Is it safe to leave a laptop in a hotel room (4 stars) in Spain? I don't want to carry it everywhere I go, and I also don't want it to disappear. Most hotel room safes are too small for a laptop. I do have a computer security cable with a key lock.

Any advice is appreciated! Thanks.

I know that laptops have became a part of our everyday life. But, if it were me I would not take it. Leaving it in a room would not be a good thing. Chances are it would be ok in a 4 star hotel but why risk it. I doubt that your home owners insurance would cover the loss in Spain that it would in a hotel here in the States.

Have fun and stay safe.

Diana,

I would only take a laptop if it was a necessity and would be sure that I had insurance that would cover its loss. I seldom take laptops even here in the U.S. because their very best feature,their portability, is what attracts thieves.

I found it unnecessary because the Internet cafes were everywhere in Spain.

Thanks, desert dweller and Booklady. I'm now 90% sure the laptop will stay home. I've always used internet cafes in Europe, and know how easy it is, but this trip will involve a lot of digital photos and video clips, as well as keeping up a web site. Tomorrow I'll buy a whole lot more memory for one of the digital cameras, and my web site can survive with text updates and no photo updates! The advice I've been getting from a friend who travels through Europe constantly with his laptop has been a long list of do's and don'ts, including your idea of home insurance, backing up everything before leaving, using the security cable, using reception desks when the safe is too small, buying special security programs, but mostly, simply keeping it with me at all times - exactly what I can't do!
Thanks again!

I would not bring a laptop at all. I know that you could use it, but if your trip is for pleasure, I would think you would better spend the time out in the city, seeing all the cool stuff in Spain, not updating a blog or emailing people. Yes, keeping in touch with home is nice, but if my trip is less than three weeks, I save the stories for when I get home, spending my time in Spain rather than in cyberspace.
If you must use a computer once or twice, use a cybercafe or many hotels provide a computer room. I'm sure your computer would probably be safe, but Iwouldn't risk it, and I don't think bringing one would be worth it anyway.

This is an old thread and since I do carry a laptop with me on every trip I am on, because of my digital camera storage needs, I will give you my silly point of view.

My laptop weights four pounds so it is light to carry. It is not the fastest laptop this is why many PC laptops are heavy. I leave it at the place I am staying in locked in my suitcase. I do not stay at four star hotels when I paying the hotel bill. I search out places to stay that are small and family owned. Over the years I have been fortunate to find places to stay that cost me 50 euros or less and when I check in, I am greeted by the owner(s).

The reason I prefer family run places to stay at, is because the owner(s) take pride in the appearance, service, the staff they hire to clean the rooms and safety of their guests. I have even stayed places were the owners were the one cleaning your room. I cannot prevent anyone knowing that I am carrying expensive digital camera gear. I have to have it out of the bag while shooting, but I did not advertise that I am also carrying a laptop and us it in my room at night to backup my photos.

This is how I protect myself. I carry a lightweight laptop; stay at small, family run hostel/b&b, lock the laptop in my suitcase when I am out and do not advertise to anyone I have one.

I will add using Internet Café in Italy has gotten difficult because now you have to show your passport before you can use one of the PCs. Now if I was a thief and wanted to steal a passport where would I go?

Bill

Good suggestions. Those laptop computer carrying-bags are a dead giveaway. You can get the laptop-carrying backpacks instead and they have a lot more pockets, plus they're less obvious of the contents.

Also, if you must take a laptop and want to leave it in the room, I'd recommend putting the laptop INSIDE the laptop bag (if you have one) and then leaving it in an obvious place on a counter, wrap-and-clip the strap around something sturdy/unmoveable, and then attach one of those metal "tether" cables (which you often see in computer magazines) from the laptop and around some stable object in the room. Just do it in such a way that the cleaning person WILL notice the tether and then won't attempt to move the case in order to clean underneath, possibly dropping the case on the floor.

Saludos, MadridMan

This is an old thread, and I've long been back from that trip, but my hope is that any information posted can be helpful to someone else some day.

I didn't take a laptop with me on the trip in March, and relied on internet cafes and hotel computers, which was fine. If I had to do it again, I actually probably would take it, and here's why. I found that most of the hotels I stayed in (all 4 star) had safes that were big enough for a laptop. Several also had free wireless internet connection. That was nice! This wasn't a pleasure trip for me, and I didn't pay for the hotels but next time I'm on a similar trip I'll probably bring it along - not because of any hobby of mine, but because a lot of people were relying on me for information. Getting online in a hotel is so much easier than going out looking for an internet cafe, especially when you've been busy on your feet all day already. (I did rely on hotel computers with Internet access. They are handy, but can be pricey - or free - depending on the hotel.)

