# Do you take your laptop with you when you go away on holiday?



## Jon von der Heyden (Jul 12, 2011)

Bit of market research for my latest venture.  When you go abroad on holiday, be it for a few days or even months, do you take your laptop with you or do you leave it at home?


----------



## RoryA (Jul 12, 2011)

Nope. More than my life's worth.


----------



## Jon von der Heyden (Jul 12, 2011)

I suppose you do most of your posting through your Blackberry at the pub anyway.


----------



## RoryA (Jul 12, 2011)

Don't take Blackberry either - that's a _work_ device!


----------



## Domski (Jul 12, 2011)

I might have done a few years back when memory for my camera was a bit more expensive so I could download photos onto it but doubt I'd bother now. Saying that I've not been on holiday since I bought one.

Dom


----------



## starl (Jul 12, 2011)

local travel = yes; trips abroad = no. Tho now that we have a netbook and I have my rommed nook, less chance I bother with the laptop and we'd probably bring those abroad


----------



## Jon von der Heyden (Jul 12, 2011)

Dom you raskal you're always on holiday!  Or you mean you've only *just* purchased a laptop??


----------



## Jon von der Heyden (Jul 12, 2011)

Thanks Tracy.  Netbooks count


----------



## Domski (Jul 12, 2011)

I've only recently bought my first laptop and I'm only going on four this year!!!

I may take it with me when I go away for the weekend in the UK depending on who with.

Dom


----------



## Jon von der Heyden (Jul 12, 2011)

Domski said:


> I've only recently bought my first laptop and I'm only going on four this year!!!



Only four?  Are they each 4 weeks long? 

Edit: Maybe if you spent less on holidays you could have afforded a laptop sooner!  Hehe


----------



## SuperFerret (Jul 12, 2011)

I don't ever take the laptop on holiday, whether going abroad or somewhere in the UK. I figure a holiday is a holiday, and a laptop is a device for work. If I need MrExcel, I have my phone. Need Facebook, I have my phone. Need to do a quick spreadsheet about something...got Excel it on my phone!

I have figured though that I am addicted to this place, travelled down to Knebworth to go Sonisphere and spent most of the train journey on MrExcel


----------



## Greg Truby (Jul 12, 2011)

rorya said:


> Nope. More than my life's worth.


 
Those are *exactly* the words that skittered through my brain when in read the question.


----------



## VoG (Jul 12, 2011)

I took mine to Jersey this year. I don't think I'd be comfortable taking it much further afield (except on business trips).


----------



## starl (Jul 12, 2011)

Didn't say I worked.. my phone only does calls & text. But, I can use the netbook to log into the house and checks the cams. And I can move messages.. guess I do work a little, but when you work for yourself, you have to... Last real vacation was back in 08, I think


----------



## Joe4 (Jul 12, 2011)

You should have provided one more option:
*"Laptop?, what laptop?".*

I must be the most anti-tech IT guy.
- I have no laptop
- I begrudgingly got a cell phone a few years ago, but all it does it make calls (no internet or camera).  I can text with it, but it is very cumbersome.  But I think I can count all the text messages I ever sent on one hand.
- I am not on any social network sites (no FaceBook, LinkedIn, MySpace, etc).

But, hey, I have email!


----------



## TinaP (Jul 12, 2011)

I use a laptop at work and I stare at it so much that I don't want a computer at home.  My cell phone sends and receives calls only; I've blocked texts.  I avoid Facebook, etc., because I don't want to be linked to a computer 24/7.  Occasionally, I'll get on a friend's computer to check my email while on vacation or over a weekend, but that's the exception rather than the rule.

I believe that there is a time and a place for everything.  Bedrooms are for sleep (and other extracurricular activities).  Dinner with friends means no cell phones; I'm there to socialize with the people sitting across from me, not talk to someone else.  And when I'm on vacation, I don't want to think about work (except to think, "I'm glad I'm not at work").  If I return to work and can't remember my password, then I had a fantastic, relaxing vacation.  Laptops just get in the way of fun.


----------



## Joe4 (Jul 12, 2011)

Tina,

There is much wisdom in your post!
I could not agree with you more!


----------



## Jon von der Heyden (Jul 12, 2011)

So far what is interesting is how laptops are either used exclusively for work, or are associated very strongly with work.

And so far the poll is going where I had expected it to (for this audience; the same is running on linkedin and facebook).

Thanks all for your inputs so far.  Please participate if not already done so.


----------



## Smitty (Jul 12, 2011)

What's a vacation?


----------



## barry houdini (Jul 12, 2011)

I'm going cycling in Normandy next week - I was against it originally but I think I might take a netbook along with me - I have a 14 year old to keep amused and it might come in handy for some holiday-related information provision.

I definitely won't be accessing any Excel sites 

My only worry will be keeping it dry when the inevitable rain arrives......


----------



## Cindy Ellis (Jul 12, 2011)

I've been in school for the past couple of years (yes, I'm pretty old for that ), so even though I may have a vacation from work, there's no vacation from school. So...the laptop has travelled with me on all so-called vacations since the beginning of 2009. I've studied for a calculus final in the back seat of a van on the 5 hour drive to a bridal shower for my daughter-in-law, driven 45 minutes to the nearest internet connection to "meet" virtually with a school project team, and verified that an overseas flight had AC power at my seat so I could work on homework during the flight!
Pretty pathetic...


