and sturdy, got the 3 year NBD Travel Warranty, so if it gets damaged or broken along the way, it can get repaired. I also use this to upload photos to my website via FTP. Most hostels I stayed in had WiFi.
PDA - HP hw6955 - Quad Band Cell Phone, with WiFi, and GPS, loaded up with TOMTOM maps (more for Europe). Virtual Earth Mobile, worked great wondering around Buenos Aires, and other large S. American Cities.
Camera - Panasonic FX50. Nice and small, and great pictures with 4.4 Optical Zoom
80GB IPOD Video - I need my tunes.
Kensington Travel Adapter - This has power adapters for my PDA, and IPOD, unfortunately not my laptop yet, but certainly saves on the # of power adapters you need to take.
Swiss Army Universal Power Adapter - Very handy to have, I suggest getting some extra fuses for it though, I blew a couple, and it was rather difficult finding replacements in Argentina, when there is a language barrier.
Enjoy the travels
I found alot of uses for my laptop, playing movies, music, writing code, storing pictures. MMake sure it is small. My backup weighed about 50 pounds and far too much of it was my laptop. Also put all the coolest, funnest, stuff you would want to show people, and bring recordable dvd's and cd's.
I backpacked for a month- internet cafe's to send home pics, little handheld units to back up data (2x incase one was damaged), and that was all I needed.
Unless of course this isn't a vacation for you- if it is a vacation, don't lose yourself in your gadgetry. You don't need it. Relax.
(And if you take that macbook pro, I'll give it a life of about 3 days after someone sees you with it...)
I used to travel a lot when I was young and string was what I missed when I didn't have any.You can do a lot with string.
The first time I travelled by Interrail in Europe, I took a very good radio and dropped the damn thing on the first day. After that it was a useless brick. The same thing could happen to your Mac.
Keep it simple. I really don't think a laptop is a good idea. If you need bulk storage for digital photos, use an ipod. Having done that in the past, I can say that it works well, but needs really reliable means of recharging. Your ipod and camera need to be fully charged when you start. These days, 2GB chips are so cheap, you should just buy a bunch of them and leave the ipod at home.
If you're going to be in cities a lot, I recommend a cheap pda with MetrO loaded on it. It's a fabulous navigator of bus, train, metro, tube, subway systems.
For the rest, I take a Swiss Army knife with bottle opener and corkscrew. Unlocked GSM phone to use with local SIMs. Go to an engineering or surveying supply house and get a small, sturdy surveyor's book with waterproof pages. Take a pencil to write with. That way you can write in the rain, and it will always be raining when you want to write something really important.
When you're all ready to go, be assured that you're taking too much. Several people have said it, "Take half the clothes and twice the money." Remember, anything you really need, they sell there, wherever "there" is. They also sell the local version that is fine tuned for "there." You probably don't need it anyway.
Some mornings it's hardly worth chewing through the restraints to get out of bed.
What ever you bring be sure to hide it well. I think the poopy brief safe is especially good. Maybe you could get a pda in there.... but not a laptop.
I'm as addicted to my iPod as the rest of the geek world, but I leave it at home when backpacking. Instead, I take an unlocked cellphone with a gig or so of MP3s and a radio in it (Sony Ericsson w800i). The radio is key -- local radio gives you a great taste of the local musical culture. It keeps me a little more involved in the local atmosphere, and it's one less thing to get stolen.
When backpacking around the world you should make it your goal to stop in as many interwebnets cafes as possible. Add on to that: meeting random cool people and utilizing their intarwebs and you're well on your way to having something to write about in your crappy blog :)
First of all, my camera: trusty Nikon D70s with the Nikkor AF-S DX 17-55mm f/2.8G IF-ED lens. My strobe unit, SB800 and a my 70-200mm f/2.8 zoom for those longer shots. A laptop to store that stuff. And that's good enough for me!
I don't have a Wi-Fi capable PDA, but even an older PDA can be nice to have around. Specifically, I have traveled to London and New York and found a Palm with Vindigo synced for that city was a big help at times. Restaurant searching and sometimes bathroom locations. Newer navigation software or devices might exist now that are even better, but I was never terribly worried about losing my PDA since it was not very new or feature rich.
It might be a good balance of packing light, but still having some conveniences. And no, I don't work for Vindigo or anything.
"Contrarily the lookaside buffer might not be the panacea... "
Consider a pda phone like the HTC TyTN (there's supposed to be a new version with GPS "soon" uner a new name). It's got a keyboard that is small but usable for simple notes. It's GSM (so should work as a phone most places) and it has b/g wifi. As for battery life on the phone - I've gone a week when I skipped the data and bluetooth. If you're close enough to civilization to use networking, you can probably find power.
And a Fuji F30 camera. Why the fuji? Small, easy to use, fast CCD (=easy low light photgraphy w/o the flash), and a wicked long-life battery. xD memory sucks, but it's still (relatively) cheap.
Is it just my observation, or are there way too many stupid people in the world?
I travelled last year for a year with a backpack across asia, south and north america, and south africa. here was my setup, made to be light and as unexpensive and helpful as it could be. overall, you want stuff to supplement your trip, not replace it - your fear of missing your collection of MP3s on the go will soon vanish as you realize you don't need it as much after all - use the gear to enhance the experience by helping you discover the countries you visit and bringing back memories, and communicating with friends, instead of shielding you from the fear of boredom/cultural barriers/melancoly the biggest thing is: bring things you can get parted from: it may be a little more difficult without them, but don't ruin your trip with security concerns. everything expensive should be VERY light and small and you should keep it in your daypack all the time. max 1-2 kgs for everything. leave the laptop at home. you'll regret bringing it after 2 weeks of lugging around and fearing to get stolen. I had: digital camera on AA batteries and plenty of sd card space pocket pc with gps ipod (for offloading pictures) but got stolen after 2 weeks in south america. at first I screamed but then I understood that I was actually better off without it as it was one less thing to constantly check and fear getting stolen... the most important: usb key for cybercafes with proper setup on the usb key: portable firefox and thunderbird with good confirguration and bookmarks, and accounts with passwords in keychain - no need to type them in cybercafes and have them sniffed! portable filezilla - great for sending home on ftp server your most beloved pictures, and even more. in a typical 1-2h session in a cybercafe I could upload 50-100 pictures which made sure I wouldnt lose anything if somebody stole my camera. burning cds and sending home is feasable, but a hassle - you dont want to spend an afternoon every week doing that plus laundray, getting information, etc... pstart - a practical self contained launcher for all of that bookmarks with login info for my blog, etc... the different keyboard layouts can make typing passwords with **** a real hassle if you have to type a password in a cybercafe, to avoid keylogger, type random keys in the adress bar then use copy paste to type in your password in the box skype - can be launched without install anti spyware and anti virus PixaMSN or equivalent for chatting with friends REST2514 - or similar software for recovering deleted files - you may want to have one handy etc... Most important: you want to have time to SEE and DO things - only spend the bare minimum in cybercafes and handling your tech gear, and enjoy the peoiple, the nature, the adventure the gps is handy in a cab to check that you're taking a more or less straight route : i had my share of laughs indicating to a taximan I wouldnt pay because he made me run in circles, or better yet having coordinates of my destination and giving directions in a totally unfamiliar place to locals. also the gps is of course extremely valuable in the wilderness send copies of plane tickets, insurance forms, id card, passport to your email account - you'll be able to print them from anywhere needed leave instructions for bankers-friends-family to handle your bank accounts and be able to make trasnfers to your visa cards, etc... the most important asset will be your memories and your pictures: send them home through ftp, email, with web sites, or mail them. record sounds and conversations with the pda/ipod (you can install linux as dual boot on some models and get free mic with just the earphones) it's also very handy for recording messages while waiting for busses or around a campfire and sending them by email so you don't have to spend time writing lenghty descriptions - it also makes them vivid - with good compression you can send a 10 minute monologue for 2mb also on the pda - extremely handy - various dictionaries: its much fastre to type in the first 3-4 letters than searching through the book - also bring things that will lighten your pack : travel
I second the water purifier. Saved me lots of cash on my 2 month trek through S. America.
Why bother taking anything other than your camera? One of the best parts about backpacking is getting away from all of those man-made noises. If you're busy listening to music you're going to miss the sounds of nature.
Go with a cheap POS mp3 player.
Sounds just as good, and you won't cry nearly as much when it gets wet, crushed, stolen.
Also maybe a PDA, and definately a camera.
I am very small, utmostly microscopic.
Pack it in checked luggage before getting near an airport. I've had 3 confiscated these past few years since I always forget. And after the frisking, bodysearching, questioning, padding around the duty free in socks, etc., I don't even travel with mine anymore.
... A Franklin 5-Language European Translator (Model TWE-118). I took a long hard look at getting a Palm/GPS device before I went backpacking in Europe for 3-months. Turns out the electroinic translator was all I needed, well that and a pimp digital camera. Plus it was cheap and light. The translator was actually purchased in Scottland, I couldn't find it in the U.S.
I am a big fan of USB flash disks (or old ipod shuffles if you must have some music) + internet Cafes or using other people's laptops. Make some local friends and use their computers to copy photos and send emails and the local mapping software.
I also recommend a multiband phone that will work in the country you are going to. Buying a local sim-card can be really cheap ($15) in most industrialized countries that I've been in, and then you can send text messages to the people you meet.
Here's what I usually pack otherwise:
This will usually all fit in a carry-on backpack, and I've lived well for a month using this formula.
Comment removed based on user account deletion
Yep. There's no other way to live. I'm too spoiled to ever go back to an office.
"Patriotism is your conviction that this country is superior to all other countries because you were born in it." -- GBS
A laptop is about as much use as a spinning wheel, but more likely to break. Find internet Cafes instead and save yourself 8 lbs.
People who think they know everything really piss off those of us that actually do.
If you are staying away for a long time and need to connect to your bank or tax authorities regularly, it feels much safer to use your own laptop and wifi somewhere than to sit in a crowded internetcafé surrounded by smoking and spitting students, who may have installed keyboard sniffers.
But then it depends on who you are and what you are going to do. If someone tells me that he is going to Spokane for the weekend and does he need a laptop, I have to ask what he is going to do there before giving an answer. If you are going around the world, it is much more complicated.
When I went around the world, I brought two 12" laptops, one as a backup, in case the other one would fail. It turned out that I never got far from those places where I easily could have bought a new cheap one if need be, so I would not recommend double laptops, even if you are very dependent on them.
Bring something to backup files. A 4G or 8G SDcard and a USB card reader may be enough. If your Mac crashes, you can transfer all your data to a new PC or Mac, depending on what is best where you happen to be when it happens. If you know for sure you will have internet access all the time, you may trust some server for backup. That is safer, in case your backpack gets stolen.
Only use cross platform files! Stick to .doc, .txt, .rtf, .odt and so on. Skip any temptation to use .pages or .cwk or other file types, which will be impossible to read if you end up with a Windows or Linux box.
In addition I had a Palm (excellent for Chinese and Japanese dictionaries) with a butterfly-keyboard, a GPS (which I hardly ever used), an iPod (they can be used as radios nowadays, can't they?), and a camera.
And do not bring anything you would really mind loosing. Use cheap stuff, which can be replaced.
Do you need any electronics at all? It really depends on you. But no matter where you are, there is reading material about the place on the internet - often much better than what you find in the local book stores. With a laptop, you can download all you need, and then read it at your convenience.
I recently did exactly this with a friend of mine, and I'm going to have to disagree with the majority of the posters here. We both brought laptops, and they were very useful. Particularly since we were trying to maintain a website about the trip as we were going.
We didn't want to spend hours of useful time sitting in internet cafes upkeeping various portions of the website (blog entries, photo albums). But, because of the way we traveled (a lot of buses, trains, and the occasional plane), we ended up with a lot of dead time. Time that would have normally be spent staring out the window, reading some uninteresting book, or sleeping because of boredom, we actually spent creating content for the website. It was a good way to crystallize our most recent experiences and publish them out to interested friends and family.
Now, we did travel a bit more upscale than the "standard" backpacker trip. We occasionally stayed in dorm-style hostels, but those were the exceptions. For the most part, we always tried to find a double room with a lockable door. It's a bit more expensive, but the peace-of-mind it gave was well worth it. And not just because we were carrying laptops.
Buy a camera which uses AA batteries - the smallest one you can. The batteries are available everywhere. And have a solar recharger with you - it takes time, but it works.
:)
Ipods begs to be stolen. Buy a cheapo mp3 with 4 gb and you're done. One of those you can recharge on usb (without the hassle of carrying crap) or even better, one which works with AAA batteries.
