How to Use Your Laptop in Columbia

Many people plan a relaxing vacation to Columbia to escape the chaos of work and everyday life. Being out of touch can bring stresses of its own, though, and taking a laptop to Columbia can provide peace of mind by putting you just a click away from your friends and business associates. Follow these steps to stay in touch with them.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Surge protector
• Ethernet network cable
• Insurance policy
• USB cable to connect your digital camera to your laptop
• Phone cord and adapter
• Laptop
• Transformer

1. Purchase a short-term insurance policy for your laptop before you travel to Columbia. If your laptop is stolen, this plan will cover your loss (see Resources below).
2. Prepare for differences in electricity. You may need an adapter plug to accommodate type "B" plugs in Columbia, and you may also need a transformer. Check the voltage of the transformer block on your laptop. If it cannot handle 110V, 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 a connection solution.
5. Locate Wi-Fi hotspots to use wireless Internet access on the go. Search a directory of Wi-Fi hotspots to find connections in Columbia (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 that the phone line in your hotel room is analog before connecting to the Internet. Digital phone lines are not safe for your modem.
• Back up all important data before you use your laptop in Columbia in case your computer is stolen.

Who Can Help:

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