Feature: Tips for Traveling With a Notebook

Last week's newsletter offered a "greatest hits" of money-saving tips from my 2002 newsletters. This week's newsletter serves up tips to make traveling easier, safer, and more efficient.

Plan for Internet Access

Find a hotel room with high-speed access. Expedia.com lets you easily find hotels offering in-room, high-speed Internet access in 22 U.S. cities (including Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C.) and London.

Generally speaking, Hilton, Marriott, and Starwood Hotels & Resorts (which include Westin, Sheraton, Four Points, and W hotels) are the most likely to offer rooms with broadband Internet access. The hotel chains' Web sites let you search for broadband properties, with varying degrees of ease.

Find a wireless hot spot. Wi-Fi (802.11) networking nodes, or hot spots, are proliferating around the globe, so working wirelessly is an ever-increasing option on the road. A good resource is 802.11Hotspots.com, which lets you browse Wi-Fi nodes in the United States and Canada by city, state, or country but not, unfortunately, by Zip code.

Pack Intelligently

Know what you can carry on board. The Transportation Security Administration keeps detailed lists of what is and isn't allowed into airplane cabins.

Make your notebook easily accessible. Whether it's under the seat before you or in the overhead compartment, your notebook can be difficult to get to in a cramped cabin (in other words: coach). For ergonomics' sake, it's best to carry your notebook on board in a wheeled computer bag no larger than about 16 inches long by 15 inches wide by 8 inches high. With those dimensions, the bag should fit comfortably under a standard airline seat.

U.S. Luggage sells some wheeled computer bags that approximately match those dimensions and include a padded side pocket that lets you retrieve your notebook without having to pull the whole bag out from under the seat.

Stock Up on Supplies

Pack some screen cleaning cloths. Over time, your notebook's LCD is likely to become smudged. When it's convenient, you can spray a diluted window cleaner onto a soft, nonabrasive cloth, then gently rub the cloth across the screen. It's best not to spray directly onto the screen, though, as fluid can trickle into the bezel at the screen's bottom, potentially allowing damaging moisture into the computer's circuitry. Keep in mind that many plastic and glass cleaners (except for Windex) can leave a film on your screen, which can create an eye-straining glare. Computer-monitor cleaners, available in sealed packets from online retailers such as Office Depot, are a good alternative to watered-down Windex, particularly for travelers.

Buy adapters before an international trip. Most notebooks today come with AC adapters that work just fine with U.S. and many international power standards. The problem is that your notebook's AC adapter won't physically fit into most wall outlets abroad. A plug adapter makes it possible for, say, a B-type plug (common on many notebooks from U.S. manufacturers) to work with an E-type power outlet (the standard in France).

For help figuring out what you'll need, make a trip to the World Electric Power Guide. This indispensable resource includes a detailed list of all international power standards and plug types, complete with photos for easy identification. The guide also includes tips and links to telephone and electrical travel accessory retailers online. Plug adapters can be purchased for about $5 each or in kits that start at $30.

Get a peekaboo wallet. With today's tight airport security, travelers constantly have to show ID. I quickly tired of pulling my driver's license out of my back-pocket wallet and bought a slim Fossil front-pocket model instead. On one side is a clear plastic window that displays my driver's license. On the other side is a money clip, and in between is a slot for credit cards. Fossil offers a variety of styles, each about $20.

Last-Minute Preparations

Put colored paper, duct tape, or a sticker on your notebook. These days, travelers must remove notebooks from their bags and feed them into the X-ray machines at airport security checks. There have been reports around the country that this has caused some travelers to pick up the wrong notebook, so tagging your computer for easy identification makes sense.

Before leaving home, turn off wireless networking. Some notebooks have built-in Wi-Fi wireless data capabilities that run whenever the computer is on. But wireless communications are prohibited on planes for safety reasons and contribute to battery drain.

Try the food before you fly. Get a peek at what's cookin' on your flight at AirlineMeals.net. Billing itself as "the world's first site dedicated to nothing but airline food," this endlessly entertaining site features pictures taken by passengers of the meals they've been expected to consume. The images are grouped by airline and rated, in the spirit of Zagat's.

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