Say goodbye to your macbook. I have one, and its damn heavy to backpack.
Have a nice, sealed notebook - a PAPER notebook. And a pencil. They work everytime, everywhere.
Someone recommended you a swiss army knife. Remember you can't take it on hand luggage on airplanes. I rather use one which has a fork and a spoon together. Not everyone uses forks, you know.
A free gsm phone - a palm which can do this - is REALLY useful.
Oh, buy a fon.com router - that way you are going to save A LOT of money depending on where you are. Leave it into your house, however
If you're going to a hot place, don't take a leather jacket. Take money instead. Don't forget multiple copies of your documents. And don't mess with drugs where you don't know. Cocaine is pure in colombia, and it's infested with shit in brazil. I doubt most people can handle any of them. What they sell as cocaine on thailand may be high-quality pure heroin. Oh, and foreigners are the most obvious target to police.
"but it doesn't do me any good, because my wife wants me to leave the phone at home with her"
Dude... have you considered that your wife wants you to get lost in the forest and not have any way to call out and die eaten by wild wolves like Gerald Ford and then she can claim the insurance money? Watch out...
I've been doing a lot of traveling lately, and the Nokia 770 (internet tablet) is quite the companion. Sure it can play video and music, but the ability to connect to any wifi hot spot (or gprs via cell phone) allows one to quickly look up information. If you like to travel lite, this is a very powerful gadget. If you plan on using it frequently, add a portable bluetooth keyboard with it and you're set. Best of all, it runs linux!
Screw technology, think of the higher priorities. If you rely on paper maps you will get lost/get ruined maps really easily.
Cloth maps are what you want. How do I know this? Because once, many years ago I said 'what do I need a cloth map for?'
Oh boy did I ever find out. Know what its like to wander back and forth over the German/Holland border for a whole night? I do...
Oh yes, and carrying and using lots of tech stuff will mark you as, well, a mark, to be tapped at the first opportunity. Take as little as possible.
...with only my Nikon D100 (and Pentax Optio for a pocket camera), a bunch of CompactFlash cards and a 60GB USB Hard Drive. You can make copies to CD virtually anywhere in the world and send your pictures home as a backup. Do it - it'll save you!
Having a laptop is nice - but in most of the world it makes you a serious target and is very conspicuous. I spent many any afternoon sitting at a cafe writing away in my journal and watching the world go by, but this would not have been as fun and low-key with a laptop.
Of course, it depends on where you want to go. I spent most of my time in South America, Asia, Africa and the Middle East. You don't want to display any kind of wealth in those areas of the world if you can help it. I'm not saying everyone is a crook, but it will make you the center of attention even more than you'll be anyway.
Besides, as much of a geek as I am, I enjoyed all that time away from gadgets and computers. It allowed me time to focus on what I was actually doing: traveling. Internet cafes are fine for email, burning CDs, paying bills and whatever.
I even kept an online journal while I was traveling entirely from internet cafes: http://www.davesworldtour.com/. Check out the entries from Nov 7, 2003 to May 7, 2005.
-Dave
As the saying goes: An ounce in the morning is a pound a night!
Take along as little as you possibly can, esp. with respect to technology.
More stuff is just more stuff to carry around, get lost, get stolen, and make
you more of an outsider. And if you have anything that needs to plug in or be
recharged, you then need to worry about adapting to the local power supply.
If you do have any kind of powered gear, make sure that it runs on standard
(e.g. AA or AAA) batteries, which are ubiquitous.
On my first trip to Southeast Asia, the one piece of tech gear I brought was
an analog camera. An overall philosophy I had was that if my entire backpack
got stolen, I didn't want it to be that big of a deal.
My girlfriend and I would sometimes spin fire in various places. We met some
people in Phnom Penh that had a portable audio player and some portable
speakers, so one night we decided to borrow it from them, since it would be a
bit more fun to spin to music than just by itself. Not only did that end up
being kind of pointless (they were such shitty speakers that when played
outdoors, esp. when you have fire whizzing by your ears, you couldn't really
hear them), but the audio player got stolen. Which reinforced my belief not
to carry a bunch of tech around.
On my next trip, the only major change was upgrading from an analog camera to
a digital camera. But even that wasn't a really fancy model; I wouldn't want
to lug around an expensive Digital SLR.
Internet access is cheap and plentiful in many (most? all?) places around the
world, so you can get your tech groove on when you want to. Digital memory
cards have increased so much in capacity that you can easily carry a LOT of
pictures around before having to worry about offloading them elsewhere. But
even if you do run out of capacity, it's probably easy to find a place to burn
them to a CD. Which is a good idea to do anyway, and then mail the CD home,
so that if the camera gets stolen, you haven't lost the photos.
If you want to jot down your thoughts at any particular time, consider using a
small notebook as a journal. Your much less likely a target on a public bus
when you put your paper notebook in your bag and decide to take a bit of nap,
then if you do the same with a notebook computer.
The things that I would recommend are much more low tech. Like a decent
flashlight (like an LED headlamp). And zip lock bags. And duct tape.
All good advice.
But I don't think this guy is wilderness-backpacking.
He's getting a Eurail Pass, and bopping from Youth Hostel-to-Youth Hostel.
He'll have access to grocery stores, public restrooms, and drinking fountains. I don't think he'd even need a tent.
My advice to him:
My sister did this when she got out of college. (1980's). She had 3 cameras stolen. I'd worry about bringing a laptop. Seriously.
These are my friends, See how they glisten. See this one shine, how he smiles in the light.
Although I've never backpacked around the world, I would be inclined to leave behind anything with a proprietary battery. AA batteries are quite common, and I suspect where they're not, a small solar charger and 2 NiMh AAs would be sufficient.
Taking an iPod? Is your plan to take _in_ the places where you'll be, or to tune them out while you're there?
Get an old Handspring Visor PDA, one of the monochrome ones that run a AAA batteries.
Seriously. These are the best PDAs to backpack around the world with. (And I assume by 'backpack' you mean cheaply and off the beaten path) Look on Ebay or Craig's list for a monchrome Visor. You can probably get them cheap these days. I've got two. They're my old standby and have been around the world several times. More useful on long trips than any thing else, and I'm a gadget freak who travels a lot.
They're simple Palm OS devices that run on AAA batteries, available anywhere. They can run for weeks on a set with heavy use. I load mine up with games and books which seriously lightens my load. It may not sound like reading a book on one of these things would be practical, but you quickly get used to it. These are great for passing the time on long bus/train/plane rides. You can also take notes, check time, keep contacts, etc... all the basics. No net connectivity though.
Get a backup cartridge so you can quickly dupe the entire device and restore in case the devices malfunctions and you lose data (on one occasion I had to completely reset mine to factory defaults to get it working). Back up occasionally if you're entering data and keep the device & back up cartridge separate in case of loss. (one in pack, one in pocket....) I'd bring two Visors if it's a long trip, keep the separate and periodically sync them by backing up the up-to-date one and restoring it on your backup Visor.
If net connectivity is a requirement take a USB Stick along with you with a set of decent standalone apps to suit your needs and then hit internet cafes. You will find them every where. Take two (and dupe them) if you're worried about loss.
An Ipod or other large capacity MP3 player would be nice but there's a high theft risk and you've got a recharging problem. If you want music, find a cheapo flash device that runs on AA or AAA batteries and takes SD cards or similar. They exist.
A laptop is way more trouble than it's worth and will probably not make it back.
I'm not a cell phone person so I won't recommend one... in fact I'd recommend not taking one for a real adventure.
A camera is essential so get a small digital one and an extra battery if you take alot of pics. I recommend the Canon Elphs as very durable and they take decent pictures. With cheap 2-4 GB cartridges and the ability to preview & delete, you probably can get by without external storage.
It's always tempting to bring a game console but again, you have a recharging problem and people will kill you for these in certain places. The Visors palm os games are sufficiently engaging and its not a particularly flashy or sought after device.
Travel as light as you can! Keep valuables separated so you don't lose everything at once should things go badly.
Bon Voyage!
It is the fact that /.-ers aren't all that geeky and aren't all just reading this in their moms' basements. Many of us are resourceful, cosmopolitan, and inquisitive of other societies and cultures and lifestyles that doesn't all have to do with tech.
Theft is a risk, but I think it is much more likely that you'll throw it away! Too heavy.
Really, there are only two situations that you should consider bringing your notebook:
* if you need special applications that you can't expect to find regularly on internet cafes or hostels, and can't run off a cd or usb stick.
* you are really not going to travel around, that is, you are going to stay 4-5 places during that year and travel by plane.
The notebook is no advantage for updating your blog - you need to bring an internet connection. I guess 40.000 km cable will do - and 10 times as many runners!
I'd bring a USB stick with putty and my keys, and possibly other apps I'd likely need (winscp). Then I can always upload photos to my home server. Many places will likely offer to burn cd's with your photos if needed, or if you really need a lot of storage, consider buying an external USB disc.
If you really can't live without your notebook, then you need to get a tiny one for two reasons: Low weight and size. If it is small then it fits into a small unsuspicious bag which will reduce your risk of theft. Don't bring it in a standard laptop bag that shout's out "here comes $2000!". Stick to a 13" screen size and absolute max 14, which still fits in a standard school bag.
I have found, being without my notebook is a good therapy against my Internet addiction. Try it - you'll be surprised how much more time you have to actually go out experience things in the country you visit.
Having backpacked for extended periods of a time with a laptop and other gear, my two pieces of advice.
1. Get Renter's Insurance. Covers you the world over, its dirt cheap and generally don't even need a police report. So if all your stuff gets ripped off, like your backpack, you can get it covered (it only does it in one shot though, so if you just lose a dig camera, not generally worth filing).
2. Ditch the laptop and use cafes or other devices unless you have a really good reason for the laptop. I brought mine because I was still doing the occasional work, but honestly, I wanted to ditch it. You'll feel freer, both of weight and peace of mind, without it.
3. Get a big fat ipod, running low on music sucks. Have a shuffle as a backup, battery lasts forever and when your main ipod dies you'll still have some music.
Leave most of that crap at home. Walking around with an iPod and a digital camera is probably the best way I can think of to mark yourself as a rich tourist if you're in the developing world, and almost equally likely to guarantee you don't really interact with anything or anyone you encounter.
Do take a camera, but make it as old-fashioned and cheap-looking as possible. If you're not comfortable with, say, and old manual SLR, look for something like the Olympus Stylus Epic. It's autofocus and auto-exposure, runs forever on one battery, and has weather sealing as good as most professional-grade SLRs. A tripod isn't a bad idea, though one of the monopod/walking stick combo units might be more useful if you expect to do any real hiking.
Keep your notes in a Moleskin or on an old Palm device that runs on AAAs. If you absolutely must blog about the experience while you're on the road, do it from internet cafes.
I circled Australia on my bicycle during 2002-2003. I had a lot of gadgets and they were a pain at times, but I really couldn't picture the trip without them. The digital camera setup let me take an excessive amount of photos (which after 5 years, I'm glad the photos remind me of things I'd forgotten about). The laptop made it easy to keep a long journal and do more complex tasks for my websites. Loudly (horribly) singing along at the top of my lungs with The Saints' (I'm) Stranded while riding my bike under a full moon at 1am in the outback was one of my best memories.
It all basically comes down to how often you are going to be around civilization and what your needs are. A lot of people are going to tell you to leave everything at home, to not bother with it. This is fine advice if you are leaving for two weeks, but you are going to be gone a year. That is a long time. Not every single moment will be action-packed, something to see, something to do, there will be downtime.
That said, nearly one whole saddlebag on my bicycle was dedicated to tech things! IBM Thinkpad 600e with Linux/Windows, 5 laptop batteries, digital camera, 24 AA NiMH batteries, AA charger, 512mb of flash cards, Diva MP3 player (that ran on compact flashcards!), and a GPS. I used all of this stuff daily. One reason I had all of this stuff was because it was 2002. The MP3 player wouldn't hold much music and the flashcards would only hold a couple days worth of photos. A lot of times I would also be a week between power sources, hence all the batteries.
laptop:
I would leave this at home unless your hands will be tied otherwise. Keep in mind that outside of the USA, I've found public internet access to be a lot more common. All over Australia in the smallest towns without any paved roads, I could find somewhere to get on the net for a few dollars an hour. Blog postings and email can be done from these sorts of places.
photos:
Since it was 2002, those handy photo storage devices that were basically a hard disk with a compact flash reader on them didn't really exist or weren't that good. Thus every other day I had to copy off my 128 meg flashcards to the laptop, then every couple of weeks burn a couple cds of photos and mail them to places holding mail for me in Australia and the USA. If you do copy your photos from your camera to your laptop, don't expect to be able to FTP them home as a backup. Getting your laptop online and/or finding a fast enough connection to do it can be a chore (free WiFi is hit or miss in various countries). A lot of places will transfer your photos from your flashcards to a CD too. Be sure to shop around when doing this, the price for this service varies a great deal. If going this route, get two CDs made, keep one with you and mail another one home. Also, verify the CD contents before erasing the flashcard. I met a couple in New Zealand who were bummed that only their photos were transferred, the automated software the photo lab used ignored all their movie files. A lot of the Internet Cafes have cd burners and flash card readers and you can do it there also.
