Travelling with just an iPad Pro and phone as a writer
When I was younger I used to travel with a pen, a writing pad and a small pile of books for both entertainment and work. Now I need a phone, a tablet/book (for entertainment) and a laptop because as a writer these days, everything has to be done right bloody now. I remember when I was 18, way back in 1990, one of my first jobs was covering a yacht launch. I just had a notebook and the magazine I was writing for hired a photographer. I wrote the text the following morning in the office and the rest of stuff was done by others. Simple times, let down a bit by the fact that I was 18, there was free booze, and I got drunk and lost my notebook. It is probably a good thing that I didn’t have an iPad Pro or smartphone back then.
These days you need to turn things around a bit more speedily but happily, laptops and phones now weigh nearly bugger all. Another great step is the rise of the hybrid laptop/tablet, which weighs slightly less. I am about to leave the hot and rainy Bangkok and go to the apparently warm and not too rainy UK. After that will be a trip to Germany and the towns of Kassel and Muenster for Documenta and a ton of art. I am a bit worried as I have made the momentous decision to travel with just my iPad Pro (for writing and entertainment) and a Samsung 8+ (for photos and the internet) and no laptop. I haven’t travelled without a laptop for over a decade and I will need to be writing things on a daily basis. There will be a lot of walking involved this trip and weight will be a key factor.
This may be of interest to very few people except other writers. I think my websites will be fine, it is everything else I worry about. In addition to writing articles, press releases, brochures, websites, a novel and so on, I also edit random things like doctoral theses and promotional posters. Will this combo be enough for everything? I have a huge power-bank that can fully recharge the iPad and phone, so battery power or lack of outlets won’t be a problem anymore. I save everything to the cloud, so if things get complicated I can go to an internet cafe. We shall see. If this is all possible, then my spine and editors will be happy. I look forward to a future with no wires needed and a single, unfoldable device that does everything. Hurry up technology.
