Dear WordCount: I’m traveling to cover a convention soon. It’s been a while since I went out of town for on assignment, I’m wondering what gear I should take. Suggestions? — Traveling Reporter
Dear T.R.:
It just so happens that I’m going on the road for a story this week too. Here’s what I’m bringing:
Droid, wall and car chargers. Notice that I listed this first? These days it’s just as important to have a reliable smartphone on a trip as it is to have a functioning laptop because it does so many things. I use Droid apps for the airline I’m flying, car rental agency, hotel, weather forecasts and even the conference I’m attending. I might use the camera. Oh yeah, it’s a phone too, and have contact numbers for sources I’m meeting at the conference. I’m renting a car so I’ll use the time I’m driving to make sure the phone’s charged.
Laptop, charger and mouse. I might not use the mouse but it’s nice to have, especially if I decide to use some downtime in my hotel room to writee. I know lots of writers don’t use a mouse anymore, but I’m old school.
Digital camera. There’s a chance I might shoot photos or video for one story I’m reporting, so I’ll bring a point and shoot digital camera, which takes higher resolution digital images than my Droid and can take video as well.
Business cards. They’re old school too, but where I’m headed not everyone I meet will have Bump on their cellphones.
Notepad and generous supply of pens. I plan to take notes on my laptop during conference sessions. But in case of emergency – not enough outlets, random interview done on the fly – I take these as backup.
Notes and other important files loaded on Box.net. I have a story due early next week so I might use some downtime to work on it. I don’t always use a cloud-based file management service for files, but I do when I travel, so I’ve loaded the Word documents I need.
Glasses. For reading and sun.
Wallet, credit cards and valid driver’s license. Did I mention the time I tried renting a car with an expired driver’s license (because I was too busy to renew my old one)? It did not end well.
Book and New York Times Sunday crossword puzzle collection. Because you can’t work all the time.
Travel bag. I use a Tori Burch tote that’s big enough to fit everything but small enough to fit comfortably under an airplane seat, and to double as a purse.
If you’re covering a convention or conference, here are some other posts you might be interested in reading:
Dear WordCount is a weekly advice column answering your questions about writing, blogging and running a freelance business. Send questions to wordcountfreelance@gmail.com.