It can also be an eyeopener to see what the folks around you were seeing - I learned that the barbers had been having their little laugh. Good times.
Hmmm. Your ideas are intriguing to me and I wish to subscribe to your newsletter.
I've backpacked around the world a couple of times now, once for 18 months, once for 9 months, mostly through Africa, Middle East, South America, and Europe. Don't take the laptop unless you intend to make a living on the side from travel writing, otherwise its just a dead-weight that will cramp your style and cut you off from other people.
:-)
My first trip was pre-ubiquitous internet, my tech total was a shortwave radio, film slr, and a paper travel diary. Lightweight, low stress, and forced me to talk to people
My second trip I took my Palm III (AAA powered) with a fold-up keyboard to type up my diary, but to also use for games and organising things. However that felt a bit dorky to use, I was constantly buying batteries, and nobody would let me install the palm sync software needed to download my diary to my blog.
Instead I found that internet cafes were everywhere and cheap as, especially in the so-called 3rd world (even Easter Island had one!) Perversely, the USA was the country with the worst public net access and facilities, there's an inverse law in there somewhere. They are all you really need now as they are offer full services (CD/DVD burning, MS Office, Skype headphones, etc), especially on the backpacker trail.
My one suggestion is that you take an off-load option for when your digital camera gets full. My sister recently used her iPod for this, but it got corrupted and she lost a bunch of photos so be careful of this one (note you should have FAT32 formatted iPod to allow you to then off-load from the iPod at a net cafe). You'll need to get the special adaptor for this, and leave enough space for photos or be prepared to delete songs as you go.
On my last short trip I used a 4GB USB key to off-load from my 10Mp digital slr, but for my next big trip I plan to take my 60GB 2.5" hard drive in a USB case loaded with various Portabe Apps http://portableapps.com/ (especially the virus scanner!), any files I think I'll need, and all my MP3's so I can vary what's loaded on my small cheap MP3 player. It's light, small, and easy to hide. Even then, I'll still be burning photos to DVD and posting home on a regular basis just in case.
John.
Wow. What a response. Guess a lot of Slashdotters are backpackers too.
6 79 http://www.fixup.net/tips/fiva/Casio%20Fiva%20and% 20Windows%202000.htm or http://www.edkeyes.org/obsolete/fiva.html. Don't bring an expensive, full-size PC. I did once; LCD screen was damaged, and it's a huge extra weight. Besides, If you're really backpacking, you'll find you have little time to use a PC.
:-)
You can get very small light but quite powerful PCs at around 1 kg with full blown Windows. If you're looking for something cheaper look for a second hand Casio Fiva on eBay: It's the smallest fully functional PC I've ever seen: Windows or Linux. http://www.pcstats.com/articleview.cfm?articleID=
Don't waste days sitting around documenting your trip or organizing photos when you can be out enjoying where you are! Don't walk around with your brain plugged into an iPod when you can be meeting the locals and enjoying the sights and sounds of where ever you are (people rarely start conversations with people with headphones).
Travel light. Take as little as you can. I travel with a small backpack that carries a change of jeans, some clothes and a down jacket. When I get off the train, I can head straight for the mountains instead of dragging a big fat suitcase to a hotel.
Enjoy yourself! I (and nearly 400 other slashdotters) wish we were coming with you!
I hear you. When you're hiking, you want to be as light as possible.
;-)
Unfortunately, my wife and I absolutely *must* have a bottle* of wine when we go hiking!
*we've actually got the latest in technology - a 1L wine cask! no more glass...
On my trip to Thailand the only electronic thing I took was my K800 phone (sony ericsson). It's the only phone I've tried with a decent camera, a mp3 player, can watch movies on the flights, and means I can call people I met on the road to meet up somewhere.
...and yes, I hate sony music, but their hardware is the shit.
Still, during the trip I wished instead of one expensive device that I'd brought a cheap mp3 player, a cheap camera and a cheap phone so I wouldn't care (so much) if I damaged/lost one of those devices.
I've also got a sony picturebook, which is really easy to carry in a backpack, but I've never felt the need to carry it overseas.
Take your camera, plenty of spare batteries and memory cards. Take a flashlight and a knife. Maybe a GPS if you want to get fancy.
I traveled once. It was awful. Couldn't find a decent cup of coffee anywhere and I had to leave all my cool stuff and my friends at home. And you know what you find overseas? A bunch of foreigners itching to go on holiday. What's so good about overseas if everyone who lives there wants to leave?
Now wash your hands.
Leave everything but the camera at home. Then you'll hear the local music instead of the same old tunes, see the places you visit instead of a Mac screen, and meet actual people instead of wasting your time on gadgets. When your camera fills up you can find cyber-cafes to burn CDs and mail them home. As a bonus, without all that stuff you won't have to worry about it being stolen or carry the weight around.
Best of all, after you force yourself to do without things you'll discover in a couple months how much your stuff owns you instead of the other way around, and if you listen to yourself then you'll be free of the consumer game forever.
I spent years travelling the world (http://www.bougerolle.net/travel/) and that's one big lesson I learned from all of it - the less stuff you have the happier you are.
Here are some other things that I bring to the great outdoors (tech wise): --SteriPEN: UV water purification. I take this whenever I am out for extended periods. You can take any clear water source and make it drinkable in 90 seconds without chemicals. I have the nalgene filter that screws on top of a widemouth nalgene bottle and filters out sediment and then the SteriPEN slips into the filter and you turn it all upside down, turn it on, and it automatically sterilizes the water, when the light goes off, you can drink the water. --No laptop, lots of memory cards: Even thought I have a toughbook, I leave it at home. Memory cards are pretty cheap, look on amazon. Im in iraq right now, and I take a decent amount of pictures, in 6 months, I have not managed to fill up a 1 gig SD card, and I have another one in case I do. How much memory you get will depend on your resolution and quality settings. --GPS: speaks for itself, just make sure you load it with all the areas your going to be --Cell phone/sat phone: which depends on what you need, where your going, and how badly you need to contact someone. sat phones are expensive, but if you are the paranoid type, it will work anywhere in the world (that you can see the sky from). --Self recharging flashlight: The one you shake to charge, not the solar powered or crank flashlights (bad experiences). This will save weight and money because you will not need to carry/buy batteries for it.
http://onebag.com/ is a _fantastic_ resource.
I would bring Granite Gear*. They're not electronics, but they're definitely hi-tech backpacks and other outdoor gear.
* Standard disclaimer - I'm a relative of two of the three owners.
Education is the silver bullet.
A self-charging torch is good - better than those squeezie things - I use one that is recharged by just shaking it up and down, and it's range and brilliance is just fine in most circumstances. I find thew LED torches good, but the lights tend to be too dim to really be of use outdoors.
Many power paks (used to charge batteries, etc) are independent of voltage, frequency, etc, and can be used just about anywhere. A tip - look for one that uses a lead to connect it to the power point - they are usually OK for 50 - 60 hz, and 100 - 240 volts, so all you have to worry about is the power point. There are about 5 standards, and if you are carrying multiple devices that must be plugged in, get yourself a multiple output power block rated at 240 volts, make sure you can plug everything into that, and only carry one adapter - for the power block.
If you MUST carry a laptop, get yourself the crappiest old small laptop that will still do what you need, instead of carrying your new, you beaut, iMac (or whatever). That way, if you lose it, it shouldn't matter too much, especially if you back up your pictures etc on either the internet, or an external disk pack. One thing - make sure it's got the best possible battery on board - most old, beat up laptops have really crappy batteries.
Will those of you who think that you know what you are doing, get out of the way of those of us who know what we are doi
I don't know if anyone mentioned this or not(Don't have time to read hundreds of replies today), but get a pair of lightweight Patagonia/Capelene thermal underwear. These are amazing if the weather gets cold or rainy and wick away moisture quickly.
Back in the day, we used postcards. Cheap, available everywhere, and your friends store them for you. Cutting the cord is well worth it.
Like many others have said, pack as light as possible. A laptop is unnecessary for most people and internet cafes are in just about any city. I even go as far as ripping the pertinent pages out of my travel books so I'm not weighed down (books are the biggest liability in terms of weight). To put a technology slant on this, you could go as far as scanning your travel book (or buy an electronic version if you can find one) and loading it into your PDA. The best all-in-one type of solution I've seen is an O2 Atom Exec. You can use this to keep all of your maps, contacts, take quick low quality photos. Get a think outside bluetooth keyboard and you'll be able to use it as a diary as well. Take it to an internet cafe and you _may_ be able to plug it in via USB (or at least the memory card), however I've been to places still running Windows 98 or NT and they don't 'plug and play' usb drives automatically. Because you've got to install Activesync for this type of PDA, you can be a bit clever and instead bring along your digital camera and copy stuff back and forth from your memory card(Make sure your PDA & Camera use the same type of memory). Bring along USB drivers for older operating systems. They'll fit on a business card CD. As far as cameras go, you should look for something that uses AA batteries just in case you can't get access to a recharge. I am about to go around the world myself and have chosen the Canon S3 IS. It takes great photos and has better zoom/optics than a smaller camera, yet it's lighter and more compact than an SLR. If you're not fussed with printing your photos, you can get away with a smaller camera like the ELPH styled cameras. I used to also take along a Jukebox Multimedia 20 (a few years back) which I could copy my photos to and play Mp3's with. Now adays you're better off just buying lots of cheap 4GB memory cards for photos and putting your mp3's on your PDA. I still think you should bring along MP3's, plus super light travel speakers, because I've had lots of great experiences meeting people and putting on some tunes we could all listen to. I love music and cant' live without it. If you're like that as well, you'll end up buying music CD's and then you'll want to play them somehow. You should be able to RIP 'em at an internet cafe and put them on your PDA, or you may consider bringing along a tiny CD player. This is more of a luxury item and I wouldn't normally recommend it unless you gotta have music. Finally, one last piece of techie you should get: noise cancelling headphones. I've got a pair that plug straight into my ear canals and are super lightweight. These things really make a difference on flights because they cancel out the background noise of the plane when you're trying to watch a movie or whatever. Don't forget to bring traditional earplugs as well.. you'll need 'em on the plane or when in a backpackers. Most backpackers will lock up your expensive stuff in a safe, but only so much, so you can lock up your larger camera and other stuff during the day if you're not going to use it and just take your PDA with you.
You go someplace cool like Belize, and what do you do? Read slashdot there. A true geek.
I guess I can't talk. My response to this question was going to be "HP-48: from my cold dead hands".
I've been all over the world (Africa, S. America, Europe etc.) and now I do allot of motorcycle travel so I've made and learned from a lot of mistakes.
As of late when I'm on the bike I like to update my photo blog as I go - so I settled on a PDA that has both a modem and WiFi (the discontinued Sharp Zaurus SL6000 if you care). I also take a folding full size keyboard like the ones from ThinkOutside. Every few days I get tired of tenting and find hotel that has wifi included with the bed and shower - do my uploading and email and then return to the campfire - lather, rince, repeat as needed.
I use compact cameras that have at least a 10x zoom - as versatile as a bag full of lenses but much easier to deal with. Spare batteries and mem cards. I also carry a small pair of NICE binoculars.
One other gadget I've grown to love is a small - tough standalone GPS (not connected to the PDA - connected version tend to be fragile and PDA's frequently grow legs) with good battery life. Maps only work if you know where you are. It's also really cool to be able to later find and/or return to specific places you marked or pair specific location data with photographs.
On the non-gadget list HIGHLY recommend Imodium, Ibuprofin, and Benadryl in both cream and tablets. Good multi-tool. Water purification tablets. Small flint/steel (this sounds nuts but is actually crazy useful - since discovering this I keep one on my keychain). A 1/4 roll of toilet paper. And the smallest headlamp you can find. Headlamps are terrific in camp and I've been in enough "lodges" where the power is turned off at 8pm...
