Digital Nomad: Indispensable Computer Tools & Accessories
Since we are digital nomads, we have had to add a few more gadgets to our luggage to create a better working environment, even when we are nomads. Despite all this equipment (and cosmetics for Anh), we live with only 41.6kg for two (16kg for Anh and 25.6kg for JB) – an optimizable weight but for our comfort (meaning the number of washes to do per week) we have since bought more clothes than we need 😀
Here is the list of tools / equipment that we consider indispensable as digital nomads.
A smartphone (150g)
It’s the minimum 😀 Often, I make calls via the Skype app on the phone, especially if I don’t have a powerpoint to present to the client.
The phone also serves as a wifi router for the computer – if I ever have the misfortune of having a poorly performing wifi.
Our smartphones take pictures that are beautiful enough for us, so we don’t have to carry a camera around with us. Even though photo enthusiasts might scream when they read this.
For those who are juggling between the French SIM card and the SIM card of the local country, it is important to choose a model with a dual SIM. So a Huawei Mate 9 like JB, or the newer Huawei Mate 10 Pro model, Huawei P30 like JB is an excellent compromise. It’s an Android that takes very very nice pictures (40 Megapixels), equipped with a dual SIM, a fingerprint sensor, 128GB of memory, 6GB of RAM, a battery that lasts more than a day. The only problem is that the ultra-fast charging only works with the original adapter and cable. With a “fake” cable, charging is extremely slow.
Optional: a wifi pocket (75g)
If you’re often in transport, or the country you’re in is stingy with free wifi, don’t rely only on your phone, as it heats up and discharges quickly when used as a hotspot. I strongly recommend you to opt for a more durable solution: a real wifi pocket (about 75g) like the one you have Huawei E5573C (review here)(Amazon link). Just buy a SIM card with 4G at the airport. There are models with screen (more expensive) allowing you to read SMS, know how much data you have already used etc. but you can also get this data by connecting the models without screen to the computer (and configure the APN if needed). It’s up to you! How much do you want to pay? And what weight suits you best?
Our wifi pocket is also a wifi repeater, allowing us to have a slightly faster internet connection, especially when the box is a little far from our room/apartment.
One Bluetooth speaker (290g)
If the need to listen to music out loud isn’t felt during the world tour (in the middle of a youth hostel what), as nomads, we appreciate having a small, light but powerful speaker (in addition to being waterproof and shock-proof), we had the Ultimate Ears Roll 2, which we already told you about here (330g), which we replaced by a more recent model from Bose (290g)
Note: We will also testGoogle Home Mini. If the speaker of Google Home Mini is better than the one we already have, we may replace it with Google Home Mini The speaker of Google Home Mini is very average.
One Headset/Earphones with microphone (12g)
It is very important to be well equipped for calls with our customers in order to have an excellent audio quality. I think that a headset/earphones with a basic wired microphone is all you need. It ensures you have good sound, a good microphone and never worry about the drums. For this, the original earphones from Apple (Earpods, 35€) do the job perfectly and are compatible with all devices.
That’s the theory, but in reality, we both have earphones with integrated Bluetooth microphones. If I use the Apple Airpods 2 (review for the 2nd generation Airpods here), which have a good battery and a record charging time, JB prefers the Bluetooth noise-cancelling Bose headset (the Bose QuietComfort 35) – a two birds with one stone because this headset is particularly adapted to (many) airplane trips, in addition to having an incredible sound quality.
Update June 2020: These options are still the best, we have tested Airpods Pro as well, but the Bose and Airpods 2 remain our favorites. For more info, I suggest you read our comparison here
A powerful and resistant ultrabook (1.1kg to 1.5kg)
It’s not always easy to find a new computer on the other side of the world. They don’t have as many choices as in France, and especially you won’t have the French keyboard. It’s important to choose a powerful and durable computer – one that won’t let you down 5 minutes before a call with an important customer.
The many trips by plane, bus or train… will affect your computer, even if you protect it and put it in a computer bag. It is impossible to completely cancel vibrations and shocks in airplanes. The bag only attenuates them. That’s how I managed to screw up my Kira’s screen at Toshibaan ultrabook that seems too fragile to me. Not to mention all the sudden temperature changes it has to withstand.
Well, I’m a serial killer of smartphones and computers and the puncture-proof ones for me are Lenovo and Nokia. So I naturally opted for the Lenovo X1 Carbon 6th generation carbon fiber(my opinion here) – it has been tested (by Lenovo) to withstand shocks, coffee pouring on it, and extreme temperatures. It won the CES 2018 award and is a computer designed specifically for nomads. I opted for an intel core i7, 512GB of memory and 16GB of RAM, a non-touch screen (I couldn’t stand the fragile touch screen of the Toshiba, which, in the end, doesn’t serve me that much).
Then, if you don’t need Windows like that, you’ll appreciate the robustness of the MacBook (except for the last one whose butterfly keyboard has a major flaw, the number of nomads who complained about its broken “Enter” key!). JB bought his first Mac (a Macbook Air) 5 years ago, it still works perfectly!
UPDATE 2020 : JB acquired a new MacBook Air with Retina screen. After a year, this computer “faded” (impossible to start) and its keyboard became disabled in full confinement. Great! Despite the expired warranty, the repairs (motherboard + keyboard change) were done by Apple, free of charge.
