Road to France Pt. VII - Travel Tech

Time for another travel-related post! Don’t hate me.

I don’t know about you, but even on vacation I have a ton of tech with me. I don’t like being completely disconnected, so I tend to bring more equipment with me than I probably should. So here are some of my tech must-haves.

Plug Adapters –

Plugs in the US don’t match those in Europe, so good luck trying to charge any of your gadgets without at least one of these. I bought plug adapters to save myself that frustration, and I get the most bang for my buck by buying these off Amazon. I bought these Type E/F adapters for a steal at 3 for $7.25. These work in Germany, France, and some other European countries, so they’re perfect for my needs.  

Camera Equipment–

My trusty Nikon D3200 will be accompanying me on this trip, and she’ll be my most faithful companion, apart from my mother, obviously. But my DSLR needs a lot of TLC considering how much I’ll be using it. So I make sure to carry two ENEL14a rechargeable batteries and two 16GB SanDisk memory cards. This might seem like overkill, but I can’t think of what would be worse than missing a photo-op because of a dead battery or lack of memory. I’ll also be bringing my two camera lens because…why not?

Kindle Fire HDX –

Except for that time I went to London while writing my senior thesis, I am against bringing my laptop on trips. Laptops are heavy and take up a lot of room, and I don’t want to be tempted to spend my time in my hotel room. With my Kindle though, I still get some connectivity without the temptation of sitting in front of my laptop for hours and hours. Plus, it’s great for reading books and magazines on the plane. This is like the one time when I’d ever promote e-book use.

iPhone –

Because who goes anywhere without their phone nowadays? I always get the global plan added by phone provider so that I can use my iPhone overseas which saves me a few bucks. I tend to rely only on data when I’m abroad though for sending quick messages through WhatsApp, uploading photos to Instagram, updating Facebook and Twitter, and the occasional glance at Google Maps. I really only send text messages in emergencies, and the same goes for calls.

72 Hours iPhone-less

So, I may have had a bit of an accident last week. I drowned my iPhone.

It kind of fell into the toilet when I was getting ready for work which, if you have ever experienced, is a terrifying ordeal. I quickly scooped my phone out of its watery grave, turned it off, and promptly buried it in a Tupperware container of uncooked rice. And there it remained for 72 hours. I thought that my poor iPhone 5 might’ve been done for, but I was thrilled to discover that it was still working. So thrilled, in fact, that I went around the house screaming “It’s alive! It’s alive” a la Victor Frankenstein. For all you doubters, the rice trick does seem to work. I think that it's imperative that you keep your phone off the whole time and let it dry out slowly.

My 72 hours without my iPhone was an interesting experience though. I haven’t been without my phone for more than a few hours since getting it nearly 3 years ago. There was some withdrawal going on, but I did learn a few things along the way.

• My life is on my iPhone. That sounds hyperbolic, I know, but it’s the truth. I didn’t realize how much I relied on my phone until it wasn’t there to rely on. I use it as my alarm clock in the morning and as my radio while I get ready; it’s a source of entertainment and a work tool; and it's how I communicate with everyone. I found it so inconvenient to have to check my emails on an actual computer, and let’s not forget how often I had to call people instead of sending a quick text message.  Without it, I felt so disorganized, so out of touch.
• I can send text messages online.  I discovered that you can send text messages online on a lark. It did make it a bit easier to stay in touch with some people, and it helped me to not feel quite so cut off from the world.
• Text messages are so convenient. There was more than one occasion when I had to call people to say something that I would’ve simply sent in a text. Text messages are so quick and easy. You don’t have to worry about ending up in a long conversation with a person or do the whole small talk thing. You get right to the point, which I prefer. What did we ever do before text messages?  Seriously.
• I feel naked without my iPhone. I roll my eyes when my Dad goes on about how this generation doesn’t know how to put down their phones, but he's right. I felt so uneasy without my phone on me and kept reaching for it, only to remember it was in triage at home. I think that using my iPhone is just as important to me as knowing that the option is there. 
• I’m more productive without my iPhone. I was able to get so much work done on the train when I didn’t have my phone there to entertain me. I read for work and for leisure, I did some creative writing, and I got to turn off my brain for a while. There was no Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter to check or update, no emails or text messages to read. I have to admit that it was nice to have some downtime.

So, will I make it a habit of leaving my iPhone at home in the future? Probably not. It’s as much a technological security blanket as it is a convenient tool for staying connected with the rest of the world. And nowadays I don’t know if we really have the luxury of disconnecting. I’m not sure if that’s a good thing. Hmm.

Have you ever drowned your phone or gone several days without it?

5 Helpful Tips for Buying Your Next Laptop

After a teeny accident (my dad tripping over my laptop’s power cord and the poor thing going flying), I was in dire need of a new laptop. It’s a big purchase, not only because of the price tag, but because I use my laptop for just about everything. I use it for work, for blogging, to keep in touch with friends and family, to watch movies, to shop, and to pay my bills. Whatever laptop I decided on had to be a reliable machine that fit all my needs. But with so many makes and models available, how does one decide? Here are some things to consider when shopping for your next laptop.

Price. How much are you willing to spend on your laptop? Once you know that, you’ll be able to narrow down the options considerably. I was looking for a mid-priced machine, so I knew I’d be staying clear of anything with a price tag higher than $600. Laptops can range from $150-$2000.

Mac or PC. People today are divided into two groups—Team Mac and Team PC. I’m Team PC and have been since my first computer at age 3. I’m a creature of habit and prefer what I know to having to learn a new operating system, but there are some people who are more willing to try out something different.

Screen Size. Size does matter when you’re buying a laptop. In my case, I use my laptop more as a desktop and watch a lot of TV shows and movies on it, so I wanted a bigger screen. But, if you’re someone who carries their laptop to work or to classes, a smaller screen means that the laptop will probably be lighter too. One thing I noticed too was that smaller laptops tend to not have CD-ROM drives. Since I use my laptop to watch movies and some of my software requires a CD for installation, this was just another reason why I decided to go with a larger screen.

Touchscreen? Whether I should get a laptop with a touch screen was a point of contention in my house. Some people (my dad) are huge advocates of the touchscreen because it’s the newest technology and they like the interactivity. But, for me, I didn’t want to pay more for a feature that I had no intention of using. I don’t see the point of a touchscreen on a laptop and think of it as more a of tablet function. Different strokes for different folks, right?

RAM. RAM is a computer storage location that allows information to be stored and accessed quickly because it is accessed randomly instead of sequentially. Once upon a time, if you were tech savvy enough, you could add memory to your laptop. Nowadays though, fewer laptops are giving you that option. Since I can’t expand the RAM on my laptop, it was important to me that I get a laptop with the most memory in my price range. More GB of RAM does mean a more expensive machine though.

In the end, I decided to go with an HP 15.6" Laptop with Intel Core i5 Processor. I’ve been happy with it so far, though the keyboard has taken some adjustment. It’s much slimmer and lighter than its predecessor, and its battery life is fantastic. I think my money was well-spent.