Passing through an airport can be an exciting experience, but if it forms part of your working day then it's likely that you'll want to fire up your laptop and smartphone at the very least during your trip. Finding a power socket can be the simplest and yet the most troubling of challenges, especially if you are delayed and need to recharge badly.

If you're not lucky enough to be in the business lounge, then look around the public phone booths for power sockets, as they can often be hidden here. Put your virtual floor polisher into gear and think about where the cleaners are likely to need to plug in their equipment; they might have long leads, but they will still need to get electricity somewhere.

Ensure you travel with a good international travel adapter. One of the new 3-in-one types is a good bet. But remember that India and Australia are special considerations with their own unique take on plug shape formation, so these countries will need a separate adapter to that which will fit in Europe, the UK or the USA.

Working on a plane can be troublesome. If you're on an aircraft for a short Euro city hopper type flight and/or you are using a budget airline then you won't get much tray table space. If the person in front of you reclines then using a standard 15-inch laptop can be an exercise in physical contortion as your keyboard slowly gets pushed up into your face. Think about a smaller "netbook" travel unit with a 9-inch screen if you have the budget, or use your tablet PC if you have one instead — tablet battery life will far outstrip any size of PC anyway.

Also on the "I wish I'd thought of that before I left" list is the sensible option to pack a miniature size laptop mouse with an elastic retractable cable. Unless you are completely comfortable with working on your laptop's trackpad, this can be a huge time saver if you are editing lots of document copy. Take a mouse pad too; some of those airport surfaces can be glassy and shiny.

We could get into the real nitty-gritty here and advise you to download your manufacturer's "cooling fan" health check software (these tools really exist!) before you go — but that might be overkill. Instead, let's finish by reminding you to dust off your keyboard, pack a pair of headphones for privacy and make sure you have the latest version of a robust and powerful anti-virus suite installed before you travel.