Below are some of the products and apps that keep me productive while I’m on the move. And as a digital nomad for three years now, I move a lot – sometimes to housesit and sometimes on vacay.
Some of the links I use are affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you make a purchase, but that doesn’t increase your cost and I promise to only use those when I’m linking to a product or service I have experience with and am proud to recommend.
🔏 Let’s start with security
I use NordVPN on my laptop and my phone to keep the baddies out of my devices. The few times I’ve run into problems – like the VPN blocking my bank, which I kinda need access to 😬 – Nord’s customer service stuck with me until we figured out the issue.
Try them out with a free month of access: https://refer-nordvpn.com/IXLgpKgRrru
I also recommend privacy screens if you need strange eyeballs to stay off your lappy or phone screen 👀 (I see you, spicy romance authors 🌶️)
💻 The tech stack is hella important when you’re traveling
I prefer a smaller laptop – I like the Microsoft Surface with the detachable Bluetooth keyboard because it can function as a touchscreen computer or a tablet. I know a lot people love Apple products and my friends who have the MacBook Air are a teensy bit obsessed with it.
Earbuds or headphones are critical in noisy areas. I have Beats headphones and Google Pixel earbuds but I don’t love either one of them. I think my ears are a weird size? Anyway, I prefer cheap wired headphones unless it’s really loud and I need active noise cancellation.
This exact 15” monitor has traveled around the US with me for three years and has been rock solid. There is probably a newer/better version but I’m still super happy with this one – it’s flat and the size of a second laptop. It connects with a single cord (as long as the computer you’re plugging it into has a USB-C port). And the cover doubles as a stand. I may have cried when I realized I was on a cruise and needed to give a presentation that included Zoom, a shared screen, and a script, and I had forgotten to bring the monitor so everything had to be done with just my laptop 😭
My favorite plug adapter is basically a mini-Autobot 🤖 It holds a million (no exaggeration 🤭) different plugs for regions all over the world, includes multiple USB ports, and even has a night light. I can’t find it on Amazon, so no direct link, but I love having the night-light for potty runs in the dark in a strange room.
If you’re traveling with small tech that only needs a USB port and doesn’t have a cord with a US plug attached to it, I suggest buying just the plug for the region you’re going to so you don’t have to carry a bulky adapter. I have a single plug with two USB ports (so I can charge two devices at once) for Europe and one for the UK for the times that I’m leaving my laptop at home. You can find them on Amazon listed as “plug” or “charging block” or “wall charger.”
And I like that it makes me feel like local when I use the local plug instead of the adapter 💅
💡 Travel tip
Most small tech (phones, tablets, laptops) won’t need a power converter, so you probably don’t have to worry about those. And US hair dryers often get fried in Europe even with a converter, so I often recommend using whatever your hotel provides even if it kinda sucks. I don’t want you to take an expensive dryer and have it literally go up in smoke.
🧳 I hope you have an absolutely amazing trip and that this list makes travel feel a little easier.
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