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Best Laptop for Going Around the World?
mitbeaver writes "I'm planning a round-the-world trip. 6+ months in developing countries, including Everest base camps 1 & 2, the deserts of Namibia and lots of places in between. I want to bring something to write (blogs or the Great American Novel) and burn DVD photo backups to mail home. I don't really need much in the way of power, but I do need it to survive the altitude, dust, moisture of tropical locations, and being hauled around non-stop for the better part of a year. I will be carrying my life in my backpack, so every pound counts. It looks like some 'semi-rugged' ultraportables exist, but the truly 'rugged' are all pretty heavy. These are pricey, and the risk of theft is non trivial. A smaller laptop is easier to keep on my person more often, which is safer (in most countries) than leaving it in the hostel/hotel. Still, the rugged guys are 2x the price — almost worth buying a cheap one and planning an on the road replacement purchase. I know we've talked about gadgets to carry around the world before, but any advice would be greatly appreciated." We also discussed laptop travel cases a little more than a year ago.
Thinkpad X-series, maybe one of the T-series if you really need to burn stuff, but I wouldn't hesitate for a moment about taking my X40 anywhere. It's as rugged as you can get for that weight.
c++;
One thing you must consider in Plan B (replacing the laptop) is the difficulty of getting an English version of the OS and keyboard
While OSes are internationalized and have English versions in the same package as other Latin-alphabet languages (Spanish, French, etc.) I'm not sure it would be true for non-Latin alphabets as would be the case in Asia.
In another topic, considering that postal systems in many underdeveloped countries is not very efficient you might want a plan B for your DVDs; a nice padded package might get stolen just out of curiosity and it will certainly can be opened by postal authorities in many countries to verify its contents.
Good luck and have fun!
Be very, very careful what you put into that head, because you will never, ever get it out. - Cardinal Wolsey
Rugged, light, cheap: pick any two.
Oh, say does that Star-Spangled Banner entwine / The myrtle of Venus with Bacchus's vine?
External burner + XO laptop is cheaper than two other laptops, even if you have to replace the burner and XO two or three times on the trip. This is the perfect solution, really.
I'd go for something very light and cheap. If it breaks and you need a replacement well you're still way ahead than if you'd bought a Toughbook.
Also, instead of burning CDs, use SD cards or something small and light. They are far more likely to get through 3rd world post without getting stolen/broken than DVDs and you don't need a DVD drive. Sure they are more expensive, but EeePC or XO + bunch of SD cards is still way cheaper than a toughbook.
Engineering is the art of compromise.
I can confirm that - my iPod ('color' 30g) crashed at about 11000 feet (I think the specs rate it to 10,000). I managed to revive it, but I don't think it's been quite the same since. I'd suggest looking into an 'eee' pc - all solid state, and cheap enough to get a spare. http://eeepc.asus.com/
Was one of those $2 notebooks made out of paper. They are lightweight, easy to use, and replaceable just about anywhere. They accept a variety of input devices, can survive being dropped from a large distance, and work reasonably well even after getting dunked in a river, although the fit and finish may suffer. They can exchange data with just about anything, by the simple expedient of tearing out pages. They have amazing translation and cross-cultural communication capabilities - just hand the notebook and your pen to the guy you are trying to get directions from, and he'll whip up a great little vector drawing in the local language to show you which turns to take. It has a crude but useful backup system, which consists of ripping out important pages and mailing them home. There is a very cool built-in security feature, which is that nobody wants your goddam notebook, so it will still be there in that café tomorrow when you remember where you left it. You can attach nearly anything to your files, even actual physical objects, if you bring some scotch tape with you.
And when you get home, take some of the thousands of dollars you saved, and hire a typist to transcribe it all for you. Or save even more money and take a week to do it yourself.
The DVD burner is indeed the biggest downfall of the whole scheme. Especially when you take into consideration the fragility and power usage of optical drives. Last time i checked (30 seconds ago) you can get usb pen drives for under $5 on ebay. Find your local china town and hit up the shady computer stores were you can wheel and deal. The weight would be minimal, mailing price the same as a standard letter, reusable medium, rugged, and low power consumption. Combine that with an XO and you're rockin'!
For the computer, I'm going to recommend something different...;) Go for a PDA with a bluetooth roll-up keyboard. You'll get a LOT better battery life, something infinitely more portable (and concealable), and exceptionally rugged - they're built to take a lot more abuse.
Additionally, if you get one of the HTC units (or other Windows SmartPhones) you can write your journal entries in Word, and with the addition of a local SIM card have a cell phone as well. Plus never be without a really handy albeit low resolution video camera.
just a different option to consider!
Browsing at +1 - no ACs, I ignore their posts. So refreshing!
I have many friends that have done extensive traveling in third world countries and have done some myself and neither I, nor no one that I know, has taken a laptop with them. It sounds great in theory but the reality is that it's simply more trouble than it's worth. I realize that this is slashdot and it's a unique demographic so if you HAVE to take one I would look for a very rugged ultraportable or umpc. Also a solid state drive would be a requirement for the high altitudes at everest.
But again, take some time to see if you can really justify the need for a laptop. If you are going to be sending daily blog updates maybe then you need one, if you are going to be taking LOTS of pictures, then maybe you could justify it. But for probably 99% of travelers, even slashdoters, you don't need one. You just have to get over that first hump of accepting life without a computer at your fingertips 24/7.
