Comments on: Five Extra Things You Must Pack For A Business Trip

By: CD

CD — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 05:14:22 +0000

Re powerboards – have a look at Model PT2MICRO on http://www.ji.com.au Portable and lightwight – ideal for travel.

By: William McDuff

William McDuff — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 18:09:07 +0000

A cunning trick for charging your devices without the glowing screen. Use a no-sleep utility like Caffiene for the Mac, and reduce the brightness of the screen to 0. You’ll still have the glowing apple and power plug (and other phone LEDs and the like), but the screen will be black. In the morning, just turn the brightness back on again!

By: Wobble

Wobble — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 10:44:56 +0000

Maybe you need to do up a more comprehensive list than just these. You've covered a very small subset of things that people need during travel.

You can come up with lists for:
- Hand/Carry-On Luggage essentials (for putting in your hand luggage)
- Technology Essentials (techie things you will need on the other side)
- Toiletry Essentials (make you look and smell good for the meeting)
- Overseas Meeting Essentials (make sure your meeting does not blow up because you forgot that little thing to make the laptop work)
- Photography Essentials (will you need your tripod?)
- Money or Currency Essentials (Credit/Debit Cards, cash, travellers cheques)

By: Sydney2K

Sydney2K — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 00:09:38 +0000

@Stephen Dann

I've bought a soft pencil case for that kind of storage of cabels and such like. It's malleable and easily shapes to whatever else you have in your laptop bag. I still collect the ziploc bags at the security section of the airport terminal- useful at all times.

@wordsmith
1. depends on the airline and jet you're flying with. A lot of the new jets (such as the new A380) will take standard plus, but other jets (the ones that only have laptop power for first and business) usually need special adaptors.

2. ditto. Good jets will have the single plug, but other jets will have the two plug standard. You can use one plug headphones, but they don't sound as good as using the adaptor.

3. I don't think so. You can global roam with Telstra, but I don't know if that's just limited to phonecalls. It might be easier to buy a pre-paid SIM in the US (T-Mobile is a good provider) but you may need to do research to see if that includes data as well as voice calls.

By: Joshka

Joshka — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 23:45:53 +0000

@wordsmith
2: Purchasable @ Dick Smith, Jaycar, Tandy etc.
3: It is, however roaming prices can be pretty hefty.

By: gary2002

gary2002 — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 21:59:55 +0000

I too have carried a power board away on trips. I carry an Australian 4-point power board, but I’ve cut off the standard Australian 3-pin plug and installed an IEC three-pin plug. I have US, European, UK and Australian adapters that connect from their native pin configuration to the standard IEC plug on the end of my power board. I take standard Australian-pinned uninversal voltage adapters with me to use wherever I travel.

By: wordsmith

wordsmith — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 21:16:37 +0000

Question 3 (bear with me!): is it possible to buy a prepaid SIM card with global roaming, such that you can make data exchanges on your mobile (eg, email) whilst in the US?

By: wordsmith

wordsmith — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 21:14:38 +0000

Question 2: do all airplanes/airlines use the same earphone adapters? Or is that what the “On-plane earphone adaptor” is referring to in this article? (and where can I get one?)

By: wordsmith

wordsmith — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 21:11:48 +0000

Question 1: when travelling to the US, is there a special power converter required for laptop usage? I know the little converters they sell at the airport gift shop work for small appliances like electric shavers, but I’ve always been scared to use them for laptops…?

By: Stuart Dapples

Stuart Dapples — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 09:36:13 +0000

All these are good things. I use rental cars a lot so a car charger for my phone and Ipod are mandatory.

PS A large bag of M and Ms are required for a late night chocolate hit when the seductive siren that is the mini bar beckons with her sultry voice.