This is a post in an ongoing feature on Her Packing List called “The One Little Thing“. Each week or two, we’ll be interviewing a traveling lady to find out the one little thing she just can’t travel without. This one comes to you from Yvette Sittrop.
I have travelled to so many places for fun, from Spain to France, from Belgium to Switzerland. However, having worked in publishing for a numbers of years, I have started to do more and more travelling for work and this required a different kind of packing mentality.
What one little thing can you not travel without?
A power board from home that already fits all my electronic devices perfectly – add ONE adapter and you have a great solution to your tech needs. Sounds simple, but it really is one of those things that makes your life that bit easier when you are on the go 24/7.
>> Check out this Belkin travel power board on Amazon*.
*Please note this is an affiliate link, and if you make a purchase, we will receive a small commission at no extra charge to you.
Why has this one item been so important to you?
Going from conference, to dinner, to drinks, to meetings – you simply don’t have enough time in the day to be fussing around charging all the items that are vital to your working life (forgetting even that things like an iPad take a century to charge…). One power board, with as many ports as you have devices, one plug adapter and you are good to go.
How packable is it? Does it take up much room? Is it heavy?
A power board is relatively slimline and light and fits perfectly at the base of your suitcase where the ridges and divots usually are. Even the larger power boards aren’t that heavy, and certainly aren’t much heavier than packing multiple adapters.
Why would you recommend this to your travel friends?
Sure, you could bring one adapter for each of your devices, or even (not recommended) share one between ALL of your devices but, especially if you travel to different places throughout the year, it does not make sense to buy 3+ adapters for each territory, when you can just buy one for your power board.
Can you name one incident or situation where you were so happy to have this item with you?
On heavily scheduled business trips I only have a few hours in my room to sort out my electronics. I don’t have time to wait for one to charge before moving on to the other!
How did you hear about this item?
This was a recommendation from a friend who is a very handy engineer. He actually physically altered a power board for me before one of my lengthier stays in the UK. Since I don’t have the electrical skills to convert a plug myself, taking that one step further to needing only one adapter to make my board functional made perfect sense.
What sort of traveler is this item perfect for?
Business traveller or the tech Âfreak. It is the ideal solution for those who have multiple devices that are all very necessary!
About the author: Born in the Netherlands and then Australia-bound, Yvette Sittrop has spent the following 20+ years travelling for both family and work; from the UK to Sweden and from the neon city of Vegas and back home again, the real beauty of each trip is that each one offers something new!
A power strip is also great if a couple of people are traveling together.
YES! Really great for couples or groups of friends. A friend brought one when we did the Trans-Mongolian train trip and it was a major plus for everyone!
I bought the Australian version of this from Dick Smith’s ebay store (bargain) before a recent trip to the US – it was awesome! I loved being able to charge my iphone, ipad and camera all from one power point and liked the added piece of mind that it has a surge protector built-in – a big plus as some travel insurance won’t cover replacement costs for your electrical should it be ruined by a surge! I travel a fair bit domestically for work also and will be taking this along to charge my assorted electrical gear including laptop from now on.
Can this handle dual voltages? I’m in the US traveling to the UK. Will this work for me?