I've noticed that there are cases for laptops that are nice and slim, without all the extra pockets. I'm seriously considering getting one. All I need is some protection for the computer - nothing else. It would fit into my hand luggage nicely, and not scream "Computer!"

Usually I stay in private homes in Spain, when I'm on vacation. I'd have no problem taking a laptop along on those trips, and leave it in the house. But that's when I have to make the decision of whether or not I want to really "get away," something that's hard to do when a computer beckons!

I do not carry a laptop case. My laptop fits into my camera bag. I carry my laptop in a sleeve to protect it. It is like a foam bag that the laptop goes into.
Laptop Sleeve

Bill

Yes, Bill, that's what I was thinking of. Thanks for the link!

Is this discussion really from 2005?

Nowadays you can buy a netbook to use for internet and email while traveling. They're cheap enough not to worry about and light enough not to be too much of a burden.

It's less worrying than carrying around a laptop that may be your main computer with your whole life on it.

Yeah Donna , I agree . But when , like me , you're in limbo .. not sure where you want to , or should be . The laptop does contain your whole life . Since I moved to Madrid some 4 years ago my laptop has been indispensable . Though I have bought an external hard drive for my 1000s of photos ... just to be safe .

I'm wondering what to do about my photos. They seem to be slowing down my computer.

Do you just back them up on the external drive and put them back into the computer when you want to see them?

I have all my photos .. nearly 17,000 !! backed up onto an external hard drive .. I also have them doubly backed up onto CDs . Once you connect the external hard drive to your computer it should recognise them . Also consider using a ( free ) service like "Picassa " operated by google . It will load all your photos automatically from anywhere on your computer , as well as the external hard drive . And it has some very easy to use editing functions . I love it !

Donna, I'd be surprised if the photos themselves were slowing your computer down. They are just files that do nothing other than take up hard disk space.

What could be doing it is if you do use something like Picassa, which does scan your PC for photos unless you stop it doing so, thus taking up processing power. And it could be too that your hard disk has become fragmented and is in need of optimizing, this occurs especially if you delete files or have suffered crashes.

As an aside, has MM ever considered a section for PC issues where members could post problems and advice to each other ? Not exactly to do with Spain solely I know, but it could be useful and maybe generate more traffic ?

Jamongris wrote:I know you have a point but I learned years ago that while some non-Spain-related categories may be popular, it'd be a shame if they eventually overshadowed the actual purpose of this message board. I think, at least for now, we can talk about the topic with regards to Spain-related travel and what people do do with their laptops and/or their Spain-photos while traveling within Spain.

Donna Cuervo, I, like Jamongris, doubt that simply housing these photos on your HD are the reason your computer seems slow - UNLESS the number of photos is nearly filling your hard drive to capacity. In that sense, it is possible for files, no matter their kind, to slow down a computer. A hard drive needs a certain amount of free space to cache-in and cache-out memory as it's being used on a normal basis. If you impede that space, it could slow down overall performance. Check first the amount of space available on the hard drive. If it's less than, say, 15-20% free, it may be that the HD is getting too full. And, if that is the case, I'd suggest, as steve robinson does, to transfer all those photos onto a good external HD.

I use an external HD for nearly everything now. Imagine one day, for reasons unknown to you, that your laptop or PC simply won't start. Or, nearly as bad, you start up the computer and you get a WARNING blue screen saying that your computer has failed or there's some virus or whatever. At least, then, you have all your photos and files accessible via some other computer if you have them on an external HD. On the down side, of course, if you DROP the external HD on the floor, you may lose absolutely everything, years of accumulated files and photos. That'd be a serious bummer. Other people I know have a double-backup system where by, periodically, they'll copy ALL files to ANOTHER external HD, JUST IN CASE the primary HD fails. This is what corporations do, doing a nightly (or hourly) full-system-backup of all files.

Saludos, MadridMan

Has anyone tried gotomypc.com Grammar Girl used to talk about it (haven't listened to her podcast in a long time). Personally I either take my laptop with me (or borrow the Wife's if I'm joining her on a trip) or use a net cafe. Prefer my own computer as it has all the settings I want.