MP3 CDs blow. My wife actually has an MP3 CD player (admittedly several generations old, but probably not too far behind what you'd get for $50)...

I think instead I'm going to buy a few spare batteries for my laptop and play off
the hard drive. Even if the lifetime is as crappy as usual, 4 of the 3800mah batteries instead of 2 should get me over the ocean. Then I just need to charge them in my hotel while I'm there. Which reminds me, I should figure out which power cord adapter I need and figure out where it went.