Laptop

I stayed at very small B&Bs in Venice and Rome, and a smaller hotel in Florence, and had no problem. I locked my laptop in my backpack using little combo locks and put the backpack in the closet or somewhere out of view. You could also lock it in your suitcase. I don't think hotel staff would risk taking a whole bag, but I suppose anything's possible. I brought my laptop with me on a big trip almost 2 years ago and I would have severely regretted it if I had left it at home, and I will be taking my laptop again with me this fall, whether my hotels end up having internet or not. I used it for planning itineraries, budgeting, organizing, going through my pics every night, and most importantly, writing a very detailed travel memoir/blog. BTW, I believe there are no lockers in Italian train stations, but Pisa does have a left luggage desk (aka, you still have to trust people at a desk with your bags as opposed to self-storage). As for the "dinky pensione" in Cinque Terre, I'd actually think you're less likely to have a problem at a smaller place than a larger one, simply because if you have a problem at a smaller place, you would know exactly who's to blame. Maybe I'm totally off-base, I don't know. But from what I have read, I don't really think Cinque Terre is a crime hotbed. And cash is usually what they're after anyway. I wouldn't leave a laptop out and asking to be stolen, but I doubt someone's going to be looking for it either.

I would be curious if you see any foreign travelers going around NY with laptops? I can not speak about NY, but here in Hawaii if someone is lugging around a laptop, we know for sure that they are a tourist. Try to travel more simpler and leave the tech stuff at home.
You might discover that you feel liberated. aloha charlie

I can only speak for myself, but 1) I carry my laptop in a laptop-padded backpack, not a laptop bag and 2) I'll gladly stick out like a tourist in train stations and airports and at taxi stands (it's not like I sight-see carrying around my laptop) if it means I can blog my trip, help myself stay on my budget, and save a lot of paper by not printing out all the clippings I save from here, guidebooks, and other message boards. I doubt Sharon will encounter anyone in, say, the Milan train station who will look at her and think, oh that crazy tourist with her laptop.

Sharon, If your going to use it enough to justify the extra bulk, and can afford to have it stolen, go for it and bring it along. If you think you'll be doing a lot of traveling over the next few years, consider purchasing a netbook. The smallest models are no larger than a big paperback book, and the low-end models cost only $300...... Charlie, in Manhattan if you want to blend in as a local, you should carry around a laptop; even on the subway:)

I think your dinky pensione could be safer than the "reputable" hotels-- not sure what you mean by reputable. Is that a chain?

For the record, none of the places I stayed in my last trip to Italy had internet access for guests. But, I suppose you've already investigated that for your trip-- just mentioning it.

We will be in Italy next month also and plan to take our lap top. We have had items taken from hotel rooms on several occasions--the small things that are not missed until we have returned home. Depending on the hotel we are staying in, we lock items in the luggage--and that will include the laptop. One week will be spent on an agriturisimo so we won't bother to lock stuff in luggage.

I've had great luck with airport/train station storage, etc. But honestly, a lap top in my experience is just an expensive ball and chain.

Would you rather spend your vacation worrying about where your lap top is, and where is safe to store it, and should I take it with me? RATHER than enjoying your vacation.

Internet cafes, and hotels with computers abound.

Identity Theft - Another thing to think about. A good hacker can get virtually any piece of information you've ever entered off your computer, even stuff you've erased.

So personal opinion, leave the ball and chain behind - or get a netbook or PDA that you can carry with you easy, and not worry about.

I traveled to Europe with a lap top for 3 months once, and I will never do it again.

Cheers! Hope you have a great trip!

Unless you need it for work, LEAVE IT AT HOME!! It's a HUGE distraction. You'll be in Italy, so you should really BE there. Besides, there are cyber cafes on every corner all over Italy and it costs roughly 5 Euros for 20 minutes, even in the Cinque Terre. Have a relaxing glass of wine while you're emailing your friends back home and don't worry about the laptop. I never go anywhere without my leash (oops, laptop), but upon the same advice from a writer on this site I reluctantly left it at home. Best decision I could have made. What a relief not lugging that thing all over Italy in France. I used my AOL account to communicate with my office WHEN NEEDED (amazing what an 8-hour time-zone difference will do for you), and wrote my entire journal of a 12 day trip...one email per day my business address. Also carried a small digital recorder with me everywhere to capture those memories for later use.

By the way, having spent several days in the CT where honest hard-working people actually rent out rooms to total strangers, I'd bet you'll have a greater chance of computer theft with it locked in a big city hotel room than laying open on a desk in the CT.

Relax.... and have a great trip.

One more thing in case you were thinking about watching movies on your computer during the flight. If you have an iPod or can borrow one, you can download FREE from iTunes about a hundred video and audio podcasts by Rick Steves that will completely entertain you while you're awake, or later on a train in Italy. The videos are several minutes excerpted from his PBS shows and the audios are about an hour each from his call in radio show, and more recently the new walking tours of the larger cities in Europe, and also of the attractions there. Imagine walking through history with Rick describing it for you. It was great.

I have my laptop with me basically all the time. I work away from home 75% of the year and have my ´normal´laptop, leaving it in what would be considered dodgy guesthouses in places in south asia. I have enough worries without stressing about whether it is safe or not.

When we travel we take a netbook with us - I have to keep in touch with work and it is good to be able to look things up on internet and use skype.

Personally I think people worry far too much about what might and might not be stolen and under what circumstances. Why would Italy, or any other European country, be more into laptop (or any other) theft than another other country or place?

While I understand your desire for the convenience of having a laptop at your disposal, I would find it a bother to haul one around with me. Internet cafes are usually easy to find and relatively inexpensive. I recently purchase an I-pod touch for the simple purpose of internet access when traveling. It's small and multi-purpose so easy and useful to take with.

We regards to Cinque Terra. I would rather trust my belongings to the charming and personable folks in CT than to an anonymous stranger in a large hotel.