5 Pieces of Technology You Forgot to Pack for Your Business Trip Overseas
You’ve been waiting for it since your first interview — you knew your company frequently had dealings with non-domestic businesses, and you’ve been itching to meet some clients or visit a conference in a foreign country. You’ve finally been asked to attend to some important business in a brand new country. But hold on a minute; before you just throw some dress shirts in a carry-on and head to the nearest airport, stop to consider what you will really need when you’re trying to conduct business that far away from the office. Here is some crucial tech you probably forgot about when you were packing your bag; without them, you might be able to see your clients, but you probably won’t be able to dazzle them.
Satellite Phone
By now, your smartphone is an extension of your arm; of course you’re going to take it with you on your fancy, important trip. I bet you didn’t even realize that they probably don’t have the same cell towers wherever you’re going, so that essential piece of tech you always have with you will be more or less meaningless.
Instead of trying to figure out how to change your domestic plan to something that will work internationally — which is not only a headache but an ache in the wallet as well, especially considering the short time you’ll be there — you should really look into investing in or renting a satellite phone. Satphones are extremely durable, not to mention flexible to budgets, and you don’t have to commit to a pricey extended plan if you only need it for a week or two. Check out your options at GlobalCom Satellite Phone to make sure you’ll be able to communicate while you’re overseas.
Universal Power Adapter
Tech takes energy and energy comes from the plug in the wall. In order for everything to go smoothly, you’ll need to charge up your most crucial devices, but if your devices’ chargers use U.S. plugs — that is, the 10-amp 2-prong variety — you might be stuck with tech but no power. Look into what type of outlets your trip’s destination primarily uses, and find an adapter that will fit both ends.
Portable Router
If you’re going to need to go online while you’re overseas, you best not trust you’ll have the ubiquity of Wi-Fi you’re used to in the U.S. Instead of free Wi-Fi in coffee shops or hotels, many places outside America require an additional fee to connect to the Internet. Plus, you might find the Wi-Fi signal low or slow, making your work too frustrating to bear.
Look into travel routers to make your Web woes disappear. These portable routers connect more easily to hotel or store Internet connections, giving you free, fast access wherever you go. You have plenty of options if you have specific Internet needs — and some routers even recharge your devices while they’re plugged in.
Universal Charger
Even with our wireless world, we’re still reliant on cords to keep us running. While you’re conducting business, you’re going to have at least six or seven crucial pieces of technology that need recharging every day or so, which means you’ll need your chargers to keep you up and running.
You can throw all your cords in your carry-on to get tangled and possibly misplaced, or you can buy a universal charger. The name is perhaps misleading — it is not one plug to rule them all, but rather one plug to bind them. One plug leads to a head full of all the different sizes and shapes of device inputs you could imagine. You’re sure to find a universal charger option that can hook up all your devices.
Small Laptop or Tablet
I know you’re not planning on packing up your desktop and checking it as luggage — but are you sure you need a full-sized laptop to do your work while you’re away? Companies today generally own servers or cloud space that allows their employees to do work at home or on-the-go, which means you don’t need mammoth amounts of RAM to do business. Instead, sync up with your company’s network with a small laptop, netbook or tablet computer. Though your screen will be smaller, computers this size are easier to transport and store. However, make sure your smaller device has the capacity to hook up with others in your destination country; additionally, you should consider your presentation needs, as you might need to use your computer to display information for large groups of people.
Posted by Steve Manley