The rapid growth in the use of computer technology coupled with the spread of wireless internet connections together mean that notebook computers, otherwise known as laptop computers, have become very popular among business travelers as well as among those who travel for pleasure. In addition, students studying overseas use laptops for their studies and to communicate with family and friends back home.
Laptop Computers Help Preserve Memories
Notebooks are great because as you travel, you can download your photos and movies from your digital cameras, and then you can write them to CDs or burn DVDs. This allows you to continue taking an infinite number of digital photos or even reuse your digital video tape, especially if your notebook has an editing suite that you can use to do a rough edit of your movies and then save footage to CD or DVD pending more careful editing once you have arrived home. This is what I did with my laptop while on an extended stay in China, and it worked like a charm.
The Downside of Traveling With Your Laptop
Most of us know that computers can help us immensely in our daily lives, but even when we are at home, they can make us crazy with their idiosyncrasies. The dreaded “blue screen of death” which is visible when our computers crash and burn readily comes to mind. However, in addition to the normal frustrations involved with computers, traveling with a computer can poses considerable risks, including damage, loss, and theft. It’s bad enough losing data when a computer crashes or when it needs to be formatted when you’re at home, but the added risks of damage loss and theft while traveling mean that the potential for problems is that much greater. Those problems are also much more difficult to solve when you are abroad because you might be trying to solve your problems in a foreign culture and in a foreign language.
Laptop Computer Insurance to the Rescue
There is a way to mitigate some of the difficulties you might face if your computer is damaged, lost or stolen. The solution is computer insurance. If you have computer insurance coverage for your laptop (notebook), you can be reimbursed if it is lost or stolen or damaged in a flood or fire or in an accident. You can even get it repaired or replaced in certain circumstances. Some policies even cover you for data loss. Computer insurance for laptops, notebooks, or PDAs is available for as little as $270 USD, and there are a number companies offering travel insurance coverage for your laptop.