Anh’s note : Lenovo is still OK 😀 hey
An anti-reflection for the screen (20g)
For a better visual rendering, the screens are now too bright and reflective. It is impossible to work at the beach with… or any place where the light is a little too strong. You won’t see the screen, but your own head, like in a mirror. Opt for an anti-reflection film to avoid this inconvenience. It’s cheap, but indispensable.
Computer sleeve (100g)
If your computer is resistant at the base, a small protective sleeve is enough to protect it. Slip it into a discreet backpack and you’re ready to work anywhere.
A mouse & a mini mouse pad ( 111g)
When you spend long hours in front of the computer, your wrist will thank you for buying a mouse because the TouchPad isn’t enough. Opt for a mini wireless mouse, within 10€ and a mini mouse pad barely thicker than a sheet of paper. This will allow you to use your mouse whatever the surface of the table.
Note: since then, we’ve opted for gamers mice that don’t even need a mat anymore, it’s the Trackball Mouse from ELECOM (Amazon link) and it’s compatible, of course, with all surfaces. And it hurts much less on the wrist. This mouse is perfect for small hands.
As for JB, he opted for another trackball mouse, the Logitech MX Ergo (see his detailed review here)
A universal adapter with USB connections (281g)
It goes without saying, the universal adapter is ESSENTIAL! Our model(26€ at Amazon) also has 4 USB sockets + 1 type-C, so we can throw away the bits of adapters supplied with our equipment, which won’t be of much help to us on the other side of the world.
To limit even more the number of cables, we use a 3-head cable(5€ at Amazon), to charge the iPhone (lightning), the camera (micro usb) and the Osmo Pocket (usb-c) at the same time. However, I keep the original Apple cable because it charges faster with the original cable.
Optional (for comfort): computer holder (249g) + keyboard (381g)
It’s optional, but if you spend long hours in front of the computer, you’ll appreciate it. A computer stand (foldable and lightweight), to put the screen at eye level, will hurt your back and neck less. This is the solution JB chose ( Nexstand Foldable Adjustable Laptop Stand Notebook Holder. with Apple Magic Keyboard).
Detailed Nexstand review on our YouTube channel + detailed review on Apple Magic Keyboard here
Optional: a Chromecast (38g)
Almost all Airbnbs or hotels we’ve been to – are equipped with television. And we plug our Chromecast on it. We can’t use it as a 2nd screen (because of the latency between the computer and the Chromecast), but we use it mostly to watch Netflix, YouTube and Replay. It feels good to watch this kind of content on a big screen, instead of our small computer screen. We even use Chromecast on TVs as a photo frame to remember our adventures 🙂
What about other gadgets?
Non-essential but pleasurable equipment
- Tablet : note of 5/12/2018 : JB cracked and bought an iPad that serves as his 2nd screen. But it’s not a must-have purchase. It’s still useful for road trips. We upload photos on the iPad and he puts them online via Google Photos.
- Camera (reflex or hybrid): note of 5/12/2018 : I cracked and bought a small compact camera from Sony that takes excellent photos. But it’s not a must-have purchase either (more info)
- Sport Camera: note from January 2020: we opted for an Osmo Pocket which is hybrid and has a small integrated gimbal for our vlogs. Since buying the Osmo Pocket, I’m even considering reselling the Sony RX100. To be seen…
- PS4 or Xbox: JB cracked and ended up buying a Ninteno Switch which he talked about here
Normally, our smartphone and Chromecast allow to replace all this already. For activities that need GoPro, we are often offered to rent it cheaply, or we are filmed for a small fee. But hey, we ended up falling for the needs of the blog (and for our comfort)
However, we still haven’t fallen for :
- a Hard Disk: We don’t have a hard disk because everything is stored in the cloud. Once a year, we store our data in a real hard drive left in France – but we don’t take it with us when we travel.
- a Wifi Router: We don’t have a Wifi router (apart from) because our Wifi pocket is already 2-in-1. And for the “security of the connection”, we also have our own VPN (via app installed on our computers and phones)
Budget & Weight
Here is the weight & price recap of each of the products listed above. The average prices are given as an indication.
Of course, if you use Apple products, the headphones will not cost 15€ but 35€. The keyboard will not cost 10€ but 85€ etc. But this list gives you at least an idea of the weight of the equipment as well as the average budget to create a good working environment.
Note that I have not taken into account adapters and cables of any kind. Try to have as little cable as possible and prefer solid cables. For example, my iPhone and my Airpods share the same charging cable. Note 2020: since recently, I’ ve been using 3-head cables(micro usb, lightning and type-C), which are very handy
| Product | Note | Weight | Average price (VAT included) |
| Smartphone | 150g | 600 € | |
| Pocket Wifi (Amazon link) | optional | 75g | 55 € |
| Bluetooth speakerphone | 290g | 105 € | |
| Earphones with microphone | 12g | 15 € | |
| Powerful and resistant computer | 1500g | 1 700 € | |
| Anti-glare for screen | 20g | 15 € | |
| Laptop Sleeve | 100g | 23 € | |
| Wireless trackball mouse | 111g | 42 € | |
| Universal adapter (+ usb connections) | 50g | 26 € | |
| Computer support | optional | 249g | 22 € |
| Keyboard | optional | 381g | 10 € |
| Chromecast | optional | 38g | 39 € |
| TOTAL | 3kg | 2 635 € | |
| TOTAL (excluding optional products) | 2,3kg | 2 526 € |
