I bumped into an African-American from Tennessee in Taipei and the guy exclaimed out loud "How the hell did we ever travel around the world without a smartphone with its translator,GPS, and sh*t?" I quietly thought of MacGyver and Indiana Jones. Everyone knows that tech essentials include a dual-boot Windows/Linux system (ok, sure, Macbook too), a digital camera, smartphone, tablet, and MP3 player. But surprisingly, it's the small, cheap devices that count.
When I moved to a different country for work, I wanted to follow the adage of traveling light and brought only my primary laptop and my netbook. I quickly found out that I could have easily brought a few more electronic devices that could have made my life easier:
1.Media player - My brother recently moved to Australia and he told me he decided to bring along the monstrous media server desktop he set up so he and his wife can watch all the movies and TV shows they downloaded in advance. Against my advice, he decided not to take apart the system but brought the whole rig in one piece (thankfully he didn't bring along his huge LED monitor).
Two girls I know attest that the most important aspect about moving to a different place is having your choice of entertainment handy. I don't quite agree but I began to understand after a year of media deprivation. If you're a thousand miles away from home, even the glitziest malls, noisiest bars, and tastiest food cannot replace the security of watching the latest episode of Game of Thrones or an old episode of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles or Chuck on a big screen or television, not on a 15" LCD screen on your laptop.
Having a cheap media player that streams and plays your videos to a screen in your rented apartment isn't a luxury - it becomes somewhat of a necessity when the exhaustion and isolation of living in a different country sets in. A tablet is great for watching videos but not everyone wants to convert, transcode, transfer, and maintain a WebDAV/Airplay connection to watch 15 minutes of Spider-Man (the awesome 1960s version) knocking out bad guys. Most media players are small enough to fit in a hand carry and have legacy composite ports for developing countries and HDMI if you end up renting a posh living space. The included web services and network features aren't always useful (especially if you're working in the Middle East or China), but just enjoying an episode of great TV or archived movies is priceless.
Homesick? Watch an episode of the 1967 Spidey series. You'll laugh your heart out and marvel at the stoic and good-natured Peter Parker (not the b.s. in today's Spidey comic books).
2.Wireless router - Android devices and smartphones are heavily dependent on wireless Internet. Obviously, the future will bring about the permanent death of cables (the Macbook Air infamously doesn't have an Ethernet port). An old-school friend of mine was dismayed when he realized he had no easy way of maintaining his Google Nexus without wireless Internet. Everyone should have a basic wireless router on hand when moving to a different country in case they need to set up their own wireless network. Of course, hotels and most flats now offer Wi-Fi as standard, but wouldn't you want to set it up your way?
3.Universal adapter - I can't emphasis how important this small block of plastic is. I brought 2 but ended up purchasing 2 more. There's a reason why travel books always have a section reserved for plugs native to a region or country.
4. Ethernet cables/HDMI cable - Most people cannot live without Internet. However, there are some who would prefer a wired connection over a poorly secured and unreliable wireless Internet service. Ethernet cables can be messy and infinitely annoying with its breakable plastic clips and ability to trip you even if you were equipped with danger-warning spider-sense. However, I find them indispensable. Plus, the observant itinerant will spot an RJ-45 port in the most curious places just when they need them the most. HDMI, on the other hand, is just awesome for travelers.
5. Backup laptop - As a person who doesn't use a cellphone, I'm beginning to understand why people are so attached to their smartphones and freak out when they lose their iPhones. Tablets, powerful as they are, can replace a notebook for some people (especially for non-power users who only use their laptops to access Facebook or play games). Professionals who do serious work with their machines however, need to bring along a backup system. The much reviled netbook is my personal choice. Installed with a well-maintained Linux distribution, a Linux-powered machine can help you get some serious work done if your main system suddenly crashes permanently, cracks in transit, falls off your backpack, or (perish forbid) gets stolen or gets lost.
6. An ereader - Sometimes, you just need to disconnect from the Internet. It's just not healthy. Yes, the Nook, Kindle, and Kobo ereaders have Wi-Fi enabled but the black and white devices were equipped with them originally so you can purchase more books to read. The whole point of owning a one-trick pony like my Sony PRS-600 is so I can sit down and read a book without having any distractions, be it my next technical article, a Linux experiment, updated BBC podcasts, streaming K-Pop videos, and the latest gossip about Harrison Ford rejoining the Star Wars franchise.
7. Portable hard drive - A portable hard drive may sound boring but in many ways it's more important than an iPad or Samsung tablet. You can connect it to the aforementioned media player, backup your scanned travel documents and your whole Linux/Windows system, load your ripped Rick Astley MP3s to iTunes. Moreover, it provides easy access to that reservoir of photos from your past when you need to reminiscence about the simpler times before leaving your home country.
For business professionals, a scanner, rechargeable batteries, and a pico-projector are more important than a printer (unless you regularly work at home and print tons of documents or graphic designs). Surprisingly, one of the most useful items you can buy almost anywhere is a power strip with the right connectors. So the next time you decide to work overseas (and who wouldn't in this economy?), take the time out to carefully pick out your tech essentials. It will keep you productive and entertained well in the long run.
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