What Hi-Tech Gadgets do you take?

Electronic compass and camera that uses standard batteries. What do I need the other stuff your are suggesting for. Twenty years ago I didn't need it so why would I need it now? However, have thought about an iPad when one comes with an SD card reader built in.

Janice, To begin with, I pack the same for a one week trip as for a one month trip, so the gadgets are the same. I usually take all of the items you listed, except for the E-Book Reader (the Kindle App. for the iPod Touch suffices for that). I don't have a lot of time for reading when I'm travelling, so there's really no reason to pack along a separate device for that. I tend to agree with you that some applications on the Palm PDA's are better than those provided for the iPod Touch and that's why I continue to pack along my venerable Tungsten T3. In some ways, Apple hasn't yet achieved The Zen of Palm (to use an old advertising slogan). I've eliminated some of the weight and bulk of the Chargers by using This Device. It won't charge the Netbook or Camera, but works great for the other devices. Happy travels!

You probably don't need to take the ereader with you as you can use the Netbook for that function. There's free software at Amazon and Sony's website that will allow you to view ebooks on it. If you don't mind the small screen, you could just use the iPod touch as well. I just bring along my Dell Netbook, it performs all the hi-tech functions I need: ebooks, music, video, alarm clock, document/picture storage, Skype for long distance calls, internet, white noise machine, and nightlight.

I enjoy travel photography so I take several digital cameras from small point & shoots to DSLRs, 13.3" MacBook Air, iPad, iPhone, Nexus S android phone and associated cables, chargers, batteries and back up devices. On the iPad and iPhone I have Maps both scanned and digital, many books including those from Kindle, iBooks and Google Books including travel books from Rick Steves', Time Out, Lonely Planet, Rough Guides and others. I also have lots of movies and videos on the iPad as well as my own portfolio. I have audio books, audio guides and walks and many travel apps. I have created my own maps, marked many sites I plan to visit in Google maps and can access these maps and info on the go with the iPad, iPhone or Nexus S. My photography and technology gear takes the bulk of my travel luggage space but it is all pretty small nowadays and I roll it and attach my clothing bag (which gets checked) to the roller for ground transport.

I pack my Kindle and my iPhone and that covers all my computer needs, so I'm leaving my laptop at home on my next trip. The Kindle gets free global 3g, and I can use wireless on the iPhone, so I have two sources for email and internet... Other than that, I just need my camera and I'm set. Between those two, I'm probably leaving at least 10 lbs. at home in books and the laptop!

iPhone has it all. Phone, music, note book pages, GPS, computer for emails & info searching, even a camera.. Apple even sells a camera disk gadget that converts all your camera items into the iphone. The iphone is my alarm clock, weather man, and can be my kindle, but I have never used that option. The only other gadget that I bring is my Canon G11 camera. I still take pictures with my iphone, as postcards to my friends and family because the pictures can be easily emailed. I have never used my phone over seas, nor have I used GPS when out and about because I do not upgrade to international, but next I travel, I will. Having some kind of GPS in Venice would have been nice.

1 mobile phone each and the good lady's Kindle......thats it!!! Only need to take the chargers for trips of more than about a week as all of our tech has excellent battery life. The phones double up as alarm clocks, cameras, mp3 players and the kindle as the rest of our entertainment.
Free wifi and 3g with an albeit basic web browser take care of any leisure internet activity.

I still take along my old Sony Cybershot (w/ charger). I could get a new, smaller one, but it takes really good quality pictures and doesn't use much memory space. I don't need a phone. I've only made two calls in Europe in the last five years, each to tell my host when I was arriving. I had no problem finding a phone booth either time. I do take along a netbook (w/ charger). All of my travel info - itinerary, train schedules, addresses, maps - are stored on one big Excel workbook (It's like a guidebook and Thomas Cook put together and weighs about the same). I have another spreadsheet for expenses. I keep in touch with home via email (works better than calling considering the time difference), keep a journal, update my website, store my pictures etc.

We'll be taking the following items on our 17 night trip of Paris & Sicily: camera w/ charger, spare batteries, memory card. I made the mistake of not having a back-up battery in Rome on my first trip and my camera died at Trevi Fountain. :-( iPod Touch w/ charger & spare battery (which is rechargeable with the same charger) - I've loaded it with maps, games, books, etc. and will use it to email back home when I find wifi. *cell phone w/ charger. This is the first trip I'm taking a phone, and mainly because I need to be able to contact our B&B hosts and our private guide in Sicily, plus in case of emergency. We aren't driving, so we don't need a GPS and I'm hoping the iPod touch will substitute for a netbook, perhaps supplemented by one or two visits to an internet cafe (or using the computer at the hotel) in order to print boarding passes, etc.

I only take my Samsung Netbook and Canon digital camera. Taking a simple compass is a good ideal as some cities like Rome I have trouble with direction even with a map and a compass would be helpful.

For a family of 5 with three children 14, 12 and 8; Macbook Air 11" + charger tiny portable hard drive 500GB as data back-up, photo back-up and storage for 100+ movies 5 iPod Touch - each loaded with trip info, songs & movies + shared charger 4 pocket-sized digital cameras + SD cards + shared charger
baggie full of necessary cords to connect all It all sounds like a lot, but the entire thing, if packed together, would fit in a SMALL messenger bag and weigh no more than 5 pounds - replacing at least 15 pounds of travel books, pleasure reading, maps, games, etc. In reality, the children & wife carry their own cameras and ipods in their pockets, leaving me with the tiny laptop, drive, and my own accessories - less than 3 pounds of "extra" electronics.

