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Old 05-01-2006, 09:10 AM   #1
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That is the question.

For many of us, backpacking is getting off the beaten track. Its experiencing a culture or area that one would not typically get to see back home in East Rearend, Montana. The culture shock aside, its a valuable experience.

However, when one ventures from a wealthy Western country into a new environ for a while, there's a need or want to bring a few creature comforts from home, IE, an iPod/MP3 player, etc.

This is not a de-facto representation of all gadgets or the official TPunk position. This is my opinion, and I've traveled light and heavy, so YMMV.

iPod/MP3


The best advice I can offer is to understand that such electronic devices make you stand out in these countries. You are potentially a target for theft or worse because of the perception of your wealth. If you are in a country that barely has running water, flashing an iPod that costs more than the average person's yearly income isn't advisable. Be aware of your surroundings and know what is appropriate. Hiding the earphones in your clothing is not a bad idea. But also be aware not to crank the volume up to loud on them. You could become a victim of a sneak-attack mugging. Its not a safe world out there, so be aware at all times!

Smart travelers take the stuff thats necessary to keep it operational. For an iPod, since thats what I have, take this:

--- case to protect it
--- adapter
--- backup earbuds
--- backup battery pack
--- power adapter with appropriate plug changer if required (see Travel Power FAQ for more details)

This takes little if any room and makes sure that when you get there, you can use the thing.


Cameras:


Everybody wants to get some pics to remember their trip. I do it, and I'm sure everyone else does it. However, picking the correct camera is fundamentally important, however. If you are a solo packer, and attempting to go as light as possible, a big SLR digital or 35mm cam is going to drag you down. If I had to pack up my beloved 35mm Nikon and its associated lenses, I've got an entire bag to bring along in addition to my pack.

Most of us tend to opt for a point-and-shoot camera (self-included) for sheer size and convenience. I have a Nikon Coolpix 5600 which has served me well. I've also had several Sony's over the years and they weren't half bad, either. But the things to remember for cameras: They are easily stolen or broken. If you are packing through Central America or SE Asia and constantly on the go, keep it close!!

That really nice Digital SLR your folks bought you for graduation should likely stay home, though. I'd hate to be concerned about a $1000+ rig than a $200 point-and-shoot.

I also prefer disposable AA battery-capable cams, as well. It would be awful to be stuck somewhere without the ability to recharge your cam when you get that awesome shot opportunity. Being able to put a couple AA's in there (like mine) on the fly makes the difference.

Camera Essentials:

--- camera bag
--- largest memory card you can find (I use a 1GB in the cam and keep a backup.)
--- backup batteries
--- lense cloth (it gets dirty. trust me.)
--- power adapter if it has rechargeable batteries.

Video Camera


Video cameras are more rare in the backpacker's arsenal of electronic gadgets. But they are out there. Cameras are getting smaller and cheaper, and the quality of them has grown leaps and bounds in the past few years. But these require all sorts of extra gear, from backup media, to larger, bulky batteries, and nothing draws attention like looking through the viewfinder of a hand-held video camera.

However, there is a certain amount of jealousy towards those that have 'em, since after all they do get a really good account. I'd have loved to have had a video cam for my zipline tour in the Costa Rican Cloud Forest. Cest la vie. I did come across a couple that had one, and they even said it was a bit bulky, but worth it. YMMV.

Now, there are those of you that will say something along the lines of "But Joker, my digicam can do short videos." This is true. But not of the quality of dedicated video cams. And many video cams can do stills, but not of the quality of a good digicam. Eventually the lines will be blurred and I'll adopt a video cam, but not for a while. And like I said before, I'd be hard-pressed to drop $1k on a cam and then be worried about it getting lost/stolen/broken somewhere.


New Stuff!!!

Cellular Phones

So, umm, how does one stay in touch with everyone in this modern-connected world? By phone, of course. And today's phones are far more than the old brick we saw of "Saved By the Bell." Sure, Zach was the coolest kid at Bayside High, but that big gray brick only could make a phone call. Text messages, mobile websurfing, email, cameras, video, even MP3 ability are all common features on the latest and greatest wireless sets. But just because you have a brand-spanking new phone that works anywhere in the States or Canada doesnt mean you'll be able to use it in, say France.

