Travel Technology - Must Have Technology for a Road Trip?

I can't get the search function to work (page keeps coming up black), so sorry if there is something like this thread out there (I did do a quick scan of all threads under "Travel Technology" and found nothing comparable).

The fatfrogs are embarking on a cross-country road trip at the beginning of September. Probably going to take the Southern route and head through Texas, NM, etc. en route to Los Angeles. We're not in the planning stages re: destinations yet, but I wanted to start thinking early about technology that we might need to purchase / set up.

-- We have an iPod and good FM transmitter. We are going to try audiobooks on CD, though, so that we don't have to worry overly about battery concerns or transmission quality.
-- We have a passable GPS but will probably upgrade before we hit the road (we have a Quest that has great battery capacity, but no pre-loaded maps and only 100 mb of memory)

We won't have a blackberry until after the trip, so no ability to tether. I would like to be able to use a laptop while literally on the road (or possibly purchase an internet tablet if anyone has any experience with these because our laptops are getting old and have bad battery life), mostly to research restaurants and price-line hotels (or perhaps play crosswords via nytimes subscription). 1) does anyone have recommendations re: the tablet or possibly a new laptop (or opinions about getting a new battery -- we have a 12" everex and a 15" dell purchased around September/October 2006) and 2) does anyone have any recommendations re: a roaming wireless service (even modem speeds OK given our use) that doesn't require a long term subscription. I tried searching "roaming wireless internet" but that seemed to pick-up only t-mobile hotspot type services which isn't quite what we want.

Also looking for any opinions on other must-have gadgets / gear. Thanks!

If you read a lot (not while driving, of course), you might consider getting a Kindle ebook reader. It will reduce the number of books you accumulate on the road. It connects wirelessly to Amazon, so you can download books while on the road (and without a computer). You can also get certain newspaper and magazine subscriptions, which will download if you're in range.

Also, what about something like the Asus Eee mini-laptop?

Based on your varitey of battery-powered devices, I would suggest a power inverter as the most important bit to pick up. Being able to operate several of the devices plugged in rather than being on battery will be most helpful.

Funny - I just learned about the Asus eee for the first time today while reading another thread.

The power inverter does sound like a must-have device. Do you (or anyone else) have a specific one to recommend? Thank you!

The power inverter does sound like a must-have device. Do you (or anyone else) have a specific one to recommend? Thank you!

http://www.costco.ca/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=10306972&whse=bcca&Ne=5000000+4000000&eCat=bcca%7C20483&N=4009810%205000012&Mo=7&No=7&Nr=P_CatalogName:BCCA&Ns=P_Price%7C1%7C%7CP_SignDesc1&lang=en-CA&Sp=C

http://www.amazon.com/Xantrex-Technologies-100-Watt-Inverter-813-0081-00/dp/B000E6NHXM/ref=pd_bbs_sr_12?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1205775722&sr=8-12

Funny - I just learned about the Asus eee for the first time today while reading another thread.

The power inverter does sound like a must-have device. Do you (or anyone else) have a specific one to recommend? Thank you!

If you have a Costco close to you, they have a great $10 one made by Coleman. It'll do 300 watts AND has a USB charging port.

I have a verizon pc-card wireless modem, a regular laptop, and I bought a 12V DC power supply for the laptop. It works both for the car AND the plane, so it suits me perfectly.

Not too long ago, I drove roundtrip Columbia SC to ATL while listening to live internet radio, and the broadcast never stopped. Needless to say, I was sold on that wireless! My rate is 60$/mth unlimited.

A GPS is very nice to have but you could also use the laptop as a GPS with the proper doodad to mount on the dashboard.

I find a laptop w/ wireless especially handy when I have no set travel plans, and I want to find a decent hotel at the last minute without having to do walk-in rate.

PM me if you need more info about my set-up.

JP

If you have a Costco close to you, they have a great $10 one made by Coleman. It'll do 300 watts AND has a USB charging port.

