Everything will turn out just fine when you’re blogging on-the-go and you carry with you essential gadgets and tools that will help you smoothly finish your tasks. As a blogger, the majority of our time was spent in the comfort of our homes, most especially if we have a reliable Internet connection and a good workstation.
However, time arises when we need to leave our rooms and attend some appointments and engage to activities to get more scoop for your next blog post. Like me, I always need to be around gatherings to be able to cover events and experience them firsthand. That is why I have invested in owning these essential gadgets and tools when I blog outside of my house.
Essential Gadgets And Tools For On-The-Go Bloggers (Part 1)
Always remember that the gadgets you need will depend on events you’re going to attend or which areas you need to be for your blog. If you’re required to get a waterproof camera for underwater photos, an action camera like a GoPro is in order. A GoPro might not be primarily introduced on this post, however, if you feel like it is essential for you as a blogger, I have given it a mention below.
1) Notebook And Pen For Notetaking
It is very important to write down important notes and details to what you need to accomplish for your blog when you’re out and about. A small notebook and a writing pen are very useful, particularly when you attend conferences and social events like product launching and store opening. They are many people involved doing speeches and you need to take note of what they have said during those times so you can add these things on your blog post.
It’s a plus that you have these details so your readers can know that you are actually there during the event (even though you will be provided press kits from organizers) and you can send them important messages through your blog.
Mobile apps that can take notes are also useful, however, I am not keen to using them all the time since smartphones apps may drain your battery fast. In my case, I am using my smartphone to take pictures or record videos for my video blogs. That is why I need to save up some ample power to do that to avoid using power banks to recharge. Hence, a simple notebook and a pen are very handy for bloggers like myself.
2) External Hard Drive (Portable Storage Device) For Extra File Space
A handy external hard drive is a must if you own a netbook or laptop that has limited internal storage space. An example is the HP Stream 11 that I own and use for blogging. It only has 32 gigabytes built-in space, minus the Windows 10 operating system and other files, space is very limited. To solve that challenge, I have a 1TB (terabyte) external hard drive from Western Digital. It’s pocket size, very light and the plug-and-play feature does not require you other installation processes to make it work for any laptop.
ALSO READ: HP Stream 11
Having an external hard drive is also helpful for easy sharing and pass-along for transferring, saving, and transporting files from one terminal to the other. It’s a little pricey, though, for the 1TB. If you have a tight budget for getting one, the lower 500GB variant is enough for this purpose. A USB flash disk is also a good alternative for this kind of use. You can get from 8GB to 64GB. Higher spaces like 128GB and 256GB are also available.
3) USB Hub Ports and Card Readers
The majority of the laptops that bloggers use are those with one (1) USB port. You’re lucky if you own one with two or three ports. This is due to the size and thickness of the device that makers tend to provide lesser numbers of ports. Currently, I am using a MacBook Air 11 and with this kind of gadget, it only has two USB ports.
To help get more USB ports, I have recently purchased a USB hub so I can get more ports if needed. Since I am the kind of user that uses a mouse to manipulate my laptop (I am not comfortable with the trackpad even though it is already efficient). A USB Hub can give me more USB ports for charging my phone, connecting my external hard drive, plug my card reader and more.
4) Power Strips (Extension Cords)
When you are in a public setting, like a coffee shop, you can be so unlucky if you will get a table that is far from the outlet to plug your laptop. That is why I always bring with me a power strip or an extension cord.
You can have as many outlets as you want if you get a power strip. You can not just plug and charge your laptop, you can also charge other gadgets while you are doing something for your blog. Since you are sure that it will take you long to finalize your upcoming blog post, the time you will be consuming for blogging will be enough to charge your phone and your laptop.
It can be bulky in the backpack, but just think of how much tasks you can accomplish if you have your power strip with you. You can also share some spare to the person sitting on the next table or with a friend who also needs charging.
5) SD Cards Or USB Flash Disks
If your budget is limited to buying an external hard disk, there are alternatives that you can choose to have more storage space for your laptop, camera or other gadgets. An SD Card can be efficiently used if a slot for SD cards is available on your laptop. Of course, you need to check first if there is a slot available and how many gigabytes it can support.
The MacBook Air 13 has one, as well as the HP Stream 11. However, if you have a laptop that does not support SD card slot, you can have a USB flash disk for your additional storage. In the case of a MacBook Air 11, the absence of an SD card slot is quite disappointing. That is why I have USB flash disks with me. This is very important if you need to pass a copy or two of your files to another terminal or to another blogger (most especially for a collaborative blog post).
If you’re buying a USB flash disk, get the one that is OTG-supported. You can use that to your Android device and get files from your smartphone to your flash disk. But of course, you also need to check if your smartphone supports OTG system.
What about you? What are your essential gadgets and tools if you are an on-the-go blogger? Leave your suggestions in the comment section below.
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This is Part 1 of this series. I will be posting more tips about the essential gadgets and tools for on-the-go bloggers on my future blog posts. For the meantime, if you want to read my previous blogging tips, click here for more.
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