Perhaps if you are reading this then you are an avid travel blogger and you’re packing a laptop as a gangster packs heat. For those travelers about to embark on a long  journey to the great unknown, I have to let you know about why you should invest in one of those wee ten inch laptops before you go. I would refrain from something too flashy and cool as an Ipad. Those are just too desirable  for a thief.

If you are planning on purchasing a mp3 player with massive storage, an expensive camera and a flashy hi def video recorder, you should take a deep breath and think about things. You may want to downgrade those three items in favor of adding a mini laptop. You can always exchange tunes to your mp3 player from your new little buddy. You can edit and upload your photo’s and videos from your 10 inches of love as well.

The good times don’t stop there. You will not be the one looking for internet shops and paying for time. You will not be wondering where the @ function is. You will not be staring at a foreign keyboard with half the keys worn out. No, there will not be any evil stink eye going on between you and the other laptop-less fiends waiting to get on the computer at the hostel.

But wait! There’s more. One button and you are making reservations or chatting with friends on Skype. Long bus rides with blaring foreign language movies no more. You have downloaded twenty movies you never had time to see and the latest three Globe Trekker episodes for times like these. Fancy a round of golf or a little Donky Kong? Wooop! There it is.

Why not catch up on emails or a letter to mom? Just save it until you are in wi fi land, which is everywhere now, don’t you know? Edit those photo’s and video’s you have been meaning to sort through but are having too much fun and never get around to. Why not exchange a little music with your new travel companions on this never ending bus ride to paradise? Downloaded the Lonely Planet guide to where ever you are? Read all about it. These are just some of the things you can do when your not in wi/fi land.

I like to save pages sometimes with maps and info for my next destination. You can have ten of these browser windows left open for later viewing. I have found the maps to be very helpful. I just stop, open up my little buddy and click on the saved page. Oh, that’s where it is.

The usefulness goes on and on, however there are some things to consider. I would be looking for a basic model in the $300ish range. $300 for all this? Yup. You might look here.  One feature to look for is wi/fi N.  I was able to get wi/fi from the lower bunk in a hostel with the N and and a friend had to sit in the stairwell with the wireless G. You might want to grab a bunk with an electric outlet by it for all your gadgetry recharging. I always look for these bunks if I have a chance. Throw up a sarong or two and you are gold.

The next thing to look for is battery life. A six cell should get you six or seven hours of geek time. You can bump that up if you are crafty enough to grab a  SSD or solid state hard drive. No moving parts means no fan, means less power consumption. This will add a couple hours to your battery life and about $70 to the bill. Staying in your cabana for the night watching movies while the party rages on because your liver tells you to, will make you happy that you have this option. If the party is a little too close and loud, headphones or this wicked wonder will help.

So. As you can see, you might consider slimming on some of the other flashy gear and grab a little notebook for your travels. Who knows? You might even take up travel blogging and be the next Nomadic Matt.

Safe Travels, Jay

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