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Gear For Travel – Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow

August 16, 2013 By Danny

It is really remarkable how quickly technology has completely changed the face of travel. Our RTW trip lasted nearly two years, 2009-2010. As we embarked, we invested in some of the best technology to get the job done that was possible. We thought of ourselves as flashpackers extraordinaire. That included a brand new netbook, an unlocked cell phone, and a fancy DSLR camera. Now, just a few short years later, when I look back on all of that still functioning gear, it just looks so old and antiquated. That’s the nature of technology.

This old piece of hardware was our PC for two full years.

The Phone – Our mobile phone was nothing but an unlocked GSM flip phone. We were excited when a SIM card we purchased allowed us to make calls home from the Sahara Desert in Sudan for Mother’s day. Now with VOIP calling, a smart phone can make calls around the world for free…and from anywhere. The best part is that there are finally some cutting edge phones (e.g. Galaxy S4 Active) that are water and drop resistant making it even easier to stay connected and travel adventurously.

The Tablet – These did not exist while we were our trip and are a tremendous game changer, at least if you are blogging or sharing pictures while you travel. We shared one netbook as we traveled, weighing and taking up far more room than two tablets would have taken in our packs. Any of these today – iPad, Android or even a Windows tablet – are both lighter and more powerful than our “state of the art” netbook was. Plus there is wifi virtually everywhere now making a tablet a really useful tool for travelers to check in.

The Camera – This area has changed a lot less, mostly these cameras now come with more features and more megapixels than before. However, by and large, they still do the same job. The big add-ons here are the ease by which photos can be geotagged and quickly uploaded. Camera processing has also improved allowing for better low-light photography and much better videos. That would have saved us quite a bit of time geotagging our photos.

This article is NOT about what gear to go out and buy, there are plenty of review sites on the Internet, It is merely a comparison of what has changed in less than 3 years time. In the next three years will Google Glass remove the need for a tour guide? Streaming video and video conferencing might ultimately replace the written word when it comes to blog posts. We might even be able to sterilize our meals on our plates with a UV light and completely make food poisoning a thing of the past! Sounds good to me.

Review: Jammin’ to a new language

January 19, 2011 By Jillian

When we were approached about reviewing this smart phone application, I was excited. There are tons of applications out there to help travelers learn European languages, or even a few words of Cyrillic or eastern languages, but I find most of them lacking. The idea with Earworms Musical Brain Trainer is that listening to the language downloads will put words and phrases into your long-term memory, so you can actually recall it when you need it. The lessons are put to music or rhythms which improves the brain’s recall function. Given that epic stories from thousands of years ago, like the Odyssey, were put to music so a poet could remember the whole thing, I think the creators on to something here…

I love languages and to be completely honest I speak three of them, but as I learned on the road, that wasn’t enough. To try out this app, I wanted to put it through the ringer so I chose two languages that are considered difficult to learn: Russian and Arabic.

Getting Started: It was easy to download the different languages on my iTouch. You have to buy each language individually and most languages come in a few volumes- beginners should start with volume 1 with introduces a traveler to the key phrases for getting around: hotels, restaurants, etc… Along with the audio, you can read the phrases on your smartphone with the lesson.

How it Works:

For volume 1 downloads, each language come with 10 modules: 1) I would like, 2) To order, 3) Have you got?, 4) To the airport, 5) Numbers, days and time, 6) Where is there..?, 7) Directions, 8) Where, when and what time?, 9) Problems, problems and 10) Do you speak English? Unlike other language applications, there isn’t a cutesy little travel story along with the lesson. It’s a simple repetition of the phrases, by a native speaker and an English speaker. They chat a bit, but it’s clear that the focus is on getting the rhythm in your head. The whole volume was a little over an hour.

The directions suggests you to listen to the whole download on the first day and then regularly listen to the modules over the next few weeks.

My Thoughts:

I listened to the Russian and Arabic modules on and off for a few weeks, usually while running. I actually enjoyed the melodious repetition. Certain phrases, even with just my casual use of the modules, have really stuck in my head. I would definitely recommend these modules to traveler’s looking for an easy, relatively fun way to learn the basics. Plus listening to a native speaker is going to give you a much better accent.

Will it get you speaking fluently? No, but it does give you enough of a basis to be able to formulate phrases on your own. Although it doesn’t teach you to conjugate verbs, it does give you some verbs that you can use to make your own sentences. I also really appreciated the written text which gives a literal translation of some phrases and some grammatical tips, especially for Arabic, this gave me a real sense of place and culture.

Pros: Listen and read at the same time. Hear a native speaker and an English speaker in quick succession. Upbeat and easy to listen.

Cons: The price is overall a little steep, so use the free demo downloads on their website to try it before you buy it. I think it’s worth it!

Price: $9.99 But check their website for coupons and offers!

Disclosure: We were provided free downloads in exchange for reviewing this product.

Linux, not Mac or Windows, for travel.

