Hi, just wondering if anyone has been travelling around Europe, with or without a laptop. I am thinking about a 2-3 month trip later this year or next, and in theory an iBook or PowerBook would be great to have to upload digital photos, keep notes each night, use to look up inf on websites, etc, etc, but then there's the hassel of taking it everywhere I go, I know it would be a hot item for thieves...

Whether I do or not, I plan to take lots of digital video footage, stills, and notes/drawings, etc. to put a DVD together when I get back for friends and family.

Any thoughts on this? Take one or not?

We just returned from a couple of weeks over in UK/France, but personally, I'd leave the laptop at home.. Its more the hassel of carting one around, and the risk of having it stolen

I wouldn't, it would be a prime target for thieves. There are net cafes for web access, a camera shop can burn your images to CD, or get a cheap iPod with Belkin adaptor to read and dump your images onto the iPod's HD.

JB

I dragged my iBook around India, only because i needed something to dump my memory cards from my camera onto. I did'nt have any dramas. The 12in are easy to store/hide. I'll be taking it again for sure.

I took mine to Europe once.. it was a hassle.. because im assuming you will have it on carry on..when your jumping on buses and trains etc you are always throwing stuff around and it just becomes a hassle. If your going for that long you would want to travel as light as possible. Thats if your on the move and staying at diff hotels etc.

If your staying with relative or have a base from where you can leave it securely and not drag it everywhere then thats fine. But if your backpacking (style) then i would leave it.

Options?

- Archos Gmini 400 = 20GB mp3 player, built in photo uploader CF (512MB card in 3 mins = MUCH FASTER than ipod), video player, colour 2.2" screen, and games! So that will keep you entertained as well. It has a built in audio/mic (as well as line in) so you can record notes that way. Or just write them. (~$450 imported from US)

- Archos AV420 (i have this), 3.5" LCD, slighly larger than ipod - more PDA sized, 20GB HDD, can watch movies, high quality mp3 player, audio record, video recorder, built in CF slot (you can buy an adaptor for other media)I really find the interface intuitive and im overly impressed with it (comming/comparing from apple products). I like it cos i can upload photo's quickly (2mins for 512MB card) and listen to music. These are two essential for travel. Funnily enough you can also upload DV through the Video Line in (cos this records TV, Cable, DVD, etc.- but that would be tediuous as you would have to record in real time so a 60 mins DV tape would take that long and would take up most of the HDD)

PRICE ~$650 imported.

See if you want to listen to music while on the plane or bus/train then listening through laptop will be annoying. Also there are lots of internet cafes nowadays so you could take your device EG archos, then upload to that computer in internet cafe using its USB2.0 port, then burn your stuff - im sure you'll find a place that allows this. I did when in thailand - so im thinking europe will too!


If you already have an Mp3 player then i can reccomend some cheaper digital photo storage units from www.powerinnumbers.com.au

they have whole heap of xdrives for around $250 -300 with 20GB hdd's and a 8 in 1 card reader built in. I used this when in thailand and it served myself and my mates well. Very reliable and pretty quick. 512MB card took around 7-8 mins. Apparently iPod media readers take 40mins and drain the battery - hence why i didnt go ipod.

hope that helps.

hi symean,

i'm over here living/working/travelling at the monent, and we brought with us (especially for the trip) a 15" PowerBook, a 40gb iPod, and an Airport Express.. i use the laptop for work and web access at home, and we brought all of our music with us on the laptop and iPod which has been just great!

personally I wouldn't bring a laptop if you're just racing around Europe.. when we go over to the continent we don't take our PowerBook, despite me being a digital photography freak!

i've only got a 256mb CF Ultra II card at the moment for my 4MP Canon, and its all i need to get me between towns and 'net cafe's that offer CD burning of your data so you can clear off your camera.. rather than buying a card reader to download photos to and to clear your card, i beleive you're better of buying more flash cards - i just think that there's more chance of you using an extra card again rather than a card reader for your iPod that'll probably get very little use again.

i can't speak for how to deal with digital video footage and backing up that data as we don't have one.. sorry.

lugging a laptop around is a hassle - its risky enough just taking it to work etc here, let alone having to worry about it for 3/4 months while on the road - unless you're always in secure hotel rooms and unless its one of the 12" models, i wouldn't bother eh. its a lot of money to have to worry about all the time - take an iPod for your music for the long train/plane trips, but the laptop can stay at home..

PM me or catch me on MSN Messenger on the address below if you want to know anymore about how we use our gear while here, and also what we did when we brought all our gear just before we left, to get the GST back at the Airport -

My iBooks have always travelled overseas with me and it's never been a hassle. As a matter of fact I just got back from Thailand moving from far north to south and it was no issue. I used a Crumpler bag to carry it in.

I travelled with my iBook a few months back and it wasn't that much of a hassle at all. What was more of a hassle was forgetting my digital camera cable at home so I could load my SD card in iPhoto when the card was full. I ended up having to buy another SD card.

I know someone who's been travelling around Europe with his 15" Powerbook for a few years now and he said its no big deal.

I guess its just a matter of how important the machine is to you on the trip and if its worth takig or not.

pipsqeek