It was the autumn of 2015. A very excited young (well, young-er) me arrived in Essen, Germany. It was time for the annual Essen Spiel, and my first time attending it. Essen Spiel is the world’s largest board game convention.
I arrived at Essen the evening before the event started. It was dark. I got off at the seemingly deserted train station. I took my phone out, launched Google Maps, and started walking. Google led me into a pitch black forest. I had to turn on the phone flashlight to see where I was going. It was quiet, with nothing but the sounds of night.
With the flashlight on and Google Maps reading my location, my battery was draining fast. I have to say, this was getting scary. I started imagining spending the night in the middle of the forest. Alone. In the dark. In a foreign country. It was not a pleasant notion.
I did end up finding my hotel, and the convention was spectacular. I lived to tell about my adventure.
Why am I telling you this? Because one of the first things I did when I got back, after unpacking all the games I brought back, was to buy a portable charger. I always have one on me now, always fully charged.
The power bank I bought back then is no longer available. My current one, which I bought recently, is an Aukey. To keep this post relevant, here’s a link to the search on Amazon, and here’s one for AliExpress. Make sure to get one with sufficient power for your device. Make sure your phone doesn’t die on you.
I may get commissions for purchases made through links in this post.
Optimising My Life 