Laptops on vacation?

[shanvan]

Do you bring a laptop with you on vacation even if the place where you are staying does not have wifi? I thought about it just for writing and word documents. What do you think?

[ScoutTN]

no computers on our family vacations. email only for an emergency.

we go low tech - board games, playing outside, reading etc.

if writing is necessary, it happens with a pencil and a yellow pad!

[cindergretta]

I bring mine, wifi or no. I upload pictures and video to it each night. No playing on it, though, by me or the dc. (I think it is harder on me... :tongue_smilie: )

 

(We went to Disneyland in 2006 and it was the first time I ever brought a laptop. I uploaded photos every night. As we were loading our bags in front of the hotel to go home, I dropped my camera and lost all the photos on it. To this day, I am still thanking God that I was uploading every night. I lost some, but a mere fraction of what I could have lost!)

[shanvan]

no computers on our family vacations. email only for an emergency.

we go low tech - board games, playing outside, reading etc.

if writing is necessary, it happens with a pencil and a yellow pad!

 

It's always been that way in the past. This is the first year I have a laptop. I have been working on some fiction and memoirs, so was considering bringing it. Dh thinks it should stay home.

 

Then again, if I bring it, I may be tempted to plan school!

Edited August 14, 2012 by shanvan

[Robin M]

Depends on where we are going. And my iphone is a hotspot so don't have to worry about wifi connections. Just being able to charge it. :lol:

 

Camping, definitely not. Lazing about at beach house for a week, yes will bring laptop.

[cindergretta]

I agree with not bringing it camping. I have never brought it while camping. Mostly out of fear of tragedy befalling it, lol!

[Mommyof4ks]

I take my iPad everywhere, but it is my phone, my GPS, my notepad, and on and on, but I never took my laptop on vacation. I your case I might if you plan to write after the kids go to bed. Our vacation rule is no devices until the kids are asleep unless we are lost or need to make a call lol.

[Pawz4me]

Yes. We always vacation in our RV and the laptop always comes along. We use the hotspot feature on our iPhone if/when there is no free wifi available. None of us would find a vacation enjoyable at all if we didn't have internet access.

[Mandylubug]

Well, when me and DH weren't working on our degrees we didn't take laptops. However, now we require our place to have wifi or internet so that our studies aren't neglected. Stinks to have to work on course work but there is no other option.

[Bang!Zoom!]

Yep, always take one.

[Starr]

We take one. If the whole family isn't along we try to skype the ones left at home. We take a couple of movies with us since we aren't tv people and dh needs to keep up with email as well.

[Elinor Everywhere]

Do you bring a laptop with you on vacation even if the place where you are staying does not have wifi? I thought about it just for writing and word documents. What do you think?

 

Yes, I take it, but we're usually gone for a month at a time. If I'm without WiFi (like our place we rented in Italy), I'll go to an internet cafe and at least pay my bills. But most places we rent have WiFi, so it's not been much of an issue. I usually send/receive emails from my mom about the condition of our house or cat or whatever. A month has proven to be too long (for us) to be without the laptop (or nowadays, my iPad).

[Erica in OR]

Not if we're in a place where there's no WiFi. If I do decide to bring it, I make sure to back it up to a separate hard drive before we go, just in case something happens to it while we're traveling (just mentioning this because you mentioned your writing projects—the pain of losing work like with a computer crash is *ugh*).

 

Erica in OR

[QueenCat]

We take dh's laptop. He needs to check and respond to work email. Usually too lengthy for ease on phone. I'm almost always taking a class, so I spend about an hour a day on it, doing classwork. I do my class reading while he drives, so it's not too bad........ Other than that, and checking in on the Hive, it's off.

[greenvneck]

I don't have a laptop, but I don't even go to the grocery store without my iPad! :D NO WAY would I go on vacation without it! :lol:

[OrganicAnn]

We took the Kindle, but left the Laptop home.

[Kelly1730]

We will take our phones (of course:)) and the Kindle, laptop will stay at home. It needs the break anyway:tongue_smilie:.

[lynn]

We have a no electronic rule. We do bring cellphones.

[greenvneck]

A question for those of you who don't take electronics (other than phones) with you on vacation--do you regularly use electronics for relaxation? Dh and I would never go on vacation without our iPads; that's where our books and games are. Our kids have their iPod Touches where they have the games they play with dh as well as games they love to play with each other, but often WiFi is needed. Dh reads to our youngers every night for at least an hour, usually more, but the book is on his Kindle app on his iPad.

 

I could NOT imagine relaxing somewhere I couldn't access the internet, I'm honestly surprised there are many others who are. I should mention that dh and I both have phones that can operate as hotspots, so if we should end up in an area without wifi we could still access the internet. If I knew I would be stuck somewhere that I couldn't download something new to read if I need it, check email (or the hive!)...well, let's just say, it wouldn't be pretty! (My Kindle lives in my purse only because I might forget to put my iPad in there. Yes, I have a serious case of ADHD and, yes, I am on medication.)

Edited August 24, 2012 by greenvneck

[greenvneck]

I just re-read the OP's post and am thinking I posted wrongly. I wouldn't voluntarily stay anywhere w/o internet service, but IF I were stuck...yes, I would still bring a laptop/iPad/whatever. Even if you don't have WiFi there, you might find a place where you could use it and download email, podcasts, movies, etc.