Remember the days when you couldn't bring your computer with you on vacation because it was too large and bulky? Now, most of us carry a small but much more powerful computer with us in our pockets all day. Even for full computers, most people now prefer the mobility of a laptop to the extra power provided by a desktop.
However, the ability to take our devices with us has resulted in bad practices. Many of us do things with our computers that can harm them or our privacy. Here are four things we should not do when travelling with our mobile gadgets.
1) Leave without a backup - We should all know that we need to make regular backups of the data on our devices, but we all probably fail to do that on a regular basis. However, before you leave with your gadgets, make sure your information is backed up. When travelling, your gadget is not only susceptible to an equipment failure, but also to theft. Forgetting your tablet in your hotel room or losing your phone in a gas station bathroom is bad enough without being exaggerated by the loss of precious photos or important files.
2) Out of sight, out of a thief's mind - Do not ever leave your gadgets on the seat or floor of your car (even when not travelling). With the proper equipment, a thief can break a window and grab your gadget within a few seconds. Leaving your gadgets sitting in plain sight can turn a fun vacation into an awful one.
3) Give it space - When travelling, many people put their laptops into a backpack or briefcase. However, keeping your laptop in such a case--especially when it is still on--can damage internal components. If you can store your laptop in a place where it has some additional breathing room, then do it. If you must store your device in a bag, do not turn your device off and then immediately store it. The heat from the battery can cause problems for your device, even leading to fires.
4) Charge it properly - Over the years, there have been numerous opinions about how you should charge your devices. Much of the bad information out there is actually correct information being stated about the wrong type of battery. Since almost all devices now use lithium-ion batteries, going through a complete discharge cycle (run it until the battery is almost completely dead and then charge it back up to 100%) can shorten the battery's lifespan. It is much better to keep your battery power between 40% and 80% and to charge in small amounts more frequently. Obviously, this can be troublesome when travelling, but using car chargers or portable batteries can make this easier.
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