Travelling with a Laptop - TravelPUNK Backpacker College Student Budget Travel Message Boards!

Ybbor · 01-12-2005, 03:05 AM

Hi Guys,

Just wondering as you are most likely the most computer savy packers, if you know about travelling with a laptop. Was hoping to use my laptop and link in while travelling through various countries. At this stage want access in Canada, USA, Denmark, Spain then UK. Any ideas, eg wireless at the golden arches

Cheers

**verstehen** · 01-12-2005, 07:48 AM

If your laptop has wireless, that gives you some options. Some legitimate, others not.

Legitimate: Buy a coffee at most starbucks and get access. Many businesses in the countries you listed have this kind of service available.

Illegitimate: Download a wireless network scanner/sniffer. Wander around downtown with your laptop just partially open and wait for it to say "DING" when it finds an open network. Sit down and get internet access because someone else failed to secure their network with any kind of protection. You won't be costing them anything extra, if they have wireless access they likely have broadband and 99% of the time, broadband usage is unlimited and is paid by the month if you use 1 meg of transfer or 10000. Also, some folks, (like me when I'm in the states) leave their networks open just so people passing by can borrow it for a while. Still, doing this is technically illegal in many countries.

I do not condone the second course of action, this is for informational purposes only.

xanthuos · 01-12-2005, 08:04 AM

I'm about to head back to the states for a 2-month + trip around different areas of the country. I'm bringing my laptop, but will probably leave it in the care of someone in Chicago depending on where I am going, as I'll be traveling back and forth to the Chicago area. Part of my concern is I am traveling by Greyhound and I worry about valuables being stolen

One of the precautions I am taking is putting my laptop in a Targus laptop bag and then placing that carrying case INSIDE a regular Roots backpack, then using a small brass lock to secure the two zippers which open that particular compartment. I plan on keeping that backpack with me at all times - if I exit the coach to use the restroom, you better bet that backpack will be on my shoulder.

Anyways, depending on how much I worry/freak out on my ride from Saskatoon to Chicago will determine how often and where I take my laptop during the time I'm in the states!

skorch · 01-12-2005, 08:29 AM

There are ISPs with world-wide dialup access numbers. I've never used one personally, but here's an example:
http://www.net-roamer.com/

The major problem though is how do you dial in? Unless you're staying at hotels, phone lines won't be readily available. You could buy a GSM cellular phone which should work in most parts of the world, but the roaming charges would kill you.

**omisan** · 01-12-2005, 10:33 AM

I pay about $20 a month for T-Mobile hotspot wifi access. It's in just about every Starbucks in the US, as well as places in the UK, Ireland, Austria, Germany, Czech Rep, etc...

Recently, I got this Burton (the snow gear company) weatherproof laptop backpack that looks *nothing* like a typical laptop bag, so I think I might grow bold enough to carry my stuff around for future travels...

xanthuos · 01-12-2005, 12:30 PM

omi

is this it? linky-poo

**omisan** · 01-12-2005, 01:07 PM

Xanthuos - no, that's not it, but featurewise, it's very similar. I can't find it on the web for the life of me, but it's kind of rectangular, has the hidden/padded laptop compartment, and has various detachable modules for storing smaller things like music players, papers, etc... very handy - I'm still figuring all the compartments out