John

I am headed over to Kuala Lampur and Viet Nam (Hanoi and HCMC)... this is just a general question...<BR><BR>I wanted to do a bit of writing and drawing during the quiet times while I travel, so I thought I might bring my laptop... Now I'm thinking... Is it worth the hassle? Any thought from anybody on the subject?

Sarah rey

Personally I don't think it's worth the hassle, airport security, keeping is safe on the plane, worrying about leaving it. Unless you need for business I wouldn't bother. There are Internet cafes everywhere. I used to take mine but not anymore.

mari

i agree. vn especially is a very poor country, and the big cities are known for their drive-by muggings of bags, cameras and yes, laptop computers. not worth the worry or the risk.

John

Thanks Sarah and Mari...<BR><BR>It's as good as left at home.<BR>(While I do a lot of drawing on my laptop, I feel a greater sense of freedom leaving it... and I haven't even left yet! (lol)<BR><BR>Cheers!

jpm

John,<BR><BR>Instead of a Laptop consider taking a Palm Pilot with a keyboard. I found a Palm VIIx with a keyboard (keyboard is full size but folds up to the size of the Palm) for $130. You can do an amazing amount on the Palm, plus, it has a low loss factor. Yes, I would hate to lose it or have it stolen, but if so I am out a minor amount compared to a Laptop.

jane

Hate to sound so dumb, but I'm unclear about what I could do with a Palm. In the Bahamas, i used to type my letters home on a laptop, save to a diskette and then take the diskette to an internet cafe. I assume that with a palm there is no opportunity to save to a diskette but can I load my musings into hotmail at an internet cafe somehow? My biggest problem is that I don't type fast enough to do it all on-line. We will be going to several Asian countries over 5 months and I don't want to carry a lap top.

jpm

Jane, not a dumb question at all. I haven't frequented that many Internet Cafes but I doubt many of them are equipped to take information of a Palm. It would be interesting if any have "beam" ports where you can wirelessly transfer a message from your palm to a computer.<BR><BR>Anyway, the main reason I use my palm while travelling is too keep my travel journal. I just bought it a few months ago so haven't had the opportunity to take it on a long trip yet (will be soon to China) but it has worked wonderfully on several shorter trips. <BR><BR>It is also web-enabled meaning in the statest I can surf the web, send and receive email, in most major cities. Outside of cities the coverage is limited, but as I'm driving across country I can compose my email, and as soon as I get a signal, I can check and send.

jpm

Jane, not a dumb question at all. I haven't frequented that many Internet Cafes but I doubt many of them are equipped to take information of a Palm. It would be interesting if any have "beam" ports where you can wirelessly transfer a message from your palm to a computer.<BR><BR>Anyway, the main reason I use my palm while travelling is too keep my travel journal. I just bought it a few months ago so haven't had the opportunity to take it on a long trip yet (will be soon to China) but it has worked wonderfully on several shorter trips. <BR><BR>It is also web-enabled meaning in the statest I can surf the web, send and receive email, in most major cities. Outside of cities the coverage is limited, but as I'm driving across country I can compose my email, and as soon as I get a signal, I can check and send.<BR><BR>And for the price I paid (which is still being offered online) I am extremely pleased.

jane

Thanks for your help...I'm still undecided..maybe I should set up a web-site?!

Marilyn

If you are not on a rock-bottom budget, why not just spend a few dollars each day to sit in an internet cafe for an hour and write your journal there? I no longer take my notebook computer because it is so easy and inexpensive to simply go on-line. And personally (despite the above address) I far prefer yahoo to hotmail when traveling. Hotmail takes forever to load pages.<BR><BR>Little did I know that teaching myself to touch type one boring summer during high school (loooong before personal computers were a gleam in anyone's eye) would be one of the most valuable skills I ever acquired!