Jonzania

I am a recent college graduate heading to Costa Rica for the Peace Corps early next year and i am on the market for a new laptop with high durability. For those of you who have been to this region of Central America, what are your suggestions for a highly durable laptops? Budget $400-$600 (i'm a poor student). Also, same thing for a camera: any suggestions for a good point and shoot that could potentially hold up for 2-3 years without issue? Budget: $150-$300. Any suggestions are welcome. Thanks!

jcsulser

I've heard Lenovo/IBM are superior in build quality. It's a bit of an intangible so I would suggest try to cop a feel of anything you are going to buy, even if you plan to purchase online.

qwovadis

www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=panasonic-toughbook

Nikon Coolpix for camera amazon.com

insure for theft well... columbusdirect.com quotewright.com

hopefulist

My travel laptop is a little Asus eee 900 series netbook that has spent 3 or 4 months with me in Central America/Mexico since I bought it. It's small and solid state so few moving parts and holds a charge for 6 or 8 hours. It has very little storage so an external harddrive would be a good idea for an extended trip. Worth a look!

Since humidity can be a problem for cameras, you could consider a waterproof camera but read reviews carefully. In our extended family we have 3 Fuji z33 cameras, small, waterproof, and decent - my husband swears by his. Mine is my backup and snorkeling camera and my "good" camera is a Panasonic Lumix DMC ZS3, a compact super zoom that I absolutely LOVE. You can look for reviews at www.steves-digicams.com and www.dpreview.com

Good for you for volunteering to serve in the Peace Corps! My husband and I are considering a tour when we retire in a few years. Happy trails!

RAC

What will you be taking pictures of? If you have a smartphone, that camera should be good enough to substitute for a point and shoot.

colibri

My point and shoot is a Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ5 with a 10x zoom that I purchased about 2 years ago. I have gotten some excellent photos with it and love the large LCD monitor. I think it was under $300. The only problem I've noted is that the lens cover will only close 1/2 way in areas of extreme humidity such as hot springs. (only happened a few times)

hopefulist

colibri - I think my beloved Panasonic is similar to yours but has a 12x zoom. The ZS3 was sold as the TZ7 in Europe.

mlgb

Nikon Coolpix s3000 is a sturdly little camera, for around $100. It's only 5x optical zoom but if you are with a birding guide you'll be taking photos thru a spotting scope anyways.