How to Use Your Laptop in Aruba

Many people travel to Aruba to escape the realities and chaos of work. Upon arrival, though, many of these people realize that being out of touch with the world brings stresses of its own. Taking a laptop allows you to enjoy vacation just a click away from your friends and business. Follow these steps to use it while you're away.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• Phone cord and phone adapter
• Surge protector
• USB cable
• Ethernet network cable
• Insurace policy
• Laptop
• Transformer

1. Purchase a short-term insurance policy for your laptop before you travel to Aruba. If your laptop is stolen, this plan will cover your loss (see Resources below).
2. Plan for differences in electricity. You may need an adapter plug to accommodate for type "A" and "B" plugs in Aruba, and you may also need a transformer. Check the transformer block on your laptop to see what voltage capacity it is compatible with. If it cannot handle 115 to 127 volts, buy 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 data port for laptop modems and free high-speed Internet access. You'll be able to connect to the Internet right from your hotel room and won't have to spend time or money finding an Internet cafe.
5. Locate Wi-Fi hotspots to use wireless Internet access on the go. Search a directory of Wi-Fi hotspots to find connections in Aruba (see Resources below).
6. Use an encryption program to back up sensitive data in case your laptop falls into the wrong hands. TrueCrypt is an easy, free program that encrypts data automatically in real-time (see Resources below). 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 memory on your camera.
• Don't forget to charge your laptop battery pack each night.
• Make sure the phone line in your hotel room is analog before connecting to the Internet. Digital phone lines are not safe for your modem.
• Backup all important data before you leave for Aruba in case your computer is stolen.

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