Technology has a funny way of changing what we think we absolutely need to bring on a trip.
There was a time when my backpack was basically an electronics store. I traveled with a camcorder, camera, MP3 player, laptop computer, phone, and whatever cables, chargers, and accessories went with them. The laptop even doubled as my portable DVD player.
And that was before adding books, magazines and anything I needed for work.
I’ve written about how much my packing list had changed over time. Since technology keeps marching forward, I figured it was worth revisiting what I actually bring with me now.
The answer is: not very much.
I’ve never been someone who needs the newest version of every gadget. If something still does what I need it to do, I’m generally going to keep using it. But even with that attitude, my travel tech has changed quite a bit.
The biggest difference is that I no longer need a separate device for every job.
Laptop
I still bring a laptop on most trips, mainly because of the blog.
These days, that laptop is a MacBook Air. There are plenty of things I can do from my phone, but when I’m writing or editing a post, working with WordPress or doing anything that involves more than a few paragraphs of typing, I still want a real computer.
I once tried to replace my laptop with an iPad Pro for working on the road. That experiment didn’t go particularly well.
A laptop also handles most of my entertainment needs now. If I want to watch a movie or TV show in the hotel room or on a flight, I can watch it there instead of carrying another device just for video.
iPhone
If there’s one piece of technology that has completely transformed how I travel, it’s still my iPhone.
It’s my camera, GPS, boarding pass holder, calendar, alarm clock, music player, email reader, web browser and payment device.
It’s where I keep hotel reservations and flight information. It’s what I use for directions when we’re walking around a city. It’s how I check restaurant reviews, order a rideshare, look up train schedules, purchase tickets and take most of the pictures that end up on the blog.
Oh, and occasionally I even use it as a phone.
That’s why I don’t feel the need to carry a dedicated camera anymore. Could I take technically better pictures with a DSLR or mirrorless camera? Sure.
But do I want to carry one around all day? Not really.
For what I need, the camera in my pocket works just fine.
Bose QuietComfort Headphones
One thing that hasn’t changed is that I consider noise-canceling headphones essential for flying. What has changed is the pair I use.
For years, I traveled with wired Bose QuietComfort headphones. I kept them long after phones started eliminating headphone jacks and even wrote about how Apple nearly made them obsolete. Eventually, they developed another problem. The headphones still worked, but the noise cancellation stopped working.
So I finally upgraded to a pair of Bose QuietComfort Bluetooth headphones.
That turned out to be a worthwhile change. I no longer have a wire running from my headphones to my phone or computer, and they’re still one of my most essential travel items. They make a huge difference with the constant background noise on an airplane, especially on longer flights.
The iPad Usually Stays Home
The biggest change from my old travel tech list is that I almost never bring my iPad anymore.
For a long time, the iPad was my entertainment center. I’d load it up with TV shows and movies before a trip, and it also served as my portable library. But over time, I realized I was carrying a device that mostly duplicated what I could already do on my laptop or phone. If I’m watching something for a while, I’d rather use the larger screen on my computer. If I’m just watching something quickly, my phone is perfectly fine.
And since I’m already bringing those devices, the iPad became one more thing to charge, pack and keep track of. So unless there’s a specific reason I think I’ll need it, it stays home.
Bluetooth Speaker
There is one extra gadget that’s more likely to make it into my bag these days: a Bluetooth speaker. I wrote more about it in this post about the best travel gift I never knew I needed.
If I want something for music in the room, I’m much more likely to bring along that speaker than the iPad. It sounds far better than playing music from my phone, and it’s small enough that tossing it into my bag isn’t much of a burden.
It’s become something I bring with me on most trips, and I get more use out of it than I would from bringing a tablet just in case I want some entertainment in the hotel room.
Final Thoughts
Looking at the list now, what’s interesting isn’t how much technology I bring. It’s how much I no longer need to bring.
My MacBook Air handles work and longer-form entertainment, and my iPhone handles almost everything else.
My Bose QuietComfort Bluetooth headphones make flying much more pleasant, and I have my Bluetooth speaker for the hotel room.
I’ll also throw in my earbuds for listening to my phone on a train or bus, but that’s about it.
The technology I’m using is far more capable than what I traveled with years ago, yet the amount of technology I’m carrying has actually gone down.
I’m sure everyone’s travel tech setup is different. Some people can get by with nothing more than a phone, while others wouldn’t dream of leaving home without a tablet, camera, e-reader or several other gadgets.
What technology still makes it into your travel bag, and what have you stopped bringing?
Want to comment on this post? Great! Read this first to help ensure it gets approved.
Want to sponsor a post, write something for Your Mileage May Vary or put ads on our site? Click here for more info.
Like this post? Please share it! We have plenty more just like it and would love it if you decided to hang around and sign up to get emailed notifications of when we post.
Whether you’ve read our articles before or this is the first time you’re stopping by, we’re really glad you’re here and hope you come back to visit again!
This post first appeared on Your Mileage May Vary
