It's oxymoronic to say that a vacation is stressful. But it is. And I'm not even talking about the sand that's waiting to creep into your shorts on the beach, the hotel room that's going to spring a leak, or the vast number of other disasters about to transpire throughout your travels.
I'm talking about the very, very beginning of your vacation: The part right after you've planned and purchased the tickets up until the moment you step off the plane at your intended (and final) destination. As a geek, you're probably wondering if there's a better way to go about "the routine:" The printing of the tickets, the writing down of the key details, the absurdity of the packing, the praying that your carry-on bag isn't too big, et cetera.
Well, there is. Technology benefits all, be it in the form of websites to help you during the planning process or gadgets to assist you in your travels. I've compiled a list of some of the must-have items in each category below: Consider this your top travel guide for all things tech. You won't want to leave home without it—or, at least, without saving a copy of this guide on your travelling tablet PC!
Planning
I'm not about to get into the 85 different websites out there that all attempt to shave $5 off your plane ticket in some creative fashion. (We'd be here all week). Rather, I'm going to assume that you've picked out your airline, selected your flights, and have pulled the trigger on your (usually) expensive ticket. Now's a great time to sign up for a free account at the web service TripIt, and here's why: Set it up correctly and the service will automatically go through your email to find confirmations of all kinds.
Why is that important? In doing so, TripIt automatically builds an itinerary of your trip – a kind-of one-stop-shop with all of the arrangements (and their critical details, like confirmations numbers and the like) displayed in a chronological order right there on the site. And, yes, TripIt has mobile apps for both Android and iOS: It beats writing down all the nuances of your itinerary in a moleskin notebook by far.
And while you're at it, don't forget to forward your flight information (and the website FlightAware) to your friends and loved ones, especially those tasked with picking you up at your destination airport. They can use the site to view your plane as it travels across the country in real-time – and what I like most about FlightAware is that they can also tap into the same functionality on their Android or iOS-based devices. It's perfect for helping them decide if they should make an hour detour to get some food or put the pedal to the metal, depending on how close your plane is to the airport.
If you're curious about the cuisine that'll be offered on your flight, it's worth your while to make a quick pit stop at Airlinemeals.net: A wonderful site full of user-submitted pictures to help you lament about your poor flight planning or rejoice that your carrier selection will come with more than just a bag of pretzels and an ice-filled soft drink.
As an astute traveler, you're no doubt aware of the various package discount sites (Jetsetter, Travelzoo, Livingsocial Escapes, SniqueAway, Vacationist, et cetera) that try to deliver a kind-of Groupon-like discount for potential passengers quick on the purchase. But if you're aiming to travel on the cheap, it's worth your while to check out a few online alternatives for booking inexpensive lodging. You've no-doubt heard of Airbnb: The website that allows you to turn a person's residence (or spare room) into your own personal hotel for a period of time. What you save on cost, you'll lose on lifespan if you end up making a mess of your host's actual abode.
If that's still a little bit out of your price range, the next step down the ladder is the always-popular CouchSurfing website. Your lodging on a polite host's couch, or floor, or what-have-you is completely free. That's a travel trait guaranteed by the site, which will boot hosts out of its network if they attempt to charge a price for the service they're providing. That said, it behooves you to go after the couches of verified members: CouchSurfing uses a verification process and user reviews to help you determine that potential hosts are just that, and not axe-wielding maniacs.
But if you want to keep your travel plans to just a party of one, well, why bother leaving your good ol' "Hotel Airport?" Alright, so you can't base an entire trip on Tom Hanks' lifestyle in the movie The Terminal (you'll never be allowed back into the security area, sans plane ticket, should you decide to leave and explore the city you're in). The site, "The Guide to Sleeping in Airports" is still a good one to keep in the back pocket just in case you find yourself stuck in an airport with a longer-than-expected layover for whatever reason.
And, as always, don't forget to use the power of crowdsourcing to help you plan things to do (or places to eat) at your final destination: Yelp, OpenTable, TripAdvisor, et cetera. Sites like these are the bread and butter of any journey to a new location!
Packing
Here we go. As a geek, just how are you going to get your laptop / gaming consoles / portable gaming handsets / tablet PC / cameras / My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic stuffed animals / all those other testaments to your inner tech enthusiast into your carry-on or stowed-away luggage? And what about those miscellaneous items like clothes, toothbrushes, and the lot?
