Comment by bronco21016
2 months ago
It's really dependent upon the expected downtime at the hotel for me. I do about 150 nights in hotels a year.
Some of those trips I'll have extended time of 18+ hours of not really doing anything outside of the hotel other than grabbing dinner. For those types of trips I'm definitely more apt to bring additional devices like my GLinet travel router and MAYBE a streaming stick. I've also brought RPis or MCUs for tinkering during my downtime.
However, other trips I'm with you. I bring my phone, laptop, iPad (required for job), and chargers and that's about it for devices. I really try to limit my packing to things I know I will use and honestly for probably 50% of my travel that's clean clothes, toothbrush, phone, and wallet.
My travel I describe above is solo, work related. When the family comes we tend to tow a 9,000 lbs condo on wheels, so literally the "kitchen sink".
Over time, I've taken less and less stuff. I still take my iPad in a keyboard case for longer trips, and as a backup for 2FA incase something happens to my phone, but now I mostly feel like my phone alone is "good enough." Doomscrolling on the phone works just as well on the road as at home :).
I do load my phone up with eBooks for unexpected downtime, and I do have an emulator on it. I would not chose to use my phone for reading or gaming normally, but on the road it's "good enough" - jack of all trades, master of none.
Of course if I'm traveling for work my work laptop comes, but I never put personal accounts on it.
The only trips I've been on with 18+ hours of down time were due to weather events (getting snowed in on a ski trip). That was with a big group. We just played card games, cooked, talked, and consumed copious amounts of alcohol to pass the time ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.
Jesus, that's a lot of away time. What do you do?