What electronics do you take abroad?
 

Just curious how loaded down with electronics other travelers are these days. I take only 1 camera (though with 2 lenses), don't bring a video camera, and trust my hair to whatever blow-dryer the hotel provides. On the other hand, the Palm Pilot always comes along (serves as a mini-laptop with those collapsable keyboards), as does my personal CD player (essential for long flights) and, if I'm working on articles, my digital voice recorder. As I'm a VERY good minimalist packer vis a vis clothing, this electronic load has become amusing. Anyone else noticing a shift in the balance of what gets packed?

I guess we all have different priorities, which develop the more we travel. I know someone who packs clothes "minimally" but she will not travel without her own bed pillow from home, full size bed pillow that is. <BR>I'm happy to trust whatever hairdryer the hotel has (my hair philosophy has deteriorated to "These people will never see me again" which doesn't always make for such good photos of myself) but I want a walkman-cassette player for the plane (music or language tapes), one small automatic camera, <BR>and lately a microcassette recorder which I'm trying to use for my travel journals. Thankfully contact lenses have changed so I don't need to bring my lens cooker anymore. I don't have an elec. <BR>organizer, still rely on folders and papers. This next trip I may check out a cybercafe so I can check emails while I'm away, but since I've never been in a cybercafe I don't know what the "etiquette" or procedure is yet.

I always bring my waffle iron.

I suppose that "minimalist" may be defined differently by others, but the only electronics that i take are my camera, travel alarm clock (sometimes), and walkman (sometimes). There is no need for anything else. i suppose those that don't mind the weight or space will suggest PDAs or such other things, but they are not crucial, and unless you MUST work on your "vacation" why even bring it?

Sometimes my cheapo walkman, sometimes an alarm clock (if, and only if, I know I must get up early for something) and occasionally a camera. That's the most - and more often than not - NOTHING! I'm trying to get away from it all, so I'm not taking it all with me. ;-)

I was thrilled when hotels started supplying hair dryers--one less thing to schlep, even though mine is a micro-mini size. I take a camera and a small alarm clock. My husband carries a very small videocamera, and this year is bringing his GPS device with "metro Italy" software. He also always brings a minidisc recorder/player and his soprano sax--(not electronic, of course)-- which unfortunatley makes doing only carry-on impossible. <BR> <BR>Liz

Janice is a woman after my own heart.. I take my curling iron, sometimes if we are going other than Paris or London, my husband will take a camera. How many pictures of London and Paris after 40 years of going there do you need? <BR>Cellphones, palm pilots, cd players stay at home , we are AWAY and we are free from entanglements. My family has our itinerary if the house blows away, even then what could we do! <BR>Don't even need an alarm clock I'm up at 5 wherever I am!

Ha! I thought I was the only one who thought of such tripe! OK, so I take my 35mm camera and that is it so far; although I will take a digital clock wake up w/CD player thing ("all in one, perfect for the casual traveler that wants to listen to a favorite CD, local radio, and/or needs a wake up alarm") my next round. My flight is always leaving at 6:50 am or some such nonesense so I need that. I have just called the front desk for a wake up call but I got the thing for free so why not. <BR>A friend takes his electronics to South Am. ALL THE TIME. I mean speakers, CD's, CD's that he can record onto, wires, the works. He is really into music. Used to be in a band called The Wallets. Big around NY and the Twin Cities. Years ago. Now he is a peer in the photo field. Mike.

I bring static electricity, that's it.

Vibrator.

I too am a minimalist packet. For my last 2 week trip I brought only 3 outfits. However, I also brought my combination cd player (I love to listen to Edith Piaf while sitting on a terrace in Paris looking at the Eiffel Tower)/radio/alarm/sleep machine (it is small, about 6"x8"), a small point and shoot camera, a mini recorder to journal, a door alarm and a smoke alarm (both are small and I need the safety comfort that they provide me). I tuck the electric things into my tote bag and stay within my weight limit.

Bravo to hotels with hair-dryers, but I have a "palm-sized" one when I'm going to budget B&Bs. <BR> <BR>Otherwise: micro alarmclock-radio that'll pick up world weather/news; cassette player for domestic flights and long train rides; 35-mm. point-and-shoot -- <BR> <BR>-- but the most essential: my "itty-bitty booklight" which is useful not only for reading in bed-lamp-deprived rooms and dark trains and planes but also doubles nicely as a flashlight to find my way around without disturbing travel companions. <BR> <BR>(An anxious type, I carry it in my carry-on in case we crash somewhere in the dark and I, uninjured and fully compos mentis, have to find my way out of the crumpled wreckage............ :-} )

Portable CD player and 5 CDs. My wife will probably bring her PDA.

