On a recent trip, I was at the airport waiting to catch my flight. Apparently the flight was full of business travelers because all of the available outlets were full. I made the laps around the gate area a few times, looking for an available plug. I finally spotted a free outlet, three gates down. I moved faster, desperate to get there before someone else, and was almost running when a gentleman beat me to it. Drat! I looked up and saw another woman in the same situation—apparently all three of us were headed for the same plug. Then I remembered that I had my new surge protector with me! I politely asked the nice man if I could plug in my surge protector so that all three of us could share the outlet. He graciously agreed, and we all charged our devices in peace.

I am not going to say that a surge protector will solve all of the problems of the world. However, there are plenty of situations where they come in handy: airports, conferences, hotel rooms…. Business trips are full of places where there are just not enough plugs. I really like my Belkin surge protector, since it has three plugs and two USB ports. Re-reading my essential tech items from a few weeks back I can’t believe I didn’t include it. The very surge protector I own was recently featured on The Today Show as a gadget that makes traveling easier, is available on Amazon for $12 (way less than I paid).

Readers, do you travel with a surge protector? Do you find it useful in a lot of situations?

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