Do you carry yr netbook around w/you if hotel doesn't have safe?

On this topic, I have always used a RS daypack around town, being reasonable careful with it. Do you think its worth it/necessary to have something more like a Pacsafe? Thanks, Dan

No. It is way too heavy. Two pounds adds up over an entire day of walking.

Think about it this way - If you took your laptop with you to Disney World, would you leave it in your hotel or carry it around with you all day in the park? Presumably most of us would leave it in the hotel. If that is your answer, think about why you would make a different choice overseas. Are you staying in a hotel that you would consider seedy enough that you couldn't trust the maids and staff to not go through your things and steal your electronics? If your hotel is that seedy, I wouldn't want to stay there at all - much less leave my laptop.

Of course, I'm presuming that your hotel situation isn't that bad. I only draw the analogy to make you stop and think. Too often we, as Americans, travel to Europe and act as if we are going to another planet. I know there is a language barrier in many cases, but I don't think we are any more "targeted" than we are in New York, LA, or any other place we are tourists. If you wouldn't do it here, why do it there?

no

On my first vacation trip to Europe, I carried a case with a guidebook, Thomas Cook, and a host of printed/photocopied sheets. It weighed far more than my 2# netbook in it's case.

Now my netbook holds far more information than that case held and is my constant companion. It has all of my pertinent information, addresses, maps, etc, I keep my expenses on it, write for my blog, download my photos. With Wifi, I can sometimes look up alternative transport. The case doesn't even look big enough to have a computer in it. All of the important information is on a flash drive, deep in my pocket.

Cary, there is a big difference between Disney World and Europe. I know the difference; sorry you haven't figured it out yet?

Hope you are not one of the people who carries a liter bottle of water (@ 2.2#) with you all of the time.

It's not a question of security, it's a question of utility.

BTW, I don't know if I would need or use my netbook at Disney World, but I sure use it a lot in Europe.

If I'am staying at hotels that don't have safes, I use this portable safe from Pacsafe:

Pacsafe

I typically attach it to the bar in the closet. It comes in three sizes. My 9 inch Dell netbook just barely squeezes into the smaller safe...for anything larger you will have to go the next size up.

I think the question was whether a netbook would be safe left in a hotel room. The answer is that it would absolutely be more safe in the hotel, tucked into your luggage, than carrying it around with you. Though service staff do occasionally steal things, you are FAR more likely to have your day bag stolen or accidently left behind or dropped in a fountain. And even those possibilities are pretty remote.

And there is no difference between a hotel at Disney World and one in Europe as far as the possibility of having something stolen.

Now, if you use it for things like maps and journals and checking email at wifi cafes, then that's a different story.

Thank you Douglas. I read the post the same way you did. Lee, I'm sorry that you weren't able to see my point. I wasn't attempting to respond to your answer/point. Instead, I was trying to answer the question posed by the OP. I didn't think the OP's question was about utility, but about safety.

If the question is utility, I suggest an iPhone or an iPod touch. Both are capable of wifi and looking stuff up on the go (including using 3G network if you are willing to pay for it - something a netbook can't do). And both weigh less than a netbook. But if it is about safety, there is no guarantee that your stuff is safe anywhere, including your home.

So if the OP's question really is whether or not it is safe to leave a netbook in your hotel room in Europe, then the answer is yes - it is. It might get stolen, but the chances are slim. And it is just as likely to happen here in America as it is in Europe. So my point is, if you would do it here, do it there. If you are more cautious and you wouldn't do it here, don't do it there. It is a matter of personal preference.

Sorry, Lee, that I was unclear in my point. I wasn't comparing Europe to Disney World - I was comparing hotel safety - which seemed to me to be the point of the post.

(and having worked at WDW and been to Europe on multiple occasions, I do know the difference).

We have traveled nearly a year in Europe over the past eighteen years, stayed in lots of place -- some so, so but never in any hostels. We left all kinds of valuables in the room, buried in a secured suitcase, with never a problem. On the last two trips have carried a netbook which is always left in the room. Personally I would not carry it during the day unless I knew for sure that I would need it. The weigh does add when carried in addition to a guidebook, umbrellas, jacket, snack, etc. Also, free internet sites are that that available and other take some time to find. (Steve, don't tell to go to McDonalds).

Thanks, all, for your replies.

