Laptops on vacation

[tonyg Goomba & Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close tonyg]

ABC News: Digital Vacation: 20 Percent Take Laptops

[CatLovers Member Find all posts View Profile Close CatLovers]

I'm part of the 20%

I do! I run my own professional practice and I need to be checking e-mail at least once every couple of days, if not daily. Often I need to send out documents and so I back-up all my data from my desktop onto a 2.0G pocket drive - my desktop at my fingertips.

Bottom line: if the resort offers wireless or cable access, we take the laptop. I find that we end up using the laptop for all kinds of other stuff - looking up restaurant reviews, directions, discount codes and coupons for attractions, etc. I find that on the few occasions when we don't take it, we miss it.

There are some parts of the world where I can't get wireless or cable right at the resort. In those places we won't take the laptop and we use Internet cafes, but it's more of a hassle to find a cafe sometimes! When that happens, we only access the Internet every couple of days.

[Laser1992 Member Find all posts View Profile Close Laser1992]

Laptop

I do too. I don't even have a business, or a need from work perspective, not that important at work. But I love having the laptop if iternet is available to be able to see how to get places, see information on show times and other entertainment around the vacation location.

Laser

[Sydney Contributor - Bronze Find all posts View Profile Close Sydney]

We do too. Good for downloading photos, keeping track of expenses, watch movies, even when there is no internet.

[tonyg Goomba & Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close tonyg]

I just got back from my first vacation with a laptop. Didn't really need to take it, but it was nice to come home and not have to spend hours catching up- at least on internet activities. The resort had wi-fi and that was fast and convenient, but not free.

[BocaBum99 Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close BocaBum99]

We always take 2 laptops. If I didn't, I would never get to use it. We actually need 3 or 4 of them. But that would be ridiculous.

[Nancy Platinum Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close Nancy]

Always

Unless only gone for a day or two, we always take ours (hubbies). That's one reason I keep a limited amount of AOL hours. When I check into a hotel, I always ask about the internet service and ask for a room that has good service if WiFi. This usually blows these young desk clerks minds, as they don't think this is something a couple of grandparents usually ask.

Nancy

[gophish Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close gophish]

We normally take a laptop. We have a prety small one now and it is very light.
We use it to download photos from our camera cards usually each day. Also, I like to check email every couple of days when possible and when traveling I try to set up a gmail account where people can get in touch with me.
Also, I have a blog and usually post some words and photos during vacation there so family and friends can take a look.

[basham Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close basham]

I'm still working.

Althought a Company laptop should be an automatic perk, I would approve it, I do not have one.

I take one so every family member can access email and other things. The older kids are taking their own.

I log on to work, read email, answer what I can , defer what I can, and generally find the re-entry to work to be less stressful if I have taken a laptop, or have had internet access.

The good side of the coin is it benefits me. The Flip side is you never stop working.

[bevvy5 Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close bevvy5]

I take mine, and have my cell phone with me. As a self-employed professional, if there's a screw-up at my office, it doesn't matter that I'm sipping umbrella drinks three timezones away, the buck stops on my desk. So I have to keep working when I'm not working. But it beats never going on holidays.

[jericap Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close jericap]

I take mine also, it's great for rainy days! This year, I have spent the majority of my time traveling for work and I do have a work laptop. However, I cannot access anything personal from it and it would look silly for me to take 2 laptops while traveling for work....it would also become quite cumbersome!

[CC_dad Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close CC_dad]

I usually take the laptop on vacation for the same reasons mentioned here already. I'm a little conflicted about taking it to Hawaii, but we'll have free access to WiFi at the resorts we're booked into and it would be nice to download pictures to the laptop from the digital camera.

I wouldn't mind starting a family web page, but time and learning how to do it is an issue.

[riverdees05 Platinum Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close riverdees05]

Retired 2+ years and we take a laptop with us most of the time. Sure wish all timeshare resorts had free high speed internet. But I do use dial-up to check bank accounts, credit card accounts, etc.

[cindi Member Find all posts View Profile Close cindi]

Although I always grip about the hassle of bringing the laptop, I always do.

As mentioned, I download all my digital photos on it every day. I couldn't take near the number of pictures otherwise. If I have high speed internet access, I also upload them all to my Shutterfly albums so I can share them right away.

In addition, I like to keep up with my emails for some stupid reason.

And I am addicted to playing spider solitaire.......

[rubin Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close rubin]

For me, it depends. When we travel to our cottage at the beach, where we spend 2 weekends per month from May through August, and also two full weeks during the summer, I dont take it. Although I need to be accessible for work (almost round the clock when I am not on vacation, as a partner with a very busy transactional practice at one of the largest law frms in the world), I rely on my blackberry for that (though the last year or so I have disciplined myself to check it only once per day, maximum, on vacation, rather than having it always with me, so as to have it impinge as little as possible on family time). Our beach cottage is in a very rustic and only lightly developed area, sort of like a place that is stuck back in the 50's. We dont have cable tv there, either (by choice), and just have a single 13 inch tv that gets 2 or 3 broadcast channels, depending on the time of day. Cell phones dont work there, either. In today's frenetic, always plugged in world, it is an absolute pleasure to be able to gather with the family (I have three young children), enjoy what feels like a simpler, more innocent time, and just be as "unplugged" as possible. No video games either. And the wondeful thing is, the kids don't complain. They read, we play games, we walk on the beach, we collect little bits of polished glass that washes up on the beach, we swim, we do some boating, we take bike rides, everyone collapses into a deep sleep by around 9 or so, and its just wonderful. I make it a point not to read any newspapers, or wear a watch, while we are there, either. Its a wondefully simple and nostalgiac experience, and having internet access would, to me, detract from that somehow.

Other vacations (mostly Marriott timeshare in Park City for annual spring break ski trip), I do take the laptop. There, I'm not going for the same sort of "vibe", and I like to be able to check out restaurants, attractions, weather reports, ski conditions, TS4M, OY, etc.