1) Never enough outlets

It’s silly that you have to carry your own extension cord just because hotels think that one outlet should be enough for everyone. The worst offenders are hotels that hide the one spare outlet behind the TV cabinet, or require you to unplug Mr Coffee to get at some power.

2) Slow wireless connections

Sure, setting up a WiFi access point with a single DSL line was pretty cutting edge back in 1999. But times have changed, and so have speed demands. It annoys me when I turn on my notebook in a hotel, to find that downloading my email will take 20 minutes. In the end I usually just get online with my mobile broadband card (when I have coverage, see #7).

3) Paid hotel Internet access

To me, a hotel that charges for Internet access ranks up there with used car salesmen and timeshare telemarketers. They are scum. Thankfully it’s becoming less common in the US, but there are still plenty of hotels that think it’s acceptable to charge as much as $25 for a day of surfing the web. Of course, it’s a money maker for them, but it’s time hotel chains realize that some people actually pick a hotel based on the price and availability of Internet access.

4) No aircraft power outlets

I’ve learned to live with the fact that my aircraft seat has a just 15% chance of being equipped with a working power outlet. Most of them either have no outlet, a defective outlet, or one that stops working halfway through the flight. I usually don’t even bother trying and always travel with a spare battery and an external battery pack.

5) The TSA

Not much to say here that wouldn’t trigger all kinds of terrorist alerts. The TSA hates travelers, and hates travelers with gadgets even more. They exist solely to annoy me.

6) Chargers

Somewhere in Durkadurkistan is a secret cave, where all the worlds leading technology manufacturers meet once a year to select new and incompatible power connectors. They all agree that no one company design a connector that works with any other companies equipment. It’s a diabolical plan which means that I have to carry 20 different chargers every time I leave the house on a trip.

7) No cell phone coverage

Sadly not all trips are to exciting cities. Every once in a while you get stuck somewhere, where the local Dairy Queen is the center of entertainment. And many of those places have crappy cell phone coverage. It’s amazing that in 2008 you can still find somewhere that hasn’t been connected to the rest of the world. It’s because of this that I have to carry several different phones from 3 different carriers.

8 ) Maps and GPS units

It doesn’t matter whether you spent $100 or $1000 on your GPS unit; one in ten times it’ll send you on a wild goose chase trying to find your hotel. But GPS units are smart, because they’ll wait till it’s 11pm in the middle of a snowstorm till they mess with you. Thankfully maps are getting better, but they have a long way to go till they are as reliable as paper maps and common sense.

9) The cost/weight

When I first started doing some regular travel I left the house with a Walkman. Then added a pager, then a mobile phone, then a portable computer and so on… Sometimes I feel like its too much. Then I get stuck at an airport for 10 hours and manage to kill the time by watching live TV and keeping my stuff powered without an outlet.

10) Product that just don’t work

You’d think that when a company designs and sells a product that they’d make sure it works. You’d think they’d put it through extensive testing and market research to be sure that when you hand over your hard earned cash that you actually receive something you can rely on. Sadly you’d be mistaken.

There are some products out there that make a habit of letting you down when you need them most. Anything with Bluetooth is a good example. Phones made by HTC are another. It’s one thing when a product doesn’t perform well at home, but when they decide to get cocky with you 2000 miles away from home, it’s just plain annoying.