Is it this one?
http://boise.craigslist.org/vnn/577932337.html

Is it this one?
http://boise.craigslist.org/vnn/577932337.html

That does sound like it... I'd better stop using it, though if it manages to fry the entire car electronics then it sounds like someones fuse didn't work as it should...

I tried the samething with a Cingular 8525 and a streaming program. The moment we left Cingular's 3g footprint, the available channels were few and far between that would work on EDGE.

Last summer, I lost 3g pulling out of Chicago and was on EDGE through Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota, Montana, North Dakota, and Minnesota. I think I had it in Madison Wisconsin, but otherwise nope. I did get it in Winnipeg, but I was on roaming there and was hardly going to do much.

I have a verizon pc-card wireless modem, a regular laptop, and I bought a 12V DC power supply for the laptop. It works both for the car AND the plane, so it suits me perfectly.

Not too long ago, I drove roundtrip Columbia SC to ATL while listening to live internet radio, and the broadcast never stopped. Needless to say, I was sold on that wireless! My rate is 60$/mth unlimited.

A GPS is very nice to have but you could also use the laptop as a GPS with the proper doodad to mount on the dashboard.

I find a laptop w/ wireless especially handy when I have no set travel plans, and I want to find a decent hotel at the last minute without having to do walk-in rate.

PM me if you need more info about my set-up.

JP

First, FM iPod transmitters are not great solutions. Get your stereo so it is capable to take a signal in from the iPod. It will sound much better. Next, buy a new battery for your laptop and also get an iGo that will allow you to power/charge it in the van. Grab a new GPS off of craigslist or buy one and keep the older as a backup. Get one that mounts well on your car. Your best solution will be to get a new in dash DVD player with navigation. That will integrate very well with your ipod and also do navigation.

Talk to sprint/verizon/etc and get the details on what you can do for wireless internet. They have cards you plug into a laptop now. Just make sure you don't need an annual agreement. Alternatively, you can just stop in to a coffee shop although they don't have them in the sticks. Instead of doing a subscription based service, see if you can buy some crossword software. That will let you work offline without an internet connection. That should get you started....

Thanks for all the great suggestions and warnings!

First, FM iPod transmitters are not great solutions. Get your stereo so it is capable to take a signal in from the iPod. It will sound much better.

Agreed on FM transmitters as a bad long term option... but last I looked, there weren't any great ways to hook up iPod directly to car stereo. Aside from a few car models (e.g., BMW) that allow you to buy your car with iPod plug in capabilities, the FM transmitter seems to be the only way to get music piped in through your car. As far as that goes, we use an iRiver and it is miles better than the Griffin iTrip. Am I behind on this tech? I'm of the "buy a Toyota and drive it into the ground" mindset, so upgrading the car isn't really on the agenda. ;)

Thanks for all the great suggestions and warnings!



Agreed on FM transmitters as a bad long term option... but last I looked, there weren't any great ways to hook up iPod directly to car stereo. Aside from a few car models (e.g., BMW) that allow you to buy your car with iPod plug in capabilities, the FM transmitter seems to be the only way to get music piped in through your car. As far as that goes, we use an iRiver and it is miles better than the Griffin iTrip. Am I behind on this tech? I'm of the "buy a Toyota and drive it into the ground" mindset, so upgrading the car isn't really on the agenda. ;)


A number of cars seem to have line in jacks in the hutches now. My left four rentals did.

The latest generation Griffin iTrip transmitters are positively outstanding.

Ever since getting a freebie upgrade in a week-long 1000-mile rental we love having Sirius radio on our road trips. We alternate between that and audiobooks on the iPod. Of course, there's a not insignificant ongoing cost there, and we liked it enough to sign up. Even in a rental now I can bring along the radio I'm already paying for. This may not be something you're interested in having long-term, though, so maybe not for you.

