Several people have asked what our top trip tools/items have been – here are a few! We will update this from time to time as we find more interesting things!

We are starting to get a lot of ideas to share so we have split by category:

Technology
Our Travel Tools
Financial
Travel Gear
Transportation & Traveling

Technology

1) Maps with Me: We have used this tool CONSTANTLY while walking around. This is an App that allows you to download maps onto your iPhone/iPad. Since there are GPS’s on Apple devices that work regardless of having cell reception, we can see where we are at all times. This is super helpful when you come out of a subway station and have no idea which way to turn!

http://mapswith.me

2) iPad ClamCase Pro: This turns our iPad into a full fledged mini-computer which makes it much easier to type things like blog posts. Maybe you would be happier if we didn’t type anything and just posted pictures, but in case you are reading this is handy for us. 🙂 Touch screens are cool…for awhile…

http://clamcase.com/bluetooth-ipad-keyboard-case.html

3) Dropbox/Crashplan: We used Dropbox to collaborate on the trip extensively. We generally had two MacBooks and two iPads running constantly as we planned the trip. Dropbox was able to keep everything synced together. This gave us a “golden master” of trip files that we can now access at anytime on our trip.

Crashplan is an online secure backup for your entire computer. We ran this so both of our MacBooks are fully replicated in the Cloud. A few times on the trip we realized that there was something on the MacBook we wanted to reference so we used the iPad app to retrieve the info.

4) USB & Hard Drive for Backing Up Pictures – I (Ryan) work in IT so I worry about data corruption, memory failing, etc. as well as having my camera ripped off my neck! As a result I am backing up all pictures after each day to a 1TB USB hard drive. The iPad is not well-suited to interface with USB devices so I put in place an odd work around.

I bought a box called iUSB Port. This allows you to plug in USB devices and then send the devices via WiFi to your iPad. I then use the program FileBrowser to copy files from the camera to my hard drive. I know this is geeky, but it does truly work! Plus, I sleep better which makes my trip better. 🙂

http://www.hypershop.com/HyperDrive/iUSBport/

5) 4 USB Port Adapters (thanks to Emily’s friend Katy for sending 1 of these as a gift!): These adapters allow us to charge 2 iPads, 2 iPhones, 2 cameras, 1 USB hub, 1 iShuffle for running, and back up batteries for the cameras. So far we have seen that most hotels have very few electrical plugs so charging as many devices as possible out of one plug is helpful. So far… we haven’t even blown any fuses! 🙂

6) Numbers & Pages Apps: We use these apps across our iPads and iPhones to keep track of our trip budget, checking account, and itineraries. These apps allow for regular updates and synching across all of our devices. Think of these like Word and Excel that sync automatically.

7) Documents App: We downloaded an app called Documents and then exported our entire trip folder. Documents allows us to access all of our files, including pdfs, word files, excel files, and daily maps (as a backup in case our maps app didn’t work). We loaded all documents onto our iPads and iPhones so that we have this information at our fingertips at any point.

http://readdle.com/products/documents/

8) Kindle App: Many of you are familiar with this app, but we loaded it on all our Apple devices. We’ve been keeping a reading list of suggested books from Kellogg and several different speakers over the last 3 years so we’re excited to finally get a chance to read! Two neat features for us have been:

– The app synchs across all our devices so it keeps our page number, open no matter whether you open your iPad or your iPhone
– While we’re not using this feature for its intended use, you can have the iPad read books to you through its IOS Accessibility software. It has a computerized voice, but it has allowed us both to “read” while driving!

