It is interesting to think about how traveling has changed with technological gains. My parents traveling around the world in 1977 would mail letters home and tell family the next city where they could be reached - hoping for a letter to be waiting for them in the Bombay Post Office. Or hoping the next hotel has a leftover copy of a book they hadn't read yet. And of course, only seeing what pictures they took when they got home.
Jeff and I have it very different. We brought a couple electronic items with us that have felt invaluable. For starters, our Kindles. Being able to carry 40+ books each, buy books as we go, and have a simple device that can connect to the internet when necessary, has been easily the handiest and most valuable piece of technology we brought. We love our Kindles.
The second most valuable is our little Asus netbook. We bought it for under $300 in December and at first it felt like the most expensive Solitare machine possible, but it soon proved to be so helpful for storing pictures, writing blog posts, and using wifi (once we got to SE Asia, we've had free wifi in every single hotel we've stayed at).
Third - now this isn't something we brought with us, but having video chat capabilities for free through Skype. It is so wonderful to be able to video chat with our parents and by far the best is to see our nieces and nephews. For those of you who have never Skyped with a kid before, it is a highly enjoyable experience. I loved seeing my cousin's kid Sophie show us her Christmas presents through the video. Below is a photo of our niece Madison and her friend talking to us as our nephews Maddox and Mason and our other niece Reagan build a tower of blocks for us in the background. Absolutely hilarious.
There are other items with no need of descriptions: digital cameras, ipods, and an awesome alarm clock my mom got us with time zones pre-coded. And let's not forget that technology has even helped us stay safer. The Steripen was a gift from my parents for Jeff's birthday. It works as an ultraviolet light emitting device that can be used to treat water and help make it potable. This thing has been simply wonderful, and is a small and convenient way of killing potentially harmful microbes in untested waters. Very cool, and we've been using it for months now with awesome results (i.e. no-illness from water!)
Ah, the new technology. Traveling will never be the same, and it has all happened in such a short amount of time. What will the next ten, twenty, or fifty years bring? One thing that would have been a nice addition would have been a portable GPS unit. On Amazon, they sell several for backpackers that resemble a walkie-talkie in size, but the expense was prohibitive at the time we took our trip. Maybe in another couple of years when we plan our 21 month tour of Africa and the Middle East.
Jeff and I have it very different. We brought a couple electronic items with us that have felt invaluable. For starters, our Kindles. Being able to carry 40+ books each, buy books as we go, and have a simple device that can connect to the internet when necessary, has been easily the handiest and most valuable piece of technology we brought. We love our Kindles.
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| The 3rd generation and 2nd generation Kindles we brought. The iPod of books, and our favorite devices of our trip. If you like reading at all, get one. You will not regret it! |
The second most valuable is our little Asus netbook. We bought it for under $300 in December and at first it felt like the most expensive Solitare machine possible, but it soon proved to be so helpful for storing pictures, writing blog posts, and using wifi (once we got to SE Asia, we've had free wifi in every single hotel we've stayed at).
Third - now this isn't something we brought with us, but having video chat capabilities for free through Skype. It is so wonderful to be able to video chat with our parents and by far the best is to see our nieces and nephews. For those of you who have never Skyped with a kid before, it is a highly enjoyable experience. I loved seeing my cousin's kid Sophie show us her Christmas presents through the video. Below is a photo of our niece Madison and her friend talking to us as our nephews Maddox and Mason and our other niece Reagan build a tower of blocks for us in the background. Absolutely hilarious.
There are other items with no need of descriptions: digital cameras, ipods, and an awesome alarm clock my mom got us with time zones pre-coded. And let's not forget that technology has even helped us stay safer. The Steripen was a gift from my parents for Jeff's birthday. It works as an ultraviolet light emitting device that can be used to treat water and help make it potable. This thing has been simply wonderful, and is a small and convenient way of killing potentially harmful microbes in untested waters. Very cool, and we've been using it for months now with awesome results (i.e. no-illness from water!)
Ah, the new technology. Traveling will never be the same, and it has all happened in such a short amount of time. What will the next ten, twenty, or fifty years bring? One thing that would have been a nice addition would have been a portable GPS unit. On Amazon, they sell several for backpackers that resemble a walkie-talkie in size, but the expense was prohibitive at the time we took our trip. Maybe in another couple of years when we plan our 21 month tour of Africa and the Middle East.
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