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Friday, October 6, 2006
Traveling with high tech
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
My first airliner flight was on a DC-3, back in ancient times. Dinner came on a real plate, accompanied by a cloth napkin and knives and forks nicer than the ones my mom owned.
Times sure have changed.
Today, as you read this, I’ll be returning to Atlanta by airliner from San Diego. If things go as they usually do, I’ll be snacking on bad cookies and soft drinks on the way home. What I carry on an airliner has changed too. Veteran business travelers may find a few tips here. But this is mostly for those of you who travel less frequently. Let me help with your packing.
Computers
Resist the temptation to pack your laptop computer in the luggage you check. Not only can it be damaged by handling, it’s vulnerable to theft or being lost. If that happens you not only lose your laptop computer, but — as a bonus — someone will have access to all the data on your hard disk.
So carry it on board with you. Just make sure the battery is charged since you may be asked to turn the computer on as it passes through airline security.
I know people worry about damage to a computer by X-rays. But every expert agrees the computer and its hard disk will pass through safely, even with the new high-powered screening machines.
All that said, make sure you have backed up the data on the laptop’s hard disk. It’s still a sensible precaution. While X-rays won’t destroy your hard disk, hard handling can.
Traveling is dangerous when you are a fragile laptop computer. I use a foam-padded aluminum briefcase for my computer. Cloth carrying bags can swing from your shoulder right into a wall and destroy the plastic case of your computer.
Digital cameras
Don’t pack the camera in your luggage. Like your computer, it’s safe from X-rays. Keep in mind that most digital cameras are even more fragile than a laptop. So if you take it along, use a padded case.
For what it’s worth, I leave my digital camera home these days. Since my camera is a relatively bulky — and expensive — professional model, I feel better about doing that.
But for vacations, most of you will want to carry a camera along. Small digital cameras won’t present much of a packing problem and should fit easily in your carry-on bag. Just bring along an extra digital storage card or two. Consider using a computer furnished by the hotel, or even a cruise ship, to send photos back home by e-mail. That way, if you lose a digital storage card, your pictures are still safe.
GPS
Some of us, especially the navigation challenged like me, enjoy using a GPS navigation system to get around a new city.
So I carry my GPS along. But I’m lucky. My GPS weighs less than an ounce, needs no batteries, and can literally be folded up and tucked in my shirt pocket.
Before I leave on a trip, I make a mental list of the places I will go — both from the hotel and the airport. Then I use MapQuest to find the directions. I print them out and put the printed pages in my luggage. Sure, there are times when unexpected destinations come up. But an old-fashioned map usually serves me just fine.
Unexpected dangers
Keep in mind that the security situation is tougher overseas. And security rules can change rapidly if there is a scare or an ugly incident.
That means there is the remote possibility the rules for what you carry aboard an airliner could change on a moment’s notice.
It happened recently in the UK. Even cellular phones and iPods were briefly banned from flights. In a case like that you might not be able to bring your high-tech stuff home with you. Or, best case, they’d have to be packed away in your carry-on luggage. There’s not much you can do about this, but it’s sensible to know of that danger and to be prepared to ship some items home.
There’s another worry too. While you aren’t wrong to fret about possible damage to the high tech you carry along, the biggest risk is one that could have happened to me back in the DC-3 days.
That is the chance that you’ll leave something behind. I once left an expensive camera on a park bench.
Before you leave, make a list of all serial numbers of expensive devices. Frankly, it’s unlikely a lost or stolen item will be recovered. But the serial numbers will come in handy for turning in any insurance claims. Also tape your name, address and phone number to your laptop computer and any other device big enough and valuable enough to warrant the extra trouble.
Remember that camera I left on the bench? Someone found it and returned it to me. That goes to show that not everything has changed since my first DC-3 flight. There are still plenty of nice folks out there. With any luck, one of them will find the device you left behind and return it.
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