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Electronics Overseas
We're often asked about electronic gear overseas. Specifically,
whether people should or shouldn't bring a laptop, phone, etc.
and what they can expect when dealing with electronics while living
and traveling abroad. It is definitely true that the right electronic
gadgets can make your life overseas much easier and your teaching
job all the more pleasant. Here are a few things you should know about
electronics overseas when you move abroad, no matter what your destination
country or job is.
Laptop - a.k.a. DVD player, TV, library, file cabinet,
stereo, telephone, and more
Whether teaching overseas, living abroad, or travelling around the
world you'll likely find that your laptop is your new best friend.
You may not have realized just how versatile a dependable laptop
really is; preferably one that is small and light, for easy transport.
You can store e-books and save valuable travel weight; keep photos
on it; scan and save important documents; write your travel journal
in it; store and play music; use it as an international phone
to keep in touch with family back home, and of course do your teaching
prep work on it.
All laptops automatically operate at the correct local voltage level,
although you will need the appropriate converter to enable your laptop's
plug to plug into a foreign socket. What's more, when choosing
a laptop that you'll take to your teaching job overseas, be sure
to buy one with a 2-pronged plug instead of a 3-pronged plug, as 3-pronged
converters are harder to find should you lose the one you brought.
Movies
No, you don't have to give up watching movies when you move abroad
to teach overseas. In fact, many countries have English speaking movie
theaters with the movie's subtitles in the local language. DVD
rental stores are also common. However, be aware that most countries'
DVDs are in a different format than the U.S. and won't play on
a regular U.S. DVD player. So, if you're from the U.S. and want
to watch DVDs overseas you can either buy a DVD player locally or
bring a portable
multi-system DVD player
with you. Or, if you are really computer savvy you might be able to
figure out how to convert a non-US DVD to a US zone to play on your
laptop.
Phones
When teaching overseas or living abroad you will definitely want a
cell phone overseas for emergencies as well as practicality, as text
messaging ("SMSing") is often more common than email abroad.
But, you may not be able to just take yours with you for use in another
country. For one thing, US cell phones operate on a different frequency
bandwidth than the rest of the world. In addition, cell phones purchased
directly from US cell phone provider are usually "locked"
and cannot be used with any other cell phone company unless they are
first "unlocked" by your provider. What this means for you
is that you generally have two options when travel overseas: you can
either buy a phone locally or purchase an unlocked
quad-band phone
to bring with you. Once you are at your new location simply insert
a locally purchased pay-as-you-go SIM card into your phone and you're
good to go. Or before you travel abroad, get a prepaid Sim card to make your international and local calls with your own unlocked GSM phone.
Digital Camera
A digital
camera
is a MUST for teaching and travelling abroad! Look for something small
and compact as well as something not too expensive, as cameras are
easily broken or stolen overseas and you won't feel as bad if it
didn't cost an arm and a leg.
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