On our recent vacation to Vancouver, I wanted to pack as minimally as possible. I have a rep in my family for packing an obscene gadget backpack, and using very little of the gear I bring. I wanted to see how minimally I could pack and still participate digitally.
Goodbye backpack.
My first task was whittling down the bag I travel with. Instead of my normal Canon backpack, or one of my Booq pro bags, I opted for a small travel camera sling. I love all the pockets and dividers you get with a camera bag, even though I wasn’t packing my DSLR.
The nice thing about a sling, it keeps everything cinched down pretty tight, while allowing me to have the use of both of my arms. I’ve started using them over my old messenger bags when I’m on the go.
Only ONE phone?!?!?
Even near home I tend to have two phones on me at any given time, so leaving the country with only one phone already had me feeling a little vulnerable. I opted for the Nokia Lumia Icon for a couple reasons. Even though it’s a Verizon phone, it’s completely unlocked. It also allowed me to leave my point and shoot camera at home, as the only compromise I’d have to make is not having a zoom lens.
After landing I grabbed a Virgin Mobile SIM card with a meager amount of data, but I pretty much relied on WiFi during my visit. Using a Nokia worked well for travel as I was able to download maps directly to my phone and use them offline with HERE Maps to get around town.
Only my Google+ usage suffered because stupid Google still won’t let us Windows Phone users upload pics and videos or use Hangouts. Pretty much every other social network was included in my touristy food pic uploads, even VK. No Google+, but I could upload to VK. How messed up is that…
No Laptop?!?!?
My gadget bag has gotten me into trouble in the past. TSA isn’t really used to seeing multiple gadgets piled together, so one out of four times I head through security I’m selected for additional screening. Not only did I want to avoid that, I wanted to streamline the entire security process. Out of all the larger screens to pick, I opted for my Surface 2. I like the Nokia 2520 better, but I thought the built in kickstand would help with writing and media viewing, especially on the plane.
Unfortunately the metal surface edges on the bottom of the Surface were kind of slippery on the tiny little airplane trays. Banking and climbing, my Surface would slide right off, so I had to use the tablet stand which came with my Bluetooth Keyboard anyway.
Using the Surface, I was able to write articles using Word and WordPress, do a little photo editing, and occasionally upload pics to the web over WiFi (even stupid Google+). The only thing I wasn’t able to do on my Surface that I normally would’ve tried on the go was video editing.
Accessories Galore!
To stay out all day and night, I’d need to be able to maximize run time. A combo of my extra large RAVPower battery and my Nokia DC16 kept us juiced without needing to find outlets. This was of coursed helped by my frugal data usage on 3G.
Unfortunately the Surface can’t charge over USB cables, so it lived at the hotel room. To stage all of our electronics in one area of the hotel room I used a Quirky foldable power strip to add a pair of outlets and a pair of USB ports. Helped keep us from scattering our gear all over the place.
For headphones I opted for my Nokia Purity Pro’s. One to keep my branding consistent, and two for their decent noise reduction. Their large size took up a good chunk of my Golla sling, and it meant having another thing to charge. To do it over I’d probably opt for a decent set of earbuds like my V-Moda Vibrato headset.
For photo opportunities I packed a Slingshot mount with a mini-foldable tripod. It helped with handholding the camera, and for the few times I actually wanted to be in the shot, I could prop it up and shoot with a timer.
The Results?
The week was a success. Moving forward, unless I need to edit video, use my DSLR, or if I REALLY want to participate on Google+, this is likely how I’ll travel in the future. I’d maybe switch to the combo of Android phone and Windows Tablet if there was an Android with a competitive camera.
It also helped my traveling peace of mind as I had way less stuff to keep track of. Sometimes my inventory process alone can be a headache. If there are any travel life tips you use leave us a comment below!
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