Never Forget a Power Cord When You’re Traveling

Have you ever gone on a trip, only to arrive at your hotel and discover you have forgotten the power cord for your laptop? Or your cell phone charger? Or your camera battery charger? My husband travels for work. A lot. He averages every third night as a paid guest in a Marriott property (not to mention all of the Rewards stays we take for fun). He is also a gadget geek — he always carries his laptop, iPhone, iPad, iPod, and wireless hotspot. After he found himself in California for 24 hours with no laptop power supply (not the first time he had forgotten something), we decided to take action. We duplicated all of his accessories — laptop power supply, iPhone/iPad/iPod charging cables, and wireless hotspot charger. And it didn’t cost as much as you might think. On eBay I recently found a brand new replacement MacBook power supply for $16.79 with free shipping… TWO iPhone/iPod/iPad cables for $1.98 and free shipping… a battery charger for Nikon dSLR batteries for $0.99 plus $2.11 shipping… a cell phone charger for an LG ENV3 for $2.59 and free shipping… and a power supply for an HP Pavilion laptop for $8.25 with free shipping. So if you have a laptop, iPhone, and camera, you could duplicate all necessary cables for $13.33. That’s a small price to pay to never have to worry that your camera battery will die in the middle of your once-in-a-lifetime trip to Thailand. And, it’s likely cheaper than replacing any one of your forgotten items at a local Radio Shack at full retail price. Simply order the appropriate items, put them all in a small bag, and keep them in your laptop bag or luggage at all times. And while you’re at it, one other thing to consider: My husband also keeps a completely duplicated set of toiletries in his luggage — toothpaste, toothbrush, mouthwash, deodorant, shampoo, and body wash. He never has to worry about missing toiletries when he arrives at midnight and has an 8am business meeting either. [Editor’s Note: Learn more about opportunities to profit from your travels (and even from your own home) in our free online newsletter The Right Way to Travel.]