9) iPhone Max Power Cases: Since we’re never sure of plug and adapter availability at the next stop, we bought power cases that charge our iPhones if needed. This gives us approximately 2 days of usage per charge. One interesting fact on these cases is that they are made out of rubber that can actually slightly melt in over +100 degree F temperatures when actively using the phone. Apparently the producer should have tested walking around Toledo, Spain, in the summer with the case on… 😦

http://www.amazon.com/Maxboost-Fusion-Detachable-External-Battery/dp/B00AOAEVAQ/ref=sr_1_2?s=wireless&ie=UTF8&qid=1376948376&sr=1-2&keywords=iPhone+Max+Power+Cases

10) VPN: In the theme of being ultra paranoid, I am utilizing a VPN (Virtual Private Network) for all internet usage. This creates a secure tunnel back to the US to my brother’s house where he set up a VPN server for me. This keeps our data from being hacked on an unsecured wireless network, which is particularly helpful when you’re accessing your bank and credit accounts online from abroad.

For those less technically inclined (maybe Emily perhaps… hahaha) for a small monthly fee there are several companies that offer VPNs you can use.

**11) Verizon International Data. Verizon has a deal where you pay $25 for every 100mb of data you use. I know that this sounds like virtually no data, but if you are very prudent in turning the data on/off you won’t use much data. Of course you won’t get every score alert or celebrity update, but you don’t spend much money. The downside to this setup is that you have to pay your monthly US bill to keep this option active.

I researched numerous options for an international SIM. In most cases the cost of the international SIM met or exceeded paying my US Verizon Bill + International Data charges. We have moved countries so often we have not yet bought a local SIM as we often only stay 2-3 days and want mobile Internet the second we land.

**12) Tom Tom GPS Apps: These apps are outrageously expensive (~$80 USD) but are honestly as good as any handheld GPS. We bought these for Australia and New Zealand and are so thankful. We never had a wrong turn even when in the middle of nowhere tracking down some rare flower or bird. It is key to have a GPS enabled iPad if you want a nice big GPS screen vs using an iPhone (see below)

https://itunes.apple.com/au/app/tomtom-australia/id326072238?mt=8

Our Travel Tools
**1) Two Verizon iPhone 5 – 64 GB: (This is technical for my techies out there 🙂 Quick history lesson: Most carriers run on either GSM (AT&T) or CDMA (Verizon, Sprint) GSM is very prevalent in Europe. CDMA and GSM are used in Asia. Interestingly enough the Verizon iPhone has both GSM and CDMA antennas while the AT&T iPhone only has a GSM antenna. In Japan and China there are some areas where GSM may be spotty so having the Verizon iPhone is the “Swiss Army Knife” of iPhones as it will select either GSM or CDMA depending on where you are.

We have 64GB as we don’t want to use a lot of data retrieving files off the web. So far we are averaging around 100mb of data usage a month by utilizing files on our phone and free WiFi.

**2) Two iPad 4’s (16GB and 32GB): One iPad is setup with the keyboard (mentioned above) while one is in a lightweight case so it can be read like a book. The iPads are our blog update tools, picture sorter, budget tracking, and communication devices. We carry the iPads in our backpack every day in case we have down time and want to read something easily.

One super geeky tip is that iPads with cellular data capability include GPS units while WiFi only units do not. We bought a cellular-enabled unit and never turned the cellular capability on. The GPS works great when we combine with Maps with Me or Tom Tom!

**3) Sony NEX-5N Camera with FOUR 128GB SDXC cards – I have been told by several camera pros on the trip that this is now not the current model, but the 2012 edition seems to be working well 🙂 (Some seem to get the new camera every year I guess!) I saw in Japan that the Sony NEX-5T will be released in mid-Sept.

This camera is a new mirror-less technology that allows the body to be small – really small! It also has the features of an SLR where you can interchange the lenses. I have these lenses:

Fixed 16mm – this is VERY small and allows the camera to fit in your pocket when safety is a concern

18-55mm – Great every day lens – most pictures are taken with this

55mm-210mm – Nice for zooms and close up shots

In the US I haven’t seen many people with this camera. In Asia I swear every family most own one of these things as I have made many friends talking about the camera!

