Planning a vacation on the Internet, using GPS on a weeklong hike, bringing a laptop to a conference to communicate with your colleagues? Find out how to travel with technology on this episode.
Guests
Steve Nguyen
Steve Nguyen
Steve is the manager of FAST (Field Administration Support Technologists), a group of specialists in Academic and Distributed Computing Services, Office of Information Technology, who provide desktop support to University of Minnesota departments and colleges. He also is an avid traveler.
Clark Rocheleau
Clark Rocheleau
Clark has worked for the Transportation Security Administration for the last three years. Currently, he is a screening manager who oversees the daily operations of the screening checkpoints for both both passengers and baggage at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. Before that he spent 22 years with the United States Postal Service.
For Your Files
Steve Nguyen, a technology specialist at the University of Minnesota, said when vacationing, he uses technology as his portable travel guide:
"Usually what I would do is I would take a laptop, and I would find certain wireless hotspots and read up about the place—find restaurant reviews and other things that I don't know about. Some of the technologies these days are so compact and portable that they really help make your travel experience better."
Steve showed us that finding wireless hotspots is quite easy:
"You can do a Google search. Type in 'free wireless hotspots,' and it will show you a list. Some wireless locations will charge you for their use, so we put in 'free' and that will pretty much get you the free locations."
To make sure all your electronic gear will keep running for your entire trip, Steve said:
"[You need to] determine how long these are going to last you for power, and then you take accessories and extra batteries—extra power inverters—or if you are traveling abroad you want to make sure you have converters that will work with your electronic devices."
Steve said carrying around all these items can get pretty heavy, so:
"You have to plan what you really need to have along and what you can leave behind. This is not to say that you shouldn't be taking everything, but you should plan. That's the critical part, otherwise you'll be carrying a lot of dead weight."
Transportation Security Administration (TSA) Screening Manager Clark Rocheleau advised us about getting equipment through airport security:
"Well, it's best to check as much as you can in your luggage because it makes it much faster to get through our check points. However, there are certain electronic items, such as laptop computers, that [go] much better . . . through the check points as carry-on, just because it's easier for you to keep an eye on them and there's less chance of damage."
For more information on traveling with electronic gear, Clark said:
"The TSA has a great Web site at www.tsa.gov. There's a wealth of information on how to travel with electronic equipment: what's okay, what's not okay, how to pack it, and whether it's better in checked baggage or carry-on luggage, and how to get through the check points more quickly."
One final tip from Steve:
"Just make sure that you plan, plan, plan—otherwise you'll be carrying a lot of stuff you don't really need."
Links
See pages such as the Prepare for Takeoff: Pack Smart on the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) Web site for more information about how to travel with electronic equipment.
GSM Card
GSM stands for global system for mobile communications. This system is available in more than 100 countries and is the standard throughout Europe and Asia.
IM
IM stands for instant messaging and refers to any of several programs that computer users can use to communicate in real time over the internet. Modern IM programs also have "presence" capabilities so you can see if contacts you list are online at a given time.
Wireless Hotspot
This is a place where wireless Internet service is provided, either for free or for a fee. Many coffee shops and other businesses provide hot spots for their customers.