An inverter is a must for anything that doesn't have a car charger. For that matter, for the things that *do* have a car charger, you might also want a multi-plug adapter for that socket, especially if there is only one available. (Most newer cars have 2 or more sockets it seems, but my car for example has only one.)

This probably doesn't work for everyone, but the last trip or two we tried out using an external speaker dock for the iPod instead of an FM transmitter. (We have one but it's gone a bit haywire, seems to have drifted from 87.9 which otherwise works quite well when I use that freq on the sat radio unit.) With just the two of us in the car, it works okay. But we have a nano and a similarly small speaker unit; a larger one may actually work better. It may also work better with music; getting the tone controls and volume set optimally for the spoken word stuff was tricky and often not that satisfying, although we figured no worse than the badly working FM transmitter. We plugged the external speaker unit into the inverter; the particular unit we have also powers/charges the iPod when plugged in or can run off batteries.

If you have kids, consider portable DVD players, and a library of DVDs.

I also consider Slingbox to be critical.

I think verizon and Sprint both have 30 day trial period. check which one has better coverage for your route and try it. If you like the plan you can keep it or cancel it within 30 days.

The termination fee for Sprint and Verizon is $200, and some of their broadband modems are free when you signup.

These "free" modems sell for around $150 on Ebay, so you can signup, cancel the contract, sell the modem and get $150 towards the ETF ;)

If you want to pay 0$, you'll have to return the modem too. :D

JP
The termination fee for Sprint and Verizon is $200, and some of their broadband modems are free when you signup.

These "free" modems sell for around $150 on Ebay, so you can signup, cancel the contract, sell the modem and get $150 towards the ETF ;)

maybe upgrade the ipod to an ipod touch which has wireless so you can get online to look up stuff during stops and store a few dvds on the memory to watch and pass the time and keep music on it too. There is also a map and navigation capability with it. better yet go all the way and get an iphone.

i second the slingbox if you are able to get good wireless coverage

damon2 got a good idea there. ETF does not apply if you cancel and return the equipment during the trial period. Most companies offer 30 days to try out their service, except for T-Mobile which is 14 days. In most cases you are responsible for the service charges incurred during the period. All carriers have a rule preventing you to sign up for service again for a specified time period after cancellation to prevent abuse.

I did a similar solo drive across the country and back late last year. My kit was esentially the same as what have been mentioned already.

1. GPS and paper atlas for backup. GPS saved my behind when the Okie Staties closed highway and detoured traffic onto state routes. If I only had pre-printed directions, I would not know where to get back on to highway.

2. Power inverter for recharging laptop and other AC devices. Unplug it or switch it off when starting the car, or you may fry car's electronics. I bet the people that had the problem did not read the manual. Also, despite the 300W or even 1000W rating, if you connect through the cigarette lighter, the maximum power draw is around 120W. Most cigarette lighter circuits are fused at 10A.

3. Satellite radio. Despite loading up my car's mp3 capable 6 disc changer with about 4 gigs of music, it started repeating around middle of day 2. Satellite radio's variety can't be beat. Broadcast radio is more often country music on AM station.

4. AAA card. You could bring all sorts of tools and road side emergency kit, or one AAA card and a cell phone as insurance. Thankfully I did not have to use it.

5. A case of Red Bull, a case of bottled water and a cooler filled with ice. Keep yourself hydrated is very important.

Before you leave, perform an oil change and comprehensive check on your car. Make sure it is road worthy. If you are almost due for accessory or timing belt replacement or tune up, do it. Check the air pressure of all the wheels including the spare. You might have a AAA card to cover the unexpected, but a break down will still costs you time.

Some highway rest area have WiFi hot spots, but it is really inconsistent. Some are free like in Texas, but others want to charge you. They will at least let you access travel information for free.

Many thanks!

If you're taking the most southern route through NM and AZ I'd say the most important thing would be a well functioning A/C unit in your vehicle. I second the suggestion for bringing water as well. I've heard several stories of folks having a breakdown out away from any towns and not having water.