For those still reading (hello my one friend!) I am shooting everything in RAW+JPG. This increases my data storage requirements by 5x, but I am betting that computing power will only continue to increase in the future. RAW is the actual raw image shot by the camera with no compression or adjustment. JPG applies small amounts of compression and color changes. Someday (maybe in 5 years?) Emily and I would like to get better at Photoshop and use these RAW images as my test cases.

http://store.sony.com/p/Sony-NEX-5-18-55mm-lens/en/p/NEX5NK/B

**4) Sony TX-30 Underwater Camera – There are times that my Sony NEX-5N (although the smallest SLR I have ever seen) is still too big (shooting pictures in restaurants, etc.) Having a mini camera is great in those cases. My dad/I were talking about this and also discussed that I would like to have a camera that I could shoot underwater. Well, such a combination camera does exists – the Sony TX-30! We will be using this to shoot pictures in the Great Barrier Reef so we can report on the underwater capability soon. For regular shots the camera does a decent job and produces 18MP shots. It is definitely not as good as the NEX-5N, but it is smaller than a deck of cards!!

http://store.sony.com/p/Sony-Cyber-shot-TX30-Waterproof-Camera/en/p/DSCTX30/L

**5) Sony NEX 5n Camera Jacket – Instead of having a camera case I keep the camera in here 24/7 so I can slip this in/out of our backpack as needed. This is very light and saves space! If you go shopping for this in Japan it comes in additional colors too!

http://store.sony.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10551&storeId=10151&langId=-1&productId=8198552921666459343

Financial
1) Chip+PIN Credit Cards: As we planned the trip we read horror stories of Americans not being able to use credit cards at self-service kiosks. Here is the issue: Most of Europe has moved away from the magnetic strip card to a card with an RFID chip and a PIN (many major credit card carriers do offer Chip Cards, but they are a Chip Card with a SIGNATURE… which is a no go). So, how can I get one of these CHIP and PIN cards?! It isn’t easy my friend. In the US only 2-3 banks currently have the card, although this should be changing by around 2015. We found that an Armed Forces Credit Union (Andrews Federal Credit Union) actually will issue these cards to anyone that opens a free bank account with $100!

http://www.andrewsfcu.org/credit_cards_and_loans/credit_cards/globetrek_rewards.html

This card works – a few times we have been in situations where we didn’t have the right currency but this card saved the day (EU switched the size of its $5 bills and sometimes I only had fives and this card saved us 🙂

Update: these also work great in the Sydney, Australia, train station!!

2) Credit Cards Without International Transaction Fees: A dirty little secret is that most credit cards charge US citizens 3-4% for the convenience of converting currencies. A few US card issuers DO NOT charge fees so we went with them:

-Capital One
-Discover (actually works in some places under Diners Club)
-Andrews (see above)

We probably freaked you out with #5, but most tourists are not driving thousands of miles to out of the way areas, going into self-service parking meters/garages, or filling up at roadside gas stations. If you are sticking to Paris, London, Rome, etc. a regular magnetic swipe card from Capital One will do a great job for you!

**3) Don’t Use Foreign Exchange Counters – We generally don’t use foreign exchange counters unless we unexpectedly end up with too much money on the way out of a country. The exchange rates are typically poor and there are fixed fees on top!

It is much cheaper to use your ATM card internationally. You generally get the current spot rate and aren’t charged a fee (check with your bank). Our PNC and Andrews ATM Cards have worked with no problems or fees!!

Key note – it is sometimes difficult to find an international ATM. Surprisingly, one of the worst countries to find an international ATM is Japan! The only places you will find an international ATM are 7-11 and the post office. We found this out when we needed money to do laundry in Kyoto one night! China has a large amount of international ATM’s – just be sure to stick to the major government banks. Do NOT use unmarked ATMs as these are known to sometimes produce counterfeit bills.

**4) Have Two (or more) Bank Accounts w/ ATM Cards – You never know when you will lose a card, have your account locked, etc. You really should have at least two accounts if you will be gone for a longer period of time. We are particularly glad that we had this as the banks in China limit you to 2000 RMB per transaction (~$325 USD). Given that nothing seems to take credit card in China outside restaurants we wanted more. We tried to run a 2nd transaction but were rejected. Luckily, we had our second card and got the money we needed

**5)Take clean and crisp NEW US Dollars to Latin America – Many Latin American countries will take USD at a good exchange rate. The key is you need exact change or you will lose a lot of money! Bring lots of 1s, 5s, 10s, and 20s.

