I travel frequently and always carry both iPad and kindle paperwhite. And my macbook pro for work. I really prefer to do all my reading on the kindle. The macbook is strictly for work so I do my web surfing on the iPad.
I usually go out to eat solo when on the road and sit at the bar, and the kindle is really much more convenient for that scenario. If I’m walking to the restaurant it’s lighter and less conspicuous, and sitting at a crowded bar with an uncertain amount of space it’s smaller and lower-profile, and I’m only risking $90 if it gets damaged or lost vs $300 for the iPad. It’s also a lot easier to turn pages on the kindle with the back of a knuckle when getting seriously greasy with a burger and fries. Also for reading on planes the smaller and lighter kindle is a lot more convenient especially when the person in front of your decides to recline in your face.
If I could only choose one device, then I’d bring the iPad. But I’d probably still leave it in the hotel room for dinner and read on my phone instead at the bar.
Kindle Paperwhite. H just got the newer version while my several years old one still works fine. Our public library includes Kindle in its format- so easy to check out books via the internet. Also- I like the Bookerly font (many to choose from) that was first available on my current version. Also well liked is the nonglare screen, ability to change brightness and font sizes. With aging eyes it is nice to go with larger print than those paperbacks we used to pack. Library checkout so easy- no need to spend a lot of money for once and done fiction. The device is easy to hold, fits well in a purse and new version has great battery life. Do not get the fanciest one that is wider- son has it. I just can’t see using the cellphone small screen to easily read. Or something larger than the 6" screen for ease of holding and storing in a purse or pocket.
btw- invest in a USB charger of good quality (we use ours at home frequently). Anker is a good brand. Pay attention to the overall amps because the more devices plugged in the longer it will take as the charging gets distributed. You can recharge your kindle and other devices more quickly than through your laptop. Be prepared for few outlets in inconvenient places- the extension cords I brought to London were very useful- only one adapter plug for it. Some cellphone brands can be charged with the USB part without the plug part (so vastly improved over the days of so many proprietary plugs).
Be aware that different countries require different plug adaptors- don’t assume all continental countries use the same system. Of course you will not bring your high wattage items such as a hairdryer.
That experimental browser has been “experimental” forever! I think mostly they just want to be sure you can shop for books on Amazon. Since I travel with an Ipad, Iphone, and the Kindle, I only buy charging cords that will charge all of them. I also take a travel extension cord. Here are examples:
This extension cord is the best thing ever. I’ve used it over and over both here and abroad with a plug adapter. No more worrying about where the plugs are. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00YLRWYVQ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
For a cord that charges Apple products and Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B018UFYOIA/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Can you tell I shop Amazon a lot?
With these and an app that turns my Iphone into a white noise machine/alarm clock, I’m good to go. I have been taking a back-up battery also.
I only needed one type of plug adapter for all of Eastern Europe, but it doesn’t hurt to check. You might be going to some obscure place I didn’t visit!
Used Kindles for years. Switched to an iPad Mini this year and much prefer it. Screen is like reading a large paperbook [what are they called again?] rather than the smaller one and the navigation is MUCH simpler & more intuitive. Battery life on the Kindle is better and you need to plan ahead for books, since Kindle has the included internet connection but you pay extra [and pay for data] with an iPad. I’m still happy with my change of allegiance, but there are things in favor of each.
I am in Israel right now which uses the same electric plugs and power as Europe. I just have a plug adapter so I can plug my regular cable into the wall here. I charged my Kindle Paperwhite that way yesterday. No converter necessary–just a plug adapter. That works for my phone and laptop as well.
Oh, and per the original query: I am very happy with my Kindle Paperwhite. I get an email every day with discounted Kindle books. Many, many well-reviewed and interesting books for $2 or $3. Right now I’m reading “Small Fry,” the memoir of Steve Jobs’ daughter Lisa Brennan-Jobs. I got it for $1.99.
+1 to any of the Kindle fires and to Libby. Free books and audiobooks forever. Plus that fire can browse the web, watch netflix/prime/hulu, so for traveling it’s a one stop shop. I have the 7, 8 and 10 inch Fire tablets and they were $30, 50 and 100 respectively, on sale at Amazon. Ipads are cool but never that cheap, and paperwhites are best for reading in bright sunlight but also cost more (and require external light in the dark, I believe).
There always seems to be some confusion about the Kindle and the Fire, both Amazon products, but completely different. There is no Kindle Fire. There is a Kindle (e-reader with different models including the Paperwhite) and a Fire (Amazon small tablet). If you want a small tablet and are willing to put up with learning a new way of navigating, the Fire is a super deal for a tablet. Plus you can buy the one with the least memory and then add an inexpensive memory card. But anything called a Fire is not an e-reader. However, you can read books on it as you can with any tablet or phone using the Kindle app. Clear as mud?
Search “kindle fire” on amazon and you get a lot of hits for chargers and such. So it is confusing.
The Fire tablet has native e-book management, no special app required (as is required on my phone). Your library is there under books, same books in your kindle library.
Libby (or Overdrive, there is no Libby app for Fire oddly enough) , can present ebooks and audiobooks right in the app OR in many but not all cases, send to Kindle where they are treated like any other kindle book, but they disappear when the library loan ends.
I think the main - maybe only - weakness of Fire for reading books is in bright sunlight, as in, at the beach. It doesn’t work very well even at full brightness. Never have trouble reading on it anywhere else.
Wellspring - You’re right. I think my main point should be that anytime you see the term “Fire” you will be talking about a tablet and not an e-reader. Amazon has made this really confusing.
I find reading on a tablet in any light really hard on my eyes. Can only do it for a little while.