Nomad Tech Necessities: A Peek Inside The Bag Of A Full-Time Traveler

by A Purple Life, posted in Jobs, Relationships, Travel, Travel Reviews
This post may contain affiliate links. For more info read my disclosure.

A few people have asked me about my partner’s remote work setup, which led me down a rabbit hole to realize that a post about that wouldn’t be very interesting 🙂 . I think that because it would be the shortest post ever saying, “he uses a keyboard and mouse.” However, that made me realize that talking about all the technology we travel with to make our lives easier and more fun while still being super mobile, might be helpful. So let’s take a sneak a peek into our travel bags!

Remote Work

My partner has been working remotely for most of his career, but only began being a nomad remote worker in 2020. His work setup includes:

ZSA Moonlander Split Keyboard

This is a split ergonomic keyboard that my partner bought to help his posture and for (his words) “tactile fun,” which I think sounds suspicious 🙂 . After extensive research on YouTube and Reddit, (I had no idea there were channels and subreddits dedicated to keyboards alone…) he started with Cherry MX Silent Red keys and recently switched to Cherry MX Brown keys.

He originally chose the Cherry MX Silent Red keys because they are quieter and I like my quiet 🙂 …I also have ears like a bat (#PurpleFunFact). However, as we became more experienced nomads, we realized that he is usually in a different room than me when he’s working, so he switched to the Cherry MX Brown keys because he prefers how they feel. And now I know that keyboard keys can be wildly different – I’m still learning over here 🙂 .

Logitech G703 Wireless Mouse

This is a fancy mouse that my partner chose after a lot of research because it’s rechargeable and doesn’t require batteries.

2 Laptops

Just like when I was working, my partner has (1) work laptop and (1) personal laptop. Both are MacBooks. I mention this because I wanted to give a heads up that some countries, such as México, charge a tax if you enter with multiple computers or other large pieces of technology. I was told by locals that this is because they think you’re bringing the second item into the country to sell it so they want a tax on that future sale.

My partner was hit with this surprise tax on his way through Mérida, México, but not through México City. I don’t know why it would happen in one city instead of the other. He paid the fee and I’ve now added, “Confirm second laptops are not taxed” to my pre-travel checklists for new countries.

Gaming

Steam Deck

This is a portable gaming device that my partner bought because he plays a lot of Steam games. However, as I mentioned in my latest monthly recap, I found it really helpful when I wanted to play a game that I can’t access on my laptop. I accidentally played for almost a full day. Oops!

Microsoft Arc Mouse

Old version of this mouse

This type of mouse has been with me through my entire career 🙂 . I originally got this older version of the mouse in 2011 to use at work. It was super convenient because it’s collapsible so I could easily slip it into my backpocket when walking between meetings. In retirement I wanted to use it because the collapsible feature works well with my nomad lifestyle.

However, after all these years, my mouse finally started acting up so I bought the new version this year only to have the old mouse immediately start working again (of course it did 🙂 ).

New version of this mouse

I bought the new version of this mouse because it uses bluetooth. The previous version included a tiny, magnetic USB that you needed to plug into your computer for it to work. The USB was so small that one of my colleagues threw it away by accident and then had to buy a new $50+ mouse. Oops! So I was very interested in the Bluetooth version for that reason and because my new MacBook Air doesn’t have a standard USB slot.

However, despite that upside, I have found a downside to this new version of the mouse. The old version had a raised portion for scrolling with tactical feedback and sound feedback. However that’s not present on the sleeker new version. It’s not a dealbreaker for me and I’m happy with my mouse, but I do miss that little bit of feedback. These days I use this mouse a little bit for blogging, but mostly for gaming 🙂 .

Blogging

Audio-Technica ATR2100-USB Microphone

Basically this:

However, the amount of podcasts requests hitting my email inbox lately have been slowing down a lot. I used to do about one a month, but I think I did like 3 last year. I’m not sure if I’ve become boring 🙂 or the down market makes speaking to early retirees less fun or what, but as a result, I might drop this from my packing list in the future. TBD 🙂 .

Birding

POLDR 12X25 Compact Binoculars

Obviously I’ve gotta be able to whip out my binoculars at a moment’s notice to bird, so these tiny, but powerful ones do nicely 🙂 .

Running

Polar H10 Heart Rate Monitor

This was a gift from a family member who bought it, didn’t use it, saw it gathering dust and asked if it would help with my running hobby. I said yes! It’s been really helpful to see how my heart rate is affected by different workouts, speeds and elevation.

Powerbeats High-Performance Wireless Bluetooth Headphones

These were also a gift from a family member who bought them and didn’t like them. I don’t love them  and find them uncomfortable for my ears after a few hours, but they get the job done for my running. I do enjoy that they’re wireless, that the earbuds are connected by a cord and that there are controls on the side of one earbud. When these kick the bucket, I’m planning to get Bone Conduction Headphones so I can both blast my music and hear a car hurtling towards me while I’m running along the road 🙂 . I haven’t tried this type of headphone yet, but they sound awesome to me.

