The Productologist

I usually only travel once or twice a quarter (which my BW really appreciates while not-so-secretly wishing that it was less), but whether its a short hop to LA or a cross-country jaunt to somewhere in the Eastern timezone, it used to be an ordeal to figure out what I needed to bring. Not clothes or sundry items, but what technology to lug along. Some things are easy; laptop, power supply, mouse, phone/pda, but there’s a whole host of supporting items that can make or break a business trip (trust me, I’ve experienced first hand what happens when you don’t have something you need).

For the benefit of others, I have created the following list of items that are essential for the prepared (or over-prepared) business traveler. You may think that some of these items are eccentric, but I can assure you that they have each come to the rescue at least once and some have been repeat heroes.

The Obvious:

• Laptop
  With today’s security situation, this can be painful, but if you are on a long flight or have layovers (you might have the latter even if you don’t plan on it), having your computer with you to crank through email or put the finishing touches on a presentation is a life-saver. If you have a smartphone or PDA, you can sometimes get away with leaving your laptop at home, but for me travel usually presents too much of an opportunity to catch up on my constantly expanding list of deliverables.

• Power supply
  I personally have never forgotten this item, but I have traveled with folks who have. I have also been the recipient of a frantic call from an airport or hotel requesting that I track down someone from IT to see if they could overnight a replacement power supply. The caller is almost always already out of battery and has to go into a meeting the next morning.

• Spare laptop battery
  I use a Dell D610 for work, which lets users swap out the CD or DVD drive for a second, albeit, smaller battery. Other laptop manufacturers offer only swappable batteries, which is OK, but I prefer the dual battery option, as it gives me uninterrupted productivity (at least from a battery perspective) and means that there is one less item to keep track of, since it is already in the laptop. With the wireless turned off and the screen brightness turned down a few notches (turning it down beyond 4 clicks is just too painful on my eyes), I can get 5+ hours between charges. This is perfect for cross-country flights or shorter flights with layovers.

• Mouse
  I’m considerably more adept at using the touch pad on my laptop than when I only had the little eraser-style mouse in the middle of the keyboard, but nothing beats having a mouse to move around the screen. If there is enough room, I will even bust it out on the airplane, but mostly, it’s for use at the hotel or on-site. I would estimate that using the mouse adds 10% to my productivity vs. using the touch pad.

• Cell phone
  It’s hard to think of going anywhere without a phone, but it happens.

• Cell phone charger
  You can get away with not having this item if you have the next one on the list, but I don’t take chances. You never know when any battery you have is going to give out. It’s best to stick it in your carry-on or checked baggage just to be safe.

• Spare cell phone battery
  I have one in my laptop bag for emergencies. I try to keep it charged, but in reality, I know that it is really just in case, so I have my charger with me, too.

• Cat-5 cable
  Most hotels and corporate sites offer wireless networks for users, but I still run into places that have wireless only in the lobby. Wireless networks can also be temperamental, so I always have at least two Cat-5 cables in my bag. These recently came in handy at a trade show I attended where the public wireless network at the event was dropping connections all over the place. With my cables, I was able to use the wired hub in the booth to stay connected and also gave one to a neighbor across the aisle (I’m a firm believer in karma) who didn’t have a dedicated wired connection, but was able to plug into a hub that connected a few booths nearby .

• Phone cord
  This one is getting less necessary all the time, but I keep it around just in case I am stuck at a hotel or site that doesn’t have broadband connectivity or if I don’t get approval to pay the daily fee (typically $9.99, but I have seen it as high as $17.99) that some hotels charge for broadband access.

The Not-So-Obvious

• MP3 player (or other suitable distracting items)
  It’s difficult to think that there is anyone who doesn’t have one of these (most are Apple iPods, but mine is a Creative Zen Micro), but I’m sure there are a few out there somewhere. The best thing about them is that they serve multiple purposes: they give you something to listen to (music, digital books, podcasts) before, during and after travel; they save battery on your laptop by not having your hard drive or CD player spinning if you have music/podcasts stored there; finally, theyy will deter fellow travelers from chatting you up if you really want to nap/work/sit in peace.

• Noise-canceling headphones
  Part of the isolation method listed above for MP3 player, these are key for focusing your attention on whatever you are doing or not doing. I personally use the etymotic ER6’s, but you have to like the in-ear variety of headphones to appreciate them. Others swear by the Bose headphones, but they seem very bulky to me and are definitely at a different price point than the etymotics.

• Thumb drive
  These are another life-saver. I now travel with two. I have a personal one (2GB) that has applications on it so that if something happens to my laptop, I can go to any other computer and still have access to email, office tools, FTP, browser (with bookmarks), list of configuration settings, etc. and another (64MB) that is potentially disposable, with presentation materials, file back ups or product documentation that can be left with a customer or prospect, or given to someone in an emergency.

• WiFi finder
  I don’t use this as often as I thought, but it has been indispensable in several instances. I used to have to pull out my laptop, boot up and wait for the wireless to search for available connections. With the finder, I just pull out the small USB key, turn it on and wait for it to capture the details (name, open/secure, b/g, signal strength). Its also much easier to walk around with than an open laptop in order to find strong hot spots. In a pinch, it also acts as a wireless connection, but I have never used it as such.

• USB hub
  My laptop has 4 USB ports (two in the rear, two on the side), but it’s difficult to utilize all of them at once, since USB plugs seem to be fatter than the space between the ports. That’s where the USB hub comes in. It’s like a little power strip for your USB devices. You plug in the hub to one of the ports on the laptop and all of a sudden you have 4 more ports evenly spaced so that all of your devices can be attached at the same time. NOTE: I used to have a USB hub that could be powered so that devices that required power over the USB would work, but I found that I NEVER used those devices while traveling and didn’t need the power or extra bulk, so I now have a smaller, non powered one that works just great (plus I got it from those folks across the aisle from me whom I lent my Cat-5 cable to, so it was free).

• Laptop cable lock
  I feel much better leaving my laptop in my hotel room or in the booth at a trade show with one of these. I do as much as I can to make my laptop inconspicuous, but locking it down will keep all but the most dedicated thieves at bay.

• Phone cord coupler
  On my first business trip with a laptop, I remembered to bring a phone cord (no hotels had wireless yet), but unfortunately, neither the cord in the room nor the one I brought was long enough to reach where I wanted to work. So, rather than work on the floor next to the bed, I found a drug store that had phone supplies, bought a $.99 coupler and voilá , I was comfortably typing away on my laptop in my bed watching SportsCenter (I don’t have TV at home, so while I am on business travel, I get my fill of the many shows that I miss).

• Tape
  I use electrical, but duct or masking tape probably would do the trick, too. Works wonders on keeping loose connections stable or making sure that cords draped across hotel rooms don’t accidentally get snagged, sending your laptop flying in a direction that is almost always undesirable.

• Power strip
  Same principle as the USB hub. I have been in several hotels (ironically, I believe that they have all been in the Manhattan area) that have had no available and accessible outlets. If you are like most business travelers, you probably have a variety of things to plug-in/recharge before your meeting in the morning. A small power strip does the trick and gives you plenty of places to plug in all of the necessities.

This may seem like a lot of stuff to lug along, but in business travel, it pays to think about the worst case scenario and plan for it.

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Tags: cat-5 cable, customer, headphones, laptop lock, mp3 player, noise-canceling, phone charger, phone cord, power strip, Prospects, spare battery, technology, thumb drive, trade show, travel, usb hub, wi-fi, wifi