Being on the road half the year isn’t fun, but the technology available can take some of the sting out of delayed flights, canceled and missed connections, airport food, outrageously expensive room service, cab drivers who talk on their cell phones throughout the entire drive, the list goes on. Here’s a laundry list of the technology that this road warrior finds indispensable:
Dopplr is a social network for business travelers. When you add your travel itinerary, you’ll learn when anyone in your network will be in the same town when you’ll be there. Drinks or dinner with a colleague beats room service and “Law & Order” reruns any time.
Orbitz Traveler Update — I book most of my flights through Orbitz I like the recorded updates I get on those delays and cancellations (not to mention flights that are leaving on time, along with the departure gate and arrival time). But Orbitz nailed it — conceptually, at least — with the Traveler Update. A kind of Google Maps-Twitter mashup, Updates features a U.S. map highlighting the locations of major airports. Click on one to get current arrival and departure status; traffic incidents on the way to the airport; local weather; average security wait times by airport, day, and time; and other airport information. But what could really distinguish the service is the feature that lets any traveler provide updates (over their mobile phones) on the real-time situations at airports. A river of such updates comes in from all airports or you can see the “updates and tips” from just your airport. Under-use is the problem. The most recent update as I write this is two weeks old; the freshest for my primary airport — San Francisco International — was posted four months ago. The real value here would be for someone to post a message noting that, for instance, “the security line is two hours long.” I keep hoping Orbitz will do a better job of promoting the service while I continue to use its other elements.
Apple AirPort Express — I’m a PC guy (I tried a Mac for over a year and went running back to Windows), but I love the AirPort Express. Looking a lot like an Apple AC power adapter, you plug it into AC power, then jack the hotel room’s Ethernet cable into it. Just like that, you have WiFi in your room. Sometimes you just want to work from the couch and not be tethered to the desk.
Priority Pass — This isn’t a technology, but having access to an airport lounge during a long delay is vital. Priority Pass has arrangements with lounges all over the world. I’m rarely at an airport where I can’t use my Priority Pass card to get away from the terminal and relax in a comfortable chair. There is a technology connection, though: The directory of lounges is available in a variety of formats for mobile phones.
EVDO — Access to Sprint’s EVDO network is built into my laptop, but before I had one built-in, I carried the PC card so I could get online pretty much anywhere, bypassing the $12.95 or so the hotels and airports want for a day of access.
Sprint Mogul — You can have your iPhone. I do so much typing on my phone, I need a real keyboard, which is of the slide-out variety on the Sprint Mogul. Sprint’s EVDO network is pretty fast, I can carry spare charged batteries (when your iPhone runs out of juice, you’re hosed), the display can be vertical or horizontal (depending on how you’re using it), it has a video camera (which lets me stream live video to the web via LiveCast), I get turn-by-turn directions with the GPS, and there are far more applications for the PocketPC than there are for the iPhone. And I don’t have to deal with AT&T, which I’ve already dropped once like a bad habit. Who needs that aggravation again?
Recording tools — I’m a podcaster, so I need to capture interviews on the road. The Marantz PMD-620 is about the size of a deck of playing cards, handles any size SD card, records to WAV or MP3, features on-board editing and offers the clearest, brightest display you’ve ever seen on a recording device. You can record through the built-in microphones (which rock) or use the 1/8-inch input to plug in a microphone. It even has speakers so you can listen to what you’ve recorded (along with a headphone jack). Oh, and did I mention it runs on two AA batteries? For video, I carry the RCA Small Wonder. I used to shoot with the Flip, which has certainly gotten all the attention (and certainly is a wonderful camera), but the Small Wonder is a few bucks less, a bit smaller, and has a few features I like better than the Flip. First, it uses a Micro SD card, so I can increase the storage capacity well beyond the Flip’s built-in 30- or 60-minute hard drive. Second, you can choose from two video quality settings (”Web” records to a somewhat lower quality). Finally, it has a pivoting screen (you can make sure you’re in the frame when you’re shooting yourself). And for photos, I carry the Casio Exilim Zoom EX-Z1200. (If I have room, I also bring my Nikon D60, but the Casio suffices when I’m trying to travel as light as possible.)
In your ears — I have a traditional 60GB iPod. I come and go so frequently, I just don’t have time to synch new music onto a smaller hard drive every time I get back from a trip. I like having as much music as possible on my iPod. I also load up tons of video. I’ve been using Applian’s Replay Media Catcher to record TV shows from Hulu.com, among other resources, then transfer the recordings to the iPod. I also have an 8GB Nano, one of the originals. Only podcasts go on the Nano. With 160GB of music and video on the iPod, it doesn’t make sense to keep the iPod’s music library on a 250GB laptop. Those files stay on my desktop. By keeping the podcast library on the laptop, I can log into iTunes from anywhere, synch up, and listen to the latest episodes on the next leg of the journey.
Use Virtual Mailboxes. What does virtual mailbox allow? And read Short And Crisp Information About Virtual Mailboxes. Also read 5 reasons why you need a virtual address in the USA.
E-Book — Somehow, I wound up with both a Sony Reader and an Amazon Kindle. Both have their advantages, and both are significantly better than carrying real books — especially if I’m reading (as I am right now) something in excess of 750 pages. The one drawback: Like any other device with an off-and-off button, you have to turn it off during take-off and landing.
And of course MintyBoost USB charger.
Power strip — I’m always amazed how many people are struck by the fact that I carry a simple six-outlet power strip with me. I’ve even had flight attendants exclaim what a great idea it is. Far too many hotels have inadequate outlets in their rooms to charge everything that needs charging (iPods, mobile phone, bluetooth headset, camera battery), but a simple five-dollar power strip solves that problem.
The real beauty of this collection of gadgets is that it all fits — along with cables and other odds and ends — in a Swiss Army laptop bag and a carry-on suitcase, avoiding the need to check a bag (and, these days, pay an extra $15 for the privilege).
