Essential Technology for Traveling

tech setup

I have to be honest with ya’ll. Technically, we haven’t taken the Airstream on the road yet. But I’m getting the travel itch bad. I think I’ve got the travel pox. That’s a thing right? Anyway, I thought it’d be helpful/mildly interesting to share my technology setup. We’re currently working out any kinks with our technology setup before we take the Airstream on the road.

Here’s what we use.

1. iPhones for hotspots
Our iPhones provide us with the Internet which is essential. I couldn’t blog and George couldn’t do his art without it. Also, I might die from Internet withdrawals if I didn’t have it. It’s been a bit more expensive to use our phones as hotspots instead of having a direct Internet connection through an Internet or phone provider. (Our phone contracts are through Verizon, if you are curious.) It’s the best option we’ve found so far because of the excellent coverage Verizon provides. And paying for extra data is still much less cheaper than rent.

2. iPhones for photos
Sometimes I don’t feel like lugging around my giant Nikon for photos, so I’ll just snap a few pictures with my iPhone. It’s lazy and the photos don’t look quite as sharp as with my “real” camera, but it’s convenient.

3. Nikon D5000
My “professional” camera was a gift from George and it may be the best gift I’ve ever been given. It has been worth every penny. My pictures with this camera look sharp, professional and are a much higher quality than any iPhone pic.

4. MacBook Pro
For most of my blogging and writing, I use a MacBrook Pro. I’d love to try out using an iPad for blogging, but currently, the MacBook is working great. I don’t want to throw down the cash for an iPad without knowing if it will fit all my needs.

5. iPhoto and Photoshop
In terms of picture editing, I use both iPhoto and Photoshop. I think iPhoto is easier and less time-consuming than Photoshop, but it isn’t quite as customizable. When I have time, I love to throw my photos into Photoshop and play around. The pictures always look so much better.

6. Kindle
I could probably cut down on my devices if I just bought an iPad, but the $600+ price tag is painful. Reading is still super essential to me and on the road, libraries will be hard to find. I also can’t carry 100 books with me, it’s just not feasible in such a small space. For now my Kindle is taking care of my reading needs.

That’s my tech setup. What are your favorite techie tools?

love,
melanie

9 thoughts on “Essential Technology for Traveling

  1. Roberta

    Thank you for sharing! I am looking at ipads..and really like what I hear about Macbook Pro. All are pricey for this retired granny,but when the day comes that we are on the road, I’ll want one or the other..

    1. lovelibrarianmelanie

      No problem! I’d love an iPad, but I’m just not sure if it can handle my storage and photo editing needs. If you end up getting an iPad, let me know how it works out!

    1. lovelibrarianmelanie Post author

      Ellese, I like my Kindle, but it is best for just reading. It isn’t great for surfing the web since it doesn’t support things like Java, many websites don’t display properly. But it is especially good for storing lots of books when you don’t want to haul them around with you 🙂

  2. Amstincan

    I absolutely love my iPad. I was fortunate enough to obtain one from a friend when they upgraded so I didn’t have to shell out such big bucks. Mine replaced my Nook. I’m not sure what I did without it now that I have one. Not sure that it will ever completely replace my MacBook, but we will see.

    1. lovelibrarianmelanie Post author

      lucky! i’m thinking about going the used route but the new ones are so shiny!

  3. Lee Lynch

    I use and like the Ironkey flash drive. It has it’s own Firefox browser and you can plug it into any pc with a net connection and you have your own private browser with a Tor connection. It leaves no trace of your data on the pc so if you need to check you bank balance at a public pc, your info is fully secure once you leave. Also if it is ever lost, it is locked with a secure password and will self destruct on 10 bad tries. Waterproof as well.

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