Geeky Traveller

Top ten things I wouldn’t leave home without

by Sherry on March 10th, 2008

Assuming that my kids, money, and important documents are all accounted for, here are the top ten things I would want with me on my vacation.

1. My camera. That’s an absolute no-brainer for me. I’m an amateur, but I’m a photo fiend and the family shutterbug. Leaving home without my Canon Rebel XT would be like asking me to sever a limb.

2. My GorillaPod. I wrote a brief entry on it not too long ago. I now have one of my own, sent to me to test it out - expect a personal review of it later this week. But suffice it to say that if I’m on vacation I would like to be sure that I’m in some of the shots as well, and the GorillaPod would help with that in just about any location.

3. A multi-charging unit. You can find a lot of these on the market. Having cell phones and cameras and possibly GPS units, not to mention mp3 players, you need something to charge them. Why lug one for each device if you can use a universal charger to take care of several of them at once?

4. Speaking of mp3 players - I may not have a fancy iPod but I do have a nice little SanDisk mp3 player. I can’t sleep well without some sort of white noise, and it’s even worse in an unfamiliar location, so having a nice ocean wave sound looping on my mp3 player would make sure I can catch some shut-eye while I’m away!

5. A travel alarm clock. If I’m camping, I don’t need one. Once the sun comes up, I can’t sleep more than an hour in a tent because they get so hot. However, anywhere else, and I want to make sure I have something that will make sure I’m up at a decent hour so I don’t waste my vacation by sleeping it away.

6. A Swiss Army knife or something similar. The tools of the geeks, they used to say in my high school, but I used one of those to open a bottle of beer on top of Citadel Hill in Quebec city during an impromptu evening many years ago. You never know when you’ll need a corkscrew, a pair of tiny scissors, or a plain old knife. Cover your bases!

7. A compass. Most of my travels involve camping these days, so I’d likely bring a compass for any hiking I end up doing. Even if I used a fully marked trail and didn’t really need one, I’d use one just because a) it’s fun, and b) it would be educational for my kids.

8. A point and shoot camera. Okay, up top I listed my Rebel XT. So why a point and shoot? Because it’s easy to fit in your pocket so my husband could carry it and then we get two different perspectives. My kids could take shots with it too. And also, then I could have an excuse to try…

9. A waterproof casing for digital cameras. I don’t even know if they make them for a digital SLR, but I wouldn’t trust it with my more expensive camera. However, with a cheaper point and shoot, I’d take the risk and see if I can get some underwater shots in the ocean or the hotel pool.

10. Some sort of kids’ activity center. If my travel involved a road trip, I’d definitely want something to keep the kids entertained for awhile.

Despite my attachment to my laptop, I likely wouldn’t bring it with me unless I was going on a business trip or visiting family. If I’m on an actual vacation in a city that I want to see, I don’t want the distraction of my laptop. If I really desperately need to taunt someone back home, I’ll find an internet cafe and send a quick email telling them what an awesome time I’m having.

What do you need to bring on your travels?

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