How to Use Your Laptop in Chile

Many travel to Chile to ski or vacation, but being out of touch, with your workaday world far away, can have some stresses. Take along your laptop when you visit Chile, and you'll have peace of mind knowing that your friends and business are just a click away. Using your laptop in Chile is easy when you follow the right procedures. Here's how.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• USB cable for digital camera
• Plug adapter
• Surge protector
• Ethernet network cable
• Phone cord
• Phone adapter
• Transformer

1. Purchase a short-term insurance policy for your laptop before you travel to Chile. If your laptop is stolen, this plan will recover your costs. See Resources below for more information.
2. Prepare for differences in electricity. You will need adapter plugs to accommodate plug types "C" and "L" in Chile. You may also need a transformer. Check the transformer block on your laptop to see what voltage capacity it handles. If it cannot handle 220 to 230V, then you will also need to obtain a transformer.
3. Pack an Internet connection kit that contains a spare phone cord, an extra Ethernet network cable, a phone adapter and a surge protector. You may not need all of these items, but it's better to be safe than sorry.
4. Choose a hotel that provides a dataport for laptop modems and free high-speed Internet access. You'll be able to connect to the Internet right from your hotel room. This will save you time and money.
5. Locate Wi-Fi hotspots to use your wireless Internet on the go. See Resources below for a global directory of Wi-Fi hotspots. Find locations in Chile close to where you'll be vacationing.
6. Use an encryption program to back up sensitive data in case your laptop falls into the wrong hands. Truecrypt, a free program, is easy to use because the encryption is real-time and automatic. The correct password will decrypt the data for you.

Tips & Warnings

• Download your photos to your laptop each night so you don't run out of camera memory.
• Charge your laptop battery pack each night.
• Digital phone lines are not safe for your modem. Check that the phone line in your hotel room is analog before connecting to the Internet.
• Back up all important data before you use your laptop in Chile in case your computer is stolen.

Who Can Help:

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