KEY: I made a teller sort through several thousand dollars to find crisp and new money. Interestingly enough if the bills are marked or torn in any way many locals won’t take them. Picky, picky!!

Travel Gear


1) Pick Pocket Proof Pants: I (Ryan) purchased two pairs of these pants. I have traveled internationally before and wore the money belts which I find to be a pain. Do you think you stick out as a tourist when you are digging into your pants all the time to pay bills!? 🙂 These pants have triple-locked pockets which so far are keeping away people who want to become my closest friends in the subway station. 🙂 Hopefully these do the trick throughout the trip. If not I will let the designers know!

http://www.clothingarts.com

2) Pac Safe Bag & Rick Steves Bag

We mentioned these in our first posts, but we LOVE these bags. So far we have worn our backpacks on our backs with no problems – let’s hope this stays this way. 🙂

http://travelstore.ricksteves.com/catalog/index.cfm?fuseaction=product&theParentId=8&id=139

http://pacsafe.com/www/index.php?_room=3&_action=detail&id=231

3) RFID Wallet: We don’t know if this is a true threat or not, but several travel blogs recommend getting a wallet that shields the RFID signal from your chip credit card. As a precaution (and since I needed a travel wallet anyways), I got this wallet and have been very happy with it.

http://pacsafe.com/rfidtec-100-rfid-blocking-bi-fold-wallet

4) Eagle Creek Bags: We’ve used two types of bags from Eagle Creek, and we have been very happy with both the quality and weight.

Bag 1 – Zippered Storage Bags: These bags are great because they keep you from digging in your bags constantly for small items but are super light weight and thin. We both have a larger bag for things like socks and then a small bag for cords and adapters. Yes, those are all adapters in there!

Bag 2 – Compression Bags: We’ve found these very helpful for keep items packed tightly but alo organized. For example, I have bags such as a polo shirt bag, a pants bag, a suit coat/dress shirt bag, etc.

**5) Umbrellas – My (Emily) mom first found and purchased one of these awesome umbrellas before I started college at Ohio State (thanks Mom!). Ryan and I now each have one, and they have come in so handy on this trip! A few travel blogs we read recommended not taking an umbrella and just buying one when it started to rain. While that saves weight and space, we personally would recommend traveling with one. We have been caught in downpours several times and would have been completely drenched without an umbrella. There isn’t really a person there selling umbrellas right when you need them!

The GustBuster is our personal favorite because of its ability to survive high winds. This little umbrella is a bit pricey (I think around $40-50) but has survived so many wind storms it’s paid itself out vs. disposable ones multiple times (including 3 winters in Chicago!). The design has two layers so that wind can pass through the umbrella without flipping it inside out. The company has also stood behind its warranty and replaced a prior umbrella with a small issue for free.

http://www.gustbuster.com/

**6) Patagonia Coats – I have always found coats annoying for packing because of how much space they take up. We knew that we needed to be ready for temperatures ranging from 35 to 105 degrees Fahrenheit, rain vs. sun, and dressy vs. casual.

Packing multiple bulky coats wasn’t an option so we spent a lot of time research this one! Thankfully we were still in Chicago on the weekends at that point so we went to just about every outdoor/travel store and department store around – North Face, REI, Marmut, Patagonia, Eddie Bauer, Nordstrom, Macy’s… You name it!

We ultimately decided on a two layer system of coats. The first layer is called an R1 Fleece and is a slim fit, soft layer that covers you down to about 50-55 degrees. We really like it because it has a sheen outside but a very soft inside. We purposefully stayed away from typical fleece because we have found it can get fuzzy when traveling. While it isn’t super dressy, the sheen has allowed it to hold up well and look decent so far.

