laptop security

Check to see if your hotel's have in-room safe's, USE THEM. Other wise, I would suggest locking up the computer in your luggage (not just zipping it up, but actually using a lock), and never let it be known that there is a computer in the room. You just don't want to temp anyone with sticky fingers.

I've never encountered an in-room safe that is big enough to hold a laptop. Storing it in a your baggage is better then nothing I suppose, but a simple box cutter will by-pass any lock kind of lock you place on your bag. It's a risk you will have to take; generally thieves prefer to steal smaller items that are easier to conceal and unload.

Does he really need to take it? If it's for internet access, virtually all hotels have some form of access and there are internet cafes everywhere. It possibly would be safe to leave the laptop in the room but I'd lock it in my luggage too. Not foolproof but the best option you have. Otherwise you could enquire at reception if there was somewhere to leave it. I he doesn't absolutely have to take it I'd leave it at home and avoid the stress.

I'm traveling for 6 weeks this summer and taking my laptop with me. Is it an absolute necessity? no, but my laptop is like my third arm and I can't imagine not having it to download and organize my photos every night, to write a daily blog for friends and family back home, etc. I'm worried about security too, but I've decided that locking it in my luggage will be the best. I mean, the biggest risk in a hotel room is going to be the hotel staff, right? I've actually read more than one story about hotel staff stealing things from people's room safes, but they're not going to take a whole suitcase, so I figure that locking it in the suitcase might even be better. (As to the size of room safes, I did see in my research that many hotels specifically said they had safes that were the size of a laptop...). When I travel in the US, I leave my laptop in my backpack stuffed in one of the drawers and I've never had a problem. Are hotels in Europe that much more unsafe?

In was in France and Italy for 31 days in summer 2004 and I had my brand new Powerbook w/ me. I almost always left it in the hotel every day and had no problems. I did not stay in any kind of fancy hotels.

He, too, wants to organize the photographs he takes everyday, so he'll have a folder for each city we visit. I'll maybe email the hotels to see if they have safes in the rooms, or one in the lobby. Locking it in luggage is better than nothing. Thanks for your suggestions. I'll keep checking for more ideas and replies.

I haven't been to Italy -- yet -- but the in-room safes in both the U.S. and Mexico have all been big enough for my laptop; they're not very tall and just wide enough if you swing the door all the way open.