More and more, I take a laptop, because it is my preferred way to write. I do NOT use it to connect to the internet, though I do carry a floppy into and out of cybercafes at times. <BR> <BR>Best wishes, <BR> <BR>Rex <BR>

I take my curling iron and a 35mm point and shoot camera. My kids (all teenagers) take cameras, Game Boys (for the plane ride mostly and yes, they also have the headphone attachment so nobody has to hear that irritating noise!) and portable CD players.

Reading the entries, I think I might be the only person left whose travel alarm clock is the wind-up kind. I once had <BR>one "die" on me (the battery died on me that is) just when I needed a reliable wake-up, so I now rely on the small <BR>wind-up kind. <BR>Speaking of which, do any of you have "systems" for remembering when to replace batteries in cameras, watches, clocks, etc so they DON'T die on you <BR>mid-trip? I now routinely replace the batteries in everything before I take a long trip, but sometimes it isn't really "time" to do that yet.

SPEAKERS!?! Thank your friend, Mike--I feel better now! A word in defense of PDAs, though. I got software for mine that allows it to function as a travel alarm, currency/metric/size converter, and language dictionary in addition to its standard functions as datebook, address book and calculator. All in all that makes it a very compact takealong, even if I weren't using it with the keyboard for notes on any travel articles I may be writing. <BR> <BR>As for saxophones, I guess I'm glad I play the harmonica. Haven't brought it anywhere with me yet, but maybe one day if I hop a freight train...

On some trips I brought a small Dictaphone with the idea of recording street noises and the like, but never got around to it. <BR> <BR>Last month in Russia I brought a NEC 770, which is a Windows CE device with a full size keyboard and 10 hour battery life, great for note taking and journal writing on those long Aeroflot flights without inflight entertainment.

Two SLRs and one point and shoot camera (4 lenses this time I think - 3 zooms and a 1.8 aperture 50mm for low light), tiny travel alarm, hair dryer for the wife, and probably will add a mini tape recorder this year for the travel journal. It is not electronic, but I also carry a compass, which helps with photography, and I bet it will help when sightseeing in Italy.

Two Cameras (one for me and one for Steve), his rechargeable razor, and that's it. Somehow I let him talk me into a cute little travel iron (maybe it was a Mothers' Day gift?) but it was just wasted tonnage this last trip. Love those hotel hair dryers. The only thing I wish we had brought was a CD player with little speakers & a few CDs(our rental car only had a cassette and sorry, but Italian radio was horrible.)

~35 mm camera with lenses, extra battery and Fuji slide film! <BR>~Travel alarm clock <BR>~Cd's (for driving, I TRY to listen to local radio in my room) <BR>~Hair dryer, I bought one in Italy, France and South Africa. One of them always works somewhere!(sorry those luke warm blowing dragons in the hotels are too wimpy...and I'm sick of transformers promising to perform that always catch fire!) <BR>~Hand held small tape recorder. (great for fabulous guides, conversations with locals, or while driving and can't stop to write) <BR>~Corkscrew/bottle opener (hey, it isn't electronic, but essential!)

Couldn't help adding my two cents. My husband brought his laptop on our last trip and, of course, on the flight over my son (in his sleep) freakishly kicked a cup of orange juice precariously perched on a tray table into the laptop's hard drive. Lucky us, we got to schlep that thing all over Europe even though it was no longer working. Did we learn a valuable lesson? Yes, we can live without the laptop for 18 days (but only if ample wine is available to ease the withdrawl tremors).

I don't think clocks are electronics (nor some other things mentioned on here, like hair dryers), but as a tip, batteries don't just run out suddenly in a clock as it uses so little energy. It starts losing time -- if you put the battery in a few days ahead of time and after a couple days, it still is keeping correct time, you are fine.

No electronics, but yes to a small camera and an itty bitty flashlight. I work in an office surrounded by electronic devices, I go on vacation to get away from work and home.

Garage door opener.

Micro-size hair-dryer <BR>Small camera with lots of film <BR>Travel alarm clock

Hello all, I would never leave home without my "noisey"! It blocks out unwanted noise, keeping me asleep, therefore sane and happy. It runs and batteries, keeps time, and is very low tech, and essential to me. Judy :-)

Only a curling iron and my point & shoot camera. My alarm is wind-up (Elaine, you aren't the only one!), and, like JOdy, I leave everything else at home. I'm on vacation and don't have anything with me that reminds me of my hum-drum existence. Don't even rent a cell-phone. If I ever HAVE to call home (which I did once), I use a pay phone. The rest of the time home doesn't exist for me. My family has my itinerary--if they have to get in touch with me, they can. But other than that, they know they won't hear from me till I get back.

The only plug-in item we brought was the charger for our digital camera. I used the hotel hair dryers and husband used a regular razor!

Wind up alarm clock! It goes tick-tick and has glow-in-the-dark hands (I pack it near the top of the suitcase should a security person get antsy). Oh, and an alarm on it that would wake the dead.