SECURITY

A laptop is still an expensive piece and it is worth the effort to protect your machine from theft or damages. Here are some tips on how to do that:

• Airport Security Check:
  When you go through the Airport Security Check, you might be asked to start up your laptop. To avoid wasting time and battery power, you might consider putting your laptop in 'suspend' mode (Windows) or 'sleep' mode (Mac) before going through security. It will restart quickly and consume almost no battery power, leaving the maximum battery charge it you want to work during the flight.
  
  
• X-ray machines:
  X-ray machines at airport security checkpoints are no threat to your laptop, your hard drive or your floppy disks, so you do not need to worry about them erasing the valuable data you have stored.
  
  
• Airport Security Theft Scam:
  Keep a close eye on your laptop when going through Airport Security, because there has been a scam on for some years that apparently is still being used today.
  It goes like this: most people put their laptop on the X-ray machine conveyor belt to have it scanned. In the scam, the person in front of you will set off the alarm by carrying a metal item through the Security gate. He/She might do this 2 or 3 times in a row to keep you waiting.
  By the time you finally clear the Security your laptop - which should be waiting on the other side - is long gone, having been picked up by an accomplice of the person in front of you.
  You can easily avoid this by keeping you laptop in hand until it is your turn to go through the security gate. If the gate is very busy, you might want to check that the laptop has disappeared into the X-ray machine completely before stepping through the gate, this to avoid someone behind you from grabbing it.
  Alternatively, you could ask the security agent to scan your laptop manually.
  
  
• The laptop case - a dead give-away:
  In any airport, you will see an abundance of anonymous black or grey laptop cases in any shape or size. What is recognizable to you as a laptop, is also recognizable to thiefs. You might want to consider to conceal the laptop in a regular type bag or case. Just make sure it's within the airlines carry-on luggage dimensions.
  
  
• The laptop theft alarm:
  Several companies offer alarms which go off when your laptop is moved away from you. We can't identify them here, but you can easily find these companies on the internet.
  
  

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BATTERIES

If you use your laptop frequently on your travels, you might have noticed that batteries cause the most problems. Therefore, when buying a new laptop, don't just look at the exciting new features it offers. Also check what those features do to your laptop's battery capacity and lifespan.
If you're not in the market for a new laptop, here are some tips to conserve power on your old one:.

• Be careful where to store your laptop or spare batteries. Don't leave them anywhere (room, car,...) in extreme temperatures (high and low), direct sunlight or wet areas.
  
  
• Whenever you need to operate your laptop without using your modem, consider removing your PCMCIA modem card. These cards use up battery power, whether you use them or not.
  
  
• Many airlines already offer in-flight power for laptop users. Check with your airlines or BBL Travel American Express travel agent to make sure the service is offered.
  
  
• If you are only planning to use the laptop in places where a power outlet is available (hotel room, meeting room...), you might consider leaving the battery at home to save space and weight. This also goes for cd-rom stations, disk stations, etc.
  

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IN YOUR HOTEL

• If you are planning to do a lot of work from your hotel, check beforehand to see if your room is equipped with the necessary power outlets, phone line or dataports. Some hotels have special rooms for business travellers which are equipped for virtually any business system you might need or bring. Others have 'business centres' where you can use fax, phone, internet and other services. Once again....check ahead before making the reservation.
  
  
• When using or storing a laptop and/or disks in your room, be aware that a number of appliances (tv, radio, alarm clocks...) sometimes have magnets which could affect the data on your laptop or disk. Be careful to stow the laptop on a desk out of range of these items.
  
  
• If you need a lost minute hardcopy of a document but you don't have a printer you can always:
  - ask your hotel to print you one or, alternatively
  - fax or email to your own hotel and get the hardcopy from the reception desk
  
  

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International Access

Dialing into your company's network from another country can be extremely expensive. Here are some tips to try to avoid these costs:

• All major ISP (Internet Service Providers) have local access numbers available around the world for you to dial in. Check with you own local ISP and ask for their international services.
  
  
• If your ISP has no international arrangement (and sometimes even if they do) it is certainly worth checking out services of other ISP's for the area you are going to. Pricing and convenience are certain to vary from ISP to ISP.
  
  
• If you just need to access email services, you might want to open a free email account from Yahoo, Hotmail, or any of the other free email providers. You will automatically have worldwide access via any internet-connected computer.
  
  

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