Around the world with 80 gadgets - Around the world with 80 gadgets

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► 2010 (6)

▼ 2009 (39)

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Travel friends

Bens Travel Stories
Silk Road By Bike
Nerdy Nomad
Where is Cliff

Virtual gadgets

Virtual gadgets are brilliant. Not only do they take up no space in your luggage, but many of them are free (or at least a lot cheaper than the alternative) and provide added security as backup of your data.

Here are some of the ones I've had a look at:
* e-guides from Lonely Planet
   - cheaper and lighter than the books! I'm visiting 8 countries and I think I can hear my back crying just at the thought of carrying those bricks around.
   - you only get the chapters you want, which is a good thing when your plans are set and there are certain areas you know you won't be going to. I have seen many travelers rip out the pages of the guide book that they don't need or after they have visited those areas in order to save weight.
* backup of pictures and data - here are some alternatives I've looked at:
   - SkyDrive (MSN, 25 GB for free)
   - Picasa (Google, 1 GB for free)
   - Flickr (upload 200 MB every month for free, upgrade to unlimited uploading for $25 a year)

- Uploadingit.com (10 GB for free)

* e-books. There are many free audiobooks or e-books out there:
   - free-ebooks.net
   - ebookdirectory.com
   - witguides.com
* e-banking
   - sooo easy to pay bills, keep track of spending and budgeting!
* podcasts
   - learnoutloud.com/Podcast-Directory
   - bbc.co.uk/podcasts
* Skype
   - great for chatting with friends and family
   - you can also buy credits or unlimited use
* travel services
   - rental relocation (just google it!)
   - CouchSurfing
   - House sitting (housesitads.com.au, housecarers.com, homelink.org)
   - Helpx / wwoofing
   - Hostelworld.com and other booking services