I plan to take the following to London: -netbook and charger -ipod classic, which I will charge through the netbook -camera and charger -cell phone, but only for use while I am at the airports in the US
I have kindle for pc on the netbook, so that saves me from lugging books along. That's it! A fairly compact yet enjoyable plethora of technology. ;-)

For our 19 day trip to Germany and Switzerland in May, I will probably bring: netbook and charger; camera; car GPS with car charger (have to get the Europe maps though) as we are driving; handheld GPS as I am a geocacher and hope to find some geocaches while on the trip, and my tiny mp3 player with charger. The handheld GPS and the camera both take AA batteries. We'll be visiting our Air Force son stationed in Germany so I'm just planning to pick up some extra batteries on base once we get there.

@Ed - thanks for the info in your message. For whatever reason the helpline wouldn't let me respond directly. Doggone dialup! Anyway, I did realize that my son will have to buy the batteries for me at the PX as I've visited him there once before. Just didn't think to elaborate on that in my reply. I appreciate your response though! Also was helpful to read that I could get an e-book reader program for my netbook. Hadn't thought about that - I'd been considering a nook or kindle but I think I have enough electronics already.

I have one of the newer Kindles but I really prefer reading books on my phone using the Kindle app. Sure the Kindle's battery charge lasts way longer, but that little backlight screen that changes pages with just a touch seems easier. Anyway, you might try it on your phone (or ipod Touch). If you agree, that'll save one piece of equipment.

Going to Italy for 3 weeks in May and at the moment I plan to take my global touch smartphone which has all the apps I want and has camera, wifi, reader app, etc, so it can do pretty much all I need. We will probaly take the 8 megapixel sony cybershot because the pics are fabulous with it and maybe the gps with the european maps only because to use the phone would require data time and I want to use it for calls only. The gps uses a car charger and the camera uses a rechargeable battery of which I have two but the charger only needs the adapter and the phone has both the house and car charger. We probably wouldn't take a phone except for the fact that we have two elderly parents who go ballistic when they don't hear from us every few days, so this way, I can call them for a minor amount of cost plus this phone doubles as a computer.

Thanks so much for all the input. Many good ideas there. Frank: I'm not even going to mention to my husband your electronic compass or he would want one! He does carry a small, flat, inexpensive REI compass in his pocket which has been amazingly handy at times. I guess the GPS has one too, actually. Ken: Love the idea of the ChargePod. Am going to look into that. Not only does it save carrying along lots of chargers but would be great to have if your room has limited plug-ins. Several mentioned putting books on iPod Touch and netbook which I hadn't thought about and is a great idea. We will do that and it will save us each carrying an eReader. We take our GPS even though we rarely rent a car. It is handy for marking our hotel location and also several sights we wish to see during a walk and finding the best route from one to another, and then back again. In my daypack I usually take just camera and iPod Touch. We're finding wifi available in more and more places as time goes on, so I have it for email or Skype whenever, and it is so small. Thanks again for all the comments.

I go on vacation to get away. Figure zero hi-tech gadgets. Edwin

Janice, "We take our GPS even though we rarely rent a car. It is handy for marking our hotel location and also several sights we wish to see during a walk" I also use my GPS in "pedestrian mode" at times when I'm day touring. It's especially useful on those occasions when I've become "lost". However one important point to mention is that it's a good idea to use the GPS unit only when required, as the battery life is not ideal. This tends to get worse as the product gets older, so I'm sure I'll either be replacing the battery or the entire GPS at some point in the future. I've found that if I allow the unit to get a "lock" from an open area, it doesn't have any problem maintaining that even between tall buildings.

I take my Igo charger with a splitter and different attachments. This small unit charges my E Reader, Ipod, GPS, camera and cell phone either with AC or 12 volt automobile outlet.

Let me suggest you consider getting a capable unlocked smartphone with the necessary frequencies for use in Europe. They really have become the Swiss Army Knife of electronics. Besides doubling as an e-reader as I suggested above, here is what my Android phone can do: * Work as a GPS * Work as an electronic compass * Function as a notebook * Access the Internet * Allow low-cost VOIP calls over Skype (or similar service) * Send and receive email * Function as a flashlight * Play music, books on tape, etc. * Take pictures (even if not great ones) * Record sound * Do math calculations * Serve as an alarm clock * Serve as a calendar/datebook * Serve as an address book * Translate foreign words (with or without Internet connection) * Act as a map * Function as a "white noise" machine for getting to sleep on noisy nights * Act as a storage device for data I might need to access in an emergency (e.g., scanned copy of passport). Just need to plug into a computer the USB cable that I'll carry anyway for charging it.
* Function as a bubble level if I feel the need to straighten the pictures on the wall in my hotel room. (Okay, maybe this one isn't really that helpful.) And oh, yes: Make and receive phone calls. Your iPod Touch will do a lot of the same, but not all. I love the fact that my phone will now do so many things because it means I can leave some other things at home (such as the e-reader) and lighten the load of what I carry.

See it's not the clothes that take up all the space in packing!! We take: 2 European cell phones & chargers 1 USA cell phone for when we return 2 iPods & 1 charger 2 cameras & chargers; 2 lenses for 1 camera 1 GPS & charger 1 netbook & charger
The GPS & netbook don't go on every trip.