Places to Keep Your Laptop Safe While You Travel

Whether you’re a frequent business traveler or a casual explorer, keeping your laptop secure while you travel is paramount. Here, we’ll explore options for safeguarding your laptop from both physical damage and theft, by storing it smartly at different stages of your trip. These methods range from common and affordable solutions to more creative ones you may not have ever utilized.

These items can effectively mitigate specific risks and unforeseen factors encountered during travel, offering you peace of mind.

1. Carry-on bag or personal item

First and foremost, pack your laptop not in your checked-in baggage, but in your carry-on or personal item bag that you’ll take on the plane.

If you’re not a first-time traveler, you may already know about the risks of lost luggage and luggage handlers roughly handling checked bags. If your laptop is kept in your checked baggage, it could suffer potential knocks and scratches, especially if not properly secured within your checked bag. However, by boarding the plane with your laptop instead, you eliminate these risks completely.

Better still, keep your laptop in your personal item bag for easy access during the flight, instead of in your carry-on bag kept in the overhead bins.

2. Padded waterproof laptop sleeve

During travel, you move around a lot, and there are higher odds that other items in your bag may collide or press against your laptop. Therefore, your laptop should have a ‘second’ layer of protection besides your backpack. This should be a waterproof and padded laptop sleeve.

Avoid a cheap and flimsy laptop holder – your laptop sleeve should be waterproof and padded for these reasons:

The sleeve’s padding would protect your laptop against potential collisions or pressure exerted by other items within your bag.
The waterproof nature of the bag will protect your laptop from spills or heavy rain.

3. Laptop-specific backpack with padded compartments

Avoid just using any normal backpack. Use a backpack that is specifically designed and padded for laptops:

Look for a dedicated padded compartment within the bag to store a laptop.
Separate compartments to hold accessories such as cables and chargers would be beneficial.
Ideally, this bag is waterproof and durable, capable of taking some inadvertent bumps and scratches during your trips.
By observing and feeling the material of a bag (by examining it with your hands), you should get a good sense of its capabilities to withstand travel.

If your current backpack is inadequate for withstanding the rigors of traveling with a laptop, consider upgrading it once and for all – assuming that international travel is part of your long-term plans.

Alternatively, keep it but invest in a separate backpack specifically built for traveling with electronics like your laptop.

Even better, certain backpacks are built for travel-specific uses. They have extra durability, ample storage space, adjustable straps for extended wear, and even anti-theft features. Such backpacks serve as excellent day bags to rely on during your trips.

4. Airport lockers

Airport lockers can be a convenient option if you need to store your laptop before checking in or after checking out of your accommodation. Larger international airports are more likely to offer affordable locker services compared to smaller regional airports.

Before relying on airport lockers, you should research the specific airport:

Availability: Some airports that do have lockers may have limited availability.
Operating hours: Check the operating hours of locker services – they may not be accessible 24/7. This could be crucial if you have an early or late flight.
Fees: Be prepared to pay a small fee.

In reality, spending a few bucks for an airport locker storage service can be a lifesaver, compared to the inconvenience of carrying your heavy laptop backpack around just before a flight or upon arriving in a new city.

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.

5. Hotel room safe

Before leaving your hotel room, it is wise to keep your laptop in the safe. Many hotel rooms have a safe designed to protect your laptop from theft. if you are an easily paranoid person, this can also give you peace of mind at night. However, be careful not to lose the key or lose the code/password to the safe.

6. Hotel lockers

Most hotels have a locker service. If you’re not a frequent traveler, you may not have used a hotel locker service before. But it is pretty straightforward.

It’s actually common for hotels to offer free or very low-cost short-term storage for a few hours after checkout, especially for guests.

Many international hotel chains, and even budget-friendly 2 or 3-star hotels, often provide luggage storage services. Hotels near airports, and also hotels in major cities, are more likely to offer luggage storage services. These services are helpful for guests who arrive before check-in time or need to store their luggage after checkout.

7. Airbnb unit before or after checkout

Unlike hotels, Airbnb accommodations can vary widely in terms of amenities and security features, so whether an Airbnb has lockers for belongings storage after checkout will depend on the individual host and property.

While it’s not common for Airbnb listings to offer dedicated lockers, some hosts may accommodate guest requests for luggage storage, particularly in areas where it’s more prevalent.

This is where communication with your host is important. If you anticipate the need for luggage storage, before booking an Airbnb, contact the host to ask about storage options before or after checkout:

Some hosts may offer to hold your luggage for a few hours on the property. It’s best to ask your host early to avoid disappointment and clashes with other guests. For instance, I certainly experienced this when I reached out to my host, who allowed my luggage to be kept in the apartment for free for the entire afternoon after I checked out. Fortunately, no other guests would be occupying the apartment right away that afternoon.
On the other hand, some hosts may provide access to lockers if they have them. This would be the most convenient option, but it’s often unlikely.

8. Cable lock

This isn’t a location but a tool that ‘fixes’ your laptop in place. Use a cable lock to secure your laptop to a fixed object in your hotel room, Airbnb, or anywhere else you think is relatively safe.

Commonly speaking, you can secure your laptop to a table leg. This prevents quick theft and gives you peace of mind in cafes, libraries, or co-working spaces.

Generally, you can secure your laptop just about anywhere public, though you should exercise caution. If you want, secure it at a cafe or library and leave for a walk or even a few hours. I wouldn’t recommend it if you are unfamiliar with the theft rates in that city, but you could choose to. Securing your laptop in a private co-working space would be safer.

9. Coworking space

Co-working spaces often have lockers or secure storage areas for members. If you are a digital nomad or need to work while traveling, co-working spaces could be an excellent option.

Before jumping ahead, do your research on the availability of lockers or storage areas and the security measures at the particular coworking space. This ensures that you can safely store your belongings while working in the coworking space.

Unboundist