Travelling With Your Laptop

10 Things You Must Remember While Traveling with Your Laptop

Whether you are a student at a university or you are a high-flying professional, we all need to travel often. And when we have to travel, we invariably carry our laptops too, for staying off the grid is not a possibility anymore. A laptop’s most important feature is its portability and convenience. Whether you are traveling for work, pleasure or education, laptops are an indispensable part of modern voyages.

However, it is also important to safeguard one’s laptop while traveling. A new destination’s climate, security risks, physical damage etc can all affect the life of your laptop and cause you unnecessary expenses. In order to avoid these expenses and ensuring a pleasant holiday, it is important to take care of one’s laptop well.

In this article, we shall take a look at various things to remember before traveling with a laptop in our bags.

  1. Back up your data

Before you set out to travel, make sure all your data is back up. If you have important projects, documents and media, make sure that you upload them to a cloud storage device, if possible. DropBox, Google Drive and other storage services are great to save important files for free. If you have a lot of data that you can’t backup online, consider investing in a spare external hard disk. The reason to backup before traveling is to make sure that you do not lose your data permanently, if your laptop is lost or stolen.

  1. Do not forget the power cord and charger

Many people often pack their bags neatly and carry their laptops safely as well. Once they have boarded their flight or train, they realize that they can’t use their laptop because they neither have enough charge left, nor did they remember to carry their Charger and Power Cord. To avoid annoying situations like that, make sure that you keep your charger and power cable in the bag, even before you keep your laptop.

  1. Purchase cleaning accessories

Cleaning Gels, wipes and soft cloths specially made to wipe screens should be packed. Also carry a toothbrush to clean your laptop keypad, if a lot of dust and dirt collects along the way. Laptops are likely to get dirtier and be more exposed to dust when traveling.

Thus, it is important to make sure that we have ready access to cleaning products specially manufactured for laptops. There are specific lotions that can clear even the most stubborn stains and dirt patches on your laptop screen. Make sure that you have a bottle of that in your bag.

  1. Invest in safety accessories

When we travel, we often do so in buses, trains and flights, where there will be a number of people pushing and shoving for their place. There may also be unruly children who may end up damaging your laptop, especially if they are sitting next to you.

To make sure that your laptop is safeguarded against jolts, jerks, thuds and falls of any kind, invest in keypad films, laptop skins and screen protectors. These products ensure that your laptop remains dust-free and scratch-resistant and that it lasts a long time.

  1. Invest in a good case

A good laptop case can protect your laptop against shocks, jerks and scratches. Laptop cases absorb shock and keep the external surface of a laptop scratch-free. Moreover, if the place where you are traveling to is very humid, dusty or dirty, a laptop case will protect your device from external pollutants which can harm internal parts of a laptop.

Laptop cases often come in vibrant colors and patterns and you can choose the one that best defines your personality. There is nothing wrong in attracting a little attention at the airport with the help of your laptop skin or case. A little effort goes a long way in protecting your laptop.

  1. Stay calm during security checks

Often when we travel, we tend to be jumpy and anxious. When we are asked to go through security checks at airports, we may drop the laptop in confusion or keep it down with a thud, causing damage to the device. It is important to remain calm and peaceful during security checks.

This ensures that you will be in the right state of mind to take care of your shiny and expensive laptop. Place the laptop in the tray provided carefully and allow the security officials to do their job.

  1. Try not to carryout secure transactions on public networks

In most airports and railway stations, we often come across free Wi-Fi networks. Many restaurants, cafes and even entire cities provide free Wi-Fi access in public spaces. This naturally tempts us laptop users to get online and start browsing. That is perfectly a valid thing to do.

However, refrain from carrying out credit card transactions, shopping online or sharing your personal information on public networks. You may become prey to identity thefts, which are easy to carry out on public networks.

  1. Use complex passwords

Even when you are using public Wi-Fi only for the purpose of accessing your Facebook or Twitter accounts, you may still end up compromising your security. In order to make sure that your identity is never stolen and that you are safe, make sure that you always use complex passwords.

In fact, if you do not already have complex passwords set in place, change them all before you begin to travel. That will save you from a lot of trouble in the future. It is becoming increasingly common for hackers to exploit vulnerable public networks to steal personal information.

  1. Be mindful of temperature fluctuations

Wherever you travel, there will be temperature fluctuations. You may land up in a place that is very humid or a place that is freezing. Laptops function well between 10° and 35° Celsius (or, 50° to 95° Fahrenheit). Anything more or less may cause your laptop to drain battery or your hard disk to expand.

Humidity more than 80% may cause your laptop to malfunction as well. In such cases, try to your laptop only in air-conditioned environments to prolong the life of your laptop’s battery and avoid malfunctioning.

  1. Keep the laptop with you

Last but not the least, there is no point in taking care of a laptop if it gets stolen or lost. Make sure that you always carry it with you and do not leave it behind in the hotel if you are not sure of the security.

If you are traveling to someone’s house, you can leave it behind and take a stroll outside. However, at all other times, it is a good idea to carry one’s laptop with oneself. That way, you will not regret losing it or becoming a victim of theft.

If you follow these 10 tips and always remember them before traveling, your laptop will remain safe and secure. You can instead concentrate on enjoying your holiday and finishing up tasks, if you are on business travel. There is nothing better than knowing that we can always fall back upon our laptops, when our vacations go wrong. And for that, our laptops should be in good condition.

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Clublaptop

Started in 2009, Clublaptop is India's largest multibrand laptop repair and accessories network with its presence at over 100 locations across 86 cities and counting. It is an initiative from the house of Re-feel - India's leading printer cartridge recharging chain.

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