While I can't tell you how to pack—you might be one of those adventurous types who packs using trash bags and duct tape, for all I know—I can at least give you a few suggestions for upgrading you travel gear if you just so happen to find yourself with a little holiday surplus of cash. And always roll the shirts: Never fold. Saves room.
If you can't envision a trip without your smartphone and a pair of huge cans to strap around your ears, you might want to consider going after the fabled boombox/luggage hybrid creation from Travelteq. You'll have to turn off your luggage until the flight reaches 10,000 feet, but you'll feel like a total boss at the airport when you're sitting, rocking, and guarding your luggage in one combined device.
Even though it's more design than tangible suitcase, I just have to taunt you with this one: the Pumpack, a piece of luggage that combines portable storage with the power of a tiny vacuum hand pump. You pack, you pump, and your luggage will (in theory) automatically compact down to allow for even more goods and clothes to be stuffed in during your trip. Cross your fingers this one makes it to market, folks.
For a more modern take on luggage compartmentalization, there's Balanzza's Truco: a carry-on sized suitcase that can be broken out into three separate baggage pieces. It's perfect for when you want to access items mid-flight without having to rifle through your entire carry-on luggage to do so.
While gimmicky, the Micro Samsonite Travel Scooter lets you drive around the airport using your clothes as a shield. The "Self-Weighing Luggage Set" helps you to skirt baggage overage fees before you get to the airport (and helps you avoid the awkward dance and mathematics involved with trying to weigh your bag at home). Gamers will appreciate the subdued Astro Gaming Mission Bag for the quick jaunts they take with their console to new and unexplored locations, and if these locations don't have access to a television… well, that's where the Gaems G155 takes over. Because nothing says seasoned traveler like some airport Halo, right?
Travelling
Now that your luggage situation is (hopefully) settled, the question remains: What do you place inside of it? What gadgets are going to enrich your travelling life above and beyond the experience that your non-geeky peers will face?
Don't shoot the messenger, but a device like Apple's Airport Express should be at the top of your list for one key reason: Hotel Wi-Fi usually stinks. You don't want to have to suffer through a single bar's worth of a wireless connection the one time that you need consistent, speedy access to the Web. With the Airport Express (or D-Link's DWL-G730AP, if you're that much of an Apple-phobe), you'll be able to take your room's wired Ethernet and transform it into a souped-up, portable wireless network for any of your travelling colleagues to tap into. Now if only you could charge other hotel guests for access…
Since I just opened the Apple can of worms, here's another one: Energizer's iSurge Travel Charging Station is a monster of a power adapter packed into a device that fits into an average-sized palm. You'll love this one if you're rocking an iPhone, as it blends three AC outlets, two USB ports, and a single docking station for your iDevice right into its tiny body—so long as you don't mind always being stuck with the top half of a wall outlet.
If you're looking to charge a variety of devices without carrying around a mess of cables, consider the Roll Up Travel Charger: A leather-wrapped combination of an iPhone, mini USB, micro USB, and Samsung-friendly charger in a debonair holder. It's perfect for the multi-device user as long as you aren't rocking, say, two mini-USB-only Android smartphones at once. And if you've bit the bullet and decided to carry your various portable devices' cords with you, perhaps you can make a new airport friend via the FlipIt USB Stealth Charger. You get to leech just enough power from an outlet that's already in use to charge your device, and you get to explain to a weary airport traveler why he or she needs to unplug his or her laptop for a second or two.
Of course, airplanes were meant for one thing: Rocking out, not flying. If you're willing to sacrifice sound quality for the sweet sound of silence, a set of active noise-cancellation cans like Bose's QuietComfort 15 headphones are in order. But if you'd rather try to block this sound by jamming something in your ear instead of engaging a battery-draining, white-noise-generating, doesn't-fit-in-your-pocket pair of ear speakers, check out Klipsch's Image S4 earbuds. No matter what you do, don't buy the Angry Birds earbuds: You'll be laughed right out of the cabin (at 30,000 feet).
Have I left anything out? There's always the good ol' laptop privacy screen, which will set you back an arm and a leg (or an old LCD monitor) to conceal your screen from your airplane neighbor. A Grid-It bag could be a perfect complement for holding your tablet PC, cords, cables, gum, and anything else that fits within one of the holder's elastic straps. The Corsair Flash Padlock 2 is a great for keeping your most trusted data safe within a pant or jacket pocket (take that, laptop thieves).
And, of course, don't forget your camera!
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