Technology is certainly useful when you’re preparing for travel, with plenty of websites and apps available to book and plan the perfect getaway. But your devices can keep you organized during your trip as well and help you make the most of your experience – as long as you know how to manage them.
Here are five tech travel tips from expert jetsetters.
Don’t forget the power strip. You probably have multiple devices, but you are not always going to have multiple outlets at your disposal away from home. Matthew Long of Landlopers recommends purchasing a compact power strip before taking off. “They’re inexpensive, lightweight and fold up into a neat package and allow you to connect multiple devices at once so all you need is one outlet,” he says. Just be sure to research what type of adapter you will need to purchase for the power strip if you are traveling internationally.
Remember there’s an app for that. Download some destination-specific travel apps before you leave on your trip. Mobile guidebooks, language lessons, city maps and comprehensive transit information are just the tip of the iceberg. TripIt!, which allows you to create a master itinerary and access it at any time, is a favorite of EarthxPlorer’s JD Andrews. “It’s one of those things that you didn’t know you needed, but after using it, you don’t know how you traveled without it,” he says.
Have a back-up plan. Pre-printed itineraries, tickets and receipts can easily get lost in the shuffle during travel. Storing all of your important documents in the Cloud allows you to access them in case hard copies are misplaced. Sebastian Canaves of Off The Path suggests creating a Dropbox account where you can keep everything in an online file. You can then log in to print what you need at your hotel, onboard your cruise ship or at an Internet café.
Learn from other travelers via social media. Folks across the globe love to share experiences and tips on their social networks. Search for a specific city on Twitter and see what people have to say about it or send a message to your followers and Facebook friends asking them for guidance. “Many times I have reached out to my Twitter audience for suggestions on what to see and where to eat,” says Andrews.
Take email precautions. It may be important to you to stay connected with family and friends back home through email, but sending emails in your main account on foreign networks could pose risks. Sean Sullivan, Security Advisor at F-Secure Labs tells The Denver Post that setting up a one-off email address is a good way to avoid leaking sensitive information. “That way if someone hacks your vacation email account, they might see emails with your mom and the cat sitter, but they won’t have access to the other sensitive data that would be in your main email account,” he says.