Leisure

Kindle Paperwhite E-Reader

Both my partner and I have a Kindle Paperwhite. I absolutely love it though I had a saga trying to buy it refurbished multiple times from Amazon in 2018 only to discover that to them, “refurbished” just means broken. So I bought a brand new one with an Amazon gift card I got free with United miles and had no problems. This little beauty is super helpful especially for my reading challenges of reading 52 non fiction books in 2021 and reading 100 books last year.

COWIN E7 Pro Bluetooth Headphones

These are my favorite headphones for their price ($70). They’re super comfy, have Bluetooth as well as a plug in cord if you want to use them on a plane or something, and side controls. I previously had Bose QuietComfort wired headphones and they were amazing, but I wasn’t willing to drop another $350 when they broke after many years of use. So I bought these COWINs 3 years ago and I’ve never looked back. I was even able to find affordable cushion replacements since I was wearing these into the ground with the 71,257 minutes of music I listened to in 2020 (according to Spotify) 🙂 .

Skullcandy Jib In-Ear Noise-Isolating Earbuds

These are basically backup earbuds at this point, but they used to be my main jam. Their in-ear cushions are super comfy.

Travel

Etekcity Luggage Scale

This was a recommendation from my friends at All Options Considered and it’s been completely clutch during our travels for my partner. He checks a bag when we travel (meanwhile, I stroll through with my backpack 🙂 ), and this scale has saved his ass many a time. It’s small and worth its weight for sure.

Anker PowerCore 13000 Portable Charger

I wanted a backup way to charge my devices when traveling just in case I can’t get to an outlet, and I’m so glad I bought this before we hit the road. I use this PowerCore all the time, even if an outlet is available because it’s just that convenient. It also has so much charge that I’ve never run out of battery – even when traveling to the other side of the globe.

Seagate 1TB External Hard Drive

My partner and I both have an external hard drive – this is the type I have. I use this for computer backups and storing larger files like my movies for the road.

Syntech USB C to USB Adapter

Sadly, new MacBooks don’t have USB ports, so these adapters became necessary to plug in my hard drive, my Powerbeats and previously my Arc Mouse.

BESTEK Universal Travel Adapter

I use this Travel Adapter Dock when I go to other countries that have different electric sockets. It’s extremely helpful because it’s easy to use with any type of socket and can charge 7 things at once from 1 plug. It’s also fairly small for all that it does, so it’s worth its weight in my bag – an important nomad consideration 🙂 .

Amazon Basics 6-Outlet Surge Protector Power Strip

My partner travels with an extension cord and we’ve found this super helpful if we stay in an Airbnb with a strange electric outlet configuration. It has a 6 foot cord that can reach even the weirdest of outlet locations.

Avantree Cord Organizers

Does this count as technology 😉 ? I think so! In essence:

The fact that these cords are bright and color coded has been also helpful for me. It’s easy to spot when I’ve left a cord behind because of those bright colors. It’s also easy to see what cord I’m about to pull from my bag based on the color 🙂 .

Eagle Creek Pack-it Specter Compression Cubes

If cord holders count, I’ll say these do too 🙂 . These packing cubes are awesome – they keep all my clothes tightly packed and organized. I’ve been using them since the beginning of our nomad travels and I find them super helpful. This was another recommendation from the lovelies at All Options Considered.

Not only do these cubes allow you to pack way more into a bag than usual, but they also make unpacking super easy. I just grab them out of my bag and plop them into a drawer until I’m ready to grab some clothes.

Recently, I’ve started organizing each cube based on activity, such as running, sleeping and my outside clothes. That also makes it easy to grab what I need without throwing clothes everywhere.

REI Collapsible Lantern

This is the Goal Zero Crush Light Lantern and it’s the only camping item we didn’t sell during Operation Get Rid Of Everything. My partner and I have different lighting preferences (aka I’m a creature of darkness that hisses when a light turns on), so this helps us balance it out and also directs light where we want it in the room, without moving lamps around.

GoPro HERO7 White

I bought a GoPro and this floating mount for my snorkeling and boating adventures and not much else…maybe I should use it more. Also, this is a reminder that putting dish soap on lenses (or inside snorkeling goggles) can help a lot to keep water droplets off the lens and prevent fogging.

Cooking

Anova Culinary AN400-US00 Nano Sous Vide Precision Cooker

My partner also packs our sensational sous vide machine for delicious cooking wherever we go! I go into detail about how to use a sous vide and specifically how to get delicious meats out of the deal in the below post, but in essence, this helps make our cooking lives much easier.

Laptop

I already talked about my partner’s computer setup since it’s connected to work, but my laptop is a Refurbished M1 MacBook Air that I bought last year and chronicled in a series of tweets:

I’ve always bought Refurbished MacBook Airs directly from Apple and saved about 15% for the exact same product a little after its release date. I’ve never had a single problem with any of these computers over the last decade or so. Unlike Amazon, when Apple says “refurbished” – they mean it 🙂 .

Phone

Moto G Stylus

I used to have iPhones when I was a spendy lady but my Moto G Stylus is by far the best phone I’ve ever had. I love it so much that I bought it twice when Google Fi was having a sale and then gave the second one to my MIL.

