Being on the road is a complete hassle, but without my
personal top 10 favorite products, it would be even worse. Here is my list of
on the road necessities that I would hate life without.
10. Bose Quiet
Comfort Headphones
The noise canceling headphones have been a great addition to
my travel pack. With standard ear buds or even ‘normal’ headphones, I can’t
hear my music or the movie over crying babies and engine noise. The Quiet
Comfort not only impressively cancels out engine noise, it actually helps with
the crying babies. If they could only jump off my head and beat the ass of the
idiot kicking my seat, it would rank higher. I received them as a gift, but I
think they are around $300. Great battery life as well (AAA batteries).
9. Anker 40W 5 Port
USB Charger
There are only so many outlets in any given hotel. Combine
that with the power cords of all my devices being incredibly short, the 5-port
USB charger checks in at number nine on my list. Before I bought this, I would
find myself charging my phone in one corner of the room while my iPad gets
charged in the other. Texting on my phone while on the charger? Previously, I
had to sit on the floor. Due to the short cord. After yanking the short cords
out of the wall too many times, purchasing this device was a no-brainer.
8. Corkscrew
Typically in business travel, my colleagues and I like to
get together at the end of the work day before dinner to have a cocktail or
two. We usually end up in someone’s hotel room so we can discuss the events of
the day without distraction. Too many times one of us was forced to buy a
bottle opener. Now, one resides permanently in my luggage. Just be careful of
any new TSA rules if you only take a carry-on with you.
7. RedHead XTR Moc II
Shoes
Probably the most obscure item on my list is one of the most
important. We all know that during a trade show there is a lot of walking and
standing to do. Being a tight wad as well, that including walking to and from
the venue from my hotel (I refuse to take a five minute cab ride even when it’s
100 degrees out). I wore the wrong pair of shoes for Infocomm 2012 and vowed
never to let that happen again. While the RedHead shoes certainly aren’t
pretty, they feel fantastic. I bought them just before Infocomm 2013 and after
walking the show (and of course back and forth to the Super8), I knew they were
winners.
6. Asus Transformer
T100
The newest addition to my travel arsenal is the Asus
Transformer T100. Doubling as a 10” tablet and a small laptop, the battery life
is great and with Microsoft Office pre-installed to the Windows 8.1 OS, it
makes for a winner to review drawings, write emails and articles or whatever
else needs done. While I’m not a fan of Windows 8.1, the experience is passable
since this isn’t my full blown Engineering laptop that I sit in front of 10
hours a day. The portability factor is also important as I take it home from
the office every night so I’m not lugging that beast of a laptop everywhere.
5. Anker Astro E5
15000mAh External Battery
This saved our collective ass during Infocomm. We opted for the
iPhone app to scan people who came to our booth. iPhone + usage = dead battery.
The Anker battery, while roughly 18 times the size of an iPhone (actually about
double the thickness and 4x the weight), kept the iPhone going for the whole
day of scanning. That alone made it a valuable product. I also take it camping
in the event of a lack of electricity.
4. Patagonia Half
Mass Messenger Bag
Here is where all the crap goes. This was purchased
intentionally for lugging my engineering laptop back and forth to the office,
but as of late it’s become the carryon luggage of choice. It’s near bullet
proof, semi water proof and easy to carry messenger style. It has room for all
the essentials and it was actually the only luggage I had for a weeklong trip
back at Infocomm 2013. The only issue is that it slides off my shoulder only
when wearing my Patagonia Nano Puff jacket!
3. Apple iPad
Man can’t live on work alone. The iPad has the apps and the
battery life to keep me occupied on a plane, in the terminal and in the hotel.
Not much more to say about it.
2. Personal Wi-Fi
Hotspot
This is one of those things that you never knew you needed
until you’ve used it. I’m able to use my Galaxy Note as a personal hotspot and
it’s great for connecting anywhere where the Wi-Fi is either not free or the
connection is lousy.
1. Samsung Galaxy Note
3
The Galaxy Note 3 is the end all be all of my guide to
travel. While large screen phones (I hate the term phablet) have problems in
pants pockets, I don’t see myself ever going back to a small one. The Note 3
has everything I wanted in a phone now that I’ve finally gotten over my whining
about needing a hardware keyboard. Battery life is great, charging is fast and
emails are easy to type.
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