2025 has been a busy year for me - 100k miles flown to get to 24 conferences across 12 countries. That’s a lot of time moving!
As a result of two plus years of this type of travel, I’ve developed some systems that aren’t perfect, but help make all the movement a little more manageable.
The First Rule of DevRel Travel: We’re all in this together Link to heading
In role-playing games there is the saying, “It’s dangerous to go alone.” A short story, and then I’ll get back to my packing lists…
At one of my first conferences, I didn’t know anybody. I was in the hotel lobby, about to call an uber to a solitary dinner, when I heard my name. “Josh! We’re going to dinner, join us!”
That was James Wicket, and that was when I learned the most important rule of DevRel travel: we’re all in this together. Keep a spot open in your conversation circles, extend the invitation to dinner, invite the shy person to tell their story - these small gestures are the building blocks of community.
This year I was fortunate enough to team up with Adriana Villela on 2 talks across 4 conferences. This type of collaboration takes a lot of work - as well as compatible personalities - but it can be very rewarding when done correctly. (And it’s fun to compare travel notes - see Adriana’s post about packing.)
Types of Trips Link to heading
My work trips range from 3-days in a single city to multi-week, multi-country tours, yet I try to pack mostly the same for all trips. This leaves me with a few main “modes”:
- In transit
- At the conference
- Touristy excursions
The in-transit mode has small adaptations for long-haul vs short-haul flights.
How I Pack Link to heading
Like most “travel influencers” I only travel with carry-on luggage. Unlike the influencers, I can’t do a typical “one-bag travel”-style backpack.
Suitcase Link to heading
I’m currently using a soft-sided Samsonite roller as my suitcase. I have aspirations of something fancier, like Briggs & Riley, but the Samsonite just keeps going strong. I rarely have to check this, but it does happen on smaller regional jets. Everything I wouldn’t want to check goes in a single packing cube in the top of the bag for easy removal.
Messenger Bag / Laptop Bag Link to heading
I combine the suitcase with a ~25L messenger bag as my personal item. My laptop briefcase fits within the main compartment. If I do have to check my suitcase, I can carry the laptop briefcase separately, making additional room in the messenger bag. The laptop bag always contains:
- Framework 12
- iPad Air with Magic Keyboard Case
- Anker Prime 60W / 10000mAH Charger
- 1m USB-C to 2x USB-C + Apple Watch
Murse/Purse Link to heading
Pockets are a hassle while travelling. You have to empty them at security, and they are difficult to access when sitting. Instead, I carry a small cross-body bag for my small essentials: Airpods, mask, phone, wallet, keys. Usually this isn’t counted against my bag limit.
I also slip a few small EDC items and essentials in my oversized travel wallet (1):
- Aircard Tracker
- Miniature Flashlight (USB-C chargeable)
- Chapstick
- Tylenol
For good measure, I keep a packable tote (2), a 10,000 mAH Nitecore battery in here (not pictured), as well as some hand-sanitizer (3).
Pouches Link to heading
Almost everything I pack is organized into pouches and packing cubes. This simplifies repacking between trips, when moving cities, and when reorganizing for a different activity.
Airline Pouch Link to heading
For flights, I keep a “kit” separate from what I might be using while out-and-about, so that it’s always ready to go:
- Snacks (in case of delays) (7)
- 10,000 mAH battery (5)
- Daily medications (4)
- Extra masks, wipes, tissues (2, 6)
- Wireless Bluetooth adapter (1)
- A USB-C to USB-C cable (3) - most modern airplanes now have a USB-C port, or I can extend the range of my battery’s short built-in cord.
The snacks are really important. Don’t skip the snacks. Personally I go for Kind bars. They are easy to eat and when you’re stuck on the tarmac for hours the protein is quite welcome.
NB: An added benefit of this pouch is that I can usually keep the whole thing with me at my seat, even when I am in a bulkhead row with nowhere to keep my personal item in front of me.
