1. Portable battery/Charge Pack

Please and I mean please, carry a device that you can use to charge your phone. I cannot count the number of times I’ve needed one when outlets were unavailable. It's a relief knowing I'll have battery life in case of an emergency. A portable battery can be useful not only on long-distance travel but for shorter distance trips or even daily. It can come in handy during long all-day events such as conferences.

2. Knowledge on What Type of Plugs are Used at Your Destination

In my case, I was aware that two-prong plugs were commonly used in Japan. For electronic devices using three-prong plugs, this would be an issue. I'd be traveling with my Samsung charger and MacBook Pro that have two-prong plugs so I thought I'd be okay. It wasn’t until I landed at my layover destination, Qatar, that things became difficult. I was working in the airport's “quiet area” and needed to plug my laptop and find the outlet type you see below on the left. I worked until my laptop's battery life was at 20% then decided to go hunt for a compatible outlet. Finally, I discovered the universal style you see below on the right.

3. Plug Adapter

All-in-one travel adapters exist and help as a convertor. They can include a USB port and give users the ability to charge multiple devices at once. These are especially useful for those traveling to more than one country with different types of outlets. It seems more reasonable to buy an all-in-one travel adapters than each individual type when the situation calls for it. It’s okay if you choose to buy a single type of plug adapter, whatever you select make sure it works for you.

4. Ideal Laptop Carrying Case

You’ll be lugging around your laptop, might as well do so with comfort.

Example of carrying cases:

• Large purse
• Laptop Bag
• Strapped carrying case
• Tote bag
• Backpack

When selecting a laptop travel bag aim for something with padding and comfort for your arms and shoulder

5. Cash

Despite their popularity, credit cards aren't 100% universally accepted. In my situation, Japan is a cash-based society^[1], so coming with money on hand was NECESSARY. Carrying cash can also have benefits:

• Avoiding credit card and bank card fees.
• -It can help with budgeting.
• It’s useful in case of emergencies

Side note: I suggest converting money in your home country. It may be cheaper. Make airports your last resort, they tend to have higher conversion fees. Be sure to keep your receipt, some businesses waive the fee when converting back leftover money.

6. Electronic Backups

It'd suck for something bad to happen but it'd suck more not to have a backup. Sure we'd love it if life went how'd we want it too but that's not the case. We need to plan for any circumstance. Back up everything. Laptop, files, phone, etc. Options: External hard drive or cloud storage of your choice.

7. Update Software and Programs

Update all your important programs and software. Especially if there’s a chance you won't be able to connect to the internet for a while. Update your laptop, software, programs, and Adobe Creative Cloud membership. Test and make sure everything is functioning afterward..

8. Headphones

Do you work best with background music? Perhaps you want a visual sign to others that politely says “do not disturb”. Don’t forget your headphones. Whether from a dollar store or a specialty store, it doesn’t matter as long as it does its job. Feel free to upgrade to noise-canceling headphones.

9. Designated Work Time and Designated Work Area

I have to admit I didn’t give much thought to this. I figured I’d work whenever I got the chance: on the plane, during layover, in the hotel or in my new temporary room. But organized time can help with productivity.

Need a place to work?

• Look up local coworking spaces in advance.
• Check out the local cafe.
• Step into a library.

10. Work Material

• Laptop, duh obviously
• Phone, like you wouldd really forget it.
• Sketchbook
• Post-it Notes
• Writing utensil
• Wacom board, if you use one.

11. Time Tracking App, Billing App and/or Project Management App

• Slack
• Trello
• Asana
• Jira
• Workamajig
• Freshbooks
• Or whatever it is you use

12. Copies of Important Documents

It's good to have photocopies of important documents like your driver's license, passport, and birth certificate. This is pretty well-known advice but I had to take it a step further. I carried a copy of my glasses and contact prescriptions. I NEED my eyesight to work and in case anything were to happen to my glasses I’d like to be prepared. I even travel with a spare pair of glasses just to be safe.

Additional Suggestions

• Traveling Bag, Carry On
• Printed list of important and emergency contacts.

(Yes phones store this information but just in case something happens it'd be a good idea to carry a printed backup.)

• Long charging cable
• Downloads. Like your streaming services. For example Netflix's
• Reusable Water Bottle
• Hand Sanitizer and/or Sanitizing Wipes
• TheraFlu, Emergen-C and other medicines
• Snacks...Snacks...SNACKS

Thank You For Reading

I hope you’ll continue to follow me during my journey in Japan. I include recap segments in my monthly newsletter “Let’s Talk Design” I also have a weekly segment that goes more in-depth. If you’d prefer a monthly recap feel free to sign up. If you’re okay with a weekly read join here and only select the “Designing in Japan” series. No worries after my trip has completed this newsletter will cease as well.

I’ll also document my time on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Medium.

*Since this is my word vomit dumping ground you can find my more refined written words on Medium. I love using this space to explore my journey as a designer and developer while not getting pressed to write in the most splendid manner. Proofreading, revising and consistently editing take up so much time personally. In the past, this has caused me to write less often something I to avoid. My aim is consistency. Added: March 5, 2018. Revised: February 15, 2020.

Resources

[1] Money on your trip to Japan. japan-guide.com. Page was last edited on February 18, 2020.

Updated: February 23, 2020