Have iPad Will Travel

I've never traveled with my laptop outside the United States.  My old laptops were too heavy and the power cords too big.  It made more sense to just use the hotel's business office or an Internet Cafe to check email every few days.  For entertainment in airports, on planes, and during evenings in the hotel, I always brought a portable DVD player, a number of DVDs, and magazines that I could trash after reading.  And, this year, I began bringing my Kindle, also.

Magellan's iPad Jacket

Now that I have a light-weight MacBook Air, however, for the first time I considered bringing a laptop on our next overseas trip.  But then I thought about how bulky it would be to carry while touring.  If I left it in the hotel room, I would worry about it being stolen.  (That's never a concern with a portable DVD player, which is much cheaper to replace and doesn't hold all of my documents and photos.)  So I decided to take a close look at my iPad instead.

The lighter-weight smaller iPad is much more portable than a laptop.  And its charger is a third the size and weight of the MacBook Air's.  Plus, we can watch movies downloaded before we leave, and receive and send emails on the iPad.  And, with the Kindle app and iBooks, I can read books on the iPad.

Before making a firm decision, however, I did some research.  The first thing I found was a travel case at Magellans.com that will make the iPad easy to carry while touring.  I got it in black so Jim won't mind carrying it too.  Now we'll be able to use the Internet anywhere there's free WiFi, such as a coffee shop or restaurant, to get more details about our next stop.

Next I found several movies on iTunes for just $4.99.  Downloaded, we now can watch movies on the iPad even without WiFi.  No more hauling a portable DVD player, bulky charger, and case of DVDs.

I then purchased the Apple iPad Camera Connection Kit.  I'll now be able to transfer pictures from my camera to my iPad, freeing up space on my memory cards and maybe even emailing a few to family and friends while we're away.

Finally, I thought about leaving my Kindle at home.  If I was traveling alone, I probably would.  But, for this trip, I think there will be times when I'm reading with the Kindle while Jim's surfing the web or watching a movie with the iPad.  No problem.  Deciding to travel with the iPad has freed up more than enough space in my carryon for a Kindle in a small 5"x7" case.

Hopefully, all will work out as planned.  If it does, I'll be extremely proud of my high-tech self.