Tech Tip — Have a To Go Bag for Any Type of Travel
As we start to see real travel open back up across the country, more people are jumping on airplanes and returning to overnight stays. I know most district and regional leaders have been doing some travel for many months now, but those may have been more day-trip driven. One of the challenges I faced when I traveled was ensuring I had everything I needed for a trip easily available so I didn’t have to worry about forgetting anything.
I can recall scrambling on a Monday night to pack my toiletries bag and worrying about what I needed to remember to pack first thing the next morning because I needed my hairbrush or razor. Perhaps I was slow to realize this, but the solution became obvious at some point: just have two. Duplicate what I use and have a permanent travel bag for toiletries that I would need. Over time, that expanded to the resources needed for technology — charging cables, power banks, other connectors, etc.
As many of the charging requirements have both grown in need and reduced in cost, I always make sure I have what I need for nearly any situation. I carry multiple cables for my phone and iPad. I rarely travel with a laptop anymore, but when I did, I always had a second charging set up for that as well, so I didn’t have to worry about packing it up. (I still maintain separate charging cables/stations at home and in my office to avoid having to pack those up and move back and forth.) I even have varying lengths of cables — not all hotels are created equal, and you cannot always rely on a conveniently located plug.
I carry a couple of options for charging bricks. I use small ones to be used anywhere easily and larger ones that can be plugged in with a longer cable and connect multiple devices at one time. With the introduction of USB-C, I have begun to switch out these cables and charging blocks to include both the older USB-A and the USB-C connectors. These ensure I can accommodate whatever the need might be, wherever I might find myself in need of charging a device.
To round out the potential charging needs, I always carry at least two portable charging batteries. First, a larger one that can charge multiple devices multiple times. I use the Anker PowerCore 26800 for the big battery charger that can recharge a phone several times, or can easily fully charge an iPad and an iPhone and still have some juice leftover. Next, I also carry a small battery that is good for phone charging or even my watch. That can come in handy while sitting on an airplane.
The last piece that I always ensure I have for travel is a connection dongle. I know for many, the need for a dongle at all is cause for anger and frustration. Apple is famous for limiting ports or having unique ports (I am looking at you, lightning port). Now with some iPads using USB-C, it creates even more complications for connection. Having the connection hub for adding other USB devices, connecting to power, and even HDMI for TV connections is extremely useful. It is amazing how often that has come out of my bag in circumstances where I didn’t expect to need it. If you do any presentations as part of your travel, this is an absolute must-have. And, unfortunately, you’ll need one for each of your connection points. If you want to connect your phone, you’ll need one for that (for iPhones, a lightning connection; Android could be USB-C or MicroUSB.) For iPads, it could be either Lightning or USB-C (for iPad Pro users.)
In addition to having a duplicate for all the cables and charging solutions for traveling, I actually utilize separate briefcases. I have one for when I travel away from home and one while I am commuting to the office (which is a rare occasion right now, so this actually comes in handy to ensure I don’t forget anything.) This allows me to keep another set of charging solutions to have whenever I am in the office or to share with someone else in the office because they forgot something when traveling. I keep a duplicate of the dongle connecting devices also, so I don’t have to move those back and forth between bags. You never know when you’ll need to present or project something and need a certain cable or connection to make that happen. I usually have an HDMI cable at all times to be able to connect to TVs or Projectors to be ready for any situation.
There is no doubt this can get expensive. I have collected many of these items over time and watch for a sale on Amazon to replace or update to new connections whenever necessary. When you need a charge or a cable — you need it. So, I have found being over-prepared always works in the favor of being underprepared for any cable connection situation. Many people have old cables lying around anyway, and that is a good place to start. Find a simple tote bag that will fit into your briefcase and start loading up the cables and chargers. Then, rest easy on your next trip that you have everything already packed and ready to go.
What do you do to ensure you have all the charging and connection options you need for when you travel?
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