9 Best Tips to Travel with A Laptop (Ultimate Guide)

by | Last updated Apr 19, 2022

With Wi-Fi facilities everywhere, it has become easier to spare time for work during travel. Usually, business executives and entrepreneurs need to travel with a laptop. Also, If you are a photographer or a travel enthusiast taking a laptop with you is important to stay connected with the world.

Expert Tips to Travel with Laptop As A Backpacker

Our team has gathered the best tips to pack your laptop when traveling for maximum protection against any physical damage or lost data.

1.Invest in A Good Laptop Bag

The first thing to protect your laptop from any damage is buying a good-quality laptop bag. It depends on your ease and style, whether you want a carry bag style or a backpack. Don’t make the mistake to keep your laptop in your suitcase.

Laptop bags secure your laptop and accommodate all of your gear like cameras, papers, adapters, and cables in one place. Moreover, the padded base of the laptop bags protects them from damage. Besides protecting your gear, they offer ease of carrying your laptop. All high-quality brand bags have a padded base and are water-resistant to secure electronics inside them.

A good laptop bag has a thick padded bottom, rugged surface, and lock-in strap. Also, it should have a shoulder strap to carry other luggage in your hands. You can also slide your laptop into a plastic carrier bag before putting it in the backpack, providing an extra layer of protection against rain.

A comfortable laptop bag is fundamental to making your trip fun and smooth. Because no matter how lightweight your laptop is, it can weigh you down after a few minutes of walking in the heat. You would not like to experience discomfort only because you didn’t get the right laptop bag.

2.Organize Your Gear

As of now, you have an idea of what to pack in your travel backpack. So, it is crucial to keep your laptop gear organized. This prevents any loss during the backpacking procedure. Remember, during the airport security check, you will have to remove your laptop. When security checks your laptop bag, you wouldn’t want your cables and cords to spill out of your bag.

To keep your gear organized, consider buying a bag with enough space. Your gear organizer should be small yet show you everything at a glance. That means you should not worry about where those cords and dongles exist, and it should be an effortless organization.

3.Keep Your Laptop with Yourself

This tip is for new travelers. While traveling with your laptop, please don’t keep it inside the checked luggage. The luggage or baggage handlers mistreat it and toss the bags over the conveyor belt. Your delicate laptop cannot withstand this type of handling. So, it is better to pack your laptop inside a padded laptop bag and carry it with you.

backpacking with a laptop

4.Store Your Data on A USB Drive

If you are traveling for business or working remotely, your data is the most important to protect. Thus, securing all your data in a USB drive is very important. The problem with storing data in the laptop’s drive itself is that you lose all your data with it if you lose the laptop.

You can save the data on a hard drive and then on a USB drive in an ideal situation. But, during traveling, all these procedures can get lengthy and sloppy. So, to keep things easy, saving data in a USB means the data is with you, wherever you go. A word to wise: keep your USB attached to your inner pocket.

5.Time to Use Data Encryption

You might have sensitive information stored on your laptop. Information such as your IDs, home address, contacts, or banking details is not safe, and thieves use this information in identity theft. Thus, encrypting your data is a good idea to protect your sensitive information.

You can consider full-disk encryption that protects the information stored on your laptop. Usually, it is easier to select files and encrypt them. Software programs such as Microsoft PowerPoint, Evernote, or Dropbox allow you to encrypt specific files.

6.Record Your Laptop Details

Another one of the best tips to travel with a laptop is to record your laptop details. Having your laptop details helps you report a theft. Details like make, model, and serial number are essential to record in a particular place. There is no harm in taking photographs of your laptop. Focus on some distinguishing details, for instance, dents, scratches, color stains, etc.

7.Installing A Theft Recovery Software Can Pay Off

Thanks to advanced technology: now you can recover a stolen laptop with the help of software. With theft recovery software, you can locate your laptop and have the local authorities recover it. If you work remotely, you will understand more the value of having recovery software to keep your work progress safe.

A big plus? Even if the thief erases all the data and installs a new operating system, the software keeps on running. Try software such as Prey, Find My Mac, or LockItTight. Whether paid or free software, that depends on your convenience.

8.Get Your Hands-on Security Cable Lock

A security cable lock for your laptop works like a bicycle lock. Loop the lock around a fixed object, connect it to your laptop, and secure the lock with a key or combination.

But it is advisable to invest in a high-tech laptop lock instead of buying a cheap one. The benefit of buying a high-tech cable lock is a motion sensor system and alarm. So, when someone tries to remove the laptop, the motion triggers the alarm. And there, you get an alert about the theft attempt.

9.Buy Travel Insurance

This tip might not be suitable for everyone because it can become expensive. But if you want to avert the risk of losing your expensive laptop on a trip. Buying travel insurance might give you peace of mind. If you lose any item during the travel, the company reimburses you for the lost item.

How to Secure Laptop in A Hotel Room?

During traveling, it becomes impossible to keep your laptop with you all the time. So, it is natural to think about whether your laptop is safe in a hotel room or not. We are already aware of this safety concern. Yet, it is also essential to know how to keep your laptop safe in a hotel room.

Don’t Leave in Open Sight

As a fact, If you leave your valuable item open, the opportunist will take advantage of it and steal it. Remember, most of the thefts are the results of a simple ‘opportunity availed’. So, when you keep your laptop hidden, you remove the opportunity to steal it.

Keep Doors Locked

This might seem too obvious. We all lock doors while leaving the hotel. But what if you are sleeping or taking a bath? So, double-check if you have locked the door whenever you come back to your room. Moreover, take care of the windows too. Most thieves enter from windows.

‘Do Not Disturb’ Sign Can Give Your Message

You might need to leave your room behind a laptop or valuables unattended. In this case, place the ‘do not disturb sign on your door. During the cleaning, housekeeping can leave the door open. And someone can go in or out of the room unnoticed. So, it would be better to have housekeeping in your presence in the room.

Pick Room That Is Not on The Ground Floor

One drawback of the hotel rooms on the ground floor is their windows open onto the street, which means those rooms are at a higher risk of break-ins. So, if you are traveling with your valuable items, such as a laptop, try to pick a room off the ground. Moreover, you can have a better view of the city with a room on a higher level. And if you don’t get one, keep your laptop hidden- make it hard for the opportunists to find it.

Don’t Trust Hotel Room Safe

Before you think a hotel room safe is a ‘safe’ place, you need to check whether it is moveable or not. Because usually, hotel safes are portable and not secured, and a thief can take them and leave. Thus, test it before you trust it.

Conclusion:

Traveling with a laptop may or may not be a fun-filled experience. Risks prevail everywhere, but what matters the most is how cautious you remain and make conscious efforts to protect your laptop.

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