Where to safely store Laptop during the day

Some newer or remodeled hotels now have in-room safes specifically designed to hold laptops. For those that don't I use this portable safe:

http://pacsafe.com/www/index.php?_room=3&_action=detail&id=117

It comes in a bunch of different sizes and variations.

Keep it in you luggage in your room. It'll be far safer there then carrying it around. I use travel locks to prevent someone from sifting through my luggage.

Not sure if this helps, but here’s what I do: When traveling with my business laptop that I didn’t purchase, don’t own, and have no personal business on, I bury it my bag so that it’s not so obvious and leave it in the room if I don’t need it while I’m out. I’m not careless with it & it would be really crappy to lose a lot of work if it were to go missing, but I just don’t have as much of an investment in it to really worry about it. When I have my own personal laptop, however, I won’t leave it in the room and take it with me. Being able to use it when out and about is one of the chief reasons for taking it in the first place. I’ve left it at home before more than I've taken it and simply used hotel facilities when needed and when available. I do this especially when I know I can count on internet access from my mobile phone.

If you don’t need it during the day and can store it in a safe, that’s probably your best bet. For me, I wouldn’t feel comfortable leaving my own personal machine in my bag in the room while I’m out, even if the bag were closed with a small lock. That’s just me. Good luck!

Personal preference here, but our MacBook is far superior to both my HP business and my Compaq personal laptops in just about every way measurable. Weight doesn’t figure into it for me. When it does for purpsoes of carrying on, I'll leave any machine at home before screwing up my ability to carry-on. I still have the mobile phone.

Everyone seems to have some method for organizing their trip information (e.g., a binder with pockets).

My method is my netbook. It only weighs a couple of pounds and fits in a case smaller than most women's purses. I store on it all of my information - addresses, maps, train schedules, download and organize my photos, write my journal in Word, keep a detailed spreadsheet with expenses, and update my website in html. I refer to that information frequently. The netbook is always with me, just like a guide book.

But, there is a difference between a 5#, $1000+ MacBook and a $300, 2# netbook. I started in 2000 with a 7½# Compaq because I realized I couldn't afford enough memory cards for my camera. When I found how useful (but heavy) it was for other things, I got an NEC MobilePro handheld, then a Toshiba Portege, now my Acer. None has been heavier than 3#.

If my only choice was a MacBook, I'd leave it at home, too.

I agree with Douglas and do the same - leave it in your locked bag in the room. The most important thing to do is to place the bag in a hard to reach area that is out of sight(bottom of closet, far corner of room, etc.). The maid will not steal your bag but it could get grabbed while she cleans the bathroom with the entrance door wide open.

While staying at any hotel or hostel, I carry my 3lb MacbookAir with it's full size screen and keyboard with me in my messenger bag - no problem. In a cottage rental I may judge it private enough to leave it behind.

Here's something you should NOT do - use the laptop enough to get it warm and then stick it under the matress or something to hide it. The fan may stay on to cool it off and since the covering prevents it cooling, it just keeps running. A vicious circle that can lead to a ruined laptop or even a fire.

I always travel with my day back pack which at times has been fully loaded and heavy to carry. For some reason on my back it does not feel as heavy, in fact it is comfortable. My laptop stays with me in the day back pack at all times with information such as Lee noted in his post.

I have LoJack Premium Edition on my laptops and desktop which to me is necessary. It is very inexpensive.

After a small amount of money was taken from my hotel room a few years ago I developed the habit of clearing the room of personal items before leaving for the day and stowing them in my luggage. Then I lock it. This isn't foolproof, as someone could take the whole suitcase, but I haven't had anything go missing since then. Plus, I return to a clean, neat room later in the day and know where everything is. I've started carrying the small laptop (notebook?) which doesn't weigh much or take up much room.

If you leave the laptop in your room, it could be stolen. If you carry it in a backpack or shoulder bag, it could also be stolen. If you leave it at home, someone could break into your house and steal it, as well. The chances of the latter probably increase if no one is at home for a week or longer. All these things happen, and any of them could happen to you; but the chances of any of them happening to you at any given time are pretty slim. Take the laptop with you, but don't carry it around with you all the time. There are more thieves on the street than rummaging through the rooms of most hotels. Just don't leave it sitting out in the open.

I'd agree with James -- unless you really need to bring your MacBook with you, leave it at home. I took the same laptop on my trip to Vegas last summer, and while the hotel safe was big enough to fit it, constantly worrying whether it was safe in there was still too nervewrecking for me to ever bring it on another trip.

