2BMobile

This is a laptop checklist of the things to do before you leave on your next business trip and what to bring along.

One-time Steps

• Insurance - Who is responsible if the laptop is lost or stolen?  Check with your insurance carrier.

• Security - There are number of steps you can take to both physically and electronically to lock down your laptop from the bad guys. See my article on the 12 basic steps for laptop security.

• Store your data in the Clouds. A lot of the companies are offering you the ability to store files on their servers. The big email guys, like MSN's OfficeLive, Google offers Google's Apps, and companies that charge for storage like i-drive, E-Vault and others, provide higher security features that you might need.

• Laptop Carrying Case or Bag - With airlines charging for just about everything these day you will need to make sure your laptop bag can both protect your laptop and efficiently store everything in it while taking up as small a space as possible.

Planning Ahead

• Backup your files. If you can make a complete backup image of your drive do it. If you do not have the time right now then make sure to back up all of your work and personal files (usually that is My documents but make sure). This is also a great time to delete old files you are not using or that you would not like to have other people see if your laptop is lost or stolen.

• Entertainment - Get Movies - In today's travel any trip can be a long one. Bring some movies and/or TV shows with you to help make the time pass. If you are on the road a lot consider purchasing a Slingbox which allows you to watch you own TV or DVR from your laptop. Another option that Tivo offers to owners of Tivo products is the ability to transfer TV shows to your laptop through your home network. Put your favorite tunes on your iTunes or other audio player.

• Check out the plane - If you are going on a long domestic or overseas flight see if the airplane you are scheduled to be on has power available at your seat. This can be a big weight savings if you do not have to carry a spare battery to keep your laptop running throughout the flight.

• GPS Phones - If you phone has GPS you can either use your phone company's GPS navigation service or Google Map to help you navigate your way on the roads. Make sure to pack the car charger.

• Chargers - Make sure to bring your charges for your laptop, iPod, and cell phone. Try to consolidate them by using the USB output of your laptop as a charger for your phone, iPod and other gadgets. If you going on a long road trip make sure you to bring car chargers with you. Again consolidate where possible. Another possible choice is to get a power converter that converts the 12 Volt car battery to a 115V AC power source for use with standard plugs.

• Laptop Accessories - Make sure to bring your laptop accessories like the DVD player, web-cam, external mouse and pad.

• USB Flash drive- If you have to transfer files or a presentation to someone else this is by far the easiest way to accomplish the task.

• Spare batteries - If you do not have power on board the plane and you want to use your laptop for most of the trip consider bringing a spare battery. When traveling coast to coast you could be facing a six hour trip and the average laptop battery life is anywhere between 2 to 3 hours.  There are some models that provide a longer battery life.

• Cables - Do not forget the cables you will need.

• USB cable for your cameras, phone, palm, and etc. Can they share a USB cable? Some manufactures have special configurations and will not work with other devices.
• Ethernet cable 6ft. - even with wireless available the Ethernet is faster to download and always more secure than wireless.
• Get a bag to keep all the cables in one place so every time you travel it is already to be packed.

• Camera*

• Cell Phone*

  * Not really part of the Laptop checklist but for completeness I added them.

Optional

• Computer Projector - If you do not know if there is going to be one available at your destination then bring it with you. Hotel charges are generally so high that you could buy one for the cost of several days' rental.  In addition when you practice your presentation you will be able to assure that all those great features that you put in your presentation work.  You will know that the remote works.  Bring extra batteries for the remote and a spare bulb for the projector.

• Privacy screen for your laptop. The truth is you have no idea who the people sitting around you are or more importantly who they work for. If you are going to work on material that is sensitive then I would promote this item as a must have before you leave for next business trip.

• VOIP service like Skype or a number of other providers. For computer to computer it is usually free and for connecting to the phone system it is very inexpensive to use. When overseas it can save you a lot in long distant charges and make things like file transfers a snap. Also these services support Web cam so you can talk and see the other person, this can be good or bad depending on your point of view and the time of night.

• Team Work - Consider bringing your own wireless router. This will allow sharing of the hotel connection in the hotels that still charge for Internet access and also allows you to collaborate with your team while on the road. Some routers even allow you to share the computer projector.

• Power Strip - If you are the group IT manager you might as well make sure you bring a power strip that is also an extension cord. This is another hotel charge and when you have a bunch of people working on laptops almost everybody wants to connected to power and finding enough power outlets at any hotel can be a challenge. I have found that it is easier to have an "IT Bag" containing these items so when you go on the next trip it is in one place and easy to pack.

References

Slingbox is a device that accesses the Internet and forwards your home entertainment content to you.

Tivo makes DVR's and has a product called Tivo-to-Go.

SeatGuru.com is a free website that can show the best seat in the airplane on your next flight. SeatGuru is also travel service that provides lists of the specific planes that each airline uses, and whether the planes are equipped with power and if so where the seats are located.