Heading off on vacation soon?
Then perhaps you're tempted to take your trusty laptop along for the trip.
After all, you bought it for its mobility, and it's nice to stay in touch via email with your family and friends back home.
However, just before you start packing, its pays to consider the downside of traveling with a laptop, particularly if you're planning to go abroad:
1. Weight
A laptop (plus accessories) starts to feel heavy very quickly. And who really needs MORE luggage to carry around?
2. Security risk
To you, it's a laptop computer. To a thief, it's a bag of easy money. (About $1000). And that bag is something you have to guard every second of your vacation.
3. Power supply problems
You'll need a different power adaptor plug for each country you visit. And depending on your laptop power supply cable, you may also need a step-up / step-down voltage transformer.
4. Connection complications
You'll need to find a way of connecting to the Internet. If your laptop is suitably equipped and you can find a local hotspot, you can take advantage of wireless Internet access.
Otherwise you're stuck with dial-up modem access, which means a choice between:
- using your existing ISP's local call number in the country you're visiting (provided your ISP has a local number! AOL and Compuserve generally do.)
- making a long-distance telephone call to your regular dial-up number back home
- signing up with a local ISP (rarely practical in the short-term)
5. Telephone socket trouble
Different countries have different types of telephone socket. If you're planning on connecting via dial-up access, you'll have to bring a suitable telephone adaptor plug.
You'll also need a digital signal tester to test for higher- voltage digital telephones lines. Otherwise you could end up frying your modem and possibly the motherboard too.
6. Extra insurance cover
It's highly unlikely your travel insurance policy extends to laptop computers. You'll therefore need to arrange separate specialist insurance cover, which isn't cheap.
7. You're on holiday!
Do you really want your office with you on vacation? Aren't you supposed to be getting away from it all?
If you're beginning to think that traveling with a laptop computer is a major logistical exercise, then you're right. (Just ask any "road warrior"!)
However, there IS an alternative:
An Internet Cafe.
Almost every city and large town now has several Internet cafes. To locate one when you're abroad, just ask your hotel receptionist or a friendly taxi driver.
You'll also find Internet cafes in airports, railway stations, major hotels, business centers, public libraries, and even onboard cruise ships.
Before you leave on your travels, simply ensure you can access your email via a web browser. (This is known as "webmail". Most ISPs offer this option automatically - just ask them if you're unsure.)
Alternatively, set up a free webmail address (at hotmail.com or yahoo.com) for the duration of your trip and give it to anyone who might need to contact you.
With webmail set up, all you have to worry about is remembering your email login and password. Everything else - hardware, connectivity, security - is somebody else's problem.
To summarize:
Unless you have a very good reason for taking your laptop on holiday, you'd be wise to leave the darn thing at home and use an Internet cafe instead.
And who knows - maybe your laptop could use a vacation from you!
About The Author
Steve Robson is a successful technical author and contributor to http://HowToBuyALaptop.com - For advice on how to buy a cheap laptop, visit: http://howtobuyalaptop.com/cheap-laptops.htm
A Computer in Your HandCarrying around an address book and... Read More
PDA Medical BenefitsIf you are concerned about your medical history,... Read More
Projectors have come a long way in the past few... Read More
Computer is an electronic machine work on the instructions of... Read More
Good Morning Mr. Sampson. Please type in you Personal Identification... Read More
When browsing the internet you are likely to come across... Read More
For many people the computer industry is a seeming unsolvable... Read More
CCNAs and CCNA candidates hear it all the time: â??Get... Read More
1. Empty the Temp directory regularly. To do this, make... Read More
Perhaps not yet, but the handwriting might be on the... Read More
Having two operating systems is not as difficult as many... Read More
Digital Video Disc or as it is sometimes referred to... Read More
Up until the recent past, those who wanted to take... Read More
If you have a computer for home use or for... Read More
In Windows Xp, you can install two operating systems on... Read More
The first step is: Start > My DocumentsSo you have... Read More
We have just entered the time of year that most... Read More
Maintaining your computer is extremely important ? especially if you... Read More
Using SQL Server 2000 and above versions you can retrieve... Read More
Cameras: still known for taking pictures but assumed as digital... Read More
Feeling overwhelmed in selecting a new TV? With all the... Read More
Microsoft Certifications are one of the most widely acclaimed, pursued,... Read More
I'm eighty-one years old and I bought my first computer... Read More
Feeling overwhelmed in selecting a new TV? With all the... Read More
The DNS (Domain Name System) servers are what your computer... Read More
The battle is heating up for market share, home movie... Read More
Since the DOS days, batch files have been one of... Read More
File Transfer Protocol (FTP) is a protocol that is part... Read More
Plasma and LCD TVs are the latest trend in home... Read More
If you're like me, you occasionally find the ubiquitous mouse... Read More
When you turn on your computer, does it act like... Read More
I recently took a good look at what was keeping... Read More
Have you ever tried to remove Spyware off your PC... Read More
Perhaps not yet, but the handwriting might be on the... Read More
Time is money. And when you constantly have to divide... Read More
Most people download and save so much information on their... Read More
If you utilize a computer at home or work it... Read More
A computer needs a certain amount of information to operate;... Read More
Stop Getting LostOne of the greatest uses for a pocket... Read More
Has This Ever Happened To You? OK.. it's Friday night,... Read More
ComputersBusinesses and individuals alike have all grown to rely on... Read More
Simone is exasperated. She has to work on her university... Read More
Music lovers have been carrying around radios and other bulky... Read More
Selecting a TV isn't as easy as it used to... Read More
Those small USB drives have so many names, pocket drives,... Read More
Stimulus thru Caffiene or Visual Input?It appears that the Mobi... Read More
In the years of the dot com boom and bust,... Read More
IntroductionMac OS X is the most technologically advanced operating system... Read More
Maybe you always wanted a feature that hasn't been available... Read More
Feeling overwhelmed in selecting a new TV? With all the... Read More
Buying Your PCBuying a PC that's right for you and... Read More
The Internet can be a dangerous place.While you're enjoying the... Read More
One of the most confusing parts of beginning your Cisco... Read More
Just The Facts, Ma'mPalm pilots are all the rage now.... Read More
The Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) Certification is meant for... Read More
Choose Not To ConformPalm pilots and pdas are constantly growing... Read More
The technological horizon has always got something new to offer,... Read More
Tip #1 -- Rebates: A rebate is not always a... Read More
That desk in front of you and everything else around... Read More
I do a holiday letter every year and send them... Read More
Feeling overwhelmed in selecting a new TV? With all the... Read More
CCNAs and CCNA candidates hear it all the time: â??Get... Read More
Apache, MysQL and PHP for Windows could be a nice... Read More
So you got yourself a digital camcorder. If you want... Read More
As the web has evolved, so have the methods of... Read More
Save money. Save 10-15% on utility bills per month. Work... Read More
Personal Technology |