Have Technology Will Travel

Well, we've got the packing list for our European trip. We're traveling light for 17 days:  2 carry-on suitcases and 2 under seat carry-ons.  But this kind of packing is not new to anyone who doesn't trust airlines to keep your luggage safe from thieves or to get it to your destination after 2 flight changes. We've been traveling like this for years because not only do we not trust the airlines to take care of our luggage but we really and truly hate waiting at the baggage claim.

What's new for us is all the technology we're taking. I think we may need a carry-on just for USB cables and chargers. We also need a large, heavy duty converter because my teeny tiny hair dryer blows a great 800 watts which will fry lesser converters.  On the plus side, all 3 of the countries we're traveling to have the same electrical systems.  Europe as a whole though, is an electrical mess requiring a plethora of converters.  Is there a good reason they can't all run the same current? Europe is so small it would be like needing a converter going from California to Colorado. Wouldn't that be fun?

 I shouldn't make fun of Europe given that we're still using inches and feet instead of centimeters and meters. Every year while teaching metric measurement, I try to  explain to my students why the rest of the world uses a really simple system of measures based on multiples of 10, and we're stuck with measures using multiples of 12 (inches, feet, yards, miles), 16 (ounces, pounds), and 8 (ounces, cups, pints, quarts, and gallons).  We need a converter or a calculator for measuring more than Europeans need them for electrical appliances.

As usual, I'm taking a really long bird walk away from  traveling with technology. Let's get to it.  First I HAVE to take my iPod to listen to books on the plane.  It's much easier to just listen than to wear out my eyes trying to read in the dry air of the plane.  The other advantage is that it puts me to sleep, a good thing on flights over 2 hours.  So I pack my iPod, earphones, and charger because we're going to be gone longer than the battery lasts.

Additionally, we're both taking Kindles because we like to read text and even paperbacks take up lots of room in a suitcase. Our Kindles will not require cables thanks to the manufacturer which created a battery that lasts a month.  The big pressure is on to download some fast-paced, summer trash reading before we go.

The biggest news is that I bought an iPad so I can blog while I'm  traveling (a suggestion from a friend who supports my blogs, thanks Lynn). You may think this is an extravagance but there are other uses like email, maps, weather, and flight information. Of course I need to take a cable to charge it AND  a special cord to plug into my camera so I can download photos as I go.  Speaking of cameras, we're taking an extra battery, a charger and 2 SD cards because I plan on taking a huge amount of pictures. So, if you feel like it, look for my blogs and pictures from Germany, Austria and Switzerland.  I'm crossing my fingers that I'll be able to figure it all out without my technology guru, Brian.

Finally, my inventory of electronic devices with cords and chargers includes an iPod, iPad, 2 Kindles, and a camera. Oh, and my hair dryer, one of THE MOST CRITICAL appliances in my bag. I do want pictures of me to look reasonable after all. Let's face it, bad hair equals bad pictures. Oops, almost forgot the converter, the device without which all other devices are potentially useless.

Now that I have all my electronics squared away, I better get busy on my wardrobe.  I have a  list... but... I might want a few more choices than are suggested...hmmm