profile

Friends Newsletter

Friends news: my 39 best travel items


Hello Reader, from your friend Nick, author of The 2-Hour Cocktail Party.

In this issue: my 39 best travel gear items including my favorite socks, zipper bags, toiletries, electronics, gadgets, and more. Plus a tutorial on how to use a computer and short article about asynchronous communication.

FRIENDS NEWSLETTER

Why you’re getting this: I'm Nick Gray and this is my Friends Newsletter. I send this every month to interesting people I’ve connected with and friends I want to keep in touch with. You can un-subscríbe any time and I won't be mad. I won't even be notified!

My 39 Best Travel Items

I just published a brand new article on my personal blog about the best travel items I use.

The advice is meant for business travelers, digital nomads, and creators. But parents, students, and anyone seeking useful tips will discover gems here too.

Nothing is sponsored. I paid for all of these and tested them over the past few years.

This list consists of products in these categories:

  1. Clothing
  2. Organization
  3. Suitcases
  4. Toiletries
  5. Electronics
  6. Camera Gear
  7. Cables and Adapters
  8. Misc

These are four of my favorites:

Read the article here. I promise it is good.

Random Links

🖥️ How to use a computer (1996)

This was an early article showing people how to teach others to use a computer. I thought it was beautiful. Originally shared on Twitter by Visakan.

👋🏻 no hello

I get a lot of DMs from well-meaning people saying, "Hey Nick! How's it going?" or worse just "Hi!"

This article shows why that is bad. "Imagine calling someone on the phone, going hello! then putting them on hold... For most people, typing is much slower than talking. So despite best intentions, you're actually just making the other person wait for you to phrase your question, which is lost productivity (and kinda annoying)."

🛜 Make a QR code to automatically join your WiFi

Do this and print it out. Tape it in a cupboard. Then when you have visitors, they just point a phone at the QR code and instead of loading a website, it will automatically join your WiFi network and enter the password automatically. I've done this for years and it still blows people's minds.

The End

I got to fly on a friend's private jet this past Monday to watch the eclipse with zero cloud cover. Seeing the sun and moon in perfect totality was a top life memory. I liked Tim Urban's recap of his experience.

My own reflections were similar, if shorter:

I could not help but hoot and holler

To yell out with eyes wide open

A beautiful and ancient otherworldly sight ❤️

Thanks for reading my Friends Newsletter. Have a great weekend.

🤠 Nick Gray

p.s. Here's the About Me on my website if you forgot who I am. We met [HOWWEMET GOES HERE].

Add me elsewhere

@NickGrayNews on all the social media
Instagram | Twitter/X | TikTok | YouTube | LinkedIn

The 2-Hour Cocktail Party: How to Build Big Relationships with Small Gatherings
Amazon | Kindle | Audible | Apple Books | Spotify

Friends Newsletter

An investor, entrepreneur, and author of The 2-Hour Cocktail Party. I started and sold two successful companies: Flight Display Systems and Museum Hack. Join 20,000 CEOs, investors, and founders and receive business tips, productivity tools, and other resources from me.

Share this page