What I pack when I travel (and why I think it changes the game) !

There are two reasons why I love to traveling to Orlando so much :

#1 It is home of Disney World, the largest Disney park on Earth... and I am a HUGE Disney fan for sure (just check some of my Instagram posts and you will understand) ! This is an inspirational place for content creators like me who want to push their creativity to the next level ! So no surprise there !

#2 It is also home of VMX - one of the largest veterinary conference in the world. I first attended in 2013... and still remember how I felt ! I was truly impressed by the number of veterinarians who gather there to learn, I had never seen anything like that in Europe. And the number of learning tracks running at the same time... Well, when you go by #SharingKnowledge and #NeverStopLearning, no doubt that is THE place !

That is why I am always excited when I get the opportunity to attend. 

And in 2020, this is where my first “adventure” of the year will actually take place ! 

For a trip like this, I want to optimize the travel experience. 

So that is why I pack meticulously. 

“LIGHT” and “EFFICIENT” are my two key words... and things get really interesting there. 

Because in case you haven’t noticed yet... I am a total nerd ! 

Thought I’d share with you what I bring with me on a trip (and why I do it) to make the best of it. 

#1 The Ipad : My Ultimate Tech

When Apple first released their tablet, I must admit that, for a long time, I truly wondered why this was something I should even consider...

Obviously I changed my mind. Today, no way I’d get on a plane without mine in my backpack ! 

When I fly indeed, I want to be able to relax “my way”... and I can definitely do that with this ultimate multi-media device.

Before I leave home, I make sure I have uploaded : 

• Some movies and shows - on all the VOD apps I know there is this upload function that totally changed the game ! (Right now, I have the Season One of Gargoyles, a Disney cartoon I used to watch as a kid that I want to revisit as an adult) ; 
• Two or three Books (so I can - literally - learn new ideas on the fly) : Kindle is my go-to app (right now I am re-reading a Dale Carnegie book - How to Win friends) and even my local library now has an app from which I can borrow books and audio books ; so I never run out of reading material ; 
• Music and podcasts - sometimes I just want to sit and look through the plane window... so this is usually when I play some of my favourite songs... or just listen to a podcast (same ones I described in my previous post...) ; it makes me think while I contemplate the world ;  

I pack enough content with me so that every moment on the flight will be relaxing and/or inspiring. 

And the reason why I love my iPad so much... is because it actually does not end there ! 

Right now I am using the 11’ IPad Pro (I find it is the perfect size for a frequent traveler). 

And this one has turned my multimedia station also into a powerful tool for content creation. 

I equipped it with a Bluetooth keyboard... and actually, this is what I now use to write and re-edit my blogs. I do it from home... but I can do it on the go as well, sometimes even while am on the plane (for instance this blog is a good example). 

I use it with its Apple Pencil... which totally changed my digital note-taking experience (definitely a must-have when you attend an event like VMX !). I use it for conferences, I use it for meetings... I honestly use it more and more everywhere ! 

The only thing I cannot do on it yet is video-editing (for that one I still prefer to use my laptop). 

However, I am sure this gap will be bridged soon enough. 

I hope very soon I’ll be able to leave my laptop behind when I am on the road and only travel with my Ipad. 

But as you can see, it is already my ultimate travel tech device !

#2 Noise Canceling Headphones : A Must-Have for Frequent Travellers !  

I sometimes wonder... how could I fly before without those ones ? 

As I wrote above, during a fly I want to be able to relax... but there is a lot of noise to deal with when you are sitting on an aircraft ! 

The noise of the turbojets, the noise of people talking and walking around... If you are unlucky, you might be sitting next to a first time flying baby who might cry the entire time... 

These days, I want my flights to be QUIET. 

And without a noise-cancelling headphone today, I don’t see how I could actually achieve that ! 

I use the Bose Quiet Comfort QC35 (pretty sure it is one of the go-to headset for frequent flyers because I am not the only one wearing those on planes) and as soon as the plane takes off, I turn it on... 

And then I am in my bubble. 

The noise around does not bother me anymore - even the eventual crying baby sitting next to me... If you have never tried it, I’d encourage you to do so because for travellers, it is truly a game-changer ! 

I sleep like a baby on planes. And with these headphones on, believe me, I sleep even better ! 

# 3 A Ziplock Cable Bag... nothing else ! 

Obviously I carry LOTS of cables (USB ones, power cord for the computer, if I have a presentation to give I also always carry my own HDMI cable...). 

And while I see many frequent travellers use a cable organizer bag these days, I myself settled for a simple Ziplock bag. 

It is cheap, it lasts forever... and when a security agent wants to check it out - it actually happens in some european airports - they don’t need to open it and tear it apart. 

It honestly work well for me... and I currently see no reason to change yet. 

On top of all the cables I also always carry with me a power strip. 

I have been in several hotels where there is just one power plug... and then you have to define an entire strategy just to be able to charge all your devices. 

Having a power strip definitely makes it much easier ! And peace of mind is in my opinion priceless ! 

I have a classic one with two USB ports... but I will probably change it very soon to one with just USB and USB-C ports. After all that is what almost all my techs need to charge - except the computer. 

But as I told you before, my plan is to be able to leave this one behind when I travel so this upgrade would then make total sense ! 

#4 Photo and video gear 

I don’t bring photo and video equipment on every trip, but this is something I might eventually reconsider.

if I want to take pictures while traveling I still mainly rely on my iPhone... But recently I really started enjoying my DSLR (the pictures are SSSSO much better). 

I follow a simple rule : no regrets. So I prefer to have it with me than later regretting that “oh, if I had it, I could have done [whatever].” 

Taking photos and videos is actually one of my daily creativity exercise. 

And to bring anything to the next level, you need to practice as much as possible right ? 

Whatever happens, I therefore always carry a tripod with me. 

It is sturdy enough to support a DSLR if I bring it along, and I have an iPhone mount that I can use if needed (great to take night pictures or long time-lapses). 

#5 Last but not least : pens 

When you work in a veterinary clinic, you quickly learn that pens are invaluable. 

We are becoming more and more digital but well, you still need them on occasions - like to fill in a custom form for instance. 

And when you need it, you need it right now. 

Flight attendants don’t always carry pens with them (or reluctantly let you borrow them because like veterinarians, they learned that when someone borrow it from you, it might never return). 

You could friendly ask your seat neighbour if he has one... but what if he is in the same situation ? 

So I don’t want to compromise here: before flying anywhere, I make sure I have in my backpack at least 2 working pens (always good to have a back up - you will never know, it might be needed !). 

So you see, this is what you would find in my backpack these days. 

As I told you several times already, I am a nerd so I always keep an eye on some travel blogs to see what new gadget I could add to upgrade my travel backpack - as long as it is still light and efficient, those are definitely two rules I never want to break !. 

If you guys use something special that totally changed your travel experience, please let me know in the comment section. 

Am always willing to learn about things that can optimize the travel experience - and am sure it can benefit to many others !