TechDish: Tips for Traveling with a Laptop or Portable Device

Posted on: Fri, 02/26/2010 - 08:59 — us104_admin

Hey it's TechDish Friday again and today we're talking about ways to protect your data and equipment when traveling.

Be it on a plane, train, or automobile—with or without John Candy—these tips will help you out most assuredly!

• Beware of luggage scanners

  Letting your laptop or mobile device go through the x-ray equipment will not harm your equipment. The magnetic field which is generated is not enough to cause harm to your hard drive or cause damage to your data. Metal detectors on the other hand, can cause damage and request politely that Security/Customs do not use the metal detector but do a hand check instead.

  Remember, hand checks take time. Make sure you get to the airport or train station early—the security staff is more cooperative and gentle with your equipment when you are not rushing them.

• Carry-on or luggage?

  While it may seem more convenient to stow your laptop or portable device in your luggage, this can potentially do damage to your equipment. (They don't call those guys "Throwers" for no reason, after all!) Bring your laptop or portable device in its proper carrying case as a carry-on, even if you don't plan to use it onboard the transportation.

• Back up your data before you leave

  Chris Mitchell makes a good point in his writeup—you risk losing your equipment when you bring it on a trip! And, while the loss of the equipment is bad enough, you also don't want to lose all your data. Before you leave, make a backup of your entire hard drive.

• Encrypt your data, use a system password too!

  If your laptop or portable device does fall into the wrong hands, you don't want to put your data—personal documents, bank records, online passwords, photos, etc—at risk. Make sure you have a system password that locks the device. Furthermore, encrypt your hard drive to prevent data from being pulled. We recommend TrueCrypt for the task. You can even encrypt your thumb drives too!

• In-travel WiFi? Protect yourself like any other hot spot

  JetBlue and Amtrak are now offering in-flight and on-train WiFi to their passengers, more are sure to follow. Remember to protect your wireless connection. Use a VPN connection, turn off your shared folders, and do not allow peer-to-peer connections.

• Power surges happen in planes, trains and automobiles too

  If you are plugging in to an outlet, protect your equipment from an electrical spike by using a single-outlet power surge protector.

• Don't leave your equipment unattended

  This should be a no-brainer, but we are continually suprised at how people will sacrifice the safety of their equipment for a little convenience. Even if all you're doing is getting up to use the restroom, put your laptop/portable device in sleep mode and bring it with you. Or have someone you trust watch over it. Trust the words of an author who has lost a laptop and a digital SLR, it is not worth the convenience!

More Reading

Top 8 Airline Travel Tips When Traveling with Your Laptop
http://mobileoffice.about.com/od/businesstravelersadvice/tp/airportsafety.htm

Seven Tips For Taking A Laptop Travelling
http://travelhappy.info/travel-tips/seven-tips-for-taking-a-laptop-travelling/