I really like the stylus for practicing my calligraphy since I don’t want to bring lots of paper everywhere. I also use it on my Insta stories. The phone has amazing battery life, is totally intuitive, and includes a ridiculous amount of shortcuts and hidden gems that make my life so much easier.

Moto G Power

My partner also purchased this phone during that promo when we switched to Google Fi. He chose this version because he wanted additional battery life. Fair 🙂 .

Spigen Rugged Armor Phone Case

This case is absolutely amazing, costs $13, and has completely protected my phone without being bulky. It’s shockingly thin, bendable and easy to remove. I’ve literally dropped my phone down flights of stairs in addition to it falling to the ground repeatedly, and it’s never received a crack from any of that. My partner has an almost identical case that instead fits his Moto G Power. It’s awesome 🙂 .

Conclusion

So that’s a peek inside our travel bags to see all the tech that we travel with. I’m always trying to optimize what I carry with me so it’s an ever evolving list, but these are the things that have survived 2+ years of nomad living so far.

In the future, we have a few items on our radar. I’m curious about buying a multi-connector so I can use 1 charger for all of my devices and just swap out the appropriate heads. My partner is looking into the best way to bring an additional monitor on our travels, and is currently thinking about getting an iPad to use as a second screen. So we’re going to keep optimizing and evolving 🙂 . I hope this was helpful. Safe travels!

What technology have you found helpful while traveling?

21 thoughts on “Nomad Tech Necessities: A Peek Inside The Bag Of A Full-Time Traveler”

  1. This was a really helpful and interesting article, Purple. I have been struggling with arthritis in my hands over the past few months and have tried various ergonomic keyboard and mice; not easy to find when you have small hands. Thanks to your post I’m deep down the rabbit hold of keyboard subreddits. Also, I dream of being a digital nomad and I have wondered how to manage all of the tech gear I would need if I did hit the road. But even if I can’t be a digital nomad (I don’t want to quit my current job) I can try out sous vide cooking.

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  2. I’m delighted because I also use Skullcandy bud headphones and a Moto G phone. Both are great – I had to replace the headphones recently after 10 years of use (meaning being rolled up inside bags and jackets, bumped around on planes, and listening to music of course!), and Moto G is a solid phone line.

    It’s interesting to see what’s deemed necessary and what isn’t 🙂 I had no idea collapsible keyboards were a thing, or that the buttons could be customised like that! So cool!

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    1. Nice! And yeah I’m sure different people have different priorities that are reflected in what they pack for a nomad life 🙂 .

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  3. Thanks for the packing guidance! I’ll be curious to see if your partner keeps the kindle if he gets a iPad as a second monitor.

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    1. Of course! And we shall see, but he’s currently planning to keep it since we like reading an e-reader over looking at a screen.

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  5. Oh, as odd as it sounds, I have not considered a heart rate monitor while I run. I always go by feel, but I can definitely see the benefits of tracking your heart rate while running. I am probably going to buy one now haha!

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    1. Obviously do what works for you, but I’ve found the data helpful. Sometimes when I ‘feel’ like I’m going slowly and then am confused why I’m tired after a run my heart rate monitor begs to differ 🙂 . Let me know what kind you get – I’m curious.

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  6. I used two screens with sidetrak that go directly onto my macbook after doing a lot of research. It is a bit pricey but it also works well

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  7. I love reading tech reviews. iPad would be a nice addition to your travel gears.

    Motorola Pebble was my dreamed phone. Fortunately, I managed to finish school without a phone. And now trying to moderate my doomscrolling with an iPhone. I missed the days of being focused and patients without portable gadgets.

    Are you going to get a Kindle Scrible? That looks nice also for calligraphy and note taking. Onyx and Supernote are ereaders I’m eyeing at. For now I have a Kobo Libra 2 which I love.

    Will you do vlogging in the future with your GoPro? Would love to see the places you go to or anything related to learning Spanish.

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    1. I hadn’t heard of the Kindle Scribe and just looked it up. It looks cool, but bigger than I’d prefer to read on. However, the notetaking and calligraphy angle is really cool!

      As for vlogs, I post lots of videos of my travels on Instagram. I think that’s as far as I’ll go 🙂 . That’s here if you’re interested: https://instagram.com/apurplelife.

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  8. Hi there, I’ve used an AT2005 mic, nearly identical to yours, for years. Always been happy with it.

    If you decide you still want good audio and prefer your mic to occupy less space in your bag, or at least prefer your money to occupy far less space in your wallet, have you looked at a Tula mic?

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    1. Yeah it’s great! And lol – You’re really selling it 😉 . I’ve never heard of a Tula mic and just looked it up. It looks cool, but yeah is too pricey for me.

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  10. Thanks for the awesome rundown of your tech setup (an all your other great posts – you’re basically the only FI blog I still regularly read)! On a related note – what backpack do you use?

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    1. Thank you for reading 🙂 ! That’s a high honor. I use the 40L G4Free Lightweight Packable Hiking Backpack.

      Reply

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