For the outside layer we selected the Patagonia Nano Puff. It is awesome! The coat is filled with synthetic material so it dries faster than down but still provides a lot of warmth. With it on, we can get down to about 40 degrees comfortably. The really cool part about this coat is that it weighs only 11.1 ounces and rolls up into itself so it takes up very little space! It even has a loop so you can clip it to your bag. It also seems to be decent at repelling water and blocks the wind. The only small negative I have seen is that it can snag if it hits a rough or sharp area, but it hasn’t been a big issue. We are loving the coats!

http://www.patagonia.com/us/product/womens-nano-puff-jacket?p=84216-0-510

http://www.patagonia.com/us/product/womens-regulator-r1-full-zip-jacket?p=40137-0-307

**7. Trail Runner Shoes:
Normally I would take hiking boots for any mountain hikes or trails, but I couldn’t manage the weight of them for this trip. I didn’t want to hike in normal tennis shoes so we settled on trail runners with lots of grip. It’s definitely not a perfect solution (and I felt like an amateur in the Alps!), but trail runners have proved to be decent enough for hiking while also working for running and walking. If you’re traveling light and can’t take along hiking boots, you might consider trail runners.

**8. Emily’s Packing List (per Valerie G’s request :)):
5 Tank Tops: My favorite are from Prana (I actually found that yoga tops work well! They are comfortable, dry quickly, and can actually be dressed up or down).

1 Silk Halter Top: Washable, dressy and takes up virtually no space!

1 Short sleeved business casual shirt

2 Dresses: Again, my Prana dress is my favorite
1 Patagonia Dress / Skirt: It’s interchangeable!
2 Skirts: My black one is my favorite since it goes with almost anything

1 Cardigan: 3/4 Length Black to go with everything
1 Long Sleeved North Face Base Layer: Wicks, great for hiking
1 Long Sleeved Smart Wool: I love this! It’s super soft and warm
1 Long Sleeved Nike Performance Fleece: Running, hiking, extra layer… it works well!

1 Hiking Pant
1 Capri Pant
1 Jean
1 Black Pants

4 Running Shirts
4 Running Shorts
1 Running/Hiking/Casual Nike Capri

1 Nano Puff Patagonia Coat
1 Patagonia Coat Layer

1 Swimsuit

1 Camelback Water Pouch for Hiking
1 Prescription Goggle (carrying for Ryan as these are hard to buy!)
1 Travel Pillow

3 Shoes: Black sandals, black flats, trail runners (see tip/trick on these!)
1 Pair of Flip Flops for the Shower
1 Hair Dryer
1 Hair Straightener: Be careful with this one! I had to buy one that uses multiple volts or you can melt your hair!

1 Bag of Adapters: Ryan’s forte! We each have one bag with all of our adapters, iPhone cables/plugs/etc.

1 Gloves + Hat: Yes, it’s cold in New Zealand!

1 iPad
1 iPhone + Charging Case
1 Nano for Running + iPhone Running Case
1 Pair of Sunglasses + Case

Other: Sunscreen, bug spray, makeup, toiletries, laundry bag (folds into a very small square), belt, socks/underwear/the like 🙂

I watched YouTube videos to learn how to roll items military style so all clothes are rolled up after each wear. This helps everything fit in the bag!

Transportation & Traveling

1) Leased Cars in Europe. In Europe you can actually lease a car as an expat/non-EU visitor that provides a VAT tax advantage to the car company. In return for your graciousness of driving their car around for a month you get a very good rate. 🙂 The major benefits of this lease option are:

– You get a brand new car! Ours had a total of 6 km when we got it!
– You get to pick out the exact model of the car, automatic vs. manual transmission (automatic for us :)), and the fuel type (we picked diesel for max fuel efficiency which is very common in Europe)
– You can guarantee that there will be a built in car GPS with English (you have no idea how helpful this is :))
– Unlimited mileage
– 100% insurance coverage for anything (many car rental companies do not coverage glass breakage which is a common claim in Europe)
– You can stop at any manufacturer dealership for free servicing, and you get 24 hr roadside service