Put all of this in a bag that never leaves you. For example - on my motorcycle I have a magnetic tank-bag that turns into a day trip sized backpack. If you are going international add your passport to this list. Put it in a ziplock bag and don't let it leave your person. Keep a copy separate somewhere else in your gear and leave your passport numbers with a friend back home. This may truly save your butt.
If you get your stuff together and it feels like too much - it is. Don't drag things around you think you "might" need. I'd say all of the gadgets including the camera and binoculars are on the "maybe" list. Depends on you. All of the other stuff I mentioned - drugs, tools etc. That list is the direct result of lessons learned... YMMV.
"Smile, listen, agree, and then do whatever the fuck you wanted to do anyway." ~Robert Downey Jr.
A couple summers ago, I was backpacking across Europe and met an Australian guy who had a pretty good idea: mail your memory cards back home. Rather than trying to upload constantly to a laptop or iPod, he just sorted them using his camera, deleting ones that were fuzzy or bad, and when his card was full, he tape a few pieces of thin cardboard or plastic around it and stick it in a letter home. Never cost him more than a normal stamp or two. First, it's a great way to update people back home if you're going to be gone for a while. Second, it means you don't have to haul a laptop that will inevitably get stolen or damaged.
Memory cards are dirt cheap, especially if you get them in bulk online or from Sam's/Costco. Plus, in today's digital age, you can find them as easily as 35mm film in most countries. So if you run out, you can just buy some new ones. When he got home and was done with them, he wiped most of them and sold them on eBay or to his friends and got about half his money back. You do run the risk of losing your card in the mail, but that's not as bad as losing your laptop and losing a whole trip's worth of photos.
It's not stupid. It's advanced.
I backpacked across Kenya and did a little bit of travel in Tanzania and here's my gadget list. iPod (get the biggest sized one you can get. Solio charger iPod international adapters (Kenya uses Britain's plugs, Tanzania uses Europe's) Digital camera that runs on AA batteries. (You never know if/when you'll be able to charge. Batteries are cheap here.) iPod camera adapter. (I forgot what it's called. You plug your digital camera into it and it downloads the pictures to your iPod.) Dynamo flashlight. I used an Eagle Creek backpack. They're pretty sturdy. A ton of Moleskine journals and lots of ink refills. As for a computer, everywhere in the world has internet cafes. You really shouldn't worry too much. I wouldn't bring anything as large as a Macbook. If Apple comes out with a sub notebook, maybe that, but nothing large enough for people to see you have. Good luck, Michael Tighe
A closed mouth gathers no foot.
one gadget that might come in handy is a plain old GSM cellphone that works on the frequencies used in your destination country/continent (or take a triband phone with you, just to be sure). In emergencies, paying the often exaggerated raoming-fees might be acceptable, but best of all, the GSM standard dictates that all cellphones must be allowed to make an emergency-call (usually by dialling 112, but 911 seems to work in some countries, too) no matter which network in which country your SIM card belongs to - it even works if the phone doesn't even have a SIM-chip in it.
Minimal equipment to survive anywhere:
Internal Frame Backpack & water proof pack cover
Trash bags
Tent & Tarp (Or a Bivy Sack)
Mummy Style Sleeping Bag
Foam or Air Matress
Shirt
Shorts & bathing suit
Pants
thermal underwear
wool socks and athletic socks and liner socks
baseball cap and wool hat
watch
fleece jacket
rain jacket
sun glasses
Pot and fry pan
Eating Utensils & Bottle Opener
heavy duty aluminum foil
small multi-fuel backpacking stove and accessories
water proof matches
Water filter
water bottles/bags/platypus/etc
towel
bug repellent
sun screen
toothbrush
toothpaste
ID, ATM card, health card, money
knife
guidebook + maps + GPS/compass
toilet paper
trowel
headlamp/flashlight
Advil or other painkillers and medication
bandages
superglue
hiking boots, sneakers, sandals
Beef Jerky and other trail food
Toilet Paper!
Cell Phone/PDA/Blackberry Device
I formed some pretty clear ideas about this very question when I travalled through the Pacific and SE Asia for 9 months. I started with a laptop but at that stage I was on a yacht and didn't have to carry it around...very useful for electonic charts and navigation. Once I left the boat and went overland I shipped it home. Some tips:
- Yes take a camera. This is the one piece of tech that you need. Of course it doesn't need to be digital but the benefits are obvious: I took 3500 photos.
- Don't get hung up on storage: I only had a 128M and 256M card. I would burn CD's at Internet Cafes every 2 weeks or so. Then take one CD with me and ship the other home. Much safer than a hard disk. 4GB CF are really cheap now anyway.
- Internet Cafes are EVERYWHERE all over the world. In fact they are more prevalent in the 3rd world because no one has their own computer!
- I small mobile phone doesn't hurt. This can be very handy (you can buy local SIM's) and is good for safety. This can nowdays double as an MP3 player, radio, calendar, alarm clock, camera.....I wish the phone I travelled with had all that!
- As for an iPOD or larger MP3 player...I'm not sure. I have a very nice Creative Zen Vision 60GB that has the radio, photo upload feature, movies, everything. The thing is that its yet another thing to look after and the real point is: I'd prefer to be on a bus talking to locals (or trying to) reather than listening to U2! Think about it. Perhaps a fw choice tunes on the mobile phone (and more on a CD for upload later) is a better option?
GPS: only useful if you have a good map, and useless in dense forest!
If you can run your camera on NiMH batteries, a couple sets of them and a solar battery charger are a great way to have digital pictures even with little or no power grid access.
I've done some travelling, and like to take the following:
An iPod nano (can stuff it down the front of my shirt to be inconspicuous
A small digital camera with optical zoom and a number of sd cards
An iGo charger with nipples for the nano and the digital camera and adapters for the local outlets
An ATM/debit/credit card, no cash
Wholeheartedly agree with the "half the clothes, twice the money" rule
I've worn my Merrell "Jungle Mocs" to concerts in Salzburg, business meetings in Tokyo, and hikes through the Yucatan Penninsula
Take a pair of Nike shorts with Dri-FIT microfiber elastic waistband and crepe liner - this packs very small, is very lightweight, and doubles as hiking/running shorts, a swimsuit, and pyjama bottoms. Cleans very easily and dries in moments.
Ditto on the copy of your passport. If you can, save it as a PDF as a non-linked file on your website, and memorize the hidden link.
I'll also second the motion that you're travelling to meet people and enjoy the experience. Disintermediate! Live your life directly, not through the viewfinder hunched over a keyboard.
We took a 5lb 12" G4 iBook with us for 2 months in Europe in 2005 and are glad we did.
We used it to:
* Backup digital pictures / free up flash cards.
* Write our travel journal when we wanted to, instead of trying to seek out an internet cafe when we'd rather be sightseeing (rsync'd whenever we got online).
* Reply to email offline (on trains, for example). Including pictures.
* Burn DVD backups of our pictures to periodically mail home
* Watch DVDs when we were exhausted and trying to unwind at the end of the day
* Help fellow travelers back up their pictures onto DVD; we made some friends this way.
* Recharge our iPods - 1 fewer transformer to carry.
We also backed up our photos to our iPods while we were traveling. The more places they lived, the more likely they were to get home.
The 12" G4 iBook was great for this. Under $1k, under 5 pounds, small 110/220 power adapter, ~5 hour battery life. I took it with me in my day bag when we were sightseeing if I was concerned about it disappearing. I bought a neoprene zipper case for it for padding, and it worked out very well.
It wasn't always easy to get the laptop online, but I managed every 2-3 days. Occasionally buying a TMobile wifi pass when I had to, and carrying my own short ethernet cable.
Internet cafes are great, except a lot of them run insecure versions of Windows with spyware/keyloggers installed. I wouldn't type my password into most of them if I could avoid it. Plus, the email "I'm writing this from a bistro in sight of the Eiffel Tower" is a lot nicer than "I'm in a shitty, smoky internet cafe in a dodgy part of town where everyone around me is on PalTalk."
In short: Keep it light, but take it.
- A good backpack ;-P)
- A good multitool
- As few sets of clothes as possible
- First-aid medicine
- Money and a credit card
- No notebook. All you're going to do is worry about it. I wouldn't take a camera myself, but that's just because I never look at pictures (does anyone really?
I'm partial to the Toshiba Portege myself. It's cheap, it has XGA resolution, and unlike many, it can take a fairly modern larger-capacity hard drive.
It doesn't have the rez (1920x1200) or memory or CPU speed I'm used to but then again my primary use is to save off my photos.
On my last trip (Mexico) it was rare to find a place outside the larger-city hotels that would let you use their wifi- generally the practice was to rent access to a wired machine. But it sure did come in handy when we did stay in a hotel to be able to check my banking and my billpay service- I didn't trust the internet cafe to not have spyware (soft or hard!)
Why ruin a great opportunity to meet people and experience new things by spending your time fiddling with meaningless gizmos. Ditch the ipod and listen to what the locals are listening to!
Wherever I travel these days, I find so many people peering at things through their digital cameras instead of using their eyes, the enduring memory they must have of their trip is probably searching for somewhere to recharge their junk. They may as well have stayed at home and 'visited' those places on the web instead.
If you are backpacking, the general idea should be to carry as little as possible. You need one pair of good shoes, a backpack, comfortable pants, water-repellant jacket, underwear (wool is a good choice as it smells less, and is easy to handwash), silk bed liner, soap, disinfectant, sports tape, water filter, sunglasses, sunscreen, cellphone with charger/adapter, money/credit cards, passport/visas, and tickets. Anything beyond that is optional (well, depending on location, e.g. Antarctica requires some warm clothes, a jungle would require insect repellent, and swimwear is often nice to have, but you get the idea).
Remember, backpacking does usually not mean taking a cab from the airport to the hotel. If it does, then forget what I said, but travelling light has definite advantages for almost anywhere you choose to go; it is easier to carry, less stuff break, and less stuff get stolen. If you want to carry more, try some of these: a travel guide, compass, gps, camera, book, deck of cards, sudoku-puzzles, mp3-player, portable electronic game, etc... Depending on your travelling style/budget, you might also find a use for a sleeping bag, insect net, tent, and/or cooking gear.
I see very little purpose for bringing a fragile, heavy, easily stolen laptop anywhere in the world, unless you are there to work. Any internet café will have access to both gmail and your bank, and that's all you're going to need anyway.
...and a towel. Never go anywhere in the world without a towel!
Having backpacked the entire east coast of the US (I thru-hiked the AT in 2003), around New England, Washington State, Grand Canyon, Ireland, Germany, and Austria, the best advice I can give is: go as light as possible.
;^) I personally go with the disposable film cameras due to weight, but there is definitely a tradeoff given the quality of newer digital cameras; less of a theft risk, though. I would skip the laptop altogether. The risk of theft combined with the limited utility and added weight rules them out in my mind.
You can get by on two changes of clothes-- really. You can wash your stuff in the sink and let it dry overnight (go with lightweight, synthetic, and fast-drying clothes). I've become brutally minimalist with the things I carry. Depending on the kind of backpacking you're doing (walking through woods vs. traveling as a tourist) you can get by with less (walking through the woods requires more gear). Suffice it to say, a 4000 cubic inch backpack has more than enough room for all the stuff you need to take with you. If you can't fit your stuff in a 4000 in^3 pack, you need to rethink what you're carrying. For wilderness trips up to 4 days, I currently carry a GoLite 2500 in^3 pack, and for longer hauls (or winter trips), I use a Kelty 4000 in^3. The GoLite is a great bag for doing the tourist thing with.
Anyhow, whether you're going as a tourist or walking through the wild, the principle is the same: your happiness is inversely proportional to the weight of your pack. The one luxury I've never been able to live without is a paperback book; preferably something I don't mind rereading (e.g., Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance). And I know it's a trendy little machine, but I find that my BlackBerry is really growing on me. I took it on a recent backpack through the White Mountains (actually, I forgot to take it out of my bag), and I was pleasantly surprised to see that it still worked in the middle of the wilderness. Not that I had any reason to use it
Shoot for being able to take your 'luggage' as carry-on. There's nothing like being able to make a beeline for the bus or car rental place when you hop off your plane while everybody else stares at the luggage carousel. Oh, and avoid clothes that have any metal in them, and get yourself a pair of laceless shoes; I really like Salomon's laceless running shoes. You can slip them on and off easy when you get pulled aside for the airport shoe check.
When I visit a foreign country, I like to bring things that will help me embrace the whole cultural experience.
That's why whenever I visit the U.S., I make sure to bring along a TV.
- RG>
Hey pal, this isn't a pleasantforest, so don't waste my time with pleasantries!
