Travel Tech & Electronics: What to Pack

The Essentials (And Nothing More)#

Phone

Does 90% of what every other device does. Maps, camera, booking, translation, banking, entertainment. Get a good case and a screen protector before you leave. Your phone is the single most useful object you’ll carry.

Power Adapter

Get a universal one (Ceptics or similar) that covers US, EU, UK, and AU outlets. One adapter is enough; bring two if you’re anxious about losing one.

Portable Charger

10,000-20,000mAh gives you 2-4 full phone charges. Anker makes reliable ones at every price point. Essential for long bus rides, overnight trains, and days when you’re away from outlets.

That’s it for most people. Everything else below is optional - useful for some travelers, unnecessary weight for others.

Laptop: Do You Need One?#

If you work remotely, yes - it’s not optional. If you’re just traveling, probably not. A phone handles email, social media, booking, and photo backup.

That said, a laptop is nice for planning complex routes, writing, editing photos, and watching movies on long travel days. Whether “nice” justifies the weight and theft risk is a personal call.

If you bring one: leave the gaming laptop at home. A lightweight 13-inch (MacBook Air, ThinkPad X1 Carbon, or similar) is the practical ceiling. Anything bigger is dead weight that you’ll resent carrying.

Use a padded sleeve, not a bulky dedicated laptop bag. And never, ever put it in checked luggage.

Camera vs. Phone#

Modern phone cameras are genuinely good. For most travelers, your phone is the right camera - it’s always in your pocket, you already know how to use it, and the photos go straight to cloud backup.

Consider a dedicated camera only if photography is a serious hobby or a priority for your trip. Options worth their weight:

• Compact cameras - the Ricoh GR III or Fuji X100 series deliver fantastic image quality in a pocket-sized package. Fixed lens, no fuss.
• Mirrorless cameras (Sony a6000 series, Fuji X-T series) - DSLR quality in much smaller bodies. Great if you want interchangeable lenses without the bulk.
• Action cameras (GoPro, DJI Action) - worth it if you’re doing water sports, diving, or adventure activities. Waterproof, shockproof, tiny.

Don’t bring a camera you’re going to be anxious about losing or breaking. If you’ll spend your trip clutching a $2,000 camera body instead of enjoying yourself, leave it home and use your phone.

Charging and Power#

Most modern electronics are dual voltage (110V-240V) - check the fine print on your charger. If it says “Input: 100-240V,” you only need a plug adapter, not a voltage converter. Phone chargers, laptop chargers, and camera chargers are almost always dual voltage.

Hair dryers and curling irons are usually single voltage. Don’t pack a voltage converter - buy a cheap one at your destination for $10.

A multi-port USB charger (Anker, Ugreen) lets you charge your phone, battery pack, and headphones from a single outlet. Genuinely useful in hostels where outlets are scarce and your bed might be across the room from the only plug.

Keeping Your Stuff Safe#

Devices get stolen. Accept this risk and minimize it.

• Don’t flash expensive electronics in sketchy areas. This sounds obvious but watch how many tourists wander through markets with a phone held at arm’s length.
• Enable Find My Device (Android) or Find My iPhone (iOS) before you leave home.
• Back up photos to cloud storage regularly. Google Photos and iCloud both work. Losing the photos hurts more than losing the phone.
• Use a VPN on public WiFi. Mullvad and ProtonVPN are trustworthy. Avoid free VPNs - they sell your data, which defeats the purpose.
• Consider travel insurance that explicitly covers electronics. Read the fine print on coverage limits.
• Keep your phone in your front pocket in crowded areas.
• Don’t charge your phone at public USB ports without a data-blocking adapter (yes, “USB condoms” are a real product with a real purpose - they block data transfer and only allow charging).

What to Leave at Home#

A short list of things most travelers bring once and never again:

• Your tablet - if you have a phone and a laptop, the tablet is redundant. If you don’t have a laptop, a tablet is a reasonable substitute.
• Full-size headphones - pack compact, foldable ones or earbuds instead. Noise-cancelling earbuds (AirPods Pro, Sony WF-1000XM5) do the job without the bulk.
• Your drone - banned or heavily restricted in many countries (Thailand, India, Morocco, most of Europe requires registration). Rarely worth the hassle, weight, and risk of confiscation.
• Multiple cameras - pick one and commit.
• Anything you’d be devastated to lose - if you can’t handle the possibility of it being stolen, leave it in a safe at home.

Next Steps#