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7 Reasons NOT to Take Your Laptop on Holiday!

by: Steve Robson

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 - For advice on
how to buy a cheap laptop, visit:

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