I’m a gadget freak and past trips have meant taking a whole case full of electronics and chargers and extension cords but no more.

There are a half-dozen or so products I think are essential for the well-connected traveler. All have been given the acid test of a trip of more than three weeks.

First of all – weight limits are strict on airplanes nowadays. So the Balanzza mini is a real find. Small, easy to hold and battery operated, it saved me a lot of hassle at the check in counter. You can get this tiny (4.75 x .75 x 1.63in) digital scale at Amazon for only $17.95. 

Then the queen of devices: the iPad. Many of the items listed in this article can be used with any audio device – an iPhone, iPod or other mp3 player. But they also work with the iPad, which I just love.

First generation or second, this is the device to have. I was able to access the Internet easily using wifi, and that’s the key reason to take a device with you on vacation.

To keep the device in as good a shape as possible, you’ve got to have a screen protector. Moshi has a terrific one that does not bubble. They guarantee it. The iVisor goes for about $30 at store.moshimonde.com.

There are all kinds of ways of protecting the back of your iPad. I chose to go multi-purpose with a keyboard case. There are a lot of them out there now, and most of them have the exact same keyboard, attached to slightly different cases. The keyboard is Bluetooth, and must be charged with a micro usb cord. Those are easy to find; a lot of cellphones use them now. Find one cheap ($7) at cellphoneshop.net.

Usb.brando.com has a Bluetooth keyboard case for about $60. The iPad slips into the case, which has three flaps… one is used to secure that the case is closed, and serves as a way to raise the keyboard to a comfortable typing height. Kensington’s got one too, for about the same price, without the third securing flap, but with the better-known name. You would want a Bluetooth keyboard if you are planning to do a lot of writing. If you’re not a big writer, skip it… the built-in virtual keyboard is perfectly adequate for taking notes. By the way, the notes program that comes with the iPad is perfectly adequate for most of the writing you’ll be doing as long as you don’t need a real word processor. You can email your writings to whomever, including yourself, for further editing when you get home.

I brought two external speakers with me since the iPad was going to be my media center for three weeks. One is quite cute… looks like a lollypop… but has too many parts. There’s a cord for charging and one for connection to the iPad… plus the lollipop stick, which is just for show. I’m afraid the sound is just as tinny as you’d expect. But if your audio needs are really basic and you just want cute, go for it. $20 on Mollaspace.com.

A very different take on speakers comes from Rock-It. They have a square device about 2.5 inches square, that opens up to take batteries and to let the actual speaker component dangle on a cord. The key is what you attach it to… it uses contained solid surfaces and space to amplify sound. So stick it on a box or a window or even on a desk top, to get very different sound qualities. An interesting concept and nice and portable. Less than $30. But not loud enough for me without distortion.

It’s a better idea to use headphones. I tried a couple of models from audio-technica and was pleased with both… one set of earbuds and another set of headphones. The ATH-ANC23 earbuds with noise cancellation. Terrific quality sound at a decent price – about $90.

If you like an over the ear speaker, the ATH-ANC1 is a compact, folding pair with noise cancellation, again, with terrific sound. Also about $90 from multiple online sites.

Finally, I can’t say enough about the Apple iPad camera connection kit. There are two pieces you attach at the power port end of the iPad. One accepts a cord from your camera; the other will take the data card out of the camera and upload photos to the iPad. I took about 3500 photos on my trip and uploaded them daily to the iPad. They were stored in separate files, making it easy to identify which pictures were taken on what day and in what country. The kit costs about $30.