I've Got the Power

Life as a flight attendant has changed dramitcally in these modern times. Where once one had to keep in contacvt with family via letters & telephone, we have progressed to email, Facebook and other gadgets to keep in touch with our loved ones at home.

However having this modern convenience comes at a price- having to firstly bring the equipment with you, and also keeping it charged up and running.

Some of the things flight attendants carry around include:

Laptop/Netbook (essential for we blogging/Twitter/Facebook addicts)
Mobile phone/iPhone/Blackberry (Non-negotiable now for FAs so Sched can contact us)
Digital camera (Ditto for the bloggers)
iPod
PSP/Nintendo DS/Other gaming device

Along with these devices we must also carry the various chargers and adaptors. The drawback to this is, we are trying to minimise the stuff we carry, and also it's quite easy to lose plugs. I'm sure nearly all FAs at one point or another have left a phone charger plugged in at the hotel, only to realise halfway to home base where it is. There's also the issue of not being able to charge things in airports where plugs are blocked, or on the plane during a delay.

Enter the PowerMonkey, a nifty device I picked up duty free on the ferry across from France to Dover.


This handy little gadget is basically a portable recharging device. It comes with a wall charger, but unlike other chargers, it has interchangeable adaptors for different countries so you can buy it and use it anywhere. Included with the PowerMonkey are various adaptors for devices and different models of mobile phone, so you only need the one charger. I can charge my iPod, my camera and my phone all with one. Laptops are trickier as they need a lot of power, so I haven't tried, but it cuts down my required units from 4-5 to 2. You can also buy additional clip-on connectors for other devices if they're not included.

All in all, you should check this baby out if you travel with lots of gadgets! The PowerTraveller website also has lots of other useful items, including a laptop version, aviator's torches and solar-powered chargers for you adventurous types!!!