Road Warrior Tips: e-Travel Kit

[Net-Roamer]

Greetings fellow Road Warrior!,

Your laptop is mission critical equipment when you are on the road. Many
of us hit the road everyday unprepared for common travel related computer
crisis and challenges.  Here is a list that I think will help make your
life on the road easier and much less hectic.

The Essentials:

1.      Before taking off on the trip, dust off the trusty lap top, turn it on
and make sure it works and that the battery is charged. If you have any
programs that use on-line updates, spend the time to download the updates.
Examples would be the OAG TIS program, Net-roamer’s dialer and phone book
and of vital importance, the anti-virus program of your choice. When you
travel you will be exposed to disks from others and the ever-present
e-mail threats. You should assume that these all carry viruses.

2.   A CD carrying case with my Windows operating system and key
operational programs so that I can re-load if corrupted. Make and carry an
emergency boot disk.

3.   A miniaturized tool kit containing as a minimum pliers, wrench,
Phillips and flat head screw drivers. I use a nice kit put out by
Leatherman Tool Group Inc. If you use glasses, don't forget an eyeglass
repair kit also. A spare pair of eyeglasses is always a good idea. (Keep
in mind that with the new security restrictions, most of the tools may
need to be relegated to checked baggage.)

4.   A complete telephone connection kit. It should contain:
•       2 RJ-11 extension cords (if you only have one, the connector is sure to
break.)
•       an RJ-11 jack box from Radio Shack pre-wired with two wires to  the line
one terminals  and alligator clips at the other ends of the wires. (There
are still hotels out there that do not provide RJ-ll jacks and you will
need to un-screw the wall panel and connect to the wires in back.)
•       Radio Shack line tester - gives a red/green correct wiring, reverse
polarity and non-operational test capability. If you need to use the above
jury rig, this will ensure that you connect the clips to the right
terminals.
•       a digital / analog line tester. I use a nice inexpensive model put out
by Targus.
•       An RJ-11 2 to 1 splitter.
•       An RJ-11 extension connector. (This in case you need to connect the 2
RJ-11 cords together for a longer reach.
•       As you travel to different countries, you will find some that use
different type modem plugs.  (The UK is an example) Adapters for your
RJ-11 cord are country specific can usually be picked up from the bell
captain at the better hotels in the country.  Buy it and add it to your
kit if you will be returning.

5.   Power equipment. This should be adapted to the destinations, but in
general        should contain:
•       1 or 2 extension cords. (Sometimes the only 110 volt outlet is in the
bathroom.) Also, the extension cords have 2-3 outlets so that you can
connect your peripherals at the same time.
•       An international plug adapter kit, easily available in most airports,
containing all the various type plug adapters.
•       A small 220 to 110 transformer. Sometimes these come in the plug kits,
but they are also available in most international airports.
•       One or more of the 3 prong (2 flat hot and 1 round ground) to 2 flat
converters. Most extension cords, power converters and international plug
adapters can accommodate the two flat prongs, but don’t have the round
hole for the ground. Rather than yank out the round ground connector from
your equipment’s power cords, these adapters allow you to connect.

6.  A “cheat sheet”. A sheet of paper containing all the critical settings
of your computer, e-mail, modem etc. This should include tech support
numbers, serial numbers, express service codes etc.

The items above, I consider critical.  Here are some items that may come
in handy depending on your portable office set up:

1.   If you carry a printer, make sure to carry spare inkjet cartridges
and the printer manual for trouble shooting. Also, carry a supply of ink
jet paper in your preferred size (81/2 X 11 or A4). Availability of good
paper when on the road is haphazard, at best, and often you may have to
accept paper of a size different that your settings. That will require you
to modify the paper parameters in all your documents.

2.  For portable storage, nothing beats a ZIP drive. The newest ZIP 250
can read and write to 100 MB as well as the 250 MB disks, and when bought
with the optional PCMCIA adapter card, is powered by the laptop and does
not require external power supplies.

3.  For security or Peace of Mind. The DEFCON 1, put out by TARGUS, is a
motion sensitive, cable locking device that can be used to protect your
laptop when in the hotel as well as the carrying case when in restaurants,
airports etc. Keep in mind that the LOCK port on your laptop is only
plastic, and a determined thief can break that with a hearty twist. I find
that if you buy a second DEFCON 1 (or one of the cheaper, non-motion
detecting cable locks) and use the second to wrap around your laptop,
either under the hinges or on both axis, to prevent a cable security that
is much harder to cut. Then use the DEFCON 1 to tie that harness and
laptop to a pipe or some other immovable object.

Finally, no serious international Road Warrior should be without
Net-Roamer.   Net-Roamer allows you to stay connected in over 150
countries around the world.  With Net-Roamer, you can literally get
affordable roaming dial-up Internet access from Albania to Zambia!

Find out more today  at http://www.net-roamer.com.


I hope you find my suggestions helpful!


Sincerely,

Tony Fiore
Owner
www.Net-Roamer.com


To be removed from this mailing please visit:
http://www.optinpro.com/scripts/remove.asp?u=302&i=17119228