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iPad for travel
- Thread starter Samtb
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The best one for travel is the one you have.
IPadP 10.5 has a small enough form factor and weight for carrying around on long trips and enough processing power for getting most work done. I have written research papers on it, done spreadsheets, and PowerPoints. I also just use it to binge watch Netflix or stream music. What exactly are you looking to do with an iPad while on your trip? Get what works best for your fiscal budget and packing weight budget.
I like to travel as light as possible as on my travels I move from place to place a lot. Id do just standard things like looking at photos I took on my iPhone, web, music, social media, you tube etc.
The mini would probably fit your needs just fine, maybe even save some cash with a refurb.
The only down sides to the mini is it doesn’t work with Apple Pencil (although I don’t know what I’d do with the pencil in practice) and it doesn’t have the wide colour gamut for videos and movies.
I have the 12.9 and 10.5. Since I do have both, I’m pretty sure that I’d go with the 10.5 for travel. I love the 12.9 at home or work, but if you want the iPad for travelling, the 10.5 is ideal. If I only had the 12.9, I’d take it travelling though, it’s just that I feel that the portability, size and lightness of the 10.5 is perfect for travel. I have a mini 2 that doesn’t get used anymore after getting the 10.5 since it now feels too small.
OP - Your question is too open ended. If you can provide some context of what you mean by travelling then we could possibly suggest something.
In any case the middle of the line iPads do it for me, either 9.7 or 10.5 is my choice of iPad while travelling.
In any case the middle of the line iPads do it for me, either 9.7 or 10.5 is my choice of iPad while travelling.
I second what @akash.nu already said - not enough details provided to give a good response.
Also, the best size is highly subjective. I recommend you go into an Apple Store and find the size you personally prefer. Then, test the iPad out for two weeks and return it if not satisfied.
Also, the best size is highly subjective. I recommend you go into an Apple Store and find the size you personally prefer. Then, test the iPad out for two weeks and return it if not satisfied.
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"thirding" what @ericwn and @akash.nu have stated.
I'll offer my first-hand experiences with different models and traveling. Some of it may resonate with the OP and might help them get an idea for what specifics to be thinking about. Keep in mind that these are my first-hand experiences, other people may have different experiences.
I've traveled with my 12.9 Pro. Cross country flights, overnight driving trips, and a few things in between. I have found the 12.9 Pro + ASK to be a cumbersome combination when traveling. Awkward to use in the terminal, especially when switching between using it as a tablet and a notebook. The ASK is a bit unwieldy when not in use. Using it in flight wasn't any better. Cramped seating and the seatback of the person in front fully reclined makes it near-impossible to use. Not enjoyable at all. Once at my destination it was ok, but again the size of the 12.9 Pro in highly mobile scenarios, made the experience not-great.
I've traveled with my Mini 4. Obviously, portability was terrific. Battery life even better. I could use it anywhere at any time and not feel like it was awkward. In flight usage was great and could even have a notepad on the tray table with the Mini 4 and still have room for my beverage and snack. But while I could get "serious" stuff done on it during the trip, the smaller size wasn't helpful for long stretches of document creation/modification.
Recently I've had the opportunity to travel with my 2018 iPad. I've taken the iPad + SmartCover + Apple Pencil (with MoKo Pencil sling) + Logitech Keys-To-Go keyboard. It is a very lightweight and portable combo. It is small enough to not experience the issues of using the 12.9 Pro when traveling, and it is large enough not to suffer from the same screen size issue of the Mini 4. Because of iOS' lack of truly exploiting the larger 12.9 screen, I am as productive on the 2018 iPad as I was with the 12.9 Pro.
TL;DR - The 2018 iPad has been the best iPad to travel with for me.
Having said that, the best overall tablet for travel that I use is the Lenovo Yoga Book (Android). I've written extensively about my experiences traveling with it in that thread so I won't repeat it here.
I still have my Mini and have been traveling with it for years. As there were no new Minis on the horizon, I grabbed a 2018 9.7" iPad. I still prefer the mini for travel but it has slowed a bit so I take the new iPad these days. I find the pencil a lot less useful than I had hoped. If Apple ever releases a new Mini, I will be all over it, with or without Pencil support.
