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Table of Contents
Electronics for Digital Work as You Travel
1. Portable Keyboard
We always travel with a travel keyboard to go with an ergonomic laptop stand. You can either go with a foldable keyboard or roll-up one if you want to travel light.
For travelling as a digital nomad I recommend having a keyboard that is rollable or foldable and lightweight.
2. Ergonomic Travel Laptop Stand
Along with a portable keyboard, I strongly recommend getting a portable laptop stand.
Wherever you travel I strongly recommend always thinking about ergonomics.
Spending hours looking with a downwards gaze at your computer can, for example, leave you with back pains over time.
As a digital nomad moving every few months to a new location, it can be easy to lose focus on our health and fitness, but it does not need to be this way.
There are some great tools that you can easily travel with and one such tool is an ergonomic laptop stand.
3. Glocalme
A GlocalMe is an amazing product and the first thing I pack as it is the key to ensuring that you have WiFi access in most of the world, including many isolated locations.
With a Glocalme you can use it as a WiFi hotspot (and connect up to 10 devices) and create your own high-speed WiFi connection in over 140 countries worldwide.
The device taps into 4G signals and finds the best route to create a connection to the optimum network.
Furthermore, you use the Glocame interface to very easily buy a local data plan. It’s all incredibly easy to use.
4. Wireless Jellycomb Mouse
Along with an ergonomic laptop stand and a foldable keyboard, a decent wireless mouse is always worth packing and takes up little extra space.
We personally love the Jellycomb mouse because it is:
- slick design wise
- highly-responsive and quiet
- it has a nice feel and is very responsive (as a good mouse should be)
5. Universal Travel Adapter (with USB & Surge Protection)
Having a travel adapter so that you can plug your device into the local power supply and whatever the plug type, is invaluable.
The great news, these days, is that for only around £20 (USD$30) you can buy an iBlockcube that:
- can be used in over 125+ countries
- has surge control built into it (important in my opinion to protect devices including your laptop against power surges)
6. Lightweight Laptop
There are so many different laptops and the choice tends to be quite personal, so I won’t suggest a particular model. You might love Apple products such as an Apple Mac, or you might be a Toshiba fan.
One key consideration you will need to make as a digital nomad though is having a laptop that is lightweight and easy to travel with, i.e. a slim version.
7. Power Bank
Our ‘Power Bank’ has saved us several times, such as when we were in the jungle areas in Costa Rica.
A Power Bank is a small unit (they can be as small as a Samsung Galaxy phone) and it is, as the name suggests, a power bank that you can use to charge a:
- smartphone half a dozen or so times
- iPad a couple of times
- or a laptop once or possibly twice
Anker is a trusted brand name for buying Power bank devices and what we ourselves use.
8. Kindle Paperwhite Waterproof
As a digital nomad, you will find that you are spending plenty of time on the road travelling to or from somewhere and, at the same time, you can of course only carry so much.
For this reason, we find that all reading materials such as books and magazines can be consolidated as one portable device that takes up little space and is light weight-wise.
An 8GB Kindle should be more than sufficient and the waterproof and paperwhite version comes in fairly affordable.
A kindle can be great for reading books on the beach, on a train or wherever you find yourself! We wouldn’t be without it.
9. DSLR Camera
The key advice with a camera is, once again, to think in terms of lightweight and compact.
The big question to ask yourself though is if you really need to pack a camera or not?
If travelling with a smartphone, will that suffice and can you thus save on storage space? If you do travel with a camera, do think in terms of compact (unless you really need to travel with a large camera because you need professional photography if you are a blogger).
We carry a Canon Powershot camera.
10. Smartphone
You will probably already be planning to take your smartphone if you have one I am sure.
It’s really up to you what type of smartphone you take. You might though want to read the post we did on digital nomad travel hacks, as there are some fantastic apps out there that are great if you are travelling as a remote worker (such as Lounge Buddy).
We’ve just moved from an iPhone to a Samsung Galaxy and are still exploring the options.
If you plan to use your smartphone as a WiFi hotspot though, make sure that you have phone tethering ability, meaning that it can be used as a WiFi hotspot.
It’s very easy and cheap, these days, to get 100GB data for £10 (about USD$15).
Baggage and Useful Accessories as a Digital Nomad
1. Carry-on Luggage
The size of carry-on luggage that you can take on an airplane constantly changes, especially with certain airlines in Europe. So, knowing what size bag you can take on a flight depends on the airline.
What you will ideally have is a carry-on bag that you can use to:
- carry your essential and expensive IT equipment (such as a laptop) with you
- reading materials
For clothing such as a fleece just wear it onboard or around your waist onboard.
We travel with a 40cm x 25cm x 20cm bag.
The reason for this is that a 40 x 25 x 20 bag meets the carry-on limits for all airlines that we have come across. It means that no matter which airline we use, we have a bag for the laptop and a few other items.
2. Microfiber Travel Towel
I couldn’t be without my travel towel as it’s one of the most useful items that I pack when travelling abroad to work.
A microfiber towel is incredibly useful as it is normally:
- fast drying
- compact and lightweight
- strong and durable
3. Foldable Travel Water Bottle
As a digital nomad looking to pack as efficiently as possible, so that you can take as much as possible with you, carrying a water bottle is always a good idea.
I recommend a foldable water bottle as it can reduce by around 60% the space it’ll use up.
4. Wireless Ear Buds
One of the most useful and smallest items I use when travelling to work abroad remotely as a blogger, is a pair of wireless earbuds.
A simple item and yet so incredibly useful and handy.
You can get a great quality pair quite inexpensively.
Digital Nomads Travel and Medical Insurance
It is essential, as I am sure you agree, to have the right travel and medical insurance.
Furthermore, the cover needs to match the intent and purpose of travel, in this case, a cover that is specifically designed for digital nomads.
The great news is that in the last couple of years, a dedicated travel insurance policy for digital nomads has come onto the market, and it’s underwritten by Lloyds of London.
The ‘Safety Wings’ policies can be bought whilst you are already abroad, they include cover for when you are in your own country.
Packing Tips
1. If you have too much to pack, prioritise the items that you need and that would otherwise be expensive to buy abroad.
2. Make sure you have something you can wear formally, i.e. a nice shirt or dress and nice shoes. You will likely come across at least one situation where you will need to dress up as a digital nomad.
3. Pack a sarong. A sarong can be especially useful if you need to wear a scarf (on entering a religious place where you need to cover up more) or for sitting on, such as on the beach or for a picnic. A sarong can be so incredibly handy in so many different situations.
Travel Resources
I have been traveling for many years and have come to use a lot of travel sites and resources for booking my trips. They represent the companies that I often use and have served me well and they are the first ones I use when booking new trips.
- Booking.com – they tend to provide very competitive prices and the reviews are easy to view, and they normally have something available wherever in the world I am going to. They also now provide airport transfers, local attractions, and flights.
- Safety Wing Travel Insurance – Safety Wing has become one of the leaders in travel insurance, especially for remote workers and digital nomads as they provide cover that includes for long-term stays.
- Get Your Guide – is the site on which I normally book tours (I love to visit the local sports stadia, aquarium, royal palace, and some cultural attractions). With get Your Guide they have excellent customer support and have a wide range of tours.
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