Taking your laptop on a trip, and doing so savvily, empowers you to be work-functional wherever you go. However, it requires more than just packing your laptop and heading out; some preparation is essential. While some of these tips may seem obvious, they are often overlooked, especially by less experienced travelers.

To avoid unexpected issues and accidents, ensure you carry your laptop safely, have backup plans in place, and set it up for convenient use during flights and at airports without any hassle.

Pre-Trip Preparations for Your Laptop

Before tossing your laptop into your travel bag, some prep work can save you from a lot of headaches and trouble.

Boarding the Plane

Before you fly, make sure that your laptop, along with the case or bag you’re storing it in, can fit under the plane seat. This allows your laptop to be stowed securely under the seat in front of you.

Airlines have specific dimensions for carry-on bags and personal items, and you may run into trouble if your bags exceed certain physical dimensions. 

A potential issue is a laptop being too large to fit comfortably on the tray table in front of you, making it hard to use during the flight. Either that, or you may not have space to use a mouse. Don’t expect a fully comfortable experience if you are just flying basic economy or have a larger laptop.

Redundancy Planning

Another crucial aspect of preparation is redundancy planning, which involves having backups rather than relying on a single solution.

For instance, besides your laptop charger, consider bringing an extra battery or power bank. This can be invaluable in situations where access to a charging point is not feasible, such as during long or multiple connecting flights. Being equipped with additional power sources ensures you can continue using your devices even when charging options are limited.

Backups

It is paramount to back up your laptop before a flight, in case of theft, loss, or damage. Everyone thinks these disastrous events wouldn’t occur to them, but when they happen, it is usually too late due to their lack of contingency planning.

The worst-case scenario is to lose your laptop and lose all your data. 

Even temporary issues like a dead battery or technical glitches can disrupt your work if you have no other means of accessing important documents.

To avoid these problems, back up your data beforehand, and you will feel more at ease.

Cloud services like Google Drive, Dropbox, or iCloud are convenient options, as they allow you to access your files through your phone if your laptop is down. I store my important data on the cloud for easy access and security. Additionally, using an external hard drive provides an extra layer of backup.

Offline Usage

What if you have no internet access but still need to stay productive? Setting up your workspace for offline use is key.

Here are some steps to ensure you’re ready for times with unreliable internet:

• Install Offline Apps: Use offline versions of apps you frequently need for work. Many applications, including Google Drive, offer offline capabilities. Familiarize yourself with these features. 
• Download Content in Advance: Prepare documents, movies, TV shows, or music in advance by saving them locally on your laptop. This saves time and prevents boredom during flights.

By preparing for offline usage, you can remain flexible and productive, even without reliable internet access.

Travel Insurance

You should have travel insurance if you are traveling. The insurance should ideally cover the theft, loss, or damage of electronics, including your laptop. This coverage can provide financial assistance to repair or replace your laptop if something unfortunate occurs. While it’s not a guarantee, having your electronics insured offers important protection and peace of mind.

This article was originally published on unboundist.com. If it is now published on any other site, it was done without permission from the copyright owner.

Packing Your Laptop for a Flight

Now it’s time to pack your laptop. How should you pack it for maximum safety and convenience?

Place your laptop in a padded sleeve, and pack it into a compartment of your carry-on bag where it is safely stored yet easily retrievable. This ensures you can easily remove your laptop from your bag during airport security screening if necessary, and easily access it during a flight.

The first thing we want to consider when it comes to packing and traveling with electronics is their durability. Take into account not just the material of your laptop, but also its protective sleeve or casing. The padding of the sleeve should help absorb minor impacts, scratches, and bumps.

Second, your backpack matters. Store your laptop in a backpack designed for laptops. Ideally, your travel backpack should come with padded compartments and reinforced corners – features that are designed to protect your laptop against various travel conditions. If not, I would highly recommend that you buy one before your next trip – it can reliably protect your laptop while lasting many years.

Definitely, carry your laptop with you on the plane, and not checked in luggage. You do not want to risk it being lost or damaged as your checked-in bag might be tossed around by baggage handlers.

Likely, you will be carrying two bags onto a plane, like most travelers. Place your laptop in the backpack that you will place on the floor stowed under the seat in front of you, instead of the overhead compartment. This prevents it from accidentally flying out of the compartment or getting knocked by someone else’s baggage. You might also want to easily retrieve it for productive work or entertainment during flights.

Here’s another reason to ensure that your laptop is easily retrievable. When you are passing through airport security screening, your carry-on items would typically be placed on a conveyor belt for screening. At this point, you might have to remove your laptop from your bag and place it in a separate bin to pass through the conveyor belt.

Additional tips for storing it within your carry-on bag: 

• Place it in a standalone compartment designed for laptops, if your bag has such a compartment. 
• Prevent it from getting pressed upon or scratched by other items in your bag, such as chargers and other gadgets
• Avoid placing heavy items on top of your laptop, such as a tablet or portable monitor.

Using Your Laptop At the Airport and On a Plane

While you’re waiting for your flight, you may want to use your laptop. While there may be free WiFi at an airport, it’s best not to access online banking or do work that involves confidential or sensitive data through public WiFi.

Instead, you want to either use your mobile hotspot or a Virtual Private Network (VPN), because these methods of using the internet do encrypt your data. This prevents your data from getting intercepted, tampered with, or accessed by hackers and unauthorized parties. You will be in a better position security-wise, and you can have peace of mind whilst going about your online activities.

While on a flight, you want to conserve your laptop’s battery unless you have easy access to power outlets. This is important for a mid to long haul flight, but also a practical tip for traveling with a laptop in general. Disabling WiFi and bluetooth can help a little with battery conservation. So have your offline movies and documents ready.

Enjoy Flying With a Laptop

While this guide is specifically geared towards preparing for a flight, in reality, you need to do more to prepare your laptop for international travel.

These packing tips, tools, and backups might seem like an inconvenience especially for the first time, but they are well worth it once you get accustomed. 

Preparing your laptop well can reduce the odds of things going wrong, which helps you potentially avoid wasted time and frustration.