Packing Electronics for Travel

In this tech-y era, we often travel with several cords and chargers and batteries. It's easy to lose track of these bits and bobs (who hasn't left a charger behind at a hotel before?) but if you keep it organized, it's less likely you'll lose your precious accessories.

I travel enough (for work and for leisure) that I have a travel electronics pack always ready to grab and go.

In my suitcase, I keep my tablet case and my laptop case. Both of these cases are made by Marc by Marc Jacobs and they're slim, they're made with neoprene, and they have a soft, furry lining which protects my most delicate babies.

I always travel with my iPad. Especially now that airlines charge you for entertainment, I need it. But, I rarely travel with my laptop. It's bulky, it's heavy (it's an Air but it still adds weight to my luggage), and I worry about losing it or having it stolen and it's just too important to me. But, when I do travel with it, it's packed up nice and neat into a case.

So, those are my big ticket items.

All of the smaller ticket items (chargers and the like) get nestled into a pouch. I used to use this pink pouch (which is intended for cosmetics). It's roomy and eye catching (so I can easily grab it from my bag) and it zips up to keep my electronics tamed. I love it.

But, I've moved on from my pink pouch to this little cord organizer. It's slim and convenient and it keeps my accessories separated in their own little cubbies.

But even with those cubbies, when you have a mess of cables, they get tangled and nasty so it's important to keep the cords tied up.

There are several ways I like to keep my cables neat and tidy. The first is to use an actual cable organizer. I have a few of these cute alligator (crocodile?) wire wraps. The second is a safety pin. It's easy and convenient. The third is a tiny rubber band, which is self-explanatory. And the last is a bobby pin. It's not a go-to; it's typically what I use in a pinch.

To reduce the amount of cords and cables I pack, when I can, I pack actual chargers. For example, instead of packing the cable that allows me to charge my camera, I pack the battery charger and extra batteries. I find it a little more convenient because my camera can't be used when it's plugged in so having extra batteries is worthwhile.

I also recommend packing extra memory cards. You may need it; you never know.

If I'm traveling internationally, I'll pack a travel adapter. This one (that I picked up on Amazon a few years ago for just a few bucks) also serves as a surge protector, which is awesome if you've got your laptop plugged in.

And, instead of buying multiple adapters, I just travel with this baby-sized power strip. The travel adapter takes up a ton of room on the power outlet anyway so two wouldn't even fit side-by-side.

And of course, because I'm an Apple junkie (I wasn't always this way; I used to be hardcore Samsung and I still love them) I have my arsenal of accessories. I pack my iPad charger, iPhone charger, cords, and camera/SD card transfer nubs. If for some reason, my memory card fills up and my backup memory card fills up, I have the option to transfer some photos from my camera to my iPad.

Look at how beautifully and neatly it all fits into the organizer. It's beautiful.

Oh, and I always pack a few microfiber cloths for wiping down my camera lens, phone screens, etc. and a little pouch, in case I need to leave the hotel with some accessories (but not all). That rarely happens, but once in a while, it happens.

Oh, last thing I want to bring up is headphones. I always pack my own headphones (because the ones the airlines give you are often used) and I pack a splitter. If I'm watching something on my iPad (which is v. likely) I want the option to allow my traveling companion to watch along with me.

So, I didn't really share any tips or anything profound. I just wanted to share what sorts of electronics I pack and how I pack them.

xoxo.