I am retired and my travel is for vacations during which I like to take photos - no work. I want an iPad for entertainment on flights or in hotel rooms, for internet access. I want to minimize the number of accessories I have to carry. In my travel kit I have a 32 GB 2017 ipad, a Ravpower FileHub, in ear headphones, a 128 GB USB drive, an iPad charger for a hotel room and a USB charger that can be used in a rental car. All of this fits into a single, small BUBM travel organizer.
Before leaving I load the USB drive with movies, ebook, TV shows and music. All of these can be played on the iPad through the FileHub and after I watch a movie or TV show I delete it. Every evening I use the FileHub to backup my cameras SD card onto the USB drive. The USB drive effectively expands the storage available to the iPad and the Filehub can charge the iPad or run it when its battery is low.
The FileHub USB drive combo is also great on trips with kids. Each kid can stream their own movie or music onto their own iPads in cars, planes , hotel rooms, camp sites etc..
This works well for me.
Before leaving I load the USB drive with movies, ebook, TV shows and music. All of these can be played on the iPad through the FileHub and after I watch a movie or TV show I delete it. Every evening I use the FileHub to backup my cameras SD card onto the USB drive. The USB drive effectively expands the storage available to the iPad and the Filehub can charge the iPad or run it when its battery is low.
The FileHub USB drive combo is also great on trips with kids. Each kid can stream their own movie or music onto their own iPads in cars, planes , hotel rooms, camp sites etc..
This works well for me.
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Same as my setup but I have a 10.5 iPP and use a 4TB Western Digital HDD with my FileHub. Like sracer, I also find the ASK to be cumbersome and use a Zugu Prodigy X case and a folding Bluetooth keyboard (when necessary). Works really well on the road.
It depends on what you want to do abroad. For me I don't need to work on a plane but I want to be able to support my virtual machines when I am on travel. For this type of work the iPad Pro 12.9 ist best. The 12.9 has about the same weight as the iPad 4 and the size of a A4 journal. I have a bag for journals and other stuff anyway with me so it makes no difference how big the iPad is as long as it fits in the bag. So there is no reason to struggle with a smaller iPad...
I’ve Loved my ipad mini 2. It’s really the perfect travel size. However, it’s also slowing down in it’s old age. Very annoying. I want to upgrade, but with no new ipad mini in sight, i am leaning towards the 10.5” ipad pro. Will wait for the next update however. Some tell me to just get the new 2018 ipad with pencil support, but i really want the refresh rate of the ipad pros. I also plan to edit photos & videos on it, so i don’t mind paying up for the pro iPad. The only question is when will the new ones be announced? WWDC was a no show. Some say September with the new iphones. Others say October or November, and still others say not until next year. I only hope my mini holds out that long.
I'm taking my iPad Mini 4 on my upcoming trip to the UK since it is smaller, and I'll be using it for ebooks, etc, while traveling.
But on my recent weekend trip, I took my iPad Pro 10.5"
Just returned from three weeks in Europe. Used iPad Pro 9.7 for spreadsheets and light note taking with the keyboard. Used iPhone X for everything else.
Left my larger iPad Pro at home as size just a bit large for easy carrying on and off planes.
Left my larger iPad Pro at home as size just a bit large for easy carrying on and off planes.
I’ve been traveling with iPads for work, nationally and internationally, since iPad 1. Ive been traveling with the 12.9 iPad since it was released in late 2015. I use ASK most of the time. However, when I’m going to be flying at night I switch to the Logitech “slim” combo. I just prefer the backlit keyboard at night. It took me week, maybe two, to adjust to the size. For my personal use case the 12.9 doesn’t take up any more room than my 13 MacBook Pro. Yet I find my workflow much easier on an iPad than my MacBook. Each persons use case will be different but for me the extra screen space has been worth it.
For what it’s worth, my wife travels with the 10.5 and she loves it. However, she also loves to carry her 12 MacBook with her too.
For what it’s worth, my wife travels with the 10.5 and she loves it. However, she also loves to carry her 12 MacBook with her too.
Will be traveling here shortly, I do plan on bringing my iPad, and what I like most about traveling with it, is the compactness. I can do almost everything I need to on my iPad and it doesn’t require any desktop migration for my uses, and having a portfolio case is nice to use on an airplane.