I have been backpacking around the world for about 5 years now and have only recently decided to take a laptop with me, while i do find it helps me get jobs and keep in contact with people along the way. But it is travelling heavy and a constant worry about brakage and stealing, if you don't plan stay in one place and work from the road and your only use for it is to e-mailing and unloading photos leave it, you will find internet cafe's more then suffice for doing this and why not just carry a few usbsticks to store your photos on, they are more compact and durable then the c.d.'s you will get from internet cafe's.
;)
If you find your self travelling in Bali drop me a line and i will let you use my mac if you get withdrawals
A Macbook? I'd be too nervous! www.kushcash.com
Don't forget an RPG. (better safe than sorry)
Woah! You may not need instructions on how to ROCK, but you sure need instructions on how to CHILL!
If I was travelling to Europe and didn't want to lug a heavy laptop around, I would take a Blackberry. My sister went to Ireland and England last year and took her Blackberry with her, as her Blackberry service provider (Rogers.com) has a roaming agreement with some European providers. She was able to email back home from almost anywhere she went in Dublin and London.
The downside, only some Blackberry models will work overseas. And not every country has a decent Blackberry network (my sister's Blackberry didn't work in the Dominican Republic).
You people are such geeks! A camera, pen knife, g-shock (or just a watch with an alarm), and an optional mp3 player that works like a pen drive (my crappy canon compact doesn't). You don't even need GPS, I've plotted all my points quite happily without it using maplandia.com hth, Jamie
I think a lot of people are answering your question as though you're going for a month. If you're going for a year then I assume there'll be gaps in travels when your life becomes a little more like normal life and less like a holiday. So yes, bring the laptop. Anyway, if you leave it behind it'll be semi-obsolete by the time you get back, so there's a biblical parable of the talents thing here.
ok here is my story: im on a rtw trip, i have done south america, north america, new zealand, australia, japan so far and am now in mainland china where i will spend a few months working my way down to india & se asia photography is my main interest so i travel with my eos 350d & ultrawideangle and kit lense and i am also running a travel blog (http://travel.cellardoor.ch) i also have ipod, nintendo ds and a mobile phone with me i started without laptop but bought a macbook in canada. why? it saves you some money because internet cafes in developed countries are expensive and usually you get free wireless with some planning ahead. it is also convenient to use downtime at airports etc more efficiently - i can process my pictures on the run (huge issue, i have about 3000 unprocessed pics from south america), write blog entries, deal with emails, plan my trip, etc... downside of course is first the weight of the gadgets plus all the power adapters, that you have to charge your stuff all the time, and the safety nevertheless i am glad about having my laptop with me. it was perfect in the us, new zealand etc where security was not that much of an issue and i didnt have to carry my stuff around that much. now it is more of a hassle but i still dont regret it. i go to hostels that have lockers and if not, there are always secure lockers somewhere in town or you can leave it at reception. on my whole trip i never had something stolen from me, never pickpocketed and never in a hostel/hotel. remember: the biggest safety issue are your fellow travellers, not the hostel staff (if you stay in somewhat reputable places) and carry a lot of kg only makes you stronger hehe
I took:
A Canon S50 5mp digital camera, an extra battery and a bunch of SD cards that fit into a CF type 2 adapter.
A Palm TX (I shipped this home after 2 months)
A Bluetooth folding keyboard for use with the Palm (shipped home with the palm)
A Sony T68i unlocked mobile phone with a gloabal roaming SIM (with a UK phone #) that had voicemail
A 60 GB Apple iPod half filled with music
A camera connector so I could dump my photos to the iPod.
A 40 Meter underwater case for the camera
I wound up buying an SLR in Dubai because I got so into photography on the trip. I wish I had brought this with me from the beginning and had taken a few photography courses. If you think you might be even remotely interested in Photography please please please get an SLR and take some courses before you go. If this is the trip of a lifetime for you like it was for me, I implore you to take this advice.
Conveniently, the SLR I bought used the same batteries as the Canon S50.
I also wound up buying 6 additional gigs of memory over the 6 gigs I oiginally brought with me becuase I wasn't able to spend enough time in internet locations in some areas to upload (or burn) all my pictures.
We wound up not using the global roaming SIM at all in favor of locally purchased SIMs and then we simply emailed our families the number (the pronouns are plural because I went with my wife). But the phone was absolutely the most useful piece of kit after the camera.
Despite all the camera gear I wound up having, I was otherwise travelling very light...
Here are some other items of low-tech that I found invaluable
1. a camp sink for washing in
2. at least a couple of pairs of silk, wool, or capilene boxers or boxer briefs
3. Colombia ROC pants with a zippered pocket. (Much more convenient than those stupid money belts)
4. Don't bring boots
5. Loosely packed stuff sacks are crucial. Don't ever fully pack a stuff sack though, because then they don't deform well enough and you'll waste space in your pack.
6. If there's two of you, each of you should take a 15-25 liter pack and a shared rugged wheeled duffel bag.
7. If its just you, don't get a bag larger than 55 liters. If you do, you will fill and hate yourself.
If you want to read about my trip, go to: http://www.thewanderyonder.com/
Pack light.
Pack cheap. You might lose something very valuable.
A laptop is heavy and requires a lot of extra peripherials. Namely annd AC adapter and power adapters. Cameras are good to bring.
Bring a camera. You'll want it. Chemical requires film you'll have to drag along, but requires almost nothing you can't pickup wherever you are. I guess you could always mail exposed film home or something. Digital is cool because all you have to do is upload your photos, but uploading gigs of photos maybe problematic. Also digital requires AC adapters and power adapters,
so keep that in mind.
You WILL want to document your trip. Use online tools you can access from any netcafe. Supplement or replace this with just a simple notebook and a pen. Moleskines have so much cachet, they yearn for something like this.
Bring a phrase book. You'll need it.
Clean dry socks. You'll mother would be proud.
One thing you'll find after leaving our wealthy culture is just how hard it is for most people in the world to survive. Securing the basics of clean water, food, and shelter in many parts of the world can be a serious challenge that takes most of your time. Lugging around the excess trappings of our wealthy home culture will fast seem pointless, and I think it sends the wrong message about why you're traveling in the first place.
I've spent a good chunk of the past 38 years traveling to or living in over 35 countries. In that time, I've consistently found that the less I bring, the more fun I have because I'm liberated to focus on what's around me instead of what's in my bag. Some of my best trips have been almost completely unplanned, with little more than the clothes on my back, some cash and ID, and a rough idea of where I want to go. The world is changing fast, so I recommend spending more time learning about the things that are about to disappear, than playing with gadgets. There's a lot of utility in carrying a bound notebook and some pencils (pens invariably leak in the heat).
That said, one gadget I've found to be indispensible is an LED headlamp. Next time you have to take a dump in the middle of the night in an unlit village's communal shithole, you'll appreciate being able to see what not to step in. AA batteries are ubiquitous, so I standardize all my gear on them. It may seem obvious to bring a pocket radio, but they too are ubiquitous. The only other gadget I would consider bringing is an inexpensive GPS. Get the cheapest one with the longest battery life. It will be a desirable target for pick-pockets and soldiers at the many checkpoints and searches you're likely to encounter (learn how to bluff your way through these). It probably won't be much use in dense urban settings where you can't get a clear view of the sky.
As for cameras, I used to shoot film but hot climates tend to ruin film. Now I'd recommend a pocket digital like the Canon Powershot series. They run on AA batts and take hundreds of good photos on a charge.
Internet access is also ubiquitous. It's easy to find an internet cafe where you can write a quick message home to family. A USB key might be worth bringing to back up digital photos. Beware that public terminals are probably teeming with as much malware as there were lice in that stained mattress you slept on last night at the hotel/brothel, so figure out out to keep your identity relatively secure, e.g. by using the mouse to copy and paste characters into your login field.
Bottom line is be prepared to have anything and everything stolen from you, and focus your attention on people not gadgets. I've been really lucky and had fantastic experiences wherever I've gone. The people in most places I've been seem to be friendlier and more curious towards foreigners than what one comes to expect in North America. YMMV.
One last suggestion: Look for the book "The World's Most Dangerous Places". The advice is highly entertaining, spot-on, and far more realistic than even the Lonely Planet guides deliver. E.g., in many parts of the world, learning how to identify and avoid land mines is very helpful.
Don't bring a GPS - It's much more fun trying to figure out where to go on your own. It's also an excuse to interact with the locals and other travelers. Double the fun if you don't speak their language.
Don't bring an iPod/Mp3 player - You'll absorb the environment better. Hearing the sounds, the noises, and the language of a foreign culture is part of the experience. Also, wearing earphones makes you less accessible. Locals and other travelers won't turn to you and start a conversation. Meeting others, talking, and exchanging info is both fun and useful, even if you're an introverted geek.
Don't bring a laptop - You'll find it easier to turn to the laptop in times of boredom instead of doing something new. It's easier. You know it is. You'll become a target for thieves. There are plenty of those everywhere, especially in countries you go backpacking in. It's heavy; requires constant care; you can't leave it unsupervised; you can't throw your bags or treat your luggage roughly as you sometimes need; you can't sit on your bags; you can't trust tying your bag to a roof of a bus, etc; you need to constantly worry about power, charging, adapters for different regions; moisture issues - you can't travel in rivers or rain without worrying the thing will get wet (and it will). And in the not so uncommon case your luggage gets stolen, you'll be devastated.
Don't bring a camera - You'll be busy taking photos of everything instead of actually seeing things. Then you'll be busy sorting your pictures, choosing which to keep and which to delete (memory fills fast). Finally, you'll have to find a place to burn your precious pictures to discs (more weight), which later turns out weren't burnt properly because someone messed up or the media was cheap. Or you'll find out the discs were damaged or lost in the mail (major disappointment).
If there is one gadget to bring it's a cellphone. It's small, doesn't distract you, won't get stolen (everyone got one), doesn't require much power or accessories, and it's useful: It has a clock, an alarm clock, calculator, simple games, camera for the pictures you just have to take (if you didn't bring a high tech camera), and of course it can be used to make phone calls, especially in emergencies.
Gadgets are a liability. When backpacking, traveling light is the first rule. Taking gadgets also makes you a target for thieves, distracts you from all the fun, and is a major cause of worrying that something will happen to them, and a disappointment when they do get stolen, lost or damaged.
Don't bring gadgets.
I (an American) was in Europe in 2000, and I asked a German friend in Greece about this. He said that they *used* to think more highly of people with Canadian flags sewn to their backpacks, but that they knew too many Americans did this trick, so they didn't any more.
I don't know why so many travelers are such Luddites (c.f. the "none" tag). I backpacked around Europe with a laptop and found it tremendously useful and not a burden at all -- and that was an eight-pound machine.
It sat in my backpack when I wasn't using it and fit well in an inside compartment. Weight is really not that big a deal if you're in any kind of shape.
To the OP: A Macbook Pro would be extremely useful. I wouldn't travel anywhere without mine (and perhaps an ExpressCard flash reader).
+++ATH0
Travel light. Any laptop (Windows, Linux or Mac) will get heavy. Go with a GSM BlackBerry Pearl or 8800. Cingular or T-Mobile in the US, or in-country SIM cards. An unlimited worldwide data account from Cingular is, I think $79/month. Not bad for worldwide data. This can be an MP3 player as well as browser and keep you on email.
The device that most thruhikers use is pocketmail. Thruhiking is where you go backpacking for months at a time. There are plenty of resources on thruhiking such as www.practicalbackpacking.com which has a great podcast and www.backpacking.net. Backpacking.net even has stuff for those who want to DIY, with instructions on how to make all your own gear. Pocketmail allows you to write your email and then send it later when you are at a phone. You use pocketmail's server and connection so that everything you need is included. It is a great thruhiker solution.
forgot to mention if you have the room some ipod speakrs will come in handy and make you some friends along the way ;)
If you really need tripod steadiness, then lean it against a rock or something.
Free Software: Like love, it grows best when given away.
Has no one mentioned "USB OTG" - (On the go).
When I travelled Africa for 6 weeks we expected to take a lot of photos. As well as 4Gb of SD cards I got a USB OTG case off ebay for $AU60 and wacked a 60gb 2.5" drive in it. Just plug a camera into it and press a button and it sucks the contents of the camera onto the HD.
This also made me very popular with my safari companions who weren't as well prepared.
My research at the time was all other options, including using an iPod for the same purpose, were too expensive, too slow or too power hungry. (The USB OTG device ran off AA's).
Actually, that's another important thing.. whatever it is, I prefer to power it off AA's. For one you can buy as many as you like and secondly you can buy rechargables and just leave your battery charger, rather than some expensive camera, over the dodgy bar at the campsite you stay at. This is more relavent to traveling were power isn't common.