For purposes of simplicity, I'll attempt to only use national carriers. Regionals are exactly that, and since the US market is rapidly becoming consolidated, it makes it easier to follow...

In the US, the primary methods of transmission are either CDMA, TDMA, or GSM. CDMA is primarily offered by Verizon (the largest provider) and Sprint/Nextel. CDMA and TDMA have good capability to offer all those neat-o features, but the real 800lb gorilla is GSM. GSM is used all over the world (100+ markets with 2 Billion phones in use) and supported in the States by Cingular and T-Mobile.

GSM phones are easily identifiable by the small (size of your fingernail) chip inserted typically under the battery that tells your phone all its important network info. The idea is that regardless of where you are, you can purchase a local network chip, insert it into your phone and use it on that network. This means that neat Motorola RAZR you just bought could theoretically be used in both the States as well as Europe. But wait-- there's a catch.

US wireless providers typically require their phones to be sold "locked" to their own frequencies. If you want that RAZR to be useable in Europe, you'll most likely have to pay to have it unlocked (essentially its a software change). But once unlocked, if it works across the 4 GSM bands, you're good to go. Purchase a prepaid GSM chip over where ever you are and it should work, no sweat. In my research, I've found the average cost to unlock a phone is around $50 US.

The trick is to find a phone that is "Quad-Band" capable. This means it works on the following frequencies: 850, 900, 1800, and 1900 mhz. If it doesn't work on all of those then it may not work where you travel to. Punk beware!!

Another advantage of GSM is that when you purchase a new phone, all your contacts are saved on the chip. Put it into a new phone and everyone in your address book is there already. In the old days, you had to re-input all those names and numbers every time your phone was traded for a new one...

The latest generations of these phones even have MP3 players built-in. Yesterday, I became the owner of the Motorola ROKR for Cingular's service. The ROKR works with iTunes, so if you are familiar with the interface of that program (if you haven't used it, try it.) you'll be ready to roll. Out of the box, the ROKR holds about 100 songs. You can purchase larger mini-SD media cards (this thing is smaller than your fingernail) to increase the capacity, apparently, but i havent done this yet. It connects via USB to your computer so it isn't as fast as an iPod on updating, but it gets the job done. Currently only Cingular offers the connectivity with iTunes, but there are still plenty of MP3-capable phones out there.

There are others from other services, but since GSM is the most-widely used standard, it is not without good cause I mention that particular model here.

So, now the connected TravelPunk can listen to music and drunk dial the rest of us from anywhere in the world!!


Happy Travels!
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Old 05-01-2006, 06:30 PM   #2
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i've heard it's smart in some urban areas not to use the white apple earbuds with your ipod since they stand out so much. i know a few kids in boston who wear a cheap set of headphones with their ipod so as not to attract attention.
just a though
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Old 05-01-2006, 06:38 PM   #3
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You are correct. There were warnings posted about this in New York City specifically because of the rash of iPod thefts. The simple little white earbuds are a dead giveaway.

FWIW, I didn't stop using mine because of that, I started because the wire broke Now I use some nice little Sennheiser's I've had for some time, and they sound better anyway.

Remember, observe your surroundings and don't draw more attention to yourself or your gadgets, folks!
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Old 05-01-2006, 06:49 PM   #4
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Joker, great "article"!! it really is helpful for the first time traveler... and also, I often thought about wearing black earplugs as Noke says, otherwise it's too obvious you've got an i-pod... even if it's the cheapest kind...

I was wondering, did you ever have any truble with your Nikon camera? I have the same one (though it's 3200) and i was wondering if you have any specific tips for it. It has so many functions I learn something new every time i use it! Any tips you found out in your travels?
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Old 05-01-2006, 06:57 PM   #5
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Thanks!

Tips on the cam?

