10 things to pack for a Workation – my favorite equipment for remote working

ByAline Shaw

You’re off to a workation to work remotely from an awesome location? Good for you!! Now, let’s make sure you don’t forget anything important – Check out this packing list, which includes my top 10 remote working items to travel with… apart from a laptop!

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Aline smiles while working remotely during a workation

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Workationing is at an all-time high and doesn’t look like it’ll lose traction anytime soon as the digital nomad life has a lot to offer.

If you’re still new to the idea of a workation, check out why you should go on a workation post to see what a workation is and get my best tips for how to take one.

If you’re ready to go on a workation, it’s time to sort out the right equipment to make sure your workation is a success.

After all, you’re going to need some specific items in your carryon to make sure you can get your work done between exploring a new-to-you place.

So, let’s get packing!

Here are my recommendations of essential things to pack for a workation and my favorite equipment for remote working:

1. Laptop Stand

Considering I spend hours and hours on my laptop every day, lifting it upward to be at (or close to) eye level makes it a whole lot more ergonomic and comfortable to work on.

I love this stand because it travels super well. It’s small and light weight, and it has become an essential item on my remote working kit.

The Eating Travelers is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

2. Portable Screens

If, like me, you’re used to working with more than one screen in your at-home or office set up, then you definitely need a portable screen. I certainly go nowhere for more than 2-3 days without bringing mine.

I find portable screens particularly helpful when I have a lot of conference calls and need to eyeball emails or other things while I’m at it (multitaskers unite!). These are also great when I need to share screens, when I’m working with more than one spreadsheet at the same time — or when I’m bouncing between multiple tabs and windows. (Read: always).

For the best set up, I use this screen stand to lift my portable screen to the same level of my laptop screen. I went through a few of these until I found the one that worked best for me.

Ironically, my favorite one turns out to be a bit heavier than ideal, but it’s not that bad, and I still travel with it just fine. I like this one the most because it lifts my portable screen to be straight and level with my laptop screen in a way that doesn’t bother me.

3. Cable Organizer

A cable organizer has become an essential item on my remote working kit because it helps keep cables and electronic bits organized and all in one place. It’s super handy!

This is the one that I travel with, which is on the bigger side because I have two computers, multiple screens, all of my photography gear, and I also keep all adapters and power converters here, too.

That said, there are PLENTY of smaller options, too, if you don’t need to bring as many cables on the road.

4. External battery for phone / power bank

Raise your hand if you, like me, hate the idea of your phone running out of battery?

It’s even worse when you’re traveling and taking photos, making videos, using maps… plus making those video calls (because after all, you’re working!) All these functions drain your battery pretty quickly.

If you’re committed to being on call, it’s smart to be prepared to power up when you need to, so having a power bank is a smart and fairly inexpensive move.

I keep mine in a little case for when I need to throw it in a bottomless purse, but if you have a good backpack with handy compartments, you probably won’t even need one!

The Eating Travelers is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Aline stands on a street in Portugal holding her phone during a workation

5. Backpack

Obviously, you need something to carry your things with you! A good backpack is an absolute must and can help protect your equipment if it’s well-made.

I absolutely love this backpack! It’s the perfect personal item for traveling by plane or any other way, and it’s big enough to fit a laptop and a portable screen.

There’s a waterproof compartment for your toiletries, and the main compartment is big enough to fit anything… from extra clothes and shoes to tripods and other smaller equipment you may need to carry with you.

Trust me — I haul a lot of stuff across the world, and this is by far my favorite backpack!

6. Power adapters

Depending on where you are going, you may or may not need these.

Different countries may need different adapters for electrical things, so check if you’ll need one where you’re going and what type you should bring. This is really important!

For example, type-C adapters work in several European countries. The type-N is what’s needed in Brazil and so on.

I like to use the ones below because with one plug, you also get a few USB ports to charge phones and other gadgets at the same time.

Now, it’s worth mentioning that a power adapter is not necessarily the same thing as a power converter! An adapter just makes your plugs fit into outlets of different shapes. A power converter actually converts voltage from the outlet to match that of your device.

Sometimes, a travel adapter can convert AND adapt, but this isn’t always the case. Just keep an eye out for that when shopping for one.

When deciding what to take, definitely check the voltage of the equipment you’re bringing with you and that of where you’re going to see what you’ll need.

Things like phone chargers and computers tend to be in a range of 100-240V, so you may not even need to bring a converter with you.

For more details on power converters and adapters, check out this post!

7. Headphones

My Airpods come with me wherever I go. These come in handy, whether I need to get on a call and stay handsfree or just want to listen to some tunes. They help me work and have fun!!

Plus, they are pocket-sized, which makes them ideal for traveling.

Just be sure to turn on the Find My iPhone app with them in case they get lost!

8. External hard drive

I am an anxious person, so in addition to cloud storage, I also like having external hard drives as a back up.

When I was a corporate bee — and also now as a photographer — I can sleep better at night knowing my data has been replicated into more than one place to ensure no data loss no matter where I am or what I am doing.

Also, I don’t need to worry about download speeds to pull down documents, etc., when I’m in a place where the internet is garbage.

9. Mobile hotspot

The thought of going somewhere without the internet or having a terrible signal is terrifying to anyone in this day an age, especially when they have made commitments to their work to remain connected while they travel.

This is a great backup option when the internet is slow or goes down. It’s also great to carry along in my backpack to make sure my phone is always connected.

This is particularly important if you don’t have a mobile carrier that has an affordable international data plan. I cannot recommend getting a mobile hotspot more!

I absolutely love my SIMO Solis Lite 4G LTE WiFi Mobile Hotspot. It’s small, so you can carry with you wherever you go. I brinf this on every trip I take, even if I’ll have reliable internet in hotels, etc.

10. Express VPN

OK, this isn’t a thing you physically pack… but I find it a necessary item for remote working!

VPN, which is short for Virtual Private Network, is a secure tunnel between your device and the internet. It essentially protects you from online threats. It’s an effective way to protect your internet traffic and keep your identity private online.

I find it is a must when traveling to ensure I am keeping my data safe.

Especially when I am working, this lets me rest easy knowing I can communicate with my employer on a secure connection wherever I go.

Security should not be a reason your work would not let you work remotely. You can read more about it here.

What about you? What are your go-to remote work tools you can’t go without?

Aline Shaw is the founder and main contributor on The Eating Travelers, a travel blog and community that helps people discover the world through food and drink. She is a chef, food writer, published food photographer, and helps people all over the world add Brazilian flavors to their everyday cooking with her food Blog Brazilian Kitchen Abroad. Aline is a retired tech corporate bee who discovered herself through emptying plates of food and wine glasses, and is currently on a mission to help everyone live deliciously.

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