Chapter 26: Traveling with Your Laptop

Some of the challenges related to traveling with a laptop computer have very little to do with the computer's features and functions. Others involve finding a place to take advantage of those features when you're away from your own office or home.

This chapter describes several of the most common challenges for laptop computer users, including carrying a laptop computer through airport security, using the computer from a seat in an airplane or train, finding public access to the Internet through a Wi-Fi hotspot, finding a place to print your documents, and sending copies of your data back to your home or office.

Moving Through Airports

In today's environment of tightly enforced airport security, carrying your laptop presents two challenges: protecting it against grab-and-run thieves, and convincing the security personnel that your computer really is a computer.

One insurance company reports that more than half-a-million laptop computers are stolen every year, at least 10 percent of them in airports. To avoid adding your own computer to that statistic, take some common-sense steps to discourage thieves:

Never let your computer out of your sight. Even better, keep the computer bag on your shoulder, or place the strap around one leg when you have to put it down at a ticket counter or even a restroom stall. While you're seated in the boarding area, keep one hand on the bag or the strap.
Disguise the computer. Don't use a distinctive computer bag or one with the manufacturer's logo on the side. Computer carriers are available in many forms of camouflage, including briefcases, backpacks, tote bags, and ladies' large purses.
Use a cable lock.
If possible, use a small padlock to secure the compartment that holds the computer. This will discourage a thief from trying to remove the computer while leaving the bag behind.
When it's time to send the computer through the security X-ray machine, make sure the people in front of you aren't creating a delay. Don't place the computer on the belt until you can walk directly through the machine. In one common technique, one person holds up the line after you place your computer on the conveyor belt, and then a partner grabs it after it passes through the machine before you can get to it. If this happens to you, shout "Stop thief!" as loud as you can and hope the security people can help.
Pack your AC adapter and cables separately from the rest of the gear in your bag, and if possible, send them through the security machine separately. A jumble of odd parts can be difficult for an inspector to identify.
Tape your business card or engrave some kind of identification on the bottom of the computer case. This assures that you take your own computer from the security area-remember that you have to send the computer and the bag through the X-ray machine separately. While you're at it, place some kind of identification inside the computer's case in a place where it's not visible from the outside.
Subscribe to a tracking and recovery service.

Except in extraordinary situations, every airline allows you to carry your laptop on board their aircraft instead of checking it through as baggage. However, the airport security people might often instruct you to remove the computer from the bag and send it through their X-ray machines separately, or to turn on the computer to demonstrate that it's not just a shell disguising something more dangerous.

Here are a few things you can do to speed up this process:

Before you leave your home or office, start the computer and place it in Hibernation mode. When an inspector asks you to turn on the computer, you can start it in just a few seconds, instead of waiting for the whole tedious Windows startup routine to run. Hibernate consumes a very tiny amount of the battery's charge, so you still have most of the battery's power available to use the computer in flight.
Make sure your computer's battery has a reasonably full charge. It can be a huge nuisance to search for an AC outlet when you need to turn on the computer for an inspector.
Before you leave home, make sure your computer bag doesn't contain anything that isn't allowed in a carry-on bag. This could include a small knife or other pointed object, and even a small plastic bottle of screen cleaning fluid. For the latest list of items and materials that are allowed and prohibited on flights to, from, or within the United States, see the Transportation Security Administration's Web site at http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/prohibited/permitted-prohibited-items.shtm. For flights originating in Canada, see the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority's site at http://www.catsa-acsta.ca/engilsh/travel_voyage/list.htm. For the very latest word, call your airline.