Every time we plan a trip we approach the same questions... should I bring my laptop? My new iPhone? Will it potentially be stolen? And it is sometimes difficult to decide what's the best. So here some advice from our side, based on our experience, what we haven't missed and what we would never have left without!
Phone
Obviously you need to bring a phone, just for safety and in case of accidents. But most of us need it for more that making a call, it is our connection to the world at home, through Whatsapp, Skype, Facebook and of course not to forget instagram ;) So, the problem is, you spent the night in front of the apple store to get the newest iPhone that had cost you more than 800$! CRAZYYY
Now, the thing to consider is, to you risk to bring it? That highly depends on your trip, your destination and your travel style.. in our case, where we go on a RTW trip over 5 month, we do bring a phone, both of us, but we don't one any of the highly expensive luxury versions.
We recommend to bring your phone, because it is just very handy and smaller than any other electronics, but if you are traveling to some poorer countries and are on a backpacker budget with low-cost accommodation, you should consider to bring an older phone if you have one.
The important rules to not get your phone stolen:
- Don't leave your phone lying around
- Don't bring it to a party (especially fullmoon or in Kuta, Bali)
- Be careful in Tuktuks or any open rides.. people tend to crab you stuff out of your hands while driving by!
If you are still afraid, consider a insurance to cover your phone!
Laptop
Ask yourself one question.. Do you really need a laptop? If yes, what do you need it for and can any other item do the same? In most cases, you should come to the conclusion that an tablet (if you have one) can do the same things! For most travelers, especially if you are only away for a couple of weeks, it is really not necessary to bring a own laptop.. unless you are a digital nomad who is working from abroad, like us. Or you are on the road for several month and need it to store your photos and upload them. Therefore a laptop enables you to connect a external hard-drive which a tablet can't do. This is one of the main reasons why we bring a laptop on our worldtrip, but we have purchased a small netbook with 11 inch, keeping it light and small. You don't need to buy one new, we got it second hand and it works perfectly :)
Tablet
A tablet becomes really handy on a longer trip, you are able to surf in the internet more easily than on a small phone, you can read books and even watch movies. Pretty much all you need. A tablet and a phone would be the perfect match for a trip!
Camera
The camera problem... also not so easy to answer. Depends on your photography enthusiasm and the gear you have available. Biggest problem about a fancy reflex camera is the size and weight, but if you are an professional photographer you won't leave without... that's totally okay!! But if you are like us and leave for a long time, you should thing lighter and smaller. Our photo equipement consists mostly of two pieces, our beloved Samsung NX-Mini camera that has an amazing selfie function with beautiful skin smoother (comes pretty handy if you didn't have time for make-up in the hostel bathroom ;) and our action camera, which is - surprise - NOT a GoPro! We use a german brand that is called Actrionpro X8 and shots 4K videos and is especially good for underwater shots. But the best about it, the price! Just about 200$, just what we needed on our worldtrip saving budget. So check it out.. you probably find some pics made with it on instagram!
External hard-drive
If you are away for a couple of month, you should consider bringing a external harddrive to save your pictures and videos. We definitely do that!
Our equipment
Finally, check out what we are bringing on our trip around the world:
1 x Samsung Galaxy A5
1 x iPhone 4
1 x Samsung Tab Pro 8.4
1 x Acer Aspire ES-1
1 x Samsung NX Mini
1 x Actionpro X8
1 x external hard drive 1 TB
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