August 4th, 2008
Listen to Episode 3: Traveling While Geeky [ 55 min 32 s | 38.15 MB ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (64)
On this epsisode of Moms Gone Geek we talk about traveling while geeky. We talk about what kinds of tools and technology we like to use while on the road for ourselves as well as the kiddies to keep them entertained and us from going insane!
Check out Lisa Loeb on Twitter
Check out her new album – “Camp Lisa”
What’s in Your Bag?
We all talk about what gear we carry in our bags. Melissa is in Boston at one stop on her summer cross-country road trip. She talks about her gear bags including her laptop backpack as well as her fancy, new diaper bags and how they measure up to carrying tech gear. Never mind about the baby stuff they’re really supposed to be carrying!!!
Here are some of the things in Melissa’s bags for an extended road trip:
- Laptop
- Phone
- Headphones
- iPod
- Camera
- Cables (neatly wrapped)
- Battery Charger & Recharchable Batteries (NIMH for digital devices) with car adaptor
- Hands-Free Earpiece
- Power Brick
- Extra laptop battery (check out battery warehouses for better deals on prices)
- Surge Protector
- External Hardrive for Backups
- USB Card Reader for SD chip in camera
- Laptop Power Supply
- Outlet converter
Note
If you have a video iPod, load it with lots of pictures and some kid-friendly movies for long car rides.) (Be really careful about the volume if you choose to use earphones on a small child. Make sure the volume is very low so you don’t damage their ears. You can change the settings to lock the volume. Even if you think it’s barely audible, remember, their hearing is much more sensitive than ours!
Liana recommends some software to consider: TubeSock or HandBreak for getting video content onto the iPod
Liana recommends Western Digital and Iomega drives.
Naomi recommends the Nickelodeon Video Now.
Melissa recommends sitting in the back seat with a young child to entertain during a long road trip. This way you can use your laptop as a DVD or movie player in a pinch. Unless you have an EVDO card, plan for being off line and download your RSS feeds, podcasts and movies ahead of time. Load up your iTunes so you can play movies on the laptop during meltdown times or during driving in the evenings. Do a search on iTunes for Sesame Street and other kid-friendly titles you’re familiar with. You can find lots of free content in iTunes.
Melissa also recommends NetNewsWire to download your RSS feeds ahead of time so you can read blogs off-line. You won’t be able to see photos that have been linked, but you’ll at least be able to read the text.
Packing Tips
- When packing your bag, keep it organized and communicate with your traveling partner what goes where. If you take something out, put it back where it came from so you don’t lose things in hotel rooms or in between sofa cusions!
- Pack together so each person knows where things are located.
- Pack the night before!
- If possible, used colored containers to store things.Use Eagle Creek or comparible plastic cases or smaller bags or compartments for itty bitty little items that can get lost easily. Get them in different colors so you can just say “it’s in the blue one!” when traveling with a partner or kids and ask for help with packing.
- Use colored velcro cable wraps for cables
- Feed your RSS Reader for offline time
Keeping in Touch While On the Go
Liana asks how we manage keeping in touch with family and friends while on the go. Melissa can’t live without her blog, Picasa Web Albums, Email, and Social Networking sites like Twitter and FriendFeed.
