| They say you can't take it with you, but that | | | | Travel is a wonderful way to meet new people |
| simply isn't true when traveling these days. You | | | | and to experience cultures that look at things a |
| can take your laptop and eat it...err, well use it | | | | bit differently than we do. That being said, there |
| wherever you are. The question is whether you | | | | is also a downside to travel. In many cases, you |
| should. | | | | are a target for the thieves and their ilk. If you |
| Many people who work in a business related to | | | | are traveling with a laptop, it can often become |
| the web are able to do it from anywhere in the | | | | the focus of their aggression. This is why traveling |
| world these days. How? They take a laptop and | | | | with a beater laptop can make sense. |
| do their work wherever they like. One then just | | | | If it is shiny and new, one can conclude it is |
| uploads the work to clients via a cyber | | | | expensive and valuable. If it is beaten up with |
| café or other hookup depending up what | | | | scratch marks and stickers all over it, one tends |
| you need. The client pays via the web and | | | | to assume that it is a hunk of junk and useless. |
| everyone is happy. This means you can be sitting | | | | This is essentially the argument behind the value |
| on the beach in Costa Rica one month and the | | | | of traveling with a beater laptop. It attracts less |
| beaches of Sihanoukville, Cambodia the next. Let's | | | | attention and rarely peaks the interest of |
| hear it for the web! | | | | technology savvy thieves. |
| When traveling like this, the key element is your | | | | Beaten up does not have to mean a laptop with |
| laptop. You are going to need something that has | | | | poor performance. We are just talking the casing. |
| the power to do what you need, but is also | | | | You can have the internal components built for |
| sturdy enough to travel without falling apart if it | | | | lean, mean speed and performance, but make |
| takes a whack or two. This cannot be | | | | sure the exterior looks like the computer is also |
| understated enough. Bringing something that is | | | | used to dig in the mud for potatoes. |
| delicate is not advised. | | | | What if you need a nice looking laptop because |
| You are also going to need the appropriate | | | | you are going to be meeting with clients? You |
| accessories. Personally, I've never become one | | | | have two basic approaches. The first is to never |
| with the laptop keyboard. I bring a separate one | | | | pull your laptop out in front of others in the hope |
| as well as a mouse. Hey, to each their own. You | | | | nobody will notice you have one. The second |
| are also going to need a power adapter. Don't go | | | | approach is to take two laptops, a beater and a |
| cheap here. The last thing you want is to have | | | | shinny version. When exposed to potential risk, pull |
| your travels come to a quick end with a snapping | | | | out the beater. Most thieves will assume you only |
| noise followed up by a burning smell! | | | | have one and go for it versus your nice laptop. |