Is a long journey without a power bank, charger and other electronic gadgets possible today? Probably yes, but there’s no denying that if we take some practical equipment with us, we will be able to focus more on relaxing and sightseeing without worrying about a discharged phone or battery in the camera. Together with the authors of the blog Czas na Wywczas I will try to choose the most useful gadgets for the journey.
What electronic gadgets are worth taking on a journey?
It is difficult to imagine leaving home without a smartphone, let alone a trip or a few weeks’ journey. What electronic gadgets apart from a phone with a good camera are worth packing into a backpack or suitcase? This is what we asked Ania and Artur from the blog Czas na Wywczas.
– When running a blog, the most important thing for us is contact with the world and showing our journey on an ongoing basis in social media channels, hence the key for us are: cameras (one for recording videos, the other for taking photos), cells (with which we can shoot Instastories on an ongoing basis) and a computer, on which it is easiest to create content. Recently, a drone has started to play a special role in our travels, very small and handy and raises us to a different perspective of looking at the world – write the authors of the blog.
If you do not plan to document your journey as meticulously as Ania and Arthur, one camera is enough for you. Depending on how many photos you plan to take, it is worth thinking about a spare battery for the camera, thanks to which you will not miss any beautiful landscape. If you’re not going to take your laptop with you, you’ll need an extra memory card.
And if you have a small, handy laptop with a USB-C port, think of an adapter that lets you take photos and videos from your memory card, charge your smartphone, or even connect to your hotel TV using the HDMI port.
Charge your electronic devices on the go
Both your laptop, camera and smartphone batteries need to be recharged during the journey. There are several solutions here. If you’re planning a road trip, take with you a Power Delivery car charger that will charge both your laptop and smartphone. If you’ve got a tablet and a mirror-less car charger instead of your laptop, choose a variant with three USB ports and Quick Charge 3.0, and you can charge your phone even on a short drive. For a longer journey, a car converter can also be useful. Depending on the model, you can connect your laptop, refrigerator or even TV to it!
When travelling abroad, you may often find yourself in an electrical socket incompatible with the plugs we use in Poland. That is why it is worth to take with you a tourist adapter and extension cord for several sockets. First of all, buying an adapter before you leave, you will save money, secondly, you will not have to waste time on the spot searching. And if you choose a variant with additional USB ports, you can forget about other chargers. However, two USB inputs may not be enough – e.g. if you shoot movies with a drone and after a whole day of photos you have to charge not only your smartphone and tablet, but also the GoPro camera, camera and battery to the drone. The increasingly popular multi-port chargers come in handy, offering from two to up to five ports and usually support the Quick Charge 3.0 standard.
What equipment will work best in the field when we run out of power?
– Definitely a power bank, we use the GreenCell model, with a capacity of up to 30,000 mAh, it fulfills its task in concert and has repeatedly rescued unloaded equipment. – advise Anna and Arthur.
This power bank will charge your smartphone up to 10 times, and can also be useful for charging your tablet, camera or sports cam. However, if you have regular access to the socket during your trip, a smaller and more practical Xiaomi model with a capacity of 10,000 mAh is enough just in case. Ania and Arthur also recommend a translator for travel abroad, which also needs to be recharged from time to time.
– So far we have tested it in Russia, where in a critical situation it has been very helpful in communication- bloggers say.
What else is worth remembering when packing for a trip?
Often we don’t pay attention to small issues, which can be of great importance. For example, cables. If you have a USB charger that supports fast charging and a modern smartphone, but a bad cable, you won’t take advantage of the possibilities offered by these devices. USB cables should be in good condition and support fast charging standards. For laptops with a USB-C connector, you also need the cable to be compatible with Power Delivery. Without this, you can forget about fast charging.
If your phone and tablet are already old, it’s worth thinking about replacing the battery, as a power bank can help in a critical situation, but using it non-stop can be inconvenient.
Is it at all possible to travel without electronic gadgets nowadays?
– Sometimes you would like to make such a journey just for yourself and keep the images from the journey only in your head. However, memory can be fleeting, that is why for us at least a mobile phone with a good camera is essential – summarize Ania and Artur from the Czas na Wywczas blog.
Author: Krzysztof Wołongiewicz