Take a notebook to write in, they're better than computers anyway. You don't need any power, plus you you can draw pictures and diagrams. When you can get to an internet cafe transcribe it. If you're worried about losing it make photocopies when you can and mail them home. 4 gb memory cards are going for 17 bucks on newegg. Assuming 2 mb per picture 2 of those cards could hold 4000 pictures, which would come out to an average of 22 pictures a day. Buy some storage space on picasa and upload pictures from there when you have a chance. If there are any documents you need access too just carry a memory stick, or email them to yourself so you can get to them from any internet cafe, or upload them to google web apps.
If you're carrying a laptop you're going to have to constantly baby it, especially if you're living out of a backpack. What happens when you drop your pack? What happens when your pack gets wet. What happens when you're on a bus with a bunch of locals, are you going to want to pull it out and risk it getting stolen? My advice is to simply cut the cord. When you're traveling like that it's much better to enjoy the experience than to be hunched over a keyboard half the day every day.
I originally thought the Macbook Air was a good traveling laptop until I realised it had no LAN port. If you walk into any hotel or Internet Caffe most will have a LAN connection and very few will have WiFi. I know the Mac fans will say "but but you can carry a LAN dongle", sorry carrying dongles is a "PAIN IN THE ASS" and you always find the dongle you need is back at work sitting in your desks top drawer. The best travelers laptop Ive seen so far is the Toshiba R500, light (2lb),small, has a optical drive and a LAN port.
Get an old SLR and take plenty of film with you. Mail back the rolls of film as you go. You'll still be able to get 35mm film no trouble all over the world.
Buy yourself a nice little fat black hardback notebook with good quality paper and buy yourself a nice pen. Write in it at night around the camp fire and by candle light. Make sketches and stick things into it while you travel. Enjoy it as an artifact of your travel. Thumb through it and show it to the kids in 20 years time.
On my travels I usually bring an old Fujitsu Biblo B2160 where I've replaced the internal drive with a 120gb disk, and a couple of backup hard drives (2.5" externals which run of usb power), one which I always keep in a "secret" compartment in my shoulder bag. The thinking behind this is that it doesn't really matter if I lose the notebook as long as I keep the pictures. Of course, if I was really worried I would probably bring a 20 pack of 9gb DVDs and burn copies of the pictures on those, then email them back. (You can pay to have your pictures written to DVD, or use an internet cafe somewhere)
I've used that computer in 5000m+ altitudes (16000 feet and more) - not at any of the basecamps to Everest, but then you'll probably be so dead tired from the altitude that you won't think of it, besides, I wouldn't trust the generators in the tent villages you stay in. (Going Lhasa -> Kathmandu is a great trip btw)
You should also look into having a zip lock bag of some kind for your notebook, that will keep the moisture out and might even keep the ants out if you go the rain forest.. I would also use a bit of padding around it, it doesn't have to be anything fancy, heavy bubble wrap and gaffer tape is good enough.
A suitable notebook shouldn't cost more than a couple of hundred usd used, buy two or three extra hard drives, and stock up on memory cards for places without power - it should be a lot less expensive than a more high-tech solution. (Some hostels in remote Tibetan villages might lack easily accessible power, but power is more common than running water in such places)
The only problem with cheap used computers is that they might not have usb2.0. That means emptying a 8gb memory card might take 2+ hours, even more if you take backups as you copy (you should do that). This has not been a problem for me, I just let it run overnight if necessary, but you might want to pay the extra money for usb2.0.
...having carried a laptop around the world (literally) for 16 months, I can tell you that a Panasonic Toughbook is worth every penny. Granted, mine was for expeditionary military purposes, but it (along with numerous other laptops we had ranging from Mac Books, Think Pads, Dells, etc.) was probably no more or less abusive than what yours will see. Toughbook's are very expensive, but they're purpose built (get one with a touch screen...you'll thank yourself). If your purpose is met by that, then cough up the bucks. Also, for the record, the Dell's are junk (including the ruggedized version they've started producing). My two cents, but two cents based on experience.
I was travelling around the world 2005-2006 and originally left the uk without a laptop thinking I'd use Internet caffe's to stay in touch with family etc. I quickly realised I spent too long time getting my camera connected, photo editing software installed, cd's burned etc so the time I arrived in Thailand I bought a lovely Sony vaio tx laptop at a bargain prize. It was a great travel campanion and lasted all the way around the planet. In it's sleeve it fitted in a small daypack so I could always bring it with me (when I didn't feet comfortable leaving it in the hostels). I was doing glacier climbing, liveaboard diving, 5 days inca trail walk/climb, downhill cycling in Bolivia etc... Always carying the laptop with me...and avoiding letting too many people see it when in transit.. I did treat it with care but i'm still amazed how well it lasted. I'd buy the same again today - highly reccomended! Enjoy your trip!
Dongle = Evil, read my post.
For capacity, yes, you're correct that a DVD burner and some disks are the cheapest option and easy to mail. However it completely fails the rugged and portable tests. Optical drives are just not ideal for this, and while flash media will be more expensive, it will be smaller / lighter / more durable. The response above me also brings a good idea if you MUST mail DVDs out.
One thing to be aware of, if you take the 'net cafe route, is that in some countries, you need a high cigarette smoke tolerance. This is improving in many countries, but not everywhere. They don't smoke wussy American cigarettes everywhere, either. A lot of places prefer much harsher stuff. If you have allergies, or other problems with smoke, definitely check out the situation wherever you're going, first.