Have Laptop Will Travel

How will two identical laptops fare in the hands of a child from a highly-developed country and a child from a developing country? For the purpose of easier comparison, let us all think for a while in the line of the advantages associated with the privileged and the limitations related to the less-privileged.  A laptop in the hands of a child from the US or UK is probably a necessity in studying.  Almost every child of school-age will have one or at least have easy access to one.  On the other side of the world particularly in countries like Cambodia or Ethiopia, a laptop is a luxury, falling behind a long list of more pressing necessities such as food, shelter, and clothing.

Given this reality, all children regardless of status in life would want to have equal access to the opportunities presented by technology and whatever advancement it brings.  This would probably explain the pictures of joy as seen on the recipients’ faces after receiving their own laptop through the highly-controversial “One Laptop Per Child” or OLPC initiative.  After having to share one textbook with at least five other kids in class, is it at all surprising to feel such amazement in having a technological gadget which one can call his/her own?

Children who have automatic access to equipments such as a laptop are not only lucky because of  their availability but also because of the prevailing physical convenience around them and the level of support available to them to maximize its use.  The same cannot be said for the recipients of the free laptop in a third world country who obviously do not have the capacity and the ability to maximize the use of what they got.  Unless a government agency or a non-government organization makes sure that the recipients and the teachers have been properly supported by funding and training, we can be pretty sure that the laptop will just go back straight to the box, never to serve its purpose of education.

Such wasted money for the purchasing country, such wasted learning opportunity for the child.

If you are anything like me, then your laptop is your lifeline. I work on my laptop, attend school on my laptop, keep up with my socializing on my laptop . . . and, overall, use my laptop to manage my life. I don’t know what I would do if something were to happen to my laptop. Therefore, when I travel with my laptop I take extra special precautions to ensure its safety. I will share with you what I know, so that you can protect your precious friend, too. Here are five tips for protecting your laptop while traveling:

Electrical protection. You may not know that you’ll have a stable or reliable electrical current where you are going, so it’s always a good idea to carry a voltage converter and