Laptop or Not?

If you are traveling for a longer period of time the question of whether to bring a laptop with you is a tough one.  Sure there are usually opportunities to connect to the web at a local internet café, but are there benefits to having your own laptop and is it worth the weight in extras to support that laptop – a power cord and a converter for example?

The tough question of bringing a laptop or not usually is dependent on what your needs are.  If you simply want to just keep up with friends and family via email, Skype, or Facebook you might find it much easier to just track down the local internet café and go at it.  Most internet cafes are clean, relatively inexpensive (but always look around and make sure you understand the costs!)  They usually have decent enough technology to meet the basic communication needs.  Many offer Skype and video/audio capabilities to go with it.

On the other hand, if you are a serious blogger, take a ton of pictures or video that you need to upload from a card to a computer, or if you are taking your work on the road, having your own laptop is priceless.

If you do take a laptop on the road there are several things to consider.  You will need to be able to safely transport it around with you, not only safe from damage, but safe from theft.  If you stay in a hostel you might consider finding one that has lockable storage or even toting a lock cable with you just in case.  You need to consider all the extras that come with taking electronics on the road as well.  Power cords, power converters, cases, external hard drives, headset for Skype..  the list can go on.

Whatever you decide, we wanted to take a look at some of the laptop options out there for travels.  Smaller is good, light is best!