The hassle of protecting the laptop. Not only does it take up space, but its space must be protected from the elements. The best place I’ve found on my bike is in the BOB trailer. I have the Ibex which has a spring suspension (a shock absorber) which minimizes the impact of all the potholes, gravel roads, etc. In addition I surround it with clothes, sleeping bags, and other things which further absorb bumps and vibrations. It’s all the bumps and vibrations which shake the connections loose and facilitate metal fatigue. Simple physics dictate that the energy from bumps on the road transfer to your belongings most effectively the closer they are to the point directly above an axle. This is why I believe it best to put a computer in a trailer if one is available. Obviously you must also keep it dry and as dust free as possible. Doing all these things take up prime real estate in your backpack or pannier. If you expect to be on rough roads or in rainy weather think about if you really want to go through the hassle of protecting your computer.
Theft. I read a story about a cycle tourist somewhere in Finland who was held up at gunpoint and the robber said “Give me your laptop.” So many backpackers and cyclist are now carrying laptops that thieves are going after them, especially in third world countries. When you are in a hotel room and want to go out, what do you do? Take it with you or leave it in the room? Either way you open yourself up to getting it ripped off. Many people seem to have access to budget hotel rooms in third world countries and selling a laptop would net them a quite a lot of money. One solution is the Pacsaf, a wire reinforced nylon bag that you can lock to something secure in your hotel room. The only way someone will get at your computer is if they have a desent pair of wire cutters.
Library Computers and Internet Cafes. Why lug along a laptop when there is a library in most towns in America which offer internet on their computers for free? In other countries there seems to be more internet cafés than churches. Using Portable Apps (see below) on a thumb drive you can do an amazing amount of tasks on these computers as well as using the thumb drive for a place to store pictures and documents.
Warning: I’ve found that it's not wise to rely on library computers in the States. First many libraries block the USB ports, second there are sometimes so many people waiting to use them that they have a sign up sheet with a long wait and a limited usage time, and third the libraries are closed usually two or three days a week (especially the ones in smaller towns where you would most likely use them) and on the days they are open their hours are usually limited to the daytime (again especially in the smaller towns).
Advantages
Availability. If you have your batteries charged or you have access to an electrical outlet you have access to a computer. Free wireless networks seem to be just about everywhere from Pizza Huts and hotels to campgrounds and tourist information centers. It’s not hard to get connected when you have your own laptop – yes even in third world countries!
Homeschooling. There many great educational programs on CD’s to use for homeschooling (and even more not so great ones) Without your own computer, it would be impossible to utilize these programs. We carry a combination of books and CD’s to use for our kids to keep us with their schooling.
Video Production. A YouTube video is a great way to share your trip with others but realistically it would be impossible to produce a video of halfway decent quality unless you had you own computer. For more information on producing videos and a way of producing videos without a laptop, click here.
Offline Work. Sorting and storing photos along with writing emails and blog entries is much more convenient on a laptop especially if computer time is limited in a library or internet café. I have over thousands of photos of our trip stored on our laptop. When the camera is getting full, I simply download them onto the computer, then sort, catorgorize and put captions on the pictures.
Alternative to a Laptop.
Portable Apps. I’ve got a GREAT idea for those of you who are only slightly computer literate and want to do only e-mail, word processing, FTP, and/or photo and graphic editing WITHOUT bringing a laptop along with you. All you need is access to a computer with a USB drive (dicey in US libraries and internet cafés but almost a sure bet in third world countries) and a Windows machine. Better yet after the purchase of a USB device – it’s FREE!!! Let me repeat this – it’s FREE!!! Interested? Read on . . .
There is an open source organization called PortableApps.com who have made a whole suite of programs that can be installed on certain USB devices (USB flash drive, iPod, portable hard drive, etc). Simply insert the USB device (I’d suggest a flash drive) into a USB slot and you can run your program off of it. I’ve used this on my current trip and it works like a charm. It’s also my backup plan if something happens to my laptop. I’m excited about this alternative because of its low cost and I’ve successfully tested it.
Some of the program I’ve used that you may find useful are Mozilla Foxfire, GIMP Portable (a PhotoShop-like program), OpenOffice.org Portable (a MicroSoft Office-like program), and Filezilla (an FTP program), but there are many more you might want to consider.
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To protect the screen from getting marred by the keys while traveling, I place a couple of lense cleaning cloths between them.
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If your computer is small enough, consider taking along a couple of large ziplock freezer bags to put your computer in. This will protect it from water and dust.
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