I’m a keen traveller. Whenever I hit the road, my hand luggage is my camera backpack. Inside I have with me a camera, tablet or laptop, mobile, battery and chargers for all these devices. Lots and lots of cables and chargers. So far okay, I hope I do not forget anything, I zip up the backpack and I leave. The cat stays at home. 🙂 I am happy that my hobby is also my job. I work even when I am on vacation. But I do not complain, because I am on vacation when I work 😉
Battery tips
Each traveler sooner or later has faced the problem of the dead battery. Think about it, most hotel rooms have only one or two sockets and vary rarely three. What about if you are just like me always travelling with a buddy? I rarely travel alone and in most cases I am sharing a double or triple room with someone. Just like during my last trip in Asia.
During the day I am touring around, I take photos, I taste the local food, I go shopping and I go back to the hotel late in the evening together with the others. But in the room we face the challenge what to charge first for the next day.
Here are my 7 pieces of advice which I hope will be useful to you in such cases. When you do good planning, the trip goes smooth and without stress. My German friends would be so proud of me for this…
- It may seem weird to you but for long trips, take a multi socket in the big suitcase. It does not take much space in the luggage, it is light and it will save you lots of stress and nerves. In the evening once you are back plug all batteries and devices to charge and go to bed calm and ready for new adventures. The smaller option is to use a Multi port USB Travel Charger like this one:
- Buy and take with you an external battery pack which you always charge in the evenings. It will save you in the cases when you are outside walking, but your phone is dying and you need to find your location or you are just about to share the coolest sunset with your friends on Facebook. The price range of external batteries varies depending on their capacity and producer. I use cheap ones from Chinese brands and they do a great job. Watch out when you do the purchase to get the right cable with the plug that fits to your phone. You can find a solar charger too.
- Check in advance if you need adapter for the destination you are going to. It is always good to check in order to be prepared. If you are not aware, don’t be shy to ask. In some hotels they provide such but it depends on the category.
- If you are sharing the room with someone, agree to avoid taking useless stuff and both of you can take turns and be using the same laptop or tablet. This will save you space and kilos in the luggage. And another tip, if you run out of sockets: charge the computer and charge the phones and camera through the USB port of the computer. That way you use the computer as a USB-multi socket.
- Switch off some applications in order to keep the battery longer. Maps, Bluetooth, Skype and game applications for example which can drain your battery significantly.
- Ever been to skiing or snowboarding and noticed that the battery drains so fast? Do you know that the ideal temperature for mobile devices is between 0° C to 35° C/ 32° F to 95° F? Try keeping your mobile device within this temperature and the battery will last longer. If it’s freezing outside, keep your phone and camera closer to your body. The warmer they stay, the longer the battery will last. Don’t use the outside pockets of your winter jacket.
- And maybe here is the most important tip out of all, do not burst out if your battery dies and you don’t have options for charging it. Sometimes these are the loveliest moments which you will remember even though you couldn’t shoot them and share on Facebook. My friends keep the hope that this happens to me whenever we are on a journey. And I am sure that this point will make them smile. 🙂
Plan well so that you can enjoy your trip to 100 % and you avoid trouble.
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