For long-haul travel, I add:
- Blue-light blocking glasses (2)
- Jet-lag supplements
- Over-the-ear Headphones
- Short USB-C cable (1)
- More emergency chocolate (3)
The short USB-C cable is mostly for if I am flying in business class, where there is often a charging port next to a side-table and I can charge a device while I sleep.
Personal Amenity Kit Link to heading
Airlines on long-haul flights will usually hand out a personal amenity kit. I use my own, with a nice eye mask and a toothbrush as well as my overnight medications and a change of underclothes/socks.
Tech Kit Link to heading
I use the Anker Prime charger for most things while in-transit, so the tech-kit usually only comes out for extended time in a lounge or when working from the hotel:
- Travel adapter
- Slim 60W USB-C charger
- Short USB-C cables
- Travel mouse
- SD-card reader
- USB adapters
When traveling internationally I’ll keep the travel adapter with my main (“Anker Prime”) charger. The rest of the time, it makes a great 40W Dual USB charger that is actually rather slim and has full AC pass-through - handy when I want to recharge everything at once.
Conference Pouch Link to heading
Since I don’t need my full tech kit on days at the conference, this smaller kit keeps my bag light:
- Stickers
- Wireless presentation clicker
- USB-C to HDMI adapter
Daily Carry Link to heading
Having a packable bag for daily carry can add a lot of versatility. My daily-carry bag doubles as a packing cube when I’m in transit, then becomes my at-the-conference bag or my excursion bag as needed:
- iPad + conference pouch
- USB-C charger and/or battery
- Snacks
- Water bottle
- Lightweight hoodie
- Room for conference swag or souvenir purchases
Hotel Pouch (Electronics) Link to heading
When you spend 90+ days per year in hotels, you want them to be as comfortable as possible. I find hotel WiFi and entertainment options limiting, so I carry my own:
- Extension cord with USB-C adapter
- Extra travel adapter
- Roku Express
- Wireless Router
- Bedside 3-in-1 charger (not pictured)
- 3m USB-C cable (not pictured)
Creating my own WiFi network means that I only need to log in to Hotel’s captive WiFi portal once and all of my devices are connected - especially handy with hotels that require a fresh sign in every day. This also simplifies connecting my Roku to my home VPN.
I used to carry two extension cords, since many hotel rooms don’t have an outlet near the bed. Now I carry a single extension cord for the Roku, and for bedside I rely on the single 3m USB-C cable and my multiple batteries in an absolute pinch.
Hotel Pouch (Food & Medicine) Link to heading
For my snacks and “kitchen” items I use a small pouch that transforms into a tray, making it easy to throw in any snacks I buy while on the road. I also keep it stocked with:
- Liquid IV
- Extra snacks
- Extra medication
- Vitamins C + D / Airborne / Emergen-C
- Travel spork
For trips longer than a week, I’ll also keep refills of any consumable items in here (e.g. tissues, wipes, tylenol)
Toiletries Link to heading
To keep life (with TSA) simple, I don’t travel with any liquids. I have travel toothpaste tablets, and I rely on hotel shampoo and conditioner. My dopp kit is fairly small: toothbrush, electric razor, floss picks, tweezers, clippers, safety scissors, eye drops.
The toothbrush and razor are USB-chargeable - a rule for anything I carry. Unfortunately the razor does have a proprietary cable.
Clothes Link to heading
I don’t have a lot novel to offer here, although I have two tips that may be helpful:
- Merino wool is absolutely worth it if you travel a lot. I can get by with 4 t-shirts and 4 briefs for an embarrassingly long time.
- When travelling long-haul, keep a spare change of underwear and a clean t-shirt accessible in your bag. This is especially nice if you can gain access to a lounge shower.
- Avoid jeans when traveling. They are constricting especially for sleeping on a long haul flight, and they are heavy and slow to dry. I’ll carry at most one pair in my carry-on. My other travel pants are all made from some sort of flexible and breathable material.
In a follow up post I’ll share some of the thought-processes and rules that have led to this set up. In the meantime, happy trails and safe travels!