Read the manual BEFORE you run out on an adventure. I had to figure out how to set the shutter speeds and flash points on the fly and missed out on some pics I shoulda had. But otherwise its a pretty straight forward camera to use. Nikon did a good job with the current Coolpix series. However, if I had it to do over again, I woulda spent about $200 more on a faster shutter-speed equipped Panasonic. Got to use one when I was traveling last and loved it... Oh well, next time, right? :D
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Old 05-02-2006, 05:41 AM   #6
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Some really awesome tips!! I did my trip of a month 'n a half without any sort of music but I didn't find it as bad as I thought I would. It was kinda nice just to always be hearing the sounds of new countries, but it probably would have been comforting to hear some english music.

I packed a point 'n shoot camera that I'd gotten for X-mas and it was incredibly light weight and took great pics. I'm really not a great photographer or anything, but it's always nice to be able to snap those photos of people you've met and monuments you've seen.

Video cameras, you know I never saw one with any of the backpackers but it would have been fun if you had a small one. Catching bits of people's voices and even just hanging out with the new people you'd met.

This is some good info!!

Jenn
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Old 05-02-2006, 08:20 PM   #7
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I'm thinking of geting an MP3 player with FM radio... I dunno, I always thought it'd be cool to listen to the local radios instead of my every-day music I've got on my computer... I think that'd be really cool... listening to someone speak non stop in French or Czech at the radio....

And I'm sooooo looking forward to listening to The Cranberries' while travelling thrugh Ireland!! Dont know really why, but this is omething I wanted to do forever... musicalise (sp?) my stay in Ireland with The Cranberrie's No need to Argue album.

Of course I'm not gonna block myself from the world with my headphones, but if by chance I dont get to meet anyone/or I'm too tyred to even strike up a conversation, it'd be good to have music for company.
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Old 05-03-2006, 08:14 PM   #8
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^^^ Right now I have a Zen Mirco 6GB that has FM radio capability (it also has a mic option if you hear something on your travels you want to record). It was $200 but depending on where you get it and how many GBs you want it could be cheaper or more expensive (there were literally only like 3 Zen Micros in town when I bought mine so I didn't have much choice of where to buy it). I've had it for about 2 months now. The only bad thing about it is the sensitive touchpad. But set the senstivity to low and after a few days you should have no trouble managing it.

I could not imagine travelling without music. I picked up some cheap collapsable headphones (I loathe the earbuds) from Target. The last thing I would ever want is white headphones - identifies you as a mindless iPod sheep.
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Old 07-23-2006, 12:33 PM   #9
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If you can use bluetooth try that...You can have your device in your pack or pocket out of site and listen to your tunes..
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Old 07-23-2006, 01:19 PM   #10
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Question:

I have a digital camera that I plan to bring with me and use for those shots that have to be quick or they will pass you by and for shots when I'm out with friends or out partying.... BUT I have a decent 35mm that I use for the more artistic side. Should I bring it? I would probably only pack the camera with a lens that runs from 28mm-80mm and then maybe a better wide angle lens. I plan to take pictrues of landscapes and the natives in their daily life. I figure if I want a shot of something touristy I can use the digi. Any ideas or suggestions? Many Thanks!
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Old 07-24-2006, 12:57 AM   #11
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I see more and more people traveling with SLRs nowadays, so I guess according to them, it's worth it. I know I would if I owned one. You just have to be a bit more careful and guard it with your life if you're somewhere sketchy... My friend did have one stolen, but that was right out of his car here in San Francisco, not while traveling. Go figure.
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Old 07-24-2006, 09:25 AM   #12
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I have my P & S nikon and it serves me well too. I have had a chance to get my hands on a Nikon D50 SLR and I must say that there is a HUGE difference in the picture quality. I just don't want to risk getting it knicked.

I have carried my ipod on a few trips. Here is what I do...

I only use it on long trips, ie planes, trains, and buses. You shoudlnt really need it otherwise except for the random time spent in bed.

Foo

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Old 12-01-2008, 03:19 PM   #13
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I really liked the Solio solar powered charger for your electronics.

It will let you charge while on the road (no outlet needed!) and it's eco-friendly. You really can't ask for much more... and chances are your electronic device is supported.
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