After receiving some nice feedback about the post ‘In my dive travel bag as a female scuba diver’, and the connected video on the Splashpacker YouTube channel, I became motivated to share more travel tips regarding my packing lists. In this post I write about my travel electronics packing list, to help you with an idea about what electronics to travel with. You can start packing your electronics for your next travel or start thinking about what electronics to pack for your next vacation in 2024!!
Video about my packing list & the electronics to travel with
Here is a little video about 3 electronics on my packing list for solo travel, long travels or working abroad. In this blogpost, however, I share more travel tips and a couple of other electronics to travel with.
An updated version of my travel electronics packing list
I recorded the above video about the electronics on my packing list, a while ago. I’m now updating this post and will add a few more electronics for international travel. As promised in the video, this blog post also comes with an extra travel tip for packing electronics for travel. So you have three more travel electronics on the packing list in this travel blog post. In the video, I explain why I take the small electronics because they might not seem the electronics to bring when traveling. But I have a few good reasons why they’re actually very useful electronics to pack for a vacation or holiday. You can also subscribe to the Splashpacker YouTube channel if you like.
My travel electronics packing list can be useful for solo travel & long travels
This post is not specifically related to scuba diving or female travel. But I always carried the items on my travel electronics packing list, when I was working abroad as a diving instructor and on my long-term travels solo female travels. Usually, I also take the items on the travel electronics packing list on my adventures backpacking, flashpacking, or splashpacking (dive traveling). My kind of traveling is usually a combination of that. Obviously, I also take my laptop when I go for longer travels or move to another country.
The travel electronics on my packing list in this blog post
I will order the travel electronics packing list in order of how essential each travel electronic is to me. The two travel electronics on my packing list that I didn’t mention in the video are added to this list and I then add the bonus tip, which really is an electronic travel essential, in the end. I also share a final tip for packing your electronics for travel and how to organize your travel electronics. To comply with the advertising law, I would like to say that I do make a small commission if you purchase anything through the links in this post, but I’m not sponsored in any way. The recommendations come only from my personal travel experience and being on the road since 2006.
An overview of the travel electronics on my packing list in this blogpost
Here is an overview of the travel electronics I have on my packing list.
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- A tough & waterproof compact camera for the outdoors & watersports
- The e-reader, especially for solo travel
- A waterproof, rugged cellphone with a dual SIM card option
- The electric toothbrush, especially for longer travels
- The little MP3 player
- An international travel plug adapter
- An organizer for small electronics, chargers & cables
Essential on the travel electronics packing list of a Splashpacker: a waterproof camera
I’m so happy with the waterproof Nikon Coolpix W300 camera, that you can take scuba diving to a depth of 30 meters, or 100 feet, without a housing. This electronic is indispensable on my travel electronics packing list. In fact, I’m so happy with this camera, that I’ve written a blog post about the Nikon Coolpix as an underwater camera. But even if you’re not planning on scuba diving, the camera is rugged and tough, dustproof, shockproof, and freezeproof. It simply is a great camera for any kind of travel. There is also a video about this camera on the Splashpacker YouTube channel.
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The Kindle e-reader is another essential on my travel electronics packing list (especially for solo travel)
So, the next essential travel electronic on my packing list is the e-reader. I love the Kindle, that I bought in Australia in 2012, and still works perfectly, but you might be happy with any kind of e-reader. There are a few reasons why I love to travel with an e-reader. Before I had the Kindle e-reader, I sometimes used book exchange in hostels or took some books with me on my travels.
It was not always ideal because you are limited to the books available on the way. And second, it´s a lot of extra weight. Especially when I also carried my heavy PADI instructor manual in those years! Whilst traveling or working in remote places like the Maldives for example, I could not just buy or get a new book!
The price did serve the purpose of this travel electronic (especially when solo traveling)
Before I bought the Kindle, I had my doubts. First of all, I found it a bit expensive for yet another electronic which only serves for reading books. But I am so happy I did get one that time. Over the years, it paid itself back. I read a lot and e-books are usually much cheaper than paper versions. You also might save some trees by reading electronically. And I can buy and read any book I like, even in remote places! The reason why I especially like it as a solo traveler has not really anything to do with the electronic version. Reading, in general, is just an activity I enjoy doing whilst traveling alone.
Why do I add the Kindle e-reader to my travel electronics packing list, if I can also read on my phone?
This is a question you might have. And for myself, I have some very good reasons for that. First of all, it´s not always very comfortable to read on your cellphone, especially when you read a lot. Most e-readers are designed to read in comfort. So, you can adjust the letter sizes and the way you hold your reader, i.e. horizontally or vertically. The most important thing for me, however, is the special lighting. If I use my phone for a long time just before sleeping, I just can´t sleep. The Kindle and I suppose most of the e-readers, have a special light that does not activate that part of your brain that keeps you awake like most phones and tablets do.
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The waterproof & rugged phone for the outdoors is another travel electronic on my packing list
Another travel electronic that I’m super happy with, and devoted an entire blog post to, is the Blackview rugged and waterproof phone. If you prefer to watch a video, I also recorded a video about it in my enthusiasm! The waterproof phone is obviously great for any kind of watersports, but also tough enough to endure extreme conditions in the outdoors.
