Taking your computer on holidays

Brian asked about taking his PC on holidays. Many people would argue that taking any computer on holiday is not a good idea. Carting a desktop around the country is a very bad idea: Apart from the size and power requirements, desktops are just not designed to be bounced around in the back of a car or caravan. If you have to take a computer travelling with you then a laptop is the only choice.

If you are just taking the computer to keep up with the web and e-mail, consider just opening a free web-based mail account such as hotmail or yahoo mail. This will save you taking any computer at all, you can just log on at any Internet cafe. If you insist on taking a computer, then make sure your Internet provider will have access points in the areas you are going.

If you do take a laptop, keep it well hidden: Laptops attract thieves. Make sure you back up anything you feel is important and check that your travel or home contents insurance policy will cover your laptop while you're away.