Essential Travel Items

So given I'm on the road for the next couple of months (well, most of the time anyway), I thought I'd put together a list of things I never travel without. It helps when you're stuck in the airport, on the plane, or for weeks in the hotel.

I'd also like to point out that while I was thinking of this list, I realised that my wife was the one who bought me most of this stuff. I'm a lucky boy 8-)

Sony PSP - play games, watch movies, survive long plane journeys and come out of the other end smiling. I had read the reviews, but nothing really prepared me for the quality of the picture (or the games for that matter). And I've yet to run out of batteries on the plane. The only difficulty these days is deciding which movies I buy on DVD compared to UMD.

iPod - along with the rest of the world - although technically I could download my music onto my PSP, I'm still addicted to my iPod. A recent refresh of the music now means I can confidently leave it on shuffle and smile at almost every song. I just have to keep telling myself that I don't need the new video iPod.

Shure EC2 Sound Insulating Headphones - although definitely not their top of the line headphones, the difference between these and my original iPod headphones is incredible. Not only is the sound quality great, it keeps out the dull drone of the engines on the puddle jumpers, and they've never fallen out when at the gym (admittedly, if you know me that doesn't mean much - maybe tried them 4 or 5 times this year in this environment...).

A book - I'm normally pretty particular about the books I read, and tend to go through cycles where I'll read loads of books in a short period of time, and then not read anything for months. The travel fixes this - you have to switch your gadgets off for take off and landing, and I have a problem just sitting around doing nothing. Business travel means business books - recent ones are Think Big, Act Small , Love is the Killer App and currently reading another 3 or 4 semi-simultaneously, which if they turn out to be any good, I might let you know about.

OK - that'll do for now. Although the one other thing I've recently added (more due to the lack of food on United these days, and the weird flight times to Atlanta from Denver) is a Power Bar. Saved my life a couple of times (including this week actually, when I forgot to grab lunch before jumping on the plane).

If anyone has some suggestions on things you can't travel without, let me know.