Travelling Light: What's in Your Essential Tech Travel Kit?
When you're travelling and expected to work remotely, carrying around a whole office can be rather cumbersome, and, not to mention, heavy. Thanks to all the modern technology though, you really don't need much to make sure you can do everything you need to do.
Here's a list of seven essential tech travel items for lawyers:
1. Ultrabook
Computers like the Macbook Air or a Dell XPS are thin, ultra compact, and tend to pack some ultra-long battery life to boot. These types of highly portable computers are great for travelling if not just for the light weight. Ultrabooks might cost a bit more, but if portability is a computer characteristic you desire, these are the way to go.
2. Flash Drive
While you may never need it, having a flash drive handy can absolutely save the day when you're travelling and need to print documents or view something on another person's, or (in the most dire emergency) a public, computer.
Protip: Get an extra plain looking one that's a couple gigs for a few dollars, that way you won't be forced to send off your favorite cartoon character thumb drive to opposing counsel because you forgot to drop the printed document production in the mail before leaving the office for your trip.
3. Bluetooth Travel Mouse
If you do a lot of scrolling and clicking, a good travel mouse can help you be more productive while working on the go.
4. Extra Phone Headset
While you may love your fancy headphones, having an extra new or gently used headset stashed in your travel tech bag is good idea, especially if you have to make or take a lot of calls. Even if you normally don't use a headset, when you're on the go you can take notes on your smart phone while talking or listening if you do.
5. Smart Enough Smart Phone
You should make sure that your smartphone is smart enough and that you know how to use it. Minimally, it should be able to function as a document scanner as well as a WiFi hotspot. There are apps for most smartphones that will allow you to scan documents using the phone's camera. Also, many smartphone models can be used as mobile WiFi hotspots that you can connect your computer to the internet through (but be mindful of your phone carrier's plans and policies relating to tethering and hotspots).
6. Portable Charger and Charging Cables
There are portable power banks that you can charge up at home, and then use to charge your devices while out and about. These can be a real life saver when flights get delayed or you're away from your hotel for too long. You can also pick up cables that have multiple connections so that you can charge multiple devices with one single cable.
7. Pen and Paper
While all the tech gadgets are great, there's almost nothing more reliable than a pad of paper and a pen. If all else fails, having pen and paper handy, or maybe even a printed brief you've been meaning to read, in your tech travel bag is the ultimate lawyer redundancy to ensure you can keep billing no matter where you are.
Related Resources:
- Will Buying New Technology Make You a Better Lawyer? (FindLaw's Technologist)
- Everyday Tasks for Lawyers Now Obsolete Thanks to Technology (FindLaw's Technologist)
- What New Legal Tech Made the Law Firm Innovation Index? (FindLaw's Technologist)