8 Tech Items to Include in Your Packing List

Packing for a trip is always challenging, but things can get complicated when deciding which tech items to take with you. Some options are obvious, such as bringing your laptop or phone, but what about cameras and accessories? We have created this list to help you decide what to pack and what to leave behind. After all, you cannot carry everything you want unless you are fine with travelling with multiple bags.

Pelican Carry-on Case

Pelicans have become very popular with photographers and anyone travelling with expensive photography gear. It is, therefore, a good idea to consider getting one if you love taking photographs using a full-size camera whenever you travel.

Why are they a great choice? First, makers have started creating cases that fit into aeroplane overhead compartments as they have become popular. If you get one that is the right size, you will not have to stow it or worry about how the crew handles your expensive equipment.

Second, most are padded, waterproof and dustproof. This, alongside their sturdy construction, means you can take them almost anywhere and not worry about your equipment getting damaged. 

Third, they also have robust locks that ensure no one can tamper with your equipment. However, you still must be careful when travelling with them because people know they are used to carry expensive equipment. If you are travelling to an area you are unsure about safety wise, choose a bag with the compartments you need instead.

Travel Camera Bags

If you are uncomfortable with the attention a pelican case might bring, consider getting a sturdy camera bag. These have similar features but attract less attention and carry a lot less. They are the better option if you want to bring one or two cameras and a few lenses. Most camera bags also have additional compartments for other equipment, such as your headphones.

Noise-cancelling Headphones

Invest in a good pair of noise-cancelling headphones and place them inside your bag so you do not forget them. In addition to having high-quality sound, they also block out most of the noise you experience in airports and the hum of aeroplane engines.

There are so many options to choose from, but many people love Sony's noise-cancelling headphones. They are more affordable than options from Apple, Sennheiser and other high-end brands while being perfectly serviceable. They are also light enough that you can wear them on long trips without the fatigue associated with heavier headsets.

Earphones are great too, but you might have to increase the volume in an especially noisy aeroplane. As you know, listening to music or content at high volumes for long periods is detrimental to your hearing, so it is best to avoid earphones unless you do not have a choice.

A Laptop for Work and Play

If you plan on watching content and working while you travel, a powerful laptop is a must-have for your travel packing list. There are numerous options in the macOS, Windows, and Linux camps, but many people recommend the Apple M3 lineup released in 2023.

Although some say you should not upgrade if you have the M1, we say you should if you are moving from a Windows machine or an older Apple device.

The Apple MacBook Pro is the most powerful laptop Apple has ever released, with its in-house M3 chip standing far above comparable chips from Intel and AMD. This powerful chip means you can enjoy all your media and work while you travel. You can edit your video and audio files on the go and not be worried about the laptop throttling like you would in the past.

This laptop is also equipped to handle simple tasks like editing work documents and other things you might do while away from home. The MacBook Pro is capable of handling everything you might want it to even if you can offload some of the things you might want to do to the cloud like PDF to word conversions. The tool here is free to help you do that, and the MacBook Pro can handle more demanding tools you might want to use on your browser, like Figma.

The laptop also comes with a bright and colourful screen, a comfortable keyboard, secure sign-on using Apple ID, all the connectivity you would need while travelling and a ton of features you will love.

It also has excellent battery life and is less prone to stutters and slowing down like its predecessors. However, it can slow down under extreme conditions, but you would have to be pushing it hard not to do so.

A Tablet for Media Consumption

In some cases, you only want to consume media and maybe answer a few emails while travelling. If that is the case, you can pick up a tablet from Apple or Samsung. You have options from other companies, but they do not provide the screen brightness, incredible colours, and battery life options that Samsung and Apple do, so we would not recommend other options at this time.

These tablets are also easy to pack. They also come with the benefit of only requiring that you carry one charging and data cable because they support USB-C. You can also connect external drives to your tablet using compatible cables but check compatibility before leaving to avoid being disappointed.

A Smartphone with a Great Camera

A smartphone and a full-sized camera give you different results depending on the types of photographs you like to take. However, many smartphones now come with excellent cameras that perform well under different conditions.

If you do not like travelling with a bulky camera or do not need professional photographs, a smartphone camera will serve you just fine. The added benefit of carrying one is that you can post your photographs directly to social media, upload them to the cloud, or transfer them to a laptop if you need to edit them.

A Portable Charger or Power Bank

Aeroplane chargers are known for not working most of the time, so you should not rely on them when travelling. When picking a power bank, ensure it has a capacity of at least 20,000 mAh. Such a power bank will charge your camera, phone and tablet multiple times so you never run out of power.

An important thing to note is that airlines have strict maximum requirements for power bank capacities. Although this is typically a 40,000 mAh, check with the airline to ensure you stay within the set limits and avoid issues.

Accessories Case

You will need chargers, cables, and other accessories when travelling. If you do not have enough space in your case or bag, get an accessories case. These small, compact pouches fit all your accessories and are easy to carry around. They also come with compartments or organisational grids to help keep everything organised.

What you pack will depend on the type of trip you are taking and what you intend to do at your destination. You can choose a laptop or tablet, a carry-on case or bag, and a smartphone or full-size camera. If you like, you can take all these with you. However, ensure the case or bag you pack them in provides adequate protection and can fit all this gear.