The one disadvantage we have found so far:
– Apparently we have a very abnormal license plate in France. This came to our attention when we were coming up to our parked car and saw two older French gentlemen standing behind our car staring at the license plate and speaking curiously in French. After investigating, we have found that our red license plate is a special manufacturer plate that designates limited VAT will be paid on the vehicle. While this initially seemed like a potential security issue for us as sticking out, it seems no one here has any clue what it means either so I guess we’re ok! 🙂

http://www.ideamerge.com/

2) Toll transponders – This made my (Ryan’s) day. In Europe most countries require tolls or vignettes (toll stickers). Given that I have a like to stay on time I think that stopping to pay tolls is dumb if a better option is available. After a Google search my needs were met:

http://www.tolltickets.com/default.aspx?lang=en-GB&mnu=c

I LOVE THESE guys!! I put in an order for the following:

Toll Transponders: France, Spain, Italy
Vignettes: Switzerland, Austria, Germany

They shipped all of this in a nice box to my first hotel where it was waiting for me. As I entered each country I put up the transponder or vignette and breezed through
everything. No stopping to pay tolls or buy stickers. Oh yeah! Of course these guys don’t do this for free – you pay a small fee to rent the transponder and to process tolls, but I would estimate we saved several hours of sitting in lines. Time is money…even when you aren’t earning any money I guess!

**3) FREE 72 Hour China Tourist Visa – China has very expensive Visas for US Citizens plus you must pay an intermediary to process the Visa for you. Effective in January 2013 China instituted a 72 hour FREE (no cost) Tourist Visa for visitors to Beijing and Shanghai (Hong Kong is governed separately and has no Visa). The rules are very tricky though – but here is what we understand:

-You must fly into Beijing or Shanghai from outside China (Hong Kong is considered outside China FYI)
-Once in China you must fly to another location outside of China that is not your home country (Hong Kong is considered outside China)
-You can only stay for 72 hours
-You must check in to a hotel within 24 hours or report your location to a police station

What does this mean? As a US Citizen you could put together a trip like this:

US to Beijing or Shanghai
Beijing to Hong Kong (or other Asia city)
Hong Kong to US

The key is you can NOT fly back to the US from Beijing – if you want to do this, it is time to pay up for a Visa. I know that it sounds confusing, but for approximately $500 USD for a husband/wife, it might be worth investigating – you might get to fly to Hong Kong or somewhere else for free as well with the savings.

**4)International Health Insurance – From what we can tell, our health insurance is not accepted internationally. Your health insurance generally will reimburse you for expenses, but you can not just give a hospital in Beijing your Blue Cross card and expect things to go well!

So, you really should consider buying international health insurance. This insurance provides a 24/7/365 hot line to call if anything goes wrong and will communicate on your behalf in the local language to guarantee your payment. If you get particularly ill such insurance can also provide air lifts to the closest internationally-recognized facility or even back to the US.

The cost for this peace of mind was around $400 USD for both of us for 90 days. We are hopeful that this is just “wasted” money and we don’t find out how well it works!

http://www.hccmis.com/

**5) Always Keep Stuff the Same Place
So this sounds obvious (and it may be!), but I know I have violated this rule many times in past trips. A key to being efficient and getting around so many places has been to always, always have our stuff in the same stop. This has allowed us to have all of our information at our fingertips and be able to do check in/out of hotels (many times a different ones every day or two) quickly. This has kept us from forgetting anything as well since we can always check that key items like our wallets, keys, iPhones, and iPads are with us. It’s a simple thing to do… but it has made such a difference for quick and headache free travel!

**6) Keep a paperclip in your passport:
Sound odd yet? The reason we’ve found this so helpful is almost every country we’ve entered has asked us to keep some sort of immigration paper with us the entire time we’re in a country. You then have to present it when you leave the country. The last thing you want to do is be hunting for this piece of paper. 🙂 Clipping important papers like this has saved us so many frantic hunts at customs!