Yes, my question is more about safety than utility. (As an aside, I do plan to possibly take this device to not just Europe but also China, SE Asia, etc.)

And I'm also looking for replies not just about safety but also what the experience has been for those who do carry iPads or netbooks with them during the day: Whether the weight and space taken up is bothersome or not.

So thanks for all your replies so far and keep 'em coming if you'd like!

I've never actually carried a netbook with me, but I do have a fairly light-weight laptop. It is closer to 4 pounds. I am forced to carry it with me on "transition days," and I gladly ditch in the hotel room. It is very useful for downloading pictures from the camera, uploading pictures to the web, updating blogs, planning your next day or two, keeping up with friends and family, and also for charging other items (camera, iPhone, etc.). I haven't needed it during the day to look stuff up. I do carry my RS guidebook with me. That is sufficient. This year will be my first taking my iPhone, so I may use it on wifi some.

Even if I did have a netbook with me, I probably wouldn't carry during the day. But that is just my choice.

As for hotels in Asia, I have no experience. But like I said before, if I was worried about my laptop being stolen, I probably wouldn't want to even stay there. Again, just my thoughts.

Happy Travels.

"including using 3G network if you are willing to pay for it - something a netbook can't do"

A netbook can do it. I used mine for eight day last fall with a Penny-Mobile prepaid card, at €2,50/day. What else don't you know?

I guess I did not make myself clear. I don't worry about security, like leaving my netbook in the room, in a room safe, or in the hotel safe. It's too useful to me to be without it. I use it all of the time, so it's with me constantly.

I carried my netbook with me on my last trip, but I agree with those who've said that even the light weight of a netbook can seem to be too much after time. Because you haven't bought the device yet, here is what I'd suggest doing:

1. Buy the iPad because it is lighter, but I'd carry it with me.

2. Buy the cheapest netbook I could find and leave it in the room, stuffed inside your suitcase. At the cheapest price available, it is worth taking the risk. Don't put anything on the netbook you wouldn't mind losing.

3. Forget the netbook or iPad and just go for a wifi capable smartphone. It will do lots of the same things as the other choices and it also works as a phone and is way, way lighter and easier to carry. Also, an unlocked version can probably get data over cell phone frequencies for a reasonable rate without the need to buy additional hardware, such as a USB aircard as you would have to do with most netbooks.

Thanks, Paul. Yes, I'm coming to the conclusion that if I get the iPad, I'll probably take it in my daybag w/me.

But darn - these responses and further research have me wavering between an iPad and an iPod Touch. (Pros for iTouch: Smaller, easier to use during actual walking around if I'm taking it out of my bag and want to look rather inconspicuous. Drawbacks for iTouch: No way to directly store photos f/my digital camera, no external keyboard capability for writing, not so handy for heavy reading.) But that's a whole other discussion thread (and one that gets posted about regularly, I see).

Thanks for all the responses, guys.

Do netbooks have the slot in them that laptops do for cable-locks? If so, I always lock my laptop down to a heavy piece of furniture (or the bar of the closet) and then tuck it away inside something to keep it hidden. I was hoping to do this with a netbook that I plan on buying before our next trip.

Janet,

To address your original question, NO, I don't carry my Netbook around with me. It's probably far more vulnerable to theft or damage "in the street" than it is in my room.

I've been in Europe for almost two months, and at least half the Hotels I've stayed in have had in-room Safes. I've found that most of the safes were large enough to house not only my Netbook and Charger, but also my dSLR and other valuables.

The Hotels I'm using are not "luxury" properties by any means. They're normal budget Hotels listed in the RS Guidebooks. Typically there's only one Maid in the room once per day, so I don't feel there's a huge risk. I leave the Netbook locked up in my luggge to prevent "opportunistic incidents" and so far that method has worked well. However, I always back up important files onto a Flash drive (which is always with me), "just in case".

I don't know what the situation is for travel to areas such as southeast Asia, as I don't travel there.

Happy travels!

including using 3G network if you are willing to pay for it - something a netbook can't do

Netbooks absolutely can do that. In fact the Dell Mini, has the 3G card built into it.

I agree that hauling the netbook gets heavy...but no worse than a couple of water bottles and probably more useful...I suppose it goes without saying that you need to password encrypt/be careful with financial/personal data...

I took a good luggage lock with me and locked my netbook in my suitcase every day. Granted, it could have been taken easily but usually, no one wants your "clothes."