Month: April 2016

Tweet coverage of the 2016 Bot Summit at the V&A in London

I was at the 2016 Bot Summit in London a couple of weeks ago. I did my best to capture salient points from every talk in a tweet. Here are all of them in order.

Packing List

I used to travel between the Netherlands and Germany at least once a month and pretty quickly I grew tired of forgetting things. That’s why I made a list (in bold, comments added) with the things that I should take or at least consider taking. Whenever I pack my bag, I quickly scan the list and make sure I’ve covered the bases. Maybe it’ll be helpful to you as well.

This and clothes go into a Patagonia MLC bag.

Take knife off keychain

I’ve forgotten to do this more than a couple of times. What makes it weirder still is that TXL/SXF will allow me to fly out with a Swiss army knife but most other airports will not allow me to fly back with one.

Essentials

These are things that are irreplaceable and without which a trip usually cannot happen.

  • Laptop
    Obvious. Macbook Pro 13″.
  • Power cable
    Without this the laptop is pretty worthless. Replacements if you can find them in a local store are upwards of €100.
  • Passport
    Without this traveling isn’t really possible.
  • Boarding cards / tickets
    You could get these from the airport but I print out everything I can at home.

Toiletries

  • Sunblock
    At some point it becomes silly to buy new sunblock at every sunny destination.
  • Toothbrush, paste
    Sometimes I don’t bother to bring any and buy them at the destination airport but it’s more reliable to pack. Often I also take the head of my electric tooth brush.
  • Lipbalm
    I put this on there after I once needed it and paid €11 for a stick at ZRH.
  • Assorted other toiletries
    This is a pain with only a carry-on. I try to usually depend as much as possible on what is available at my destination.

Getting around

These are particularly essential for the Netherlands where you need to bring a card to be able to prove your identity to the various transit systems around.

  • Foreign SIM
    Often this means just my Dutch T-Mobile SIM. I often have SIMs for destinations outside of Europe but those are so short lived that they aren’t reusable.
  • Foreign money / transit cards
    I have ziploc bags per country with the currency leftovers as well as any transit card (Oyster, Suica) or SIM that may still be usable.
  • Power converters
    The US and the UK account for most of my trips where these are necessary. I put these in the ziploc bags with the currency.
  • Paperclip
    I used to need one of these to do the SIM swap. Now I have an Apple SIM pin in the box with all my SIM cards.
  • Keys
    Keys to my parents place in the Netherlands or any other home/office at the destination.
  • Small backpack
    The MLC isn’t very practical to haul around town. I have a tiny Bach day pack that is super basic but fits everything you could need during a day.
  • Canteen
    I usually don’t bother taking this because of weight and bulk, but it is useful for longer trips.

Office

  • VGA dongle
    Trips usually involve some kind of public speaking and as a speaker you should be self-sufficient. Don’t leave this at the venue where you’re speaking.
  • Pens
    I need to carry some quality pens with me. I usually have a four color box of Staedtler fineliners and a couple of Japanese gel pens.
  • Index cards
    Always useful but don’t bring too many because paper is heavy.
  • Business cards
    Trips are usually for business and people appreciate a nicely designed business card.
  • Headphones with microphone
    The standard Apple ones will do for most calls.
  • Noise cancelling headphones
    You need headphones with some noise cancelling effect for during flights. I used to travel with my Sony MDR-7506. They are bulky but if you fly an easyJet to Berlin with those on your head, everybody thinks you’re a DJ. Now I prefer to take my Sennheiser CX-300 II in-ears.

Special wardrobe

  • Havaianas
    Bring if the destination is hot.
  • Running shoes, pants
    Nice to be able to do some sports while traveling.
  • Swimming trunks
    Always bring these.
  • Sunglasses
    I always take my Moscot Lemtosh with me.
  • Hiking shoes
    Whether to bring my decade old pair of Meindls is heavily dependent on the type of trip and the environment.
  • Climbing shoes
    If there are climbing halls nearby, I’ll take these instead of/in addition to running shoes.

Things to check at home

  • Washing machine faucet shut
  • Gas turned off
  • Lock door
  • Fridge empty, leave door open