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Travel Tips for the Digital Nomad

Every digital nomad dreams of a life where a bit of online work can fund a life of grand adventures. Whether you can achieve this goal full time or part time, one thing quickly becomes clear. You must travel with the right tools to get some actual work done. It is easy to get loaded down with excessive gear or even to have checked bags lost by the airlines. It pays to travel light. Here are some tips to help you bring your mission critical gear and still stay highly mobile.

Buy the perfect backpack.

Get yourself a backpack that has the most possible volume while still staying within the size limits for airlines. Every time you can travel with just one bag you will save time and money. By never checking bags with airlines, they can never lose them. You will find a great variety of bags at stores like Cabelas, Sears or Oakley.

Use Space Bags.

You can greatly reduce the volume of your clothing in your bag by using space bags. They are like giant zip locks that you can squeeze excess air out of before closing. This will let you pack more in less space. A bonus is that your clothing will be less wrinkled than if you just tried to cram things in your bag.

Bring a Real Laptop.

If you work online, you can probably technically do so using a smartphone or tablet. However, the lack of a proper keyboard for typing will increase your time spent working. The lack of speed will also be noticeable, because laptops have more processing power. Bring a laptop or convertible tablet, such as the Microsoft Surface.

Back up your work as you go.

Back up your work to an external hard drive or USB thumb drive, as you travel. Keep your backup in a separate bag from your laptop, in case its bag should be lost or stolen. You can also back your work up to a website or do the cloud. Always have contingency plans in case of a digital disaster or theft.

Have more than one way to connect to the internet.

Try to get hotels that come with free wi-fi, for that is the place where you are likely to do work on the road. Also use online guides and apps to find wireless hotspots in places where you travel. As a back-up, have a cell phone with a sufficient data plan to do your work, should you have no wi-fi.

Bring extra batteries.

To be able to do your work, your gadgets have to work. Be sure to bring extra batteries for everything from cameras, to cell phones to cameras. You can keep them charged up for times when you are away from electricity. You can also use them should your main batteries fail. Bring twice as much as you think you will need.

Follow these tips and you will give yourself the tools needed to work on the road. Enjoy the journey.