Staying Charged on the Go

by Shannon Albert
on July 7th, 2010
1 Comment

Many of us have come to think of our gadgets as our assistants and rely on them for everything – organization, communication and entertainment. Instead of grabbing a book for a trip, we might want to watch a movie on a laptop, listen to music on an iPod or play a game on a smartphone. It becomes a job to try to keep gadgets charged enough to do all of that. Here are some ways to keep them working on the go.

Check SeatGuru.com. SeatGuru is great for choosing a good seat on your flight but if you need to plug in, pay attention to the power ports labeled on the seating charts (denoted by a black dot). There are a few different types of power available on flights and some may require an adapter. Read SeatGuru’s The Ultimate Guide to In-Seat Laptop Power Ports for more info, including adapter recommendations if it’s required.
Get an extra battery. This is simple enough but I’m not sure many of us ever do it. Keeping a fully charged battery on hand to use when your first battery dies ensures that you have double the time without ever having to plug in.
Plug in for free at airports. Many of us charge our electronics at the outlets at the airport by finding the outlets along the wall and awkwardly sitting near it while it charges. Many airports also now have charging stations where you can plug in and sit at a workstation. The GateGuru app for iPhone lists amenities for most airports, including workstations and wifi availability.
Pay to plug in at airports. If the free plug option isn’t available or if you’ve forgotten your charger cord, consider paying at stations like the ones provided by PowerPorts. You pay a few dollars, they have charger cords available for most phones and then you can charge your phone. These kiosks also offer other options such as renting a laptop and internet access.
Use a battery powered charger. No plug? Use a battery powered charger. There are several available so check the reviews and verify it will work for your phone (for instance, many new phones use micro USB connections and some battery powered chargers haven’t updated to use micro USB yet). The Tekkeon TeckCharge is a popular choice. Also an option: solar powered chargers.
Stay charged in other countries. Check this world map of power plugs and sockets and then head somewhere like Brookstone for an all-in-one adapter or adapter kit.

Whatever method you choose, hopefully you will avoid this dreaded situation:

Shannon Albert

Shannon loves to share awesome, fun and hopefully useful info that she's collected and to connect with other travel freaks. She loves the planning part of travel as much as the traveling itself. Shannon's background includes working as a web developer and as a digital producer for an advertising agency. She lives in Texas with her husband, 2 kids and dog. New York City is her favorite city. Her blog is shannonalbert.com.