By Adam Dachis

The Geek's Vacation Checklist

The Geek's Vacation Checklist Planning a vacation can be stressful enough without adding technology to the mix. Take the stress out of your summer travel plans with a geek-oriented vacation checklist.

Get Your Trip Together

Organize Your Plans
Traveling requires some serious information management. Chances are you'll have a flight, hotel and car rental. On top of that you may have dinner reservations, plans to see family, a show or two and several other things. The more you have going on the more it becomes vital to keep on top of your itinerary.

If you prefer to skip the travel folder filled with papers and plans, you ought to be using TripIt. First of all it's free ($49 for TripIt Pro), but more importantly you can e-mail your travel information to TripIt and it'll organize everything for you automatically. What it's able to parse is sort of amazing and if you haven't given it a try you'll be hooked after a few minutes. TripIt is an open platform so you'll find TripIt support several apps. TripIt also provides mobile apps for iPhone, Android and Blackberry.

Check Your Network
You're taking your laptop and a hard drive full of everything you could possibly need, but what if you forget something? Or maybe you have a few things your desktop machine can take care of while you're gone. Whatever the reason, you may need to access your home network while you're away and you'll want to make sure everything is in order before you leave.

The Geek's Vacation Checklist If you're using a simple solution like LogMeIn or Back to My Mac for remote access, you just need to check that everything is running and active before you go. If you're getting a little more involved and forwarding ports on your router, make sure everything looks good and test from outside your network just to be safe. If you haven't set up port forwarding on your router before, check out our port forwarding guide (or, for Mac users, how to get Back to My Mac without paying for it). Either way, here are some common ports for your reference:

Web Server / HTTP: 80
FTP: 21
SSH/SFTP: 22
SMB/CIFS (Windows File Sharing): 139 and 445
AFP (Mac File Sharing): 548 and 427
VNC: 5900
RDP: 3389
Apple Remote Desktop: 3283, 5900 and 5988
Sabnzbd+ and other web interfaces: 8080

Full access to your machines is great in many cases, but maybe you just want access to your media. If you have a Slingbox, or you're streaming to your iPhone or iPad with AirVideo (alternative: StreamToMe), check your setup there as well.

Stay Connected

Research Your Internet Connectivity Options in Advance
The Geek's Vacation Checklist Getting connected remotely can sometimes be a hassle, so it's best to plan ahead. Be sure to check the connectivity options available at your hotel and find out the process for getting online. If you're stuck with Ethernet, you may want to bring a portable router (ex.: Apple Airport Express, Linksys WTR54GS, Netgear WGR101, D-Link DWL-G730AP) so you can share WiFi with your travel companions. If WiFi is available, be sure it's affordable and the speeds are worth the cost. If it's too expensive (or too slow), you can always take your laptop to an Internet cafe or a free WiFi hotspot near your location. With free WiFi now available at Starbucks you should be covered, but if not there are plenty of ways to find free hotspots.

The Geek's Vacation Checklist If WiFi isn't an option, 3G data may be a possibility. If you have a 3G data card or wireless router, you're obviously all set. If you just have a phone, you may have tethering options. Most smart phones, like the iPhone and Android-based phones, have tethering options. If free WiFi isn't an option, you may be better off using your cell phone instead.

However you stay connected, plan it in advance and be sure to stay safe when using public WiFi networks.

Make Sure Your Phone Will Work
The Geek's Vacation Checklist For domestic travel, you probably don't have to worry too much about cell phone usage. If you're traveling abroad however, take the necessary steps to be sure your cell phone will work. In many cases you can just swap in a pay-as-you-go SIM card and you're done. Sometimes you'll need to consult your carrier for International rates (note: this list is US-only):

If using your cell phone isn't an option but you do have WiFi access, using Skype on your laptop or mobile phone may be another option when you need to stay in touch. Even if you're traveling domestically, this may be something to consider if you're trying to avoid roaming charges. Be sure to check your carrier's coverage map before departing.

What to Pack

The Geek's Vacation Checklist Of course you need your clothing, toothbrush and travel documents, but you also have a lot of gadgets and gear that will find its way into your suitcase. First you might want to make a list of what you want to bring. Next, figure out what you need to power it. Finally, you may have some accessories that ought to come with (such as extra memory cards for your camera). It can be a lot to keep track of, so the more you can consolidate the better.

