Technology for Travel You May Not Know of

I travel a lot for my work and over the years I have acquired and dismissed many items to help me when working on the road. Obviously I need my computer, a cell phone is also handy, but it is the other items that travelers acquire to make that time we spend away from family bearable.  For some it is the latest e-reader (Kindle, IPad, Nook) and for others it is a music player (Ipod, Zune, mp3 player), and for the kid in all of us the portable gaming systems (PSP, Nintendo DSi, IPod Touch). Most of us road warriors also carry a GPS unit, or a phone that gets us to where we are going (that is another post). But I have three you may not have thought of.

1) Belkin Mini Travel Surge Protector ($25)
	In most airports, the hardest thing to do is find power to get all of your items charged up before you get on that long flight to where ever. There is always one person filling up one plug with their Computer charging and the other with their cell phone.  This little guy will be your savior! First off, it is a power repeater, so you can now take one socket and make it into 3.
This is great so when you don’t feel bad asking to share a plug. Second, it has 2 USB charge ports so you can get rid of the cell phone charger units from your bag and replace them with a much smaller compact cord or two. The last big bounce is it is a $75,000 surge protector. This will help with the peace of mind after you get put up in an old motel somewhere where the power is shotty at best.

2) Apple’s Airport Express ($99)
Now I know a lot of you Apple users out there use this little guy to send music from your computer to your stereo, or to make a printer wireless in your house for all of your computers to use, but I have a different use. With its compact size and easy setup, I use my Airport Express to create a personal WiFi network in every hotel room I travel too. I have found that in virtually every hotel I travel to now, the WiFi service provided by the hotel slows as more people are streaming Hulu and Netflix with more and more devices.
By using the in room Ethernet wire/plug, to plug into my Airport Express, I create a personal WiFi network that my computer, cell phone, Ipod, and other peripherals already know and now are connected, without interference, to the hotels router.  This little track speeds up my time to get online, and lowers my frustration level of getting all of my “stuff” up and running, just like I am at home.

3) Retractable cables ($3-$45)
	These little space savers help to keep my bag clean while I wait for a better solution from the guys at Powermat. Retractable USB, Ethernet and power cables help to keep my bag free of tangles when I do that preflight computer bag stuffing. I no longer have to worry about my cords being tangled when I get to my next destination.  This is one of the biggest time savers I have.

Future Items I am just waiting for: Powermat (more) portable
	The current Powermat (pictured) is a semi compact, semi portable charging station for every portable electronic item you can think of. I love their home mat, but have yet to buy into the portable mat that they have. It is too bulky currently, but they have a new version coming out soon. Having one station that can remove most of the plugs/cords and wires from my bag will be very welcome.  Coming this summer I have been told will be a 1 and 2 charging station, to relieve my bag from the size of the 3 station they have now.
The version of the mat that can charge one device is expected cost $49, and a version that can charge two is expected cost $59.  They will also be introducing replacement batteries for your phone, so no more plugging in of any kind.  I am looking forward to this addition to my travel bag later this summer.

Happy Travels!