Also, if it happoens to rain, don't drive through flooded streets. Some is killed by that in Tucson just about every year. Not so much a problem on the interstates but something to be aware of.

I drove cross country (NY to Los Angeles) last summer. I was with my then girlfriend but did all the driving. Left on a Saturday and arrived 8 days later with 3 two night stops (relatives in MI, Rocky Mountain NP, and Zion NP). Here's some advice:

GPS: I didn't need it and got lost only once on mountain backroads in CO. Took a few minutes to figure out where we were. But, I had maps of every place were going through and I could always call my parents for help. AAA is great for that. Just get a membership, stop by their office, and request half their maps and tourbooks. They also have a Triptik service where they'll print out a route along with current construction and other notices. If you stay mostly on interstates you won't have any problems.

Laptop/Wireless: Definitely inverter is a good thing if you'll be using laptops while en route. I would not upgrade right now - if your stuff gets stolen better old stuff than new stuff. For wireless, if you have a Verizon phone, you can add data tethering for $60/month and they will do partial months (i.e. two weeks). You will be charged minutes (if you're on the old America's choice plan) or per MB if you're on the new plans. The fun thing about the old plans is night & weekend minutes are free and thus so is data. A good place for wireless info is howardforums.com. Most chain hotels have free wireless.

Car: If your car is fairly new, you should be fine. Otherwise, make sure A/C is good and cooling system is running perfectly - you will need it. CO/UT/AZ were ok for us since they're at pretty high altitude, but the Mojave desert in CA in August is brutal. My car's thermometer registered 116 degrees. If your car can't handle high temperatures you will have serious issues. If you have any routine service that you need to do, do so before going on the trip. If you're heading back after visiting LA, get a checkup done here as well. Much better to deal with problems when not on the road. If you're towing anything and you've never been in the mountains, remember you'll have much less power up there.
Also, keep your gas filled up as much as possible and don't wait for the last moment. There are places in some areas where you won't see stations for 20-30 miles and you never know where there might be traffic. If you want to save on money, look on gasbuddy.com (especially the map) to see where the cheapest gas is. Very often one state will be much cheaper or more expensive than a bordering state due to taxes.
You might also want to buy a Jump Start Battery. Costco has one for $55 w/ shipping on their site. That one is a battery plus an air compressor for refilling tires (or balls), a DC outlet, and a light. I think its a good deal in case you come back from somewhere to find your car dead. Also make sure you check oil and tire pressure daily.

Radar Detector: If you speed, you might want to get one. I got a Bel Vector which worked pretty well. Frankly, we didn't see any police between roughly Illinois and Colorado (not sure how it is in the southern states). You can always return it after the trip (Amazon has good prices and a good return policy).

Camera: Make sure you have a camera, the country is beautiful. If you have your laptops along make sure you have the space to download pictures every night.

Audio: Do they still make the tape converters? I have a "tape" that has a wire with a 3.5mm plug that will work with iPods and the like. Cost about $20 at Best Buy a few years ago and works very well. Will also work with a laptop.

Don't just be looking at your laptop the whole time - the country really is beautiful. Even Iowa/Nebraska have their own good qualities (though if you ever drive through them, there is a good reason the speed limit is 75 there :) ).
Once you get to the Rockies though (and the whole southwest) it is just gorgeous everywhere.

Also, if you plan on stopping at any national parks, get an annual park pass. It costs $80 and is valid for one year at any national park, monument, forest, etc... Considering admission to some of them are $25, even if you stop at 4 you'll already be saving money.

Finally, be aware of any special events happening along your route if you're on a schedule. We had wanted to stop at Mt. Rushmore but there was apparently a biker rally there for the few days when we would be passing. Hotel prices jumped astronomically (I think super 8 was selling rooms for $200/night). After we found out about it we canceled our plans of going through SD.

I can provide more on my experience if you want any more info.