Fortunately, I am now retired so that I no longer have to carry a beeper, cell phone, or computer. Thank goodness for both. I have never taken anything so expensive or important that I had to worry about where it was during my time in Europe with the exception of the stuff I carry in my money belt. Less stress that way. Good luck.

Marshall,

I also have a MacBook Pro 15", but decided to travel with a Netbook this year for the first time. I had no problems leaving it in my luggage when I was out day touring. I didn't think there would be any problems, as the Hotels I used were all good quality (and therefore presumably the staff would be reliable). However, having the luggage locked tends to prevent anyone from going through the bags.

This year I found that about half the Hotels I used had in-room Safes. One of the benefits of the Netbook is that it's small enough to fit the typical Hotel Safe.

When travelling with a Laptop, I believe it's important to also back up the files in case the computer is lost or damaged. I carried a USB Flash Drive and backed-up my files on that every day, and the Flash Drive was kept with me in my Money Belt. If the Netbook had been stolen, I could have continued very easily using a Net Cafe.

Happy travels!

Actually, I don't back up important files (those with passwords, account numbers, etc) on a flash drive, that is where they reside, and when I am not using the computer the flash drive is in my neck wallet. Why leave them on the computer.

Because if you lose your flash drive, there go all your files? Unless you have massive amounts of files, there is no reason not to keep two copies.

I take normal precautions. If no safe is available, I put my valuables out-of-site (e.g. under my clothes in a drawer or closet). I'm more concerned about someone entering my room and grabbing something while the maid has the door open than in someone breaking into the room and spending a lot of time searching through my stuff. I do have a tether for my laptop, but in a hotel room often the only place to tether it to is the arm of a chair which I think makes the computer rather obvious.

Everyone always talks about the risk of having something stolen from your hotel room ... and yet, in years of travelling regularly for business as well as 3-4 weeks a year for pleasure, I have never had anything stolen from a hotel room. While I don't leave valuables out in the open, I do wonder how great the risk really is? I'm generally more concerned about forgetting my laptop at the airport on the security belt or misplacing it in transit. I know a lot more people who have had their laptop lost that way.

As others have said, back up your files before your trip and bring a USB drive to back up during your trip. Store that drive separately.

Two years ago I left my turned-off iPhone in the plastic bin at the Nice Airport security check. Got it back a few weeks later, but the recent reply is apt that you can easily lose things when you don't expect to.

Thanks for all the replies, folks. I think we've just about covered this one.

I'll be taking the laptop and will keep it inside my locked backpack.

It makes sense to protect your laptop/netbook (and your flash drives) with encryption so even if they are stolen, the thief won't get any personal information. Locking a file with a password in a program like Word is better than nothing, but the security in most programs isn't very strong. There are password-cracking programs that will pull your password out in seconds. If you have anything that you really don't want others to have a chance of seeing, check out a professional grade encryption program such as PGP. That is what I use, but there is an open-source, free program called TrueCrypt that does essentially the same thing. Both can lock a laptop so that it cannot be started or used without the right password.

I traveled in Eruope with a 10" notebook earlier this year, we either locked in our luggage or in the room safe.

I did see the locks someone mentioned at Best Buy a few weeks ago. They recommended it for a relative who is going away to college. I still prefer to lock my laptop in my luggage - i.e. - "out of site, out of mine". Best Buy also has tracking software for sale that you install on your laptop, but I am not sure if that works in Europe. The salesman also recommended that our college bound student buy at computer "back pack" instead of a computer looking case., so it would not be so obvious he was carrying a computer with him.

I'm not sure you should worry about this more than you worry about your laptop at home. That seems to be the #1 thing that is stolen out of homes these days (between our neighborhood blog, block watch yahoo group and police crime map, I hear about anything that happens in our whole 'hood these days), but I'm guessing no one makes it a point to take their laptop with them every time they leave their home.

I recommend a variant on what Paul suggested earlier with regards to TrueCrypt. Most files aren't that important if someone else were to get to them, but some matter. It is easy with TrueCrypt to set up a file of some size you pick in advance, say 1MB, that holds sensitive files inside it. When you want to access files inside it you type your password into TrueCrypt and then a new drive opens on your PC that you use like any other drive. You can put TrueCrypt files on a flash or on a notebook. When put on a flash it has a traveler mode so that all the files needed to run it are on the flash; this means you can plug it into the computer at any internet cafe (assuming they allow you to plug in flash devices).

I think for many readers this may end up sounding to complicated, but for those who want to give it a try you can find the program and instructions on the web. Here is one tutorial: https://docs.rice.edu/confluence/display/ITTUT/Encrypting+Flash+Drives+with+TrueCrypt+%28Windows%29