Just take it and be done with it. You know you want to take it, so just take it. If something happens to it, oh well, then deal with it later. I have taken mine all over Europe...without a single hitch. My laptop goes where I go... even if it's to the grocery store.

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Room safes are often too small to hold a laptop.
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I have a friend who also has a 12" Apple laptop and he has mentioned that because of its small size, it actually does fit in a lot of hotel room safes (diagonally). If I was to travel with a laptop, that would be the size I would want.

My logic is that I'd rather take the laptop on a lengthy trip rather than a short trip. For up to a few weeks, I can forego the convenience. Over a month, and it becomes much harder for me to do without.

For example, paying bills online at the first of the month during a multi-month trip. I don't like doing the automatic bill pay because my check doesn't always deposit on the same day each month.

Also, checking emails when it's convenient for me (i.e., at night before bed) instead of when I can get to an internet cafe. For a few weeks I don't mind dropping by somewhere during the day, but after a while it gets irritating not being able to relax in the hotel room checking emails.

Processing some of my photos during the trip and posting them or emailing them to friends and family back home. Like you, I'm a photography nut. For a few weeks, I can wait to process and share my photos when I get home. But for two months worth, I'd go crazy not being able to process anything for that long.

And you need it to send your trip report :-)

You say that photography is one of the main reasons for this trip. If this is the case, take the laptop for sure! This way you can work on your photos during down time. If not, you will have to spend a whole lot of time working on them when you get back.

I took mine on my last trip and processing the days shot at the end of the night with a good bottle of wine, was the perfect way to wind down and relive the things I did that day.

Tom

We always travel with our 15" laptop. It's the convenience of having everything in one spot and not having to hunt for an pay for internet cafes. Otherwise, I have to e-mail my e-mail addresses to myself to keep in touch with family while we're away.

We did this one year and found it to be time-consuming.

My hubby is into photography and he downloads his pictures daily to our laptop. I also use the internet to lookup things should things change along the trip.

I haven't found a safe yet that wouldn't hold our laptop and whatever we didn't haul on our day trips. There is always the chance that it can be stolen. At the same token, our house could be broken into and things all stolen too.

I say take it if you feel you can't do without it. Two months is a long time to be without a computer from where I sit. Just be careful and double-check to ensure it's covered on your insurance policy.

Take the laptop.