Getting more USB power from MBA 2013

[me_and]

I have a 2013 MacBook Air. I also have an external USB DVD drive that comes with a USB Y cable, so it can be plugged into two USB sockets at once to get enough power to the drive. Problem is, the USB ports on the MacBook are too far from each other for the Y cable. Does anyone have any cunning alternative suggestions?

I've looked at other Y-cables, but all the ones I've been able to find seem to assume the two USB-A ports are close together, not on opposite sides of a laptop. I could use an external battery pack plugged into the power-side of the Y-cable, but the various discussions I've found from searching have dire warnings of slight voltage mismatches damaging my kit. And getting a powered USB hub is technically an option, but I'd much prefer to not have to carry around a hub for the sole purpose of my DVD player, plus the additional wall wart for it.

Suggestions? Ideas? Help?

 

[Audit13]

Try a short USB extension cable?

 

[maerz001]

A lot of 2.5“ HDD or SSD don’t need double USB power. So a single connection is enough

 

[me_and]

USB extension cable looks like the best option, I think. I'd been hoping to not need to carry yet more things around, but I can't see much of an alternative.

This is a DVD drive, not an HDD or SSD. And given (a) the rating plate says it wants 1.3A and (b) the specific ways in which it doesn't work when I try to plug it in using a single USB cable, despite it being fine on a friend's Dell that provides more power on its USB ports, implies a single connection is not enough.