Infrequent Flier Not all of Us Travel Regularly.

In continuing our series on packing essentials, we’re continuing with some thoughts on what you might pack in your bag for personal comfort. Some suggestions come from Travellious.

• Earbuds – Earbuds are a type of headphone that fit into your ear canal…thus serve double-duty as earplugs, reducing background noise. Earbuds can be cheap, or can offer noise-reduction and high-end features.
• Eye-Mask – Another inexpensive comfort item that helps block out the world around you.
• Pillow/Blanket – JetBlue and US Airways are selling pillow sets, but travel pillows are available from multiple vendors. Find the one that is right for you.
• Snacks – Not every airline will give you some. Bring your own.
• Moisturizer – Planes are dry. You may want to keep your skin from getting too dry.
• Fluids – If you are lucky, the airline will continue to provide beverages…at the least water. If not, be prepared to bring your own. The least expensive is to bring an empty bottle and fill it after you pass through security.
• Slippers – Some people like to slip their shoes off. We’ve never tried this one, but some people swear by it.
• Cleaning wipes/hand sanitizer – The way people are fearing disease today, it never hurts to keep your hands and area clean…or be prepared to.

What do you keep in your bag for your comfort in flight?

With luggage allowances getting lower, and luggage fees increasing, we need to make every inch of space count. To start, we have some tips to consider when assembling your mobile electronics from our colleagues at Gadget Wisdom.

• Consider a Netbook or Smaller Laptop - Lugging around a 17″ laptop and all its accoutrements severely limits your space when travelling. Going smaller gives you the same productivity benefits in a smaller space. You can still have a full-fledged system at home. Also, for the netbooks, the price is not unreasonable.
• Try to Save Battery Power – Carrying a second battery is another item you can try to eliminate. Here are some tips.
  • Store video files on a laptop hard drive instead of a DVD – The optical drive on a computer is a power-drainer. If you are planning to watch video on a computer, transfer the video to your hard drive if you can. A variety of different programs exist to do so.
  • Dim the Brightness of your Screen – Many laptops do this automatically, but enable all power-saving measures you can.
  • Go with an Extended Battery – When you buy your computer initially, make sure you get the extended battery if you think you might need it. You can avoid needing two batteries if your battery lasts longer.
• Dropbox – Dropbox is a tool that syncs a designated folder on your computer to their servers. By installing it on multiple computers, you can ensure your data is up to date on all of them. Of course, you need a network connection, but if you update before you leave, when you reconnect, it will synchronize then. That is one less USB drive to try and keep track of.
• Unify your chargers – Most portable electronics nowadays will charge off of USB. If you are bringing a laptop, it contains at least a few USB ports. Otherwise, you can get an adapter for the wall that will charge USB. We recommend something like the Belkin Mini Surge Protector. It contains two USB ports and three AC ports. So bring USB charging cables. They take up less space in the long run.
• Cleaning Cloth – Nothing is more annoying than a dirty or dusty screen. having something to wipe it with in your bag is essential.
• Cables to Bring – We already mentioned charging cables. Here are a few that should be in every bag
  • Network – A short network cable can be invaluable when wireless is not available. Retractable is the smallest, but a six foot cable bound with reusable ties is just as good.
  • Earphones – Whatever pair you like. We recommend a good quality, yet reasonable priced pair of throwaway earbuds at the least. The people around you value their quiet.
  • Headphone splitter – Allows you to share your audio with a friend. Or make a new friend.
  • USB Cable – You never know when you need to plug in a peripheral. Comes in retractable and various sizes.
• Pen and Paper – Yes, we know it isn’t a piece of electronics, but when all else fails, never be without it, even if it is super-small.
• Music/Video Players -  If you are lucky, your netbook/laptop can do this, but the difference between this and a portable player is that it takes less time to work with one. While iPods are the most popular right now, our favorite backup emergency player is a Sansa Clip. It is superior to the cheapest iPod, the Shuffle. It has great audiobook support, and has support for multiple playback formats and even an FM radio. The size is perfect to slip into a pocket and forget about it. We got an older one refurbished for under $20.
• E-Book Reader – This year’s most popular e-book reader, the one that has changed the game, is the Amazon Kindle. If you are on the go a lot, a Kindle may be for you, if you can afford its price point. Otherwise…either use your mobile computer to read something you’ve downloaded…the classics are free, and there are ways to read blogs and the news while not connected if you prepare in advance…or just bring an old-fashioned book(Not very tech, but does the trick).

Just remember, there is no need to have multiple devices that do the same thing. You have to customize your electronics for your needs, but remember…less is more.  With a little planning, most eventualities can be foreseen with only carry-on luggage and with still enough room for the rest of one’s things.