I have been traveling
with my laptop the last five years. I have visited ten countries, taken eight international
flights, two trains and long-distance buses, not to mention numerous subways,
tuk tuks, long tail boats, scooter taxis, local buses and lots and lots of
walking. And throughout the whole
journey, a laptop has been along for the ride.
For me, the question
of whether to bring my laptop wasn’t really even a question. But it is
something I get asked about a lot by other travelers – so here’s my take on
whether or not it makes sense to bring a laptop on your journey.
The first thing most
people ask when they hear I am traveling with a fairly expensive laptop is,
“Are you insured? And aren’t you worried about theft?” No, I don’t have insurance
on my laptop, and yes, I worry about theft. That’s probably why it hasn’t been
stolen yet.
No, I
don’t have insurance on it, and yes, I am worried about theft. That’s probably
why it hasn’t been stolen yet.
Getting your laptop
covered by home or travel insurance is pretty unlikely if you’re going
traveling. Most insurers won’t cover you unless you pay a very high extra premium.
My insurance agent told me that I would have to “self insure” – meaning if it gets lost or stolen, I pay for
a new one.
To reduce theft, I
bought a combination cable lock that plugs into a slot in the side of the
laptop. I use these whenever I stay at bungalows, hostels, or slightly sketchy hotels.
While traveling, I always keep my laptop with me in my carry-on bag. Sometimes
I’ll lock them up if I’m on a train or am planning to take a nap.
Should you
bring a laptop when you travel? It’s a highly personal question that depends on
a lot of things – what you’ll be doing, where you’re going, for how long, and
so on. In the rest of this article, I’ll share my own impression of the pros
and cons of traveling with a laptop, then share a few guidelines that might
help you decide whether to take one with you the next time you hit the road.
9 reasons you should
bring a laptop
1. You can blog.
Even when I am offline for days at a time, I could write new posts for blogs.
If the only local Internet access was at web cafes, I’d save the posts on a
memory stick, lock up the laptops, and head out to the internet café.
2. It makes travel
planning way easier. You just can’t plan for weeks on the road
before you leave – sometimes you have to do much of your planning on the go.
For our trip, we booked intercontinental flights and some hotels, then go on the
computer and review as you travel. We researched destinations and “what to do
and see” on many great sites.
And I did most of it
from wifi-enabled cafes and hotel rooms; often on rainy days when we would have
just been killing time without a laptop. We’ve been able to save countless dollars
by comparison shopping and finding discounts for travel excursions, clothing,
etc.
3. You can keep up
with friends and family by email. Email has been a great way to correspond
with loved ones back home. Obviously, this is something you can do at internet
cafes, but it’s so much nicer from the comfort of your hotel room or lobby. A
lot of hotels/resorts come with free wifi.
4. You can call
home for free (or very cheap) with Skype.
We’ve enjoyed Skyping with friends and family — it’s always great to see each
other while you talk. We even bought webcams for our children before we left to
make sure we could keep in touch. Plus, we’ve made lots of calls to landlines
and cellphones all over the world using Skypeout, which lets you call from any
web-enabled laptop for mere cents per minute.
5. You can store
your trip photos. You can download digital photos to your laptop – where
they can later be uploaded to photo sharing services like Flickr, Picassa, and
Facebook. Saving them on a laptop gives you way more storage so you don’t have
to worry about filling up your camera’s memory card.
6. Keeping a trip
journal is easier. If you’re keeping a separate trip journal (aside from
any articles or blog posts you’re writing), a laptop can be handy. I type a lot
faster than I write, and stuff written on a computer is much easier to edit.
7. You get a lot of
information storage in a small space. My laptop has maps, directions, bus
and train schedules, must-sees for key cities, and lots more. Considering how
much information I’ve got saved on it, it’s much lighter to carry around than
several big guidebooks!
8. It’s an
entertainment alternative. Sure, you’re traveling, and you should be out
interacting with the locals and having adventures. But everyone needs some
downtime. When you get stuck inside your hotel room during a rainstorm, or if
you’re just too hung over to do anything else, you can watch all those cheap
DVDs you bought.
9. You can work.
If you’re a writer, a designer, or do any other kind of work that can be done
from a computer, you can work and earn some money online.
3 reasons you shouldn’t
bring your laptop
1. It’s a
timewaster. You can get sucked in to online life and waste time on Facebook
or surfing the web when you should be out experiencing the foreign city you
paid so much money to get to.
2. It’s extra
weight. If weight is an issue, you’ll lose a few pounds by not bringing
your laptop, power adapter, and any other plug-ins and devices you use with it.
(This point can depend on how many places you’re visiting, and for how long.
For a long trip, a laptop makes sense because it’s lighter than even a few
Lonely Planet guides and novels stuffed in a bag.)
3. It could get
lost, damaged, destroyed, or stolen. Depending where you’re traveling, the
risks range from mild to extreme. I’ve made it through Asian countries,
European countries, Africa, and the Caribbean with no damage or theft issues.
(Knock on wood!)
Only you know the
answer for what kind of risk you can tolerate. If you do bring your computer, I
recommend a soft case to keep it safe – we use water-resistant neoprene ones –
and a good lock. And don’t do anything stupid like stow your computer in the luggage
bin on that $9 bus ride through China.
Making the decision:
Other factors
I’d say the biggest
consideration is whether you feel you actually need a laptop. Are you a writer?
Someone who works online? Someone who absolutely needs to stay connected? Then
you probably never seriously considered the possibility of not bringing it in
the first place.
Are you
a writer? Someone who works online? Someone who absolutely needs to stay
connected? Then you probably never seriously considered the possibility of not
bringing it in the first place.
Your decision also
depends on where you are going. The more remote your travel destination, the
less likely it is that you’ll find a wifi connection. I have visited a few
remote islands that were lucky to have super-slow dial-up connections, never
mind a wifi signal.
You also can’t assume
that the wifi is free when you order a coffee or food. There are plenty of
cafes and restaurants around the world that do offer free wifi when you order
something, but that isn’t always the case. (For example, In
Bangkok, Starbucks at MBK mall charges for access, but you can head upstairs to
Coffee World and get it free.)
Depending on your
needs, there are other choices too. If you want a smaller, lighter, less
expensive alternative to a laptop, consider bringing a notebook like the Asus
Eee PC or an Ipad. These are smaller, lighter, and cheaper, with less storage
and processing power, but if all you’re doing is a bit of blogging and web
surfing, they might be the best thing for you.