July 29, 2010 By Danny

We installed the Linux Ubuntu operating system on our eeePC Netbook just before we departed for Africa. Somewhere around the start of our time in South America our computer, then using MS Windows, developed insomnia where it would wake up from its stand by, or sleep status while closed, inside its case, tucked away in my backpack. Fire was an obvious concern, but we were more worried the computer would fry itself on the inside. Add that to a couchsurf in Argentina where a self-proclaimed ‘Linux Geek’ pointed out that all the applications we were using (since they were all free) ran natively inside Linux.

We took the plunge. Backed up everything. Formatted the hard drive. Erased all our precious photos. Installed the free operating Ubuntu system. Used Linux. There were a few problems to deal with regarding drivers and it was a bit stressful for a few days but with a bit of hard work on the Internet I was able to get everything going myself without a nervous breakdown. I may have worked for IBM in my past life, but this was not my world.

Using it has been a breeze. It combines the best of Windows and Mac navigation and if you’ve used each type of PC you will be quickly at home with Linux Ubuntu. Linux is the stuff in the background and the Ubuntu part is really the “graphical interface” that allows you click on programs and files and such. It is simple, and works without a problem. Then come all the cool features.

To install new programs, just do a search from within your computer and choose the program you like. There are programs for the office, Internet, music, education, countless games, dictionaries and translators, even special Flickr applications….all free. All you have to do is click the one you want and wait for the automated installation to finish. When a program has an updates available, Ubuntu handles that for you too, only prompting you to ask if it’s OK or not to update. Email and instant messenger programs are integrated meaning you can sign into all those programs at once and chat through just a single interface. Firefox and OpenOffice (which I’m typing on right now) come pre-installed. Did I mention that 100% of all of this is free.

The biggest benefit of all though, especially to travelers: security. It is a different system, viruses really just don’t exist that attack Linux…why should they, most people use Windows so there isn’t really a good reward to writing a virus program that attacks Linux. There is an anti-virus program, free, I’ve even used it once or twice, but really….no viruses.

There are some cons however. Some programs, most notably Apple’s iTunes, simply don’t run inside Linux. There are iTunes suppliments that will work with an iPod but if you’re trying to use an iPhone, iTouch, or iPad you’re mostly out of luck. There are ways within Linux to run Windows programs, but this doesn’t work great. These problems could have been avoided rather easily had I selected during the installation (a simple matter of making a choice, no more work on my end required) to partition the drive and keep Windows available to use. Had I done this, each time I booted up the computer I would have been asked if I wanted to use Linux or Windows, made my selection, and been able to use iTunes inside the Windows half of the drive. The other problem is that the free programs on Linux are generally not quite as good as the pay-for programs on Windows or Mac, this shouldn’t come as much of a surprise though.

Basically there are tons of reasons to switch to Linux but only one reason not to…it is something new and different and will take a bit of effort to use and get used to…kinda like travel. It can be scary at first, but that’s all part of the adventure. The great thing about Ubuntu is that it means ‘Community’ in many Bantu langugages. When things go wrong, as they recently did for us while we were in Europe, there is a rather large community of people both in real life and on the Internet to help get you going again. Like I said, it can take some effort, but everything you need is available and ready for you to use.

Review: Eneloop Batteries and Charger

April 3, 2010 By Jillian

These are the rechargeable batteries of the future.

These actually come pre-charged because they hold their power just like a regular battery…only these can be used a thousand times. Like other rechargeables their energy capacity is higher than standard batteries but unlike those other rechargeables they do not lose their energy over time. This gives them the best of the rechargeable world and the best of the non-rechargeable world. There is absolutely no reason to purchase another battery on the market…if you do you´re throwing away your money. Great for travel, we haven’t had any problems recharging these batteries around the world- currents be damned!

These can be purchased from several places and often include a battery charger than can charge both AA and AAA batteries. Nothing else touches our electronics. Nothing else needs to touch our electronics.

Highly Recommended.

Review: Steri Pen Classic

April 3, 2010 By Danny

There is no doubt in my mind that this device has already paid for itself simply because we don´t have to constantly buy bottled water when the tap water isn´t clean enough to drink. The fact that it may one day save our lives is an even bigger benefit. There are other, fancier Steri-pen models on the market but we chose this one because it uses AA batteries, which we can recharge easily on the road. The safety features included in this device can make it difficult to use at times, but they’re safety features, so can we really complain?

When the SteriPEN doesn’t adequately clean the water it tells you this with a series of red lights. You know something is wrong and that you shouldn’t drink the water but you don’t know if the problem is a dirty bulb or a lack of battery power or plain old human error. The series of lights usually tell you which it is but it can be difficult to understand; the new models on the market have addressed all this.

Having pointed out the difficulties of using this device I must say that when it does work it works brilliantly. It is surprisingly simple to operate and we´ve yet to get sick, in more than a year of travel, which means we must be doing something right. We use this pen almost daily to clean tap water in cities and stream water in rural areas. The fact that when using this we can drink the water right away and don´t have to wait (like with tablets) to drink has been a lifesaver as well. The only place this won’t work is in dark water as the UV light won’t be able to pass through the water.

Highly Recommended.

Gear For Travel – Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow

Review: Jammin’ to a new language

Linux, not Mac or Windows, for travel.

Review: Eneloop Batteries and Charger

Review: Steri Pen Classic

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