Laptops help us work and communicate with other people regardless of where we are. They are portable, and bringing them gives us many different advantages. So they are indeed an excellent travel companion.
Bringing a laptop is absolutely necessary, especially if you are a professional traveling for business purposes. You will need your laptop to check on emails, communicate with business partners, or interact with family and friends while you are on a business trip. Yes, having a laptop when traveling is so much better. However, it may also be a liability.
There are several threats that laptops usually face when you bring them for traveling. Among these are climate factors, damages, power surges, and, most importantly, theft. Most people who bring their laptops along during traveling need this portable computer for a living – for them, laptops are necessary.
So before traveling with your laptop, ask yourself if it would be necessary for you to bring it? Would you have enough time to use your laptop when you are out on travel? Will you be able to do some work on your laptop while traveling? If not, it might be better to leave your portable personal computer at home.
However, if you think that you can’t go traveling without having your laptop with you, then bringing them would be easier than you think. You would only need to take some extra safety precautions and little preparation. And if you take your time learning how to bring your laptop with you during your travel properly, then you’ll be able to do it without undergoing complications.
Suppose you plan to take your laptop with you while traveling in hopes of staying productive while being on vacation or just using it for entertainment purposes. In that case, this post will guide you on protecting your portable computer and give you the information you need to know when traveling with a laptop.
Use a reliable and high-quality laptop bag
The laptop bag you will use for traveling must be easy to carry, especially when you’re going to need to ride an airplane, bus, or train. Having a reliable and high-quality laptop bag is crucial regardless of your transportation.
Your laptop bag must be padded to avoid damaging your laptop from extreme movement and during transportation. A briefcase type of laptop bag is also a good option. You may also use a shoulder bag laptop bag. Aside from that, you may choose a backpack laptop bag, but make sure that it has a thick strap to avoid it from ripping out and padded shoulder and chest straps to avoid extreme back pains from carrying your laptop the whole travel.
Aside from that, having a slash-proof backpack provides extra security. This would help you avoid thieves from running off with your laptop.
Make sure that your laptop has the latest security updates
One crucial thing you must always take note of when traveling with your laptop is cybersecurity. Before traveling, ensure that you have installed the latest security updates on your laptop and that it has a firewall. These two can help in preventing cyber hackers from intruding on your laptops.
It will also help if you use a VPN for your laptop regularly. They help make the data you send out or receive on your laptop impossible for hackers to crack. Aside from that, VPNs also help you access blocked websites on your geographical location.
Encrypt your files on your laptop and USB drives so that other people who do not have the correct password cannot read or access your files
Create backup copies of your files
Having a backup of your files is absolutely necessary when traveling. Save essential files on your USB drives or external hard drives and delete those you do not need during your travel. Saving your laptop’s data on a separate USB drive will ensure that your data is safe and complete in case you lose or damage your laptop.
You may back up your files in some free online data storage service like Dropbox, Google Drive, Microsoft, and Yahoo. These services require 2-step encryption, so you can guarantee reliability.
Be prepared for airport security screening
If you are traveling by air, it is essential to be prepared for Transportation Security Administration (TSA) pre-check. Your laptop will go through airport security, and you will need to take it out to have it checked by the airport security. You will need to put your laptop in a plastic bin to undergo some X-ray screening during this process.
To avoid the hassle of taking out and putting back in your laptop, you can buy a TSA-friendly laptop case, wherein it unzips and let the airport security check your laptop. Take note that you cannot put anything else inside that laptop case, but only your laptop.
Bring extra devices for power and connectivity
Yes, it is possible to get power adapters inside an airplane. However, not all planes have a power outlet in their economy class. Aside from charging inside the airplane, you may also need to charge during your road trip or while traveling to ensure that you can use your laptop while on a trip.
You may bring your high-capacity and long-lasting power banks or your own power outlets, just like the Krisdonia 60,000 portable charger. The Krisdonia 60,000 mAh is an AC outlet that allows you to have an AC power supply. It is compatible with different phones, laptops, televisions, and many other AC devices.
You will be unsure about the power grid in your location, especially if it is your first time traveling there. So it is crucial to have an extra or backup power source with you to avoid experiencing inconvenience.
And if you are going to use your laptop during your flight or your road trip, then having an extra battery would be very helpful. That way, you can prolong your laptop’s battery life, and you can continue doing your work, school assignments, or continue watching your favorite shows while traveling.
Bring your universal power adapter
Power plugs and plugs differ in many countries. What is nice about these portable computers is that they do not need an electrical transformer to function, unlike other electronic devices, especially when you are in other countries. Most power adapters of your laptops can convert voltages on the sockets to power your device.
However, for extra precautions, you might want to buy a universal power adapter compatible with the type of socket and electrical voltage in the place you are traveling to. But before doing so, be sure that you read the label on your adapter since it states there the input voltage range of your laptop’s power adapter.