Packing Electronics


Packing Gadgets-Electronics for a Trip to Europe

What electronics should you pack for a trip to Europe?  These items are not strictly necessary for a pleasure trip, but in an interconnected world most of us feel naked without technology. My previous sections – Packing– clothing and Packing– accessories – detail the clothes and miscellaneous stuff you need to pack for a trip to Europe.  

Maximize utility with minimal hardware – The smartphone is the Swiss Army Knife of mobile technology.

Most people can probably get by just fine with a smartphone.  Apple or Android, take your pick.  With your smartphone you can check email, surf the web for travel information, store travel guides, access useful travel apps, use GPS to find points of interest and more.

Decide first whether to bring your own smartphone or buy a “throwaway” phone overseas.  It can be expensive to use your own phone overseas for telephone calls – check with your carrier about month-to-month add-on plans for international voice.  It will probably be cheaper for you to use your own phone if you don’t intend to make many calls back to the States and you don’t intend to make many calls within Europe.  If, however, you plan on many calls within Europe, a prepaid phone bought at your destination may save you some money.  The alternative to a prepaid phone is a compatible SIM card for your unlocked smartphone – these are widely available in Europe, but you may need a different SIM card for each country you visit.

Watch your data usage, too.  The good news is that free Wi-Fi is becoming widely available in Europe – from cafes and bars to your hotel and public places.  If you can limit your internet use to those times when you have Wi-Fi, you can save a bundle.  Tip: make sure to turn off “data roaming” on your phone so that it won’t seek or receive push notifications which can add up to a lot of data.

Unfortunately, one of the most useful tools on your smartphone is your map application, which generally requires internet connectivity to give you turn-by-turn directions.  There are apps available that will download maps to your phone so you don’t need an internet connection, but I still haven’t found one I would recommend.  Month-to-month or travel package international data plans are available from your carrier – decide whether $50-$100 extra in your travel budget is worth the convenience of being connected throughout your trip.

Beware of text/SMS messages.  International texts cost money, even if you have an unlimited texting plan.  You can buy international texts for your trip starting at about $20.00 for 50 messages from most carriers.  In the alternative (and given the time difference between Europe and the U.S.) consider quick emails as a better alternative, or periodic blog posts to keep your family and friends up to date.

Other Gadgets for your Trip:

- Tablet/iPad – Useful for more hardcore internet use, especially for blogging about your European trip, uploading photos to the cloud, and easier viewing of travel guides, maps and saved references.  I carry an original iPad on my trips to upload photos and to blog.  I don’t, however, generally carry the iPad with me when I’m on the town – it stays at the hotel for after-hours and early morning work.  My smartphone is plenty while I’m on the move.
My iPad at work on a European train
- Laptop Computer – I honestly wouldn’t bother for a vacation.  You’ve traveled to Europe to see places and meet people.  Is the trip really worth it if you spend considerable time each day stuck in front of your computer?  Leave it home unless you’re on a business trip.  Today’s tablets can do everything you need while traveling (smartphones can pretty much do it all, too.)

- Headphones – I used to carry simple earbuds for my smartphone and tablet.  But I’ve got to tell you that I was given a pair of Bose QuietComfort 15 over-the-ear headphones and I love them.  These headphones are worth it just for the plane trips.  The noise-cancelling feature is extraordinary, making the loud interior of the airplane nearly disappear.  Of course the sound quality is much better than earbuds, too.  I still carry the earbuds, for use on the street or in crowded public places where the more expensive earphones would paint a target on me for thieves.  But there’s nothing better than the QuietComfort 15 earphones for the plane or a long train or bus ride.

- Camera – I carry two.  The first is a large-body DSLR which takes professional-quality pictures and has innumerable and useful settings.  It’s an expensive camera, though, so I don’t want to take it with me everywhere I go during my trip – going out for drinks at the bar after a day of touring, for example.  For these other times I have a travel-zoom camera.  This style of camera fits in your front pocket but still takes much better pictures than your phone’s camera.

Gadgets beget Gadgets

You’ll probably need more gadgets to make the most of your “essential” gadgets – I call these "accessory" gadgets.  You can quickly get overloaded with accessory gadgets, so choose wisely and balance the utility of any given accessory gadget with your limited packing space.

            - Memory Cards for your camera(s): my two cameras use the same kind of memory cards.  I take three with me, and it’s always been plenty.  I reserve one of the cards for video capture, and the other two for pictures.  I download my pictures each night onto my tablet (which then uploads the pics to the cloud) so that I won’t lose my pictures if my camera goes missing.
            - Lenses and Flashes for your Camera:  these can quickly take up loads of room in your carryon luggage.  I make do with either the built-in flash or a high ISO setting instead of a separate flash unit for my DSLR.  I also bring a single lens, a utility lens (18-135mm) for close-up shots and good zoom.  I will never be a professional photographer, but this utility lens and decent photo editing software does everything I could ever hope for and more.
            - Memory Card Adapter – to download your pictures to your tablet or laptop.  You can sometimes use a corded connecter instead, but the adapters are usually more compact.  It’s worth it to take a few minutes daily to download your photos, on the off chance your camera gets lost, damaged or stolen.
            - Camera tripods and stands – I wouldn’t bother unless you’re a pro.  Again, you’re traveling for pleasure, so unless you’re an avid shutterbug don’t spend the time and aggravation carrying around, setting-up and breaking-down tripods and stands.
            - Extra Battery Packs for your Camera(s) – two battery packs for each camera should suffice for most applications.

And Let’s Not Forget:

You’ve got to charge all of the devices you are bringing to Europe.  Make sure all of your devices/chargers are dual-voltage.  They should be stamped 110-240v, 50-60 Hz.  You will need a plug adapter to convert your North American two- or three-prong plug to the round two-prong European plug (the U.K., Ireland, Switzerland and some parts of Italy employ a difference plug style).  Get a dual-voltage travel power strip (few outlets are available in European hotels) and a plug adapter to connect the strip to the wall.

Double-up on your chargers if you can – for example, my iPad charger can also charge my iPhone.  Unfortunately, my two cameras use two different batteries requiring two different chargers.

If you plan to drive in Europe:  Consider an inexpensive cigarette lighter adapter that allows you to charge a device via USB (like your phone or tablet).  European car cigarette power ports deliver the same kind of electricity to USB adapters, so no need for a specifically-European USB cigarette lighter adapter.  


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