Travelling with a laptop is very convenient, but can also pose some difficulties. I always want to carry a computer with me for a number of reasons: to stay connected, to research accomodation and travel tips, to watch movies, etc. but there is always a risk of it getting stolen or smashed. Here’s what to do if you’re laptop goes bust while travelling (and how to avoid it).
Photo by Andrew Neel
Do you like taking your laptop away on a trip with you? Of course you do – it’s a great way to keep your blog updated, edit your travel photos in the moment, and ensure you’ve still got a connection to the rest of the world! However, when it comes to troubleshooting a technical problem or two, it’s much harder to keep the laptop working when you’re bobbing about on a yacht, hiking a mountain or traversing the back streets of a foreign city.
Photo by Rachel Claire from Pexels
So what can you do? Become your own expert! And this post is here to help with that; here are a few tips for never losing any data and for dealing with the most common problems your laptop might run into while you’re abroad. Short of throwing it away and buying a new one, these should solve all your digital problems.
Keep Plenty of Backups
Backups are always going to save you! The more you can backup your files, the better secure your laptop will be, whether it runs into an issue, gets broken, or gets stolen during your adventure. And thankfully, you don’t even need to carry around an external hard drive or USB drive anymore.
After all, there are plenty of online apps and cloud storage servers you can subscribe to. Microsoft’s very own OneDrive, for example, comes inbuilt in most Windows models and you’re allowed a set amount of storage space without needing to pay anything extra – you can even get up to 1TB of extra space.
Photo by Andrew Neel
Check the Storage
This is the first thing to do, when you’re trying to troubleshoot a slow running or overheating laptop. Make sure you take a peek at the hard drive and see what’s clogging it up – you may have just run into a normal and simple lack-of-space problem. However, in cleaning it up, you might run into some issues.
You can never quite be sure if you need that file or not, and on a Windows PC, there are a lot of inbuilt file types that can confuse you. Don’t let that hold you back; if you’ve got backups, it’s safe to simply wipe away as much as you like.
If you’re on a Mac, you can check out this reference for ways to keep a permanent lock on storage space. With a bit of proactiveness you’ll make sure you never run into this kind of problem again, where you have to choose between files, and your adventures will go a lot more smoothly!
Photo by Ekrulila from Pexels
Clean it Out to Cool it Down
Finally, make sure you are cleaning out the fan vents of your laptop every now and then. Sounds complicated? It isn’t! Get a small cloth to help you lightly wipe out the interiors, but if you’re in a pinch, you can simply blow on the laptop to get the dust out. When you’re travelling the grime is likely to build up faster, so keep this tip handy every couple weeks or so.
Worried about your laptop on your next adventure? Remember that little tips like these can really offer you peace of mind.
Disclaimer: this is a collaborative post.
