If you're one of the 48 million Americans traveling somewhere this Thanksgiving weekend, you probably already know of a few things you won't forget -- phone, laptop and headphones. For many, those are the keys to fending off boredom and keeping a party-on attitude while in the car or on a plane.
But, most of us have a few other essentials we depend on while traveling. Mapping apps, audio books and portable device chargers, for example. We reached out to a few of Austin's tech leaders to see what's essential to them.
Here we go.
Bob Metcalfe
Professor of Innovation and Murchison Fellow of Free Enterprise at the University of Texas
- iPhone (always) - Macintosh (long trips or document deadline) - Uber/Lyft in all cities but Austin, then Wingz - Facebook/Email - Twitter on probation (fake news?) - Google News Top Stories<WaPo<DNC but also Drudge (not fake) - Silicon Hills News+Austin Inno+Xconomy - Chargers (dual, for AC or DC) - Teleporter to bypass taxis, airlines
Joah Spearman
Co-founder and CEO of Localeur
I travel 150-plus days a year, so the most essential thing is TSA Pre-Check so I can minimize the time I'm in lines at the airport. Localeur is expanding internationally in 2017, so I imagine Global Entry will be next.
The second most important thing for me as a traveler is good music. I subscribe to both Apple Music and Tidal so I can catch up on music or doze off on the plane to something good. The new A Tribe Called Quest album has been on repeat lately.
Third, I always take a good book with me. I'm not a Kindle owner or an Audible subscriber, but I do continue to buy a lot of books from Book People here in Austin. I just finished "Cutting for Stone," by Abraham Verghese, and I'm reading "Rules of Civility," by Amor Towles, next. 2015 was a lot of business and entrepreneurship book reading and 2016 was a lot of fiction. I think fundraising all year forced me to look to literature for an escape.
Steve Guengerich
Mentor, advisor and author
-- On-board, airplane broadband Wi-Fi -- Heavy duty, rapid recharger -- the PUCK is my fav. -- Google maps (not Apple)
Christa Freeland
Managing Director of Powershift Group
@AustinInno a good Spotify playlist! Make sure to download/save songs to your account so when you're in the air, it still plays :)
— Christa Freeland (@christafreeland) November 23, 2016
Joshua Dziabiak
Co-Founder and COO at The Zebra
The TED Talks app: I like to download interesting TED talk lectures in advance of a flight. The TED app's offline feature lets you stream video even when you lose signal in the air. Some of my favorite lectures include Margaret Heffernan's "Why It's Time to Forget the Pecking Order at Work" and Tony Robbin's "Why We Do What We Do."
Apple's Smart Battery Case: There are few things worse than being holed up next to an electric outlet at the airport terminal, anxiously waiting to fill up on some battery life. Apple's Smart Battery Case nearly doubles my iPhone's battery life.
Adam Lyons
Co-Founder and CEO at The Zebra
I love my little iPad with a keyboard. They can't tell you to put it away on the airplane prior to takeoff or close to landing so you can get an extra 30 minutes of use on either side of a flight.
Also Spotify. Music is a must for me, so I love how you can download your playlist to the phone for offline use in the air (augmented by Beats wireless headphones of course).
Robert Reeves
Co-Founder and CTO at Datical
1) Rimowa Classic Flight IATA Carry On: This is the only luggage you will every need. First off, it’s light and stylish; it screams engineering efficiency. Second, it will fit into ANY airplane overhead or under any seat. That means if you fly standby and get a middle seat in the last row, you can still tuck this away without issue. That goes for any airline in the world, too. Pune, India? Shanghai? Milan? No problem. Finally, it’s a great way to stop yourself from packing too much. Seriously. That’s why they offer dry cleaning at all hotels. Use that instead of packing for some Oregon Trail journey. Besides, if you do wind up using dry cleaning service at a hotel, it’s a sure sign you’re traveling too much. Go home.(Bonus points: Most international travelers will assume you are German and offer you beer and pretzels.)
2) Flip Top Nalgene Bottle: Flying dehydrates you and bottled water is stupid. Just carry this around and fill up before boarding. All airports have water fountains that fill water bottles now. Except Las Vegas. Which is another reason to dislike that town.
3) Athletic Shoes: Buy a new pair of athletic shoes before your trip and wear them on the plane. Your feet swell in flight and it will stretch out your dress shoes and make you more tired from the pressure. Even better, ditch the dress shoes and just wear the athletic shoes everywhere, all the time. It’s 2016 and you're not going to church.
Liz Coufal
Experience Coordinator at Capital Factory
Home-brewed kombucha: Travel/holidays are stressful, and drinking my home-brewed kombucha calms me down. I'm very conscious of gut health (if you're a Capital Factory member, I've probably asked you about your probiotic intake) so I try to be intentional about upping my fermented food intake before the holidays. Did you know a healthy gut is related to increased levels of serotonin? There's a Radiolab on it.
Snapchat Spectacles: Because what fun are the holidays without confusing your loved ones with your latest tech gadget? These Specs aren't technically mine (thanks, Capital Factory), but it's always fun to have someone try them on for the first time and take a video.
Frends headphones: How else would I be able to tune out the post-election conversation that my family is having? And plus, they look hella badass. So if you're going to ignore your family's latest political throw down, you may as well look like fresh AF while doing it.
That f*cking headphone converter: How am I supposed to plug in my rose gold headphones to my rose gold iPhone? Ughhhh stop trying to kill my vibe, Apple. And it's only a matter of time before I lose it, too.
Essential Oils: Did I mention the holidays are stressful? In between answering emails while going down to I-35 (not while driving, of course) and listening to my neighbor's take on identity politics, it's easy to tense up. Young Living's Deep Relief essential oil blend is my go-to for calming down because it actually relaxes your muscles on a deep level. Think of it as a whiskey on the rocks for your skin.
Podcasts: I'm assuming that I'll be sitting in a lot of traffic while heading up to my parent's house, so I loaded up my phone with enough podcasts to get me through. Right now, my favorites are CodeSwitch (NPR), FiveThirtyEight (ESPN) and 2 Dope Queens (WNYC). Hopefully the 8+ hours I downloaded will get my through Waco...
Brent Wistrom
The guy who wrote this post
1.) Bose headphones: They're not exactly cutting-edge anymore. But they block out a lot of static no matter where you may be -- and they have pretty good sound.
2.) Path: It's not the world's most popular social media app. But it's the one place where my family and I can share things within a tight circle, showing everything from which airport I just landed at -- to funny insights, photos and what we're reading, listening to or watching en route to the family gathering.
3.) Apple Music: I hate when advertisements interrupt music. So I pay. It gives me options to check out new music I may have overlooked, and it's easy to find mood music or holiday channels for the whole family -- without hearing an ad targeted to me based on my history of searching for green bean casserole recipes.
4.) Audible: I try to listen to or read at least one book whenever I travel -- sometimes it's a work-related book, and sometimes it's just a fun read. My recent Audible books have been "Ghost in the Wires," by Kevin Mitnick and William L. Simon; "Kitchen Confidential," by Anthony Bourdain; and "The Power of the Dog," by Ray Porter.