----------



## Domski (Jul 13, 2011)

Jon von der Heyden said:


> So far what is interesting is how laptops are either used exclusively for work, or are associated very strongly with work



They won't buy me one at work even though my desktop is about 6 years old and is slowly dying. I look forward to them trying to get Office 2010 and Windows 7 working on it.


----------



## Jon von der Heyden (Jul 13, 2011)

I still don't have a single client on win7 office 14.  One of my clients is upgrading to office 12.


----------



## RoryA (Jul 13, 2011)

That's not an *up*grade.


----------



## Domski (Jul 13, 2011)

I find it hard to believe they're not inflicting that on us to be honest. Would be par for the course for our ICT. They're just moving us onto XP SP3 this month so I'm not holding my breath.

Dom


----------



## arkusM (Jul 13, 2011)

Cindy Ellis said:


> I've been in school for the past couple of years (yes, I'm pretty old for that ), so even though I may have a vacation from work, there's no vacation from school. So...the laptop has travelled with me on all so-called vacations since the beginning of 2009. I've studied for a calculus final in the back seat of a van on the 5 hour drive to a bridal shower for my daughter-in-law, driven 45 minutes to the nearest internet connection to "meet" virtually with a school project team, and verified that an overseas flight had AC power at my seat so I could work on homework during the flight!
> Pretty pathetic...


 
Cindy, I hear yah. I just finished my bachelor degree after being out of the post-secondary world for a few years, took me 5 years to complete it. You touched on the aspect that I hated, you just can't get away from it, it is like a dark cloud hanging over everything you do...



			
				Domski said:
			
		

> They won't buy me one at work even though my desktop is about 6 years old and is slowly dying. I look forward to them trying to get Office 2010 and Windows 7 working on it.


So I'm not the only one running a relic. At least there is a snowballs chance that we will upgrade to Win7 or Office2010 anytime in my lifetime. LOL


As too Jon's question I take my laptop everytime. It is not a work one (that idea is laughable, see comment on relic computers) and I do some post-prod on my photos on there, also it allows me to check out things online that I just don't have time to research normally.

But I agree with TinaP's comments and it is good to see there are still people out there that covet and are jealous of there vacation time and personal/family space. It deeply bothers me that there is a cultural shift to bring work blackberry/smartphones on vacation, or even just the concept of always being able to get a hold of me. I have a iPhone, but if I don't want to answer it/check the text(rather respond to the txt) I won't. Just cause I have a phone does not mean I have given up my right to decide what distractions I will respond to. In my job nobody has the risk of dying if I don't answer the phone/email/txt, so **** off, I say.


----------



## Jon von der Heyden (Jul 13, 2011)

Smitty said:


> What's a vacation?


It's when people take some time off work to do things they enjoy, like, I don't know, climbing mountains and getting terribly sunburned


----------



## Greg Truby (Jul 13, 2011)

Smitty said:


> What's a vacation?


 
Shooooot, buddy.  You, like me, are self-employed.  Vacation is any time you want for as long as you can afford.  Now, what's *paid vacation*?  That's what we used ta have, but we ain't gots no mo'.


----------



## Taul (Jul 14, 2011)

My wife informed me that a holiday (translation=vacation) is more enjoyable without a laptop, and she is always right, so she says. 
Actually a laptop is surprisingly heavy, so maybe she is right after all and I can’t be arsed to carry the flippin thing around anyway.

I find that an Internet Cafe is ok for the occasional “fix”.


----------



## diddi (Jul 14, 2011)

laptop yes, but phone no. one doesnt have to use a laptop for work when on holidays.


----------



## SydneyGeek (Jul 31, 2011)

Joe4 said:


> You should have provided one more option:
> *"Laptop?, what laptop?".*
> 
> I must be the most anti-tech IT guy.
> ...


 
Maybe I'm the *second* most anti-tech IT guy... Except for the laptop, same as Joe. 

I have taken my laptop away on the odd weekend away, but usually that's because I was going from work and had it in my bag anyway. I seldom try to work when I'm on holiday although I have answered clients' calls at strange times of the day and night.

Denis


----------



## Jon von der Heyden (Aug 1, 2011)

Thanks all for the responses.  I have had a number of surveys running and the conclusion is that with a combined sample of about 180 people 56% of people travel with a laptop.

I may reveal later why exactly I need to know this info.  It all depends really.... Either my venture will be a complete flop and I'll be too embarassed to say or I'll be filthy rich living in a mansion somewhere exotic and either have forgotten who you all are or just pretend I don't know you.


----------



## JamesW (Aug 1, 2011)

I took my laptop with me once and it took me about 2 months to get back into the missus' good books...


----------



## Xander117 (Aug 3, 2011)

I use to take mine with me, but ever since I got my Asus EEE transformer tablet that's all I carry. With the keyboard option its a life saver if someone sends me something I need to look at in excel or autocad. Plus I just take it out of the keyboard and have my e reader with me.


----------



## R Pelle (Aug 4, 2011)

My work laptop stays at home or office, but my Macbook Pro ALWAYS comes along on holidays. I photograph a lot and I need the HDD + ext HDDs to store them and to exec a daily review of what I have shot. 
I don't email during holidays or browse the web and I'm not partial to facebooking. 

Rob


----------



## Lewiy (Aug 15, 2011)

BBC have an article on this, don't know if you've seen it:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/mobile/business-14526949


----------