A Canadian flag pin (maybe a fleur-de-lys would be even better).
I just finished a 7 month backpacking trip much like the OP is planning to do where I spent one month in the UK, 4 months in SE Asia, a month in Australia and another month in New Zealand.
.25-50cents USD an hour. Every backpacker destination will have at least a few places you can get online to check your email, use Skype or update your blog. Almost every Internet cafe will have card readers, headsets and webcams. Most Internet cafes often CD burning services or do-it-youself, etc. If you don't want to carry around CDS, bring a portable USB drive to unload your photos. A laptop is heavy (even light ones weight you do), is fragile, and makes you a target for theft
Best Advice: Bring and pack as little as possible. Think you're done packing? Take something out of your bag. You don't need to load up with fancy electronics that can be broke and can easily make you a target for theft. Seriously, you're out to explore and see things; don't get tied down by electronics.
1) Don't bring a laptop, I repeat, you don't need a laptop. Internet access it cheap and easy to find, especially in places like SE Asia where it's often
2) Bring technology essentials like an MP3 player and a digital camera. Digital camera is obvious. MP3 Player (i'd even go as far as not recommending an iPod if you're paranoid about theft) for long bus and plane rides and keeping you entertained. In SE Asia (Especially Thailand and Cambodia) there are MP3 Filling Stations where you can select through lists of thousands of albums/songs and have them load up your mp3 player with new music for around 5-25USD. When I was in Thailand my iPod died so I bought a cheap 2gb flash based player and have them fill it completely up with music. Also bring extra memory cards for digital camera.
3) Bring a small set of battery operated portable speakers. Seems like a stupid thing but there were infinitely useful in making friends when the hostels I stayed at in SE Asia lost electricity and you wanted music. Good for partying. Also good for when you want music while hiking/camping or laying on the beach.
4) Don't bring SmartPhone/PDA and/or fancy Razor phone. Seriously not needed. Don't even bring a phone, if you can help it. I have a nice 500USD PDA phone that I didn't bring because it was a) useless in most places b) easy to break c) expensive to use if it did worked. If you already have one, bring a really cheap unlocked GSM phone. (eBay or whatever). I ended up buying a basic Nokia phone in Bangkok for 25USD that I used all over SE Asia, Australia and New Zealand. SIM cards in SE Asia are extremely cheap. Services are Pay As You Go/Prepaid You can buy minutes for your phone at 7-11 to make local and long distance calls, just keep topping up the SIM card when you need to make calls. This option is MUCH MUCH cheaper than a phonecard or using your phone while roaming. Plus, you'll have a local number wherever you go if you meet someone or need to call a hostel or business.
5) Bring a small flash light/high intensity LED light. Extremely useful for obvious reasons
6) Bring a very cheap/basic watch with an alarm on it. Obvious to keep track of time and to wake you up for early buses and morning activities
7) Don't have a phone and need to call home. Skype will be your new best friend. Besides using a local SIM it is by far the cheapest option to call back home. Buy a 10USD or 10 Euro credit for a SkpeOut account to call home. Almost every internet cafe you will encounter will have a headset for making calls.
Non-electronics things: Besides electronics there are a few other essential things i'd recommend bringing. Get a microfiber tower. They dry easily and don't smell. Bring a raincover for your backpack so the things inside it don't get soaking wet when your back is on top of a bus and it's pouring rain. Bring at least one good hooded sweatshirt (even if you're only going to warm places) Good for buses that have blasting cold aircon or if you're high in th
Travel lighter. Few people wish they lugged more weight...
sorry don't have time to read through all the other replies but from experience this is my advice: 0: before and above anything else check your travel insurance - you 'll probably find that a lot of them have multiple clauses that make it all to easy opt out of paying you for laptop and camera theft, shop around for insurance that is aimed at tech savvy backpackers - maybe try your local student travel center like STA for that. Expect to pay a hefty premium for it though. 1:definitely take a compact or "bridge" style digital camera rather than an slr 2: take a small hard disk based backup device or invest in some serious usb thumb drives, even with a compact camera using JPG you'll probably find you're shooting at least 500MB a week most weeks. My device of choice was an Epson P2000. Suggest you also burn your photo's to CD or DVD at least once a month or just before you leave each country and snail mail them home as a good backup. 3: I suggest you try to avoid taking a laptop particularly a full sized unit - I backpacked around Asia with a 12" iBook and with in a month all I wanted to do was ditch the sucker.... and that was with a GOOD backpack and travelling utralight. The laptop + power brick + protective sleeve was the single bulkiest and heaviest item I packed weighing more than my ultra light tent or my sleeping bag and even weighing more than all my clothes combined. OK I found it handy at times but every time I wanted to bus, train or fly it just became a pain to fish out of my backpack and lug around in transit. 4: theft issues when backpacking: everything I've ever had stolen has been stolen from the hostel it's self rather than in the street or at airports or bus/train stations and I'll bet 10 to 1 it was by other travellers (you know size 12 socks are really hard to find in asia? must be because I had mine stolen off of the hostels line on 2 of my 3 trips there). 5: in most Asian countries net cafe's are more common and easier to find than in western countries. Though, that said, I wouldn't do net banking any of them - even in the better run net cafe's in "friendlier" places like Korea, Japan, and Taiwan many of them I used were infected with malware. Also note that I had some grief in a couple of countries with customs wanting to at least view what was on the computer and had one run in with local police who wanted to confiscate it - ended up having to pay a small "on the spot fine" to prevent that (in US dollars please, thank you). If you're intending to go to countries like Burma, Sri Lanka and Indonesian East Papua then probably best to leave it at home.
As to the problem of theft, don't take anything you are not fully prepared to lose. or break. If you MUST take a laptop, get an old junky one, and make sure it has zero personal info on it.
Yes, if I want a laptop that's what I do. The US border guards have been looking very closely at laptops so don't give them a lot of stuff to waste everyone's time. You should be able to get and put the data you want by secure shell where ever you go anyway. Next time I go anywhere, I'm lugging along the old Thinkpad 600. It's heavy but it's tough, works for me and no one else is going to want to steal it.
Friends don't help friends install M$ junk.
It sounds a bit low-tech, but one of the most valuable gadgets to bring along for international travel is a shortwave receiver. Whether you are in the city or far into the mountains or countryside, you can keep up on rest of the world as you like or just listen to programming from a variety of countries around the world. BBC, Voice of American, Radio Australia and a variety of private broadcasters (mostly from the USA) make a shortwave receiver a very desirable addition to your backpack. When I was trekking in Nepal my SW radio (which was actually an additional feature of a ham radio walkie-talkie, Kenwood TH-F6A, I brought with me), kept me informed about the political situation in Kathmandu and entertained me during those long waits for the body to adjust to the altitude. A good place to buy shortwave receivers is from CCrane Company in California. They are radio experts and give great after-sale support. Here's the URL: www.CCrane.com 73, Dan...K7DAN
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http://www.gunblast.com/KelTec_P3AT.htm
http://thearmedcitizen.com/gunpages/slipper.htm
The ethics of owning guns http://www.a-human-right.com/introduction.html
The 2nd Amendment http://www.usdoj.gov/olc/secondamendment2.htm
If you know anyone with young children who need gun safety training http://www.nrahq.org/safety/eddie/materials.asp
Don't take a GPS unless you're going to try crossing the Sahara desert alone or something. Yeah, it might be nice to have, but assuming that you're travelling a year to see places and people, and have some adventures, you'll have a lot more interesting experiences if you *talk to people* (simple sign language counts as talking...) rather than have your head buried in a GPS every time you're not sure where you are.
Some of the most interesting things happen when you end up where you didn't expect to end up. Sure, it can be a little risky too. But if you're not up to a little risk you probably shouldn't be going on the trip.
I'd recommend getting a small compass, and learn how to use it. Compasses don't need batteries, and are cheap to replace.
Only other advice I'd offer is not to take anything you aren't afraid to lose. Because on a trip that length, you will lose stuff.
Before you leave, establish some globally available storage space, and upload your photos to it from internet cafes.
:)
I found the best, easiest, most-accessible, most-secure place to dump my photos was to website hosting (either by ftp or web application with file upload). Email didn't work due to limited attachment sizes. Note that some satellite uplinks are Slow! Note that the higher the resolution the photos the more strain they create. Bonus: people at home can browse the raw pics immediately. Bonus: don't have to worry about protecting any physical object... only (good) worry is finding the next internet cafe when remaining memory concerns start impacting your trigger happiness
As someone who has backpacked around the world remember that everything you bring:
-will get stolen, broken, or wet
-will have to be carried the entire time
I would bring the absolute bare minimum you need, probably just a lightweight digital camera, and a flash based mp3 player. Bring a waterproof lexan box to keep your electronics dry. If you decide to bring something like your laptop on a worldwide backpacking trip, you will end up losing it, or trying to ship it back to a friend in your home country. I absolutely gurantee it. You can use the internet, upload pictures, and put new songs on your mp3 player from an internet cafe in any major city worldwide.
Tyler
A lot of people have said that less is better with clothes and I have to agree, I ended up giving away my sweatshirts as they added too much weight and I found that even in the mild European summer I didn't really get cold when walking round with my pack on. My advice is check the weather before you leave and then pack for 10 degrees Celsius more, you can always put two shirts on rather than a sweatshirt. I did quite a few treks with my 15kg pack on and I can tell you after a couple of days a few hours a day a 15kg pack feels like it's 100kg.
Carrying a Swiss army knife sounds like a good idea for all those times that you need to use a half sized knife, a magnifying glass, a screwdriver and a cork screw, well a cork screw may come in handy... but what ever you do, DO NOT carry a knife, you are asking to be held up at international terminals and possibly searched.
Always carry a little bit of change (notes preferably) of different currencies if you are going through a couple of countries, when you travel through Europe you really don't need to carry a lot of food or water as long as you got a little money you can buy something, saves on valuable space and weight in your pack.
Many people have said to carry a lighter, while yes they are handy you don't want to loose your nice Zippo so be sure if you get on a plane to not have it on your carry on.
Some people said a decent pack and I have to say this is possibly THE most important thing, it is going to be attached to you for long periods of time. You can get packs now that are really high tech made from light weight materials and that have hard shaped backs that you can adjust depending on how tall, how broad your shoulders are and have a day pack. I think it might be a good idea to consider something like that. I did and I'm glad I did otherwise I can assure you that after a couple of days I would have ended up in a chiropractor.
All the electronics that I took were my iPod and a camera and I seemed to manage fine, in fact I loved not having a phone or a laptop.
Of course what you take really depends on how you want to get around where you are staying what time of year. Be sensible and think ahead.
2 things not mentioned in the good advice above. Type up ALL passport numbers, device serial numbers, traveller cheque numbers drivers liscence number etcetc and print it as small as is legible. You'll be surprised how small the printup can be! Cut the printouts to the smallest size and put one in you main pack, one in your shoulder pack etcetc and leave a copy with friends and family. If worst comes to worst you will always have a ready copy which can save a lot of hassle. Write down what the photographs are about -- keep a quick log. It takes little time and WILL be very useful in the future. After a few years you WILL refer to it and be glad! Enjoy!
Simple, bring the Czervik Golf Bag! (Rodney Dangerfield's bag in the movie) Don't forget to tip your caddy!
Always remember to bring a towel. You boys wanna get high?
There's a guy from my hometown we call The Brain. Once, he and some friends planned a long trip through Europe, and check out what he did, it's amazing:
Online, he made arrangements to buy a diesel car in northern Europe, as well as sell it in Spain several months later, at a profit.
And so, The Brain and company crisscrossed Europe for months with a few tankfuls of diesel, then had a bit of spare cash to show for it at the end.
With careful planning and a moderate sum of cash, you could give yourself this luxury that'll give you much more freedom of movement, therefore the ability to visit more places in a smaller amount of time.
Lil' Thindime, lilting a lacrimose lament, krashes the kwaint konfines of Kokonino Kounty
I am currently traveling, I have been traveling since March 2006. I am in North Africa now. I have a laptop, IBM T43p, can't traveling without it. I use my laptop mainly to store digital pictures. The weight is my only problem. Once in a while I just want to chuck the damn thing in the river. The laptop is little over 1/3 of the total weight of my backpack. I have a smaller day pack I use to take my valuables with me (laptop, copies of passport), leaving the larger backpack in the car, hotel, etc.
