who takes their laptop

[jmax]

and other elecs. (cameras etc) on the road with them. Really wantin to take mine (thats why i bought the damn things). Greg, I know you take yours because I've been 'buggin' ya. But I hear the cautions. This will be my first trip, but I've been out of the country before (veteran) 

[Greg]

Hey Jmax,

Well...I used to maintain that unless you were using it to work, leave it at home! All my trips with electronics were significantly different than when I had nothing fragile and expensive to worry about.  Now I see nearly every backpacker in the hostel has a little netbook.

Its really your call...a laptop can be a friend when you need it, and save you a little money on internet cafes...but its also a burden, and maybe a psychological tether to home.

Just my 2 cents.

[Joel]

I have never brought a laptop with on any of my previous trips, or any other expensive electronics for that matter. I would find a full-sized laptop far too heavy and bulky. I do usually carry a simple, inexpensive camera. As for music, I typically prefer to simply take in the local sounds, though I may take an i-pod on my next trip (since the military gave me one and didn't ask for it back). Bringing anything expensive, of any sort, would make me nervous. If the loss or destruction of a particular item would cause you heartbreak or upset you financial situation, I would leave it behind.   

I will be leaving shortly for a one to two year trip to various destinations in Asia, Africa and the Middle East, which will likely culminate in four years of study in Nepal. I want to spend a great deal of this time writing (fiction as well as a possible stab at travel writing), so I will be taking a cheap netbook with me. If not for my desire to write, I would likely not take anything, as I generally attempt to travel as lightly as possible, and I have an aversion to stress. I suppose it depends upon how much you intend to use the laptop, and for what purpose. If your primary concern is email, this is generally available for a pittance in various cafes. 

[Greg]

Hey Joel,

Good advice.  Sounds like one hell of a trip on the radar!  Are you planning to keep a blog or upload pics?  Let me know so I can keep up.

Happy travels!
Greg

BTW:  The army only gave me bad knees...how in the world did you score an IPOD?  hehe

[Joel]

Hey Joel,

Good advice.  Sounds like one hell of a trip on the radar!  Are you planning to keep a blog or upload pics?  Let me know so I can keep up.

Happy travels!
Greg

BTW:  The army only gave me bad knees...how in the world did you score an IPOD?  hehe

Thanks. Don't worry, I got the bad knees as well... As far as the I-pod goes, I was an Arabic linguist, they gave it to me for language maintenance. I am not sure whether I will maintain a blog or anything. Definitely not for the first leg, which will hopefully involve as much independent trekking as my knees can handle.

[Greg]

Wow!  Arabic would have come in very handy a dozen times on the road, especially in Egypt - tough language!

Keep me posted on the trip man, either facebook: http://www.facebook.com/bucho.ky  or email: bucho_ky@yahoo.com

I was a 13F, forward observer.  Learned how to read a map, compass, and call in air strikes...not something I've had to do too often around my neighborhood. 

[Joel]

Wow!  Arabic would have come in very handy a dozen times on the road, especially in Egypt - tough language!

Keep me posted on the trip man, either facebook: http://www.facebook.com/bucho.ky  or email: bucho_ky@yahoo.com

I was a 13F, forward observer.  Learned how to read a map, compass, and call in air strikes...not something I've had to do too often around my neighborhood. 

Will do. That sounds a lot more exciting than anything I ever did, though I can imagine work for a forward observer on the outside is pretty scarce. I have been to a couple of Arabic-speaking nations; Morocco and Jordan. It was incredible being able to speak the language (though Moroccan dialect is almost another language in itself). Egypt is high on my list. After I am finished with Nepal (and before school) I am considering flying to Ethiopia, then making my way to Syria, via Sudan, Egypt, and Israel.