packing clothes for traveling has never been really much of an issue to me as i've always managed to survive with the basic three shirts, a pair of jeans, 2 comfy pants and an ample supply of underwear. however, i find myself amiss with what travel gadgets/gear to bring even for the shortest trips. and so, i thought, why not talk about the gadgets that i do have and see which ones would constitute as a necessity.
1. macbook pro 13"
i recently got a macbook pro as a gift last christmas and i'm finding myself fawning over buying it the best casing, so as not to scratch it. (god forbid that i scratch the poor beautiful thing.) with that said, it got me thinking whether a macbook pro would be the best travel laptop for someone planning to put her life in one backpack, as i am nowhere near a flashpacker.
while i was backpacking in europe in 2005, netbooks were unheard of and carrying a laptop was a luxurious risk for hostelers. in my case, i headed to the nearest and cheapest internet cafe (which was not always the case) if i needed to go online and bought several journals throughout the trip, and it worked for me. i am still undecided if this should be a necessity as wifi is readily available in most places. however, if it were a cheap netbook, like an acer aspire one, maybe i wouldn't think twice about bringing it. but since i have a macbook, im putting it under the "undecided" list.
2. cameras (nikon s560, sony m2 and canon s95)
i got myself a canon s95 after being told by friends that it's the best p&s camera out in the market right now. i've always dreamt about being a professional photographer when i was younger but never really gotten around to take formal classes or even a workshop for it. i also got it an ikelite underwater casing to use for diving and i have no complains about the camera (different story about the u/w casing though). so far, i'm very pleased with this camera and i am noting this as a "necessity" without further discussion.
as for my other cameras, which are point-and-shoot as well, they do have quirky features that the canon s95 does not have. in europe, i brought with me a sony m1 and it served me well whenever i was alone and wanted to take photos of myself. the swivel screen allowed me to see myself while taking photos of myself. after a good 4 year run, battling the london rain and scorching heat of egypt, it gave up on me while i was using it on a boat in bohol, philippines. and so, i borrowed my mom's sony m2 and never gave it back to her again. as my days of taking photos of myself have come to pass, i hardly ever use it, thus, it is "not a necessity".
my nikon s560 became redundant after i got my canon s95, eventhough it has it's own seashell underwater housing, so it too goes to the "not a necessity" bin.
3. ipod touch
i currently have a first gen ipod touch and i bring it with me almost everywhere. i must say, i have missed out on a lot of great conversations as i would some times prefer listening to my tunes rather than listening to someone else's take on something that i have no opinion about. also, having an ipod is an excellent way of saying "go away" to overly friendly beings. an ipod, is therefore, a "necessity".
4. nokia e63
ever since i started using qwerty phones, i have shunned away from the numeric pads as i find it bothersome to be pressing the number keys several times to get to the right letter for sms even with the predictive text on. (as someone who is bilingual (tagalog and english) and who often uses both languages in a sentence, the wrong predictive text can ruin a pyramid.) the nokia e63 has all the added features that i want in a phone, it can take photos and videos and it can connect to a wifi. i've considered getting an iphone 4 but noted that it was too expensive for a gadget with a typical economic life of 3 years, max.
the real question though is, "do i need a mobile phone for when i am traveling". well, i think it would really depend on the type of traveler that you are and the type of traveling that you will be doing. as for me, it's always safer to have a phone for emergencies, and it's easy to get top-up or pre-paid sim cards in most countries. however, this is something that i can live without while traveling as i find skype/ym to be the cheapest way to talk with whoever you need to reach.
in the end, i think i would bring an unlocked phone with me and get a regional sim card if possible but only with the minimum top-up or pre-paid amount. i guess this would then fall under "neccesity".
5. dive gears
and here comes the most troublesome gear of all. as an avid diver, i prefer going to places where there is diving and i am not ashamed to say that i would most likely choose to dive rather than fraternizing with locals. with that, my gear is composed of a halcyon infinity bcd, a seac sub regulator and the usual mask, snorkel and fins. i haven't rented dive gears in a long time, and i fear that some dive shops do not properly maintain their gear.
so really, is bringing a 20kg dive gear worth it? my answer, it would depend on my travel itinerary. if it's for a typical dive trip for a week or two in the same area, i would definitely bring my own gear. if i have to do some long distance traveling in between dive trips, then i would opt to leave my gears.
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so, to sum it up.
1. macbook pro 13" - undecided.
2. cameras (nikon s560, sony m2 and canon s95) - canon s95
3. ipod touch - definetly!
4. nokia e63 - yes.
5. dive gears - depends on the travel itinerary
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i am actually glad to learn that i only have a few gadgets/gears. i though i've accumulated a lot through out the years.
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