July 02, 2011, 7:47 AM — Travel season is nearly here, and although we all love our technology at home, using devices while you're away can be a hassle. Before you even start to pack your bags, check out the following tips--they'll help you enjoy your vacation while remaining connected. With these tricks and products, you can avoid some extra expenses, secure your luggage, and have enough juice to last the entire day.
Leave the Laptop at Home
Bite the bullet, and leave it behind. You don't need the dead weight. Everything and anything you need to do on a laptop--email, social media, itinerary management, Web browsing, movies, music, and image editing--is now possible on a smartphone or tablet.
The best part of leaving your laptop at home is that it allows you to carry a lighter bag, pack more clothes, or carry other tech. Plus, you won't have to worry about toting a laptop around or looping it to the hotel mini-fridge with a cable lock.
Pack a Pistol
Okay, this is offbeat, but bear with me. If you're worried that the airline might lose your tech-filled bag, you can guard against the possibility by packing a gun with your electronics. Of course, I don't mean serious firepower, just a starter pistol typically used to shoot blanks as a signal for track meets and swim events.
Any baggage containing a firearm (even a starter pistol) must be transported in a locked and unmarked, hard-sided case. The case is processed under the TSA's heightened scrutiny. The extra attention ensures that the package remains secure and tracked all the way to its destination, which makes taking anything from the case almost impossible.
Not all airlines accept checked weapons, however, so verify your airline's policy and regulations first. At the airport, tell the ticket agent when you check in that you have an unloaded weapon to declare. You'll have to fill out a card and interact with TSA officials, who will lock your case and give you the key, so be sure to allow plenty of time.
Losing a firearm is a much bigger deal to the TSA than handling ordinary luggage, so taking these steps reduces the chances of your tech being misplaced to about zilch. You don't need a gun license to buy a starter pistol, which can start at as little as $20, nor do you need to register the pistol with the state.
Pack a Travel Transformer and Power Strip
If you are traveling abroad, your American voltage-fed plugs probably won't play nice with the hotel-room outlets in a foreign country. Kensington makes an International All-in-One Travel Plug Adapter that transforms into a plug for any socket and matches up to the voltage of any region.
Even while you're traveling domestically, a power strip comes in handy for charging multiple devices and batteries in hotel rooms that are stingy with electrical outlets.
Try the Belkin Mini Surge Protector, which is small but gives you three outlets and and three USB ports.
Charge Your Tech on the Go
A portable battery is a great way to stay charged on the go if you can't get back to your lodgings and outlets. For Apple users, the HyperJuice Micro is a good option due to its small size and substantial power (3600 mAh, or enough to charge an iPhone 4 one and a half times), and it can charge anything with a USB port.
Another appealing choice is the iSound Portable Power Max ($130, 1600 mAh), or the less powerful and slightly smaller iSound Portable Power ($90, 8000 mAh). Both backup battery devices have five ports for charging any USB-powered device, and each is about the size of a portable hard drive.
Use a DSLR Battery Grip
It's pretty easy to forget to charge your DSLR camera's battery--I know I have--but if you bring along an attachable battery grip, you can start shooting in less than a minute.
Just slap the grip onto the bottom (unless you are using a Nikon D3 or a Canon 1D), add a few AA batteries, and you are good to go.