It’s also dustproof and shockproof and has a dual SIM card option which is great for longer travels. Read the blog post, or check out the video if you’re having doubts about it. In the blog post, I also explain more about the Blackview brand. There are different models, for every budget, click here for an overview of the different Blackview for the outdoors on Amazon (ad).
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Yes, the electric toothbrush is an item on my travel electronics packing list, LOL! (especially for long-term travels)
Yes, you read this correctly. And before you start thinking that it doesn’t make much sense you to, let me explain! I won’t take my electric toothbrush as a travel electronic if I go for a one-week vacation. But I do take it on longer travels and did travel with it when I worked abroad. The main reason for me is that I just need the dentist way less since I use an electric toothbrush. When I left my home country in 2006 to become a scuba diving instructor and needed to pack lightly, the electric toothbrush was one of the first travel electronics I deleted from my packing list. But after a couple of years, I realized that I had much more dental problems.
Why pack the electronic toothbrush for long-term travels?
So, the first reason is simply that I need to see the dentist less. After having worked for a few years in Spain and in the Caribbean (the Dominican Republic & Mexico), I had some cavities to be filled at the dentist. In the following years, I didn’t have any tooth problems for about 8 years. It might depend on the way your teeth are standing in your mouth. but I can reach the teeth in the back better and have the feeling that it cleans better in general. Next to having fewer dental problems, I also realized that I use way less toothpaste. Also, it does not take up that much extra space in your backpack, and the charger is very small.
One tip for the replacement brush for the electronic toothbrush
One little disadvantage of the electronic toothbrush I experienced is that the replacement brushes can be very expensive, especially if you buy the original Oral-B ones. Also, they might not always be available if you travel to remote places. You can save some costs on this if you buy a bigger package on Amazon and I suggest taking a couple of extra brush heads with you if you’re planning to travel for a longer term and to more remote places. I´ll add an Amazon advertisement here for the electronic toothbrush with travel case and the replacement brushes which are not the original ones but are compatible with Oral B (ads).
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The little MP3 player is also one of the travel electronics on my packing list
The little MP3 player, which does not cost a lot of money, can serve really well during traveling. It might, like the electronic toothbrush, sound a bit unnecessary. Especially because nowadays we can listen to almost any song on our cellphones. There are, however, a few advantages for me to take this tiny MP3 player on my travels.
The reasons why I pack this small electronic for my travels
First of all, you save the battery on your phone on long plane flights or bus journeys. Second, I use it to go running sometimes and don´t like to take my phone because it´s much bigger. And a nice extra advantage is, that you can listen to music without getting disturbed on your phone, especially if you use it for relaxation music or to do some guided meditation. I´ll add an advertisement to Amazon, for exactly the same one I’m having. It’s tiny so it’s ideal for running, and traveling. It also has enough memory to store your favorite music.
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My promise from the YouTube video: the bonus travel tip for the travel electronics packing list
So, depending on where you travel, in which country you´re going to work, and where you´re originally from (or where you bought your electronics), it´s very useful to have a world plug or international travel adapter. They are not very expensive and there are versions that allow any kind of plug in the world to be converted to your electronic. Some of them also convert the voltage.
The power plug adapter, or world travel plug, is an essential item on your packing list for international travel
I recommend buying an international travel plug adapter for any kind of international travel. It’s much easier and eventually probably cheaper, than buying little convert adapters separately in each country. I remember buying local converting adapters when I worked in the Dominican Republic and yet when I started working in Mexico, I couldn´t use them there.
The international travel adapter solved my problem of the different electric plugs in the world
After this, I moved to work in the Maldives I found UK plugs, so once again I could not use my European plugs. Later on, I also went to travel in Asia and worked in New Zealand & Australia. The plug problem was solved for me by buying an international travel plug adapter. Most of them work for a variety of countries and parts of the world. If you’re planning on moving to another country, you can still get more local convert adapters. It’s very useful to always have one plug adapter with you.
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Final travel tip for the electronics packing list: organizer for your small electronics, chargers & cables
Did you know there are special smaller bags and organizers only to carry your small electronics, chargers, and other power supplies on your travels? There are many different models and sizes available. Some of them are suitable for putting things like a tablet or your Kindle, while others are made only for chargers & cables. Most of them have good material to protect all your small electronics during traveling.
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What electronics do you travel with or pack for a vacation?
Is there an electronic that you’re especially happy about and add to your travel electronics packing list? Maybe I forgot to mention something or there’s a travel electronic I don’t know about. Please share it with me in the comments and help other readers with more travel tips or to help them pick the best electronics for their travel packing list.
Splashpacker is more than travel tips regarding packing lists!
Sometimes I include a post with travel tips regarding my packing list. This might include things that I pack as a backpacker, solo traveler, or as a female working abroad. Here is a link to all packing list posts. It is, however, not the main topic of Splashpacker. I usually share more about scuba diving destinations, keep a personal travel blog, and try to focus on eco-conscious travel & sustainable tourism.
Sometimes I write about my experience of working abroad as a scuba diving instructor but I also write about non-diving destinations. If you like what I do you can follow me on social media, join the mailing list below, or subscribe to me on YouTube. Here is the link to the Splashpacker YouTube channel!
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