Getting excited about that upcoming vacation? Of course you are! In all of that excitement, though, it's easy to overlook a few basic things that will make your trip cheaper, easier and more enjoyable. Here are five simple tech mistakes you can easily avoid on your next trip.

 

Not Checking the Voltage Requirements of Your Gear

Visiting a new destination can be an assault on the senses. The sight of neon lights and crowds of people.


The sound of honking horns and revving motorcycles. The taste of unfamiliar foods. The smell of burning plastic… wait, what?

If you're traveling to a country that uses a higher voltage for its mains power, that pungent odor could well be one of your appliances going up in smoke. While North America and much of Central and South America runs at 110/120 volts, most of the rest of the world uses 220/240 volts. If your gear can't handle the difference, expect it to have a brief and fiery demise.

While most consumer electronics like phones, cameras and laptops will charge just fine regardless of the voltage, things like hair dryers, curling irons and electric razors probably won't unless you plug them into a special converter or transformer.

Long story short? Check the voltage requirements of all your equipment before you leave. Printed somewhere on the appliance or charger will be its power expectations. If the "input" section says 100-240V, it will work anywhere in the world. If not, leave it at home or pack that converter.

Forgetting to Check Roaming Rates Before You Go

Looking for a great way to ruin your vacation? How about coming home to a bill of many hundreds or thousands of dollars that you didn't expect? That'll do it.

Many cell companies love to overcharge their customers when they use their phone overseas, especially if they use data as well as calls and texts. To make matters worse, there's often no warning that you're racking up these high costs until the bill arrives.

Before you leave home, check if your cell company has any international packages available. While they're usually still expensive compared to what you usually pay at home, they're a lot better than casual usage rates.

The one bright spot in this murky world of international roaming is provided by T-Mobile. Bucking the trend of alienating its customers who travel overseas, the company offers free international SMS and data on its Simple plan. Now we just need to wait for the other cell providers to catch up.

Carrying Separate Plug Adapters for Every Gadget You Own

So you're heading off to Europe and planning on taking a few gadgets. A phone or tablet, maybe a laptop, e-reader, camera, electric razor… the list goes on. They'll all come with their own chargers, and if you want to plug them into a wall socket, you'll need an international adapter for each one, right? Wrong.

Rather than spending a small fortune – and your entire luggage allowance – on adapters, pick up a small power strip with three or four sockets and just buy a single adapter instead. Plug all of your chargers into the power strip, the strip into the adapter and the adapter into the wall. Easy. I personally use a specific travel-sized power strip, but you can just use one you've got lying around home if you'd prefer.

Stowing Electronics in Your Checked Luggage

If you're running out of space in your carry-on, it can be tempting to stow a few extra items in your checked luggage. That's fine if they're things like sweaters and jackets, but it's a very bad idea for anything expensive or fragile. Even if your gadgets survive the flight after being dropped, kicked and thrown onto the baggage belt, it's all too easy for the wandering eyes of luggage handlers and security staff to land on a pricey piece of technology.

Do yourself a favor and keep all the electronics in your hand luggage – even if it means leaving something else at home to do it.

Not Backing Anything Up Because Hey, It's Only a Few Weeks

There's no need to worry about doing anything with your trip photos until you get home, right? You're only away for a few weeks – what's the worst that could happen?

Well, the worst that could happen is that you lose them all, and it happens a lot more often than you might think. SD cards are notorious for corrupting, and the one in your camera is no exception. If you take photos on your phone instead, what happens when it gets stolen or you drop it into that lake you're so excitingly taking pictures of?

Backing up photos when you're on vacation isn't difficult or time-consuming. Here's how to copy from your camera to Apple or Android devices, and as long as you've got an Internet connection occasionally, iCloud and Dropbox will take care of any shots you take on your phone automatically.