In the Peace Corps, the most expensive gear I rolled with was a disposable camera. Nowadays, I have a dSLR, an iPod, and a Mac — all of which I take with me when I roam. I can take hundreds of pictures; upload them and edit them; and confirm driving directions online. However, the bulk of my traveling recently has been in-country, by car — with a secure trunk. I haven’t thumbed a ride in rural Africa with only a Plasti-Kase and an empty Coke bottle for a while. If I were to head back to the bush, I’m not certain hauling all that junk would be a good idea.
Travel Monkey agrees with me. According to him, “The hassle involved with taking a laptop on a long journey is simply not worth it unless you are in fact a journalist, writer or web/software developer.” If you are, indeed, a journalist, writer or web/software developer — or maybe a photographer — then you may want to consider toting your ‘top. If you do, be sure to check out Chris Mitchell’s 7 tips for taking a laptop traveling:
- Don’t take your laptop traveling if you can’t face losing it
- Get a decent laptop backpack (I have a Timberland)
- Store all your data on a USB thumb drive
- Backup
- Universal Adapters and Power Surge Protectors
- Keep A Clean Machine
- Move all your Email To Gmail
Good tips all, and I’ll be certain to tick off everyone of them before I shoot tiger sharks in the Bahamas this summer: Yes, I will be taking my laptop.