Keep Everything Charged
The Geek's Vacation Checklist Taking your digital camera, laptop and cell phone automatically means taking three chargers with you. If you're taking additional devices, they may be able to share power adapters. If some of your devices are powered by standard AA or AAA batteries, consider using rechargeable batteries to avoid bringing extras. They not only add a bit of weight to your suitcase but they're easy to lose.

With all your devices, you want to be sure you have plenty of outlets and most hotels won't provide you with what you need. A travel surge protector can be a big help. One of our favorites is the Belkin Mini Surge Protector. It not only provides three outlets, but two USB ports for charging your USB-based devices.

Bring Necessary Accessories
Among the array of power adapters you'll have in your bag, you might need a few accessories for your travel gear. Figure out which cables you're going to need and how best to travel with them. If you're taking full-sized cables, be sure to tie them with twist-ties, cable ties or clips to keep them from getting tangled in your bag. Alternatively, you can tie the cables simply with some good technique:

The Geek's Vacation Checklist If you don't want the hassle of keeping cables tied up, you can always purchase retractable (or extra-short) cables. You can even make your own retractable headphones.

The Geek's Vacation Checklist Chances are you're bringing a digital camera along, so you may want to take some extra memory cards, a card reader and maybe an extra battery. Bringing one huge memory card might seem like a good idea, but if it dies while you're on vacation you'll be without a backup. Using multiple memory cards makes this less of a concern and also allows you to store some of your pictures back in the hotel so you'll still have them if your camera is lost or stolen. If you plan on getting wet, you may also want to look at waterproofing options for your camera. If not just for safety, you can take some pretty amazing photographs. Rather than buying a waterproof camera enclosure, you can build one yourself or take a more unconventional approach.

The Geek's Vacation Checklist
Photo by Noah Dachis.

Download Everything
Packing doesn't have to be reserved for the suitcase. Chances are there's music, video and even software you want to take with you on your vacation. Don't forget to download it in advance!

How to Pack It

The Geek's Vacation Checklist Make Your Gadgets Travel-Safe
Technology can sometimes be a difficult traveling companion. Organization can be difficult, but you also have to worry about airport security more and more. International flights to and from the US have become especially annoying, but even domestic travel can be troublesome. A few years ago the TSA announced "checkpoint friendly" laptop bags, which make things a little bit easier. Even if you have a padded laptop case, consider traveling with a laptop sleeve so your laptop doesn't have to brave the security bin. As an additional bonus, if you have a sweatshirt or hoodie handy you can stuff it inside the laptop sleeve and have a makeshift pillow for the flight.

Roll and Cube Your Clothing
One of the biggest hassles when packing your clothing is folding it. Rolling your clothing helps save space in your suitcase and prevents wrinkles, but if you prefer folding flat there's an easy way to fold shirts in two seconds:

If you're bringing a few dress shirts, use this method instead.

Organizing your suitcase can be difficult as well, but packing cubes make it much easier. The main deterrent to packing cubes is their price. Fortunately, you can find other soft cubes that work just as well for less money.

The Geek's Vacation Checklist For example, Target sells this Build Your Own First Aid Kit that works well for smaller clothing items and electronics. It even contains pockets. Soft lunch boxes make good alternatives as well.

Make a Backup Plan

The Geek's Vacation Checklist Backup is important, and it's easily forgotten when traveling with a laptop. If you use an off-site cloud backup service like Mozy or Carbonite, your connection may be a bit too slow to accommodate the uploads. If you're backing up to an external drive, you might not think to bring it. Using your usual backup system might be a hassle when you're away from home, so think about how to keep your files safe when you're traveling. Chances are you won't need to back up too much, so a flash drive might work just fine. If you've decided to bring extra memory cards for you camera, you may be able to use leftover space for backup as well. The solution doesn't have to be infinitely sustainable, but just something that you can use during your travel for a little added protection.

Don't Forget to Unplug

The Geek's Vacation Checklist

This is a vacation, right? So put the gadgets away once in a while. Staying connected and using technology can definitely make your vacation more fun, but you're ultimately on vacation for the purpose of getting away. Don't forget to take a break, relax and unplug.

For more tips, check out our Top 10 Tactics for Productive Travel. Have any great travel tips of your own? Share 'em in the comments!