Oh, this is not tech related but it will be a wonderful experience for you if you get a chance to meet one of the host on http://www.couchsurfing.com/
Or take one. They're not that big and you'd be amazed what a wonderful log of your travels a couple of regular waypoints on a gps can be (along with pictures)on a couple of month/year long trip around the world. I have used mine as a travel log for years and now upload them to google earth as fly-throughs at the end of each trip
And in case you're really lost, a way point can't hurt...
This is what I will take this summer:
1 DSLR
1 PDA - keyboard with 802.11 for email - I got a clie UX50 a couple years ago used on ebay - now there are a lot of other choices.
1 2.5" portible drive with master functionality
1 Quad-band GMS phone. email/voice
If I were to buy something I might go for a Treo with a 802.11 card or an HPC. That would kill one more item of kit.
It all fits neatly in to a hand bag or a compartment in my backpack. Extra sets of batteries for all of the above is always nice.
Cheers -
I traveled to 25 countries over 4 months back in '04... I thought I should take my laptop before going... there was 1 person in a hostel using a laptop but it was a business guy just hanging out, leaving early... I would be paranoid about it all the time and not enjoyed the spontaneous moments where someone said "hey lets go check this out", "oh sorry i'm chained to this dumb laptop"
I carried a Pocket PC, it was before the Wi-Fi ones came out, it was sweet... I used it for an alarm to wake me up in the morning and I played my tunes on it the whole trip on the long train rides. I got thinking, wouldn't it be cool to have city guides on this thing? So I'm creating www.m2logic.com a software that you can download hotels/hostels/attractions, etc. Whoever has a PDA it will be completely freeware. Now the biggest problem is Wi-Fi access. We need convergence in global wireless hotspots "plans" and for cafes to have similar pricing for wired/wifi connections.
Seriously. The only "tech" I found essential and not worth the constant worry was a refillable, plastic pepper grinder. It can magically turn a stupendously dull meal into a tasty treat. If you're backpacking, you can't afford good restaurant food, and the crap restaurants almost NEVER have pepper grinders. Same goes in airplanes. It's a great conversation starter in strange lands when you pop out your grinder. (Hmmm... maybe I should rephrase that). Watches ? I was on holiday, plenty of regular folk, railway stations, other travellers and town clocks around if I needed the time. Camera ? A great way to waste your day and time, trying futilely to "capture" the experience that you end up missing it completely. Buy a pocket knife when you land, and give it to someone nice before the next flight. Take as little as you can. You're trying to be free of your daily routine, no?, you want to be a new person and see new things. That's the greatest benefit, not needing to show off to your mates how lousy a photographer you are, how inane your hometown opinions on foreign cultures and habits are, not dragging your consumption-materialism-addiction around with you in front of those "less fortunate". Take a good hat. Buy good insurance and leave a copy at home with good friends. Spare socks. Disclaimer: I took my backgammon board, and that proved to be wonderful. Amazing how many complete strangers will open their hearts when you show some humanity, eagerness to "play", and hopefully enough brains to play the game means you're not just another drunken slob from far away. Open your mind - leave your shit at home.
This is probably the closest to my own travel advice you can get.
I did some traveling in south east asia for two years and I ended up throwing away almost literally all the stuff I started out with.
Here is my list of the things you need when you travel in SEA:
A good knife Don't even start without one. My knife cost 80 Euro and I opened tin cans, cut small trees for fires and even cut free a climber with it. It will be your best friend. A lighter You will need it. Period. Three T-shirts, one pair of jeans, two pairs of shorts, three pairs of underwear, one pair of socks. I did not use shoes for 1.5 years of my travelling. I started with proper hiking boots. Send them home since I never used them. Yes, you can hike properly in sandals. Or even barefoot. I did it. Disinfectant, lotion against burns, something against diarrhea You WILL get sunburn, you will get diarrhea and the disinfectant is needed for all the cuts and bruises you will get when you travel. Copy of passport and insurance policy along with some money A lifesaver since you are very likely to get pickpocketed anyways A towel Personally, IEverything else you will end up buying there. A sarong (kind of a very thin towel) is good for everything from waering to toweling yourself off to lying on to wrapping up things in. Clothes don't cost shit there. Buy everything you need there.
Ah, man, this list could go on for hours. Here my advice for what not to bring:
Laptop Bought one in Singapore for my diving pictures and regretted it. Those things are soooo heavy if you also have to carry your divebag, guitar, big backpack and small backpack. Unless you want to make money of selling your dive pictures (I did), go to internet cafes - you will be surprised how well they are equiped even in remote places... Big slr Took it. Regretted it. Too heavy and you are likely not to bring it to the beach because of the sand etc. Just leave it at home, you compact is fine. Sleeping bag Not used it once, lost it in Singapore after 1.5 years. Did not miss it, either.Again, I could go on for ages telling about what to do and what not to do. I hope this will help you a little bit, although I know it won't. :) I got advice myself and thought I knew better. Everybody has to make his/her own experiences.
I envy you - have the best time of you life... :)
Especially if you are travelling light, take just one device. A possibility would be the HP IPAQ 6515, which incorporates GSM/GPRS phone; general purpose computer with word-processor, spreadsheet, web browsing, email, etc; camera of reasonable quality; MP3 player (obviously); and (useful when travelling) a GPS receiver. If you're travelling you may want to keep it in an Otterbox.
I first started using these for a project for fisheries inspectors working in very tough environments; I now use one as my own single device. I confess I haven't tried to get Linux running on it, but it works OK with Microsoft.
I'm old enough to remember when discussions on Slashdot were well informed.
I travel pretty light (or used to until I took up photography), and the one essential in life is my Suunto watch. It has a compass that is easy to use and read, 3 alarms so I catch my trains / planes, and a barometer. I think the main reason for the barometer is to feed the altimiter (which I no longer use), but it's great to get a snapshot of what the pressure is doing (and as a result what the weather is likely to do) just by looking down at your wrist.
:D
I've never been wrong about the weather while wearing this, and sat out some awesome storms in shelter. I've also shown up at the DZ in the rain, only to jump 20 minutes later
Advice is worth exactly what it cost you, so IF YOU INTEND TO DRINK AT ALL, here's mine as someone who's backpacked around the world and had a tipple or two.
:)
Before you leave home:
1) Take a backup of all the data
2) Locate a large hammer and smash the MacBook to pieces
3) Scatter the pieces at a nearby bus or train station
Now set off on your journey and enjoy it!
In three easy steps you have achieved the same end, and without any of the hassle of heaving a laptop around with you.
Why not try leaving everything behind? Seriously - what do you really need to live? Buy extra clothes and a toothbrush when you get there. In many places, the necessities will be cheaper than they were at home. Isn't the whole point of travelling to see what life is like in other places? Try making do with whatever is available elsewhere. That's my travelling ideal.
Forget the gadgets - every place in the world that travellers go has an internet cafe of some kind, more like twenty. Wifi access is always more expensive than using their provided computers.
If your experience of different parts of the world is mediated through the same familiar technology... you haven't really gone anywhere at all. You've stayed behind your computer screen.
I learnt the best lesson about packing packs on a Scout hike 25 years or so ago. We spent most of the weekend trying to catch up with a team of girls, an effort which by the second day had decimated our team and incapacitated most of them through injury, to even get anywhere near the girls we had to jog with full packs for the last 5 miles and even then we still didn't catch up.
When we left the campsite to go home I was helping load up the minibuses with everyones stuff and having heaved our teams bags onto the roof rack with much groaning and sweating I found you could simply toss the girls bags up there with one hand.
Even though at the time I thought I was travelling light I learned that you can actually pack far far far less than you think you need and still be OK.
When I go on trips now, even for months at a time I can usually fit all my stuff into a small 25L pack which absolutely does make a huge difference when you see the thousands of people around you staggering under the weight of the 1001 things they will never use.
When you're packing lay out all the stuff you're thinking of taking and immediately get rid of half of it. Once you've done that get rid of half the remaining stuff and you'll still probably have too much stuff.
If you want to spend your time geeking with you laptop and other gadgets, stay at home.
If you want to "see the world", then spend your time seeing the world, not geeking on your laptop.
Taking a camera is worthwhile. But I wouldn't even take the ipod: rather than hiding yourself in a music-bubble when you're jammed inside that Peruvian bus, try listening to the people around you and maybe even *having a conversation with someone*. Surely that is the point of travelling?
(I spent a year going around the world in 2002/3. I took a film camera, GPS for use in the mountains, and a small shortwave radio.)
Lots of people have said "There will be lots of Internet cafes..." but isn't that a way to have your password stolen and your account stolen?
If you have your own computer you can use only secure methods over unsecure wires and you should be fine, otherwise you won't know. If you just use their 1-way means of communicating (send email with pix) maybe, if you don't mind the pictures being copied, but to sign on from an Internet cafe--isn't that naive?
I wouldn't take a laptop, and I wouldn't take an mp3 player either. Apart from the long boring plane trip, you won't need it. Imagine walking around interesting places while listening to the latest pop hits! Take a PDA if you must, or even better a PDA combined with a phone to take one fewer device. Take plenty of storage cards for your camera, rather than worrying about offloading pics to another device.
i saw these 3 idiots in a coin laundry in rome. each of them was playing solitare in windows. a pack of cards between them might have been a more practical choice. and a better game.
having said that, i travelled in a van around the US for 4 months with a laptop and it was fantastic. streets and trips, photos, things to do at night in the rv park....
And upload your tracks to OpenStreetMap as you go. Do some good on your trip.
Electrical Current Adapter
with universal plugs
Use your head, can't you, use your head,
You're on earth, there's no cure for that - S. Beckett
When i read the subject, i thougt it was about high-tech travelling gear, but it turns out to cover only electronics. That said, here's my list of very fine high-tech equipment:
- Most important are your backpack and your shoes. Choose a light but strong backpack that fits perfect. 'Good' is not enough. It should be made in a way that makes it easy to repair, buckets should be replacable with only a needle and a thread. Don't expect to spend less than 350 euros. Bach, Macpac, Arcteryx are fine; my personal favorite is Radical Design.
- Get shoes class B or BC if you go off-road. Take light ones.
- A real tent: a tent should cost at least 400 euro. Get a Hilleberg if you can afford it; weighs next to nothing and it's almost impossible to tear the cloth.
- Sleeping bag depends on where you go. If it never gets colder than 10 C at night, or when you're sure to sleep indoors, you can have a light and cheap one. If you expect freezing nights in your tent, you enter the high-tech sleeping bag zone. Some manufactures have managed to build water resistant sleeping bags under 1400 grams, comfortable at -15 C.
- Tool: Leatherman no, Gerber yes.
- Cooking equipment: always get a stove which can handle multiple liquid fuels. Don't expect to find gas canisters on the shelve in any place on earth. MSR whisperlight is fine. Lightweight, fails never.
- Clothing: In moderate climate, take Fjallraven G1000 trousers (don't waste time trying something else).
Trust me, I work for the government.
As others have mentioned, power adaptors are less of an issue than before. All apple and cannon chargers run 100-240v 50-60hz, you can get AA battery chargers that do the same. On my last trip the only thing that wasn't univerwsal was my beard trimmer, I haven't found a universal one of those yet. A few plug adaptors and you are good to go.
Anyway, there are always low tech options.
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Computer? Use a stationery, pen, post office. When I moved to NJ I wrote back home until I got enough money to afford a telephone (and this was 1990). If you are writing to a blog, get a paper diary.
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PDA? Get an old fashioned paper calendar and a small notepad. They go cheap at Staples, unless you want a fancy day-timer one.
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Digital Camera? Film is still around, it'll be around for a while. Scanning from film gives you a higher resolution anyway. Better yet, get some black and white film and learn how to develop yourself. If you are not a pro, you might be able to get a cheap/good film pocket camera. If you still want to use digital, you might be better off with a point and shoot than a SLR, IMHO. YMMV.
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Ipod? Learn to play the harmonica. Believe me you, it is a great pick up line. (ok, you'll scare them off, but you'll have fun anyway). I sometimes travel with an soprano ukulele, it fits undneath the front seat, but that's just me. If I want to listen music, go to a reputable local club. In many places in the world there are free concerts in parks and malls, just check the listings in local papers, ask around college campuses, they'll know where to go. (if you're an old fart like me, ask the concierge).
Do not forget to buy and use a money belt. I do not leave home without it.Vi havas e-poston.
with:
ipod, digital camera, airport express, bluetooth gps and my n800 tablet
light and functional
Absolutely. Good advice. Dump the electronics apart from a compact digicam, and with the possible exception of an iPod with books on tape - though I'd still just bring a book. Recharging is a pain.
I'm not so sure on the sleeping bag though. Having traveled with and without, I definitely think it should be left at home unless you know you need it in your specific circumstances. I would would always bring a sheet bag. It depends where you're going I suppose. If you're in cheap places in the developing world, there will probably be bedding, and you may not want to go anywhere near it. In really rough places bring insecticide powder to kill bedbugs.
Travel towel - great idea, but I'd buy the smallest one you can hold in both hands to dry your back with. When they get wet, you just wring them out and they work again, so big doesn't help much.
But with a little effort you can be pretty clean. Do your own laundry. Just bring a few sets of underwear and t-shirts and give them a clean with soap in the evening before bed. If you have the right stuff, and some high-tech fabrics work here, it'll generally be dry by morning. After washing, roll up in the travel towel and wring - gets most of the water out. Consider a string clothes line.
If you do it right, you can travel indefinitely in a wide range of places with only a large daypack. You never have to check luggage, and you don't have to find somewhere to dump your big pack every time you step off a plane/train/bus. You have the self-contained freedom that you set off for in the first place.
Big bag, with tent, sleeping bag, electronics: it's a slog and you'll only really feel free when you've checked it all into an expensive, safe, hotel.
I want to go! The wife and kids might not be happy though.
Oh, and bring a sewing kit.
At the moment I'm spending a year going through Asia and a few other countries around the globe. I carry with me:
Garmin 72 GPS Device: If doing any trekking into remote jungle areas or mountains, geocaching, confluence hunting, etc, get one of these. They're waterproof, rugged as hell, some models have backlit screens, and so forth. Check Garmin's website for model information.
Water Purification Devices: I carry multiple systems. Firstly I carry an electronic pen-shaped device that purifies water using a concoction created using rock salt and some electronic process which you then dump into your water container/nalgene bottle.
Hands down the best water purification gadget is the standard pump filter. They're fairly compact, lightweight, and relatively inexpensive at around $100 for a good one. They're especially handy since they're simple to use, require very little setup, and provide instant clean water from any source. Iodine drops and other purification methods usually require you to wait around 30+ minutes before drinking your treated water.
Carry iodine or some other tablets as a backup.
Lockpicks: I also carry a set of lockpicks. I've had to hotwire a motorbike so far, unlock half a dozen guesthouse rooms for myself or others due to misplaced keys (usually following a night of heavy drinking). These things maybe aren't technically "gadgets," but they're handy.
Universal Electric Conversion Kits: You can find these at Brookstone or wherever. Great for plugging in your devices for charging anywhere in any outlet. The little cases are fairly compact as well. Make sure you get one that also does voltage/power conversions since not all countries provide the same amounts of electricity out of their sockets and might fry your electronics.
Space blankets: Not technically a "gadget," but MAKE SURE YOU HAVE AT LEAST ONE SPACE BLANKET in your backpack. You know... those highly reflective little bundles of silvery stuff that repel heat in case of fires and such? They're also great in intense cold by retaining body heat around you. I've literally had my life saved by one once a few months ago when I got trapped in a cave in Tibet up around 4000m in elevation. I would have frozen to death without it.
I also built a shelter out of it when I camped on the Great Wall of China because it was pouring rain and I was miles away from anywhere. They're very versatile, and quite large.
That's about it beyond ipods and other less useful gadgets that I carry more out of choice than any sort of necessity. Obviously don't neglect essentials like bug-spray and rope... but that's it off the top of my head as far as electronics go.
India, Australia, NZ, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, China, Tibet, Japan.
What I couldn't have done without:
- Tri-band phone: Just for emergencies. Worked pretty much everywhere I went and I even got 5-bars at Everest base camp.
- Swiss travel adaptor: A compact power plug adaptor that converts from any plug, to any other plug. Useful if you have to buy new or replacement appliances/chargers on your travels. There is also an optional USB charger module that I haven't tried.
- Ultrapod: Compact tri-pod with useful velcro grip.
- GPS: For Google Earth fun.
- Pacsafe: For the reasons mentioned in other posts.
I wish I had taken:- Laptop: Sure, it's a liability but you'll be baby sitting you cash, cards, and passports anyway. WiFi was available at most guest houses and hotels - sometimes free of charge. I found that PCs at internet cafes had annoying restrictions, were unreliable, and had a queue of waiting back packers behind them. Finally, using XP with a Chinese character set was far more difficult than I had imagined (because I can't read Chinese).
What I could have left behind:Waterproof Bags: Make sure you have at least one waterproof bag to keep all your electronics inside within your backpack. This way, if your backpack gets soaked, since most of them are not entirely waterproof, your electronics will be safe.
GPS Trackstick: This is a nifty, tiny little device that tracks every single step you take, your altitude, speed, everything at whatever interval you choose. Decent battery life: even on the fastest recording interval setting (5 secs) you get a full days worth. It plugs right into your USB port and then the program converts the waypoints into Google Earth and overlays the paths you took on the satellite data. Works on two AAA batteries. Really fucking cool for checking out your hikes on satellite data. Needs to have line of sight (meaning as long as no metal or thickass shit's in between it and the sky it'll get signal -- so having it inside somewhere near the top of your pack is fine) You can purchase one here or alternatively there's another model here that I haven't tried but sounds more promising since they hint it doesn't have to have direct line of sight with the sky (aka can be mounted under a car).
Extra Camera Batteries: You'll need these if you have a digital camera. In some countries electricity access can be few and far between.
USB Thumb Drive: Great for storing data, documents, etc. I keep a backup scan of my passport and vital information on one in my pack secured using TrueCrypt.
Load it with portable versions of applications like Tor, Firefox, Gaim, Gimp, Open Office, and so forth. Lots of countries censor the internet and you might need a tool that allows you to get around the blocks.
Many of the computers at internet cafe's are riddled with viruses and spyware. This is why you use portable Firefox instead of the spyware riddled IE loaded by default on the machines. It may not protect you much more, but it's better than the alternative.
This bit is very important: Try and get a USB Thumbdrive that has some sort of write protection switch on it (if that exists) so that you can make sure no data can be erased from it. Make sure when you use USB card-readers or plug your digital camera into a computer to offload photos to a website or something that you SWITCH ON WRITE-PROTECT on the memory card first.
I've lost everything on my USB drive and and 2GB worth of irreplacable photos from my memory card due to virus's that erase everything on any inserted media instantly and load a self-replicating virus on in the data's place. I've since made practices like I described here a habit I never forget.
Getting burned like that hurts. Don't make the same mistake yourself.
I have started leaving my laptop at home when I travel. I find the for MOST things my Nokia N800 Internet Tablet, a bluetooth EVDO broadband internet connection, and my bluetooth keyboard let me do almost anything I can with a laptop.
From personal experience... don't take anything you can't afford to lose (or have stolen)!!!
Everyone keeps mentioning "bring a flashlight" and people are suggesting makes and models of their favorite types of other gear but I haven't seen any other suggestions for a good flashlight so here's mine:
4 64
http://en.petzl.com/petzl/LampesProduits?Produit=
Petzl's Zipka models are incredibly small, run forever on 3x AAA batteries, use LEDs, have multiple brightness settings, and can be worn as a headlamp or attached to your wrist or backpack or a post to light a person-sized area. Because of the retracting head-string these are the smallest headlamps and probably the smallest flashlight anywhere. The only possible downside is if you have long, curly hair it can get tangled. Yeah, digging through your backpack with a headlamp is a lot easier than doing so with a flashlight in one hand.
And you can use it to write notes late at night if you heed the (excellent) advice to leave the lappy and take a notebook and a few good pens.
Have fun!
I was going to add the same tips. One additional application type I highly recommend is anti-keylogger software. There are a couple of different apps out there that are free and I recommend using at least two of them. This will decrease your exposure but won't prevent root level key loggers or hardware based key loggers. Best of luck!
How about a body-kinetic (charged by motion), water-resistant/waterproof watch?
Depending on where you travel, having a watch that doesn't require batteries and/or is resistant to the elements is a good thing. Alternately, I'd suggest at least getting a new battery put in your watch before you leave (again, weather-resistant watch)... it's worth the $5 even if the existing battery still has life.
take a notepad and a couple pens and just write out your adventure and just type it up later. Not reason to dwell on your prose, write done, what, when, where, why, etc. You can fill back in the details later.
No, actually, you can't. The mood is gone. The details are gone. The time and motivation to attempt to dredge up the remains of those memories will never appear. If you intend to write about your experiences in anything more than blur, you need to write about within days of when it happened. This takes time and is generally a pain in the butt. One can reasonably ask if all this writing and blogging is worth it.
Carrying a laptop is a pain the butt. It's a bit like carrying an expensive camera. It's worth it only if you are really going to use it. That means spending 1/4 or more of your trip writing about your trip. If aren't going to do that then don't bring a laptop. And never bring a brand new, prized machine. Never bring anything that you can't bear to lose.
A good intermediate step is a PDA with a folding keyboard. Much smaller, lighter, and cheaper than a laptop and you can still do a full writeup from wherever you are. Not so good for editing photos but for text it is fine.
Just a side comment: if you're planning on doing laundry in a sink, and air-drying your clothes, jeans generally aren't a good idea, because they take a long time to dry. Jeans may be rugged and comfortable, but they suck if you have to air-dry them (unless you're in a very hot and dry place).
As far as I'm concerned, there are 2 gadgets I'll always have with me. First, a PDA. This can hold all of your vital informations, especially contacts in case of some emergency, as well as notes and many other things. Second is a GPS, so you know where you are and can plan where you want to be. Then, there are 4 more I like to have handy. Third would be a laptop or some lightweight computer, so I can offload stuff from the PDA or GPS or (4th device) a digital camera as well as using the GPS software to update its maps. Fourth, a digital camera with enough digital cards to old all your stuff unless you know you can offload somewhere along the way. Fifth is a battery charger that can handle most of the devices. Sixth and last, a tri-mode cell phone which can work worldwide. Never had one of those yet though ;(!
Keep in mind, the main problems with backpacking tech is power and carrying them (weight). Try to get you gear with similar power requirements. This makes it a lot easier. Many of those items comes with international power supplies that will power the devices anywhere provided you have the adapter to convert it's own power supply plug to the wall standard used where you are going.
Personally, I'd rather wash my shirts and shorts more often than do without some of this tech gear.
There's a great online journal (before the blogosphere) at http://www.mariesworldtour.com/ that I suggest you read. It's a great story with lot's of helpful hints as well. I'm an audio buff, so if you take anything like an ipod, get a microphone attachment, so you can record sounds you here, voices, directions in other languages to replay to people and just audio journaling notes. Go over the top and get a really nice mic if you want. I second the disposable camera idea - digital cameras can fail (or just be full) at the most inopportune moments. I'd go with a power PDA over a laptop.
Living in the Grey Ages as I am, I somehow never knew that digital tuners you just clip to your picoguitar's head have taken the place of antique buzzy pitch pipes. My ukuleles and I never leave home without one.
``Tension, apprehension & dissension have begun!'' - Duffy Wyg&, in Alfred Bester's _The Demolished Man_
You have your own store of data that doesn't require the internet. You can write about stuff in drafts and post it online when you find internet access. You have a photo storage/editing platform. You can watch movies / play games on the train. You can make Skype calls. Etc.
you'll always see the type with a laptop, they tend to sit in the corner of the hostel rec. room and tap away at their laptop, completely missing out on interacting with fellow travellers
If you do this, you'd be reading a book anyway and sitting in the same corner. Still missing the point either way. Having the tool available doesn't mean you have to use it.
+++ATH0
Because carrying such a knife is not a criminal offense anywhere in Mexico.
If the guy had challenged them to explain which law he was breaking, most likely they would have left him alone, but perhaps his Spanish is not up to scratch?
IANAL but write like a drunk one.
I Got lost also there. I asked the very friendly people around how to go back to my hotel.
....
You make it sound like it is a patch of wilderness
IANAL but write like a drunk one.
Get a few 4GB pen drives to back up your digital pics. They're less than $20 apiece these days in Asia, not sure what the price is in the West. Attach the unused ones to one keyring and attach it to your backback. Attach the used ones to a different keyring.
Put your favorite portable apps on one of them. Mine has portable firefox, gaim and thunderbird and ClamWin and Truecrypt. Also keep installers for any other app you might need so you can install and use them at cybercafes.
Saif
If you are going to be backpacking around the world, then you really have to pack carefulley. Only bring what you are willing to carry, and nothing more. Definatley bring a camera and some high capacity memory cards, but don't worry too much about offloading the pictures, computers are everywhere and you can send the pictures to yourself via e-mail. Even if your laptop dosen't feel heavy, don't bring it, that's just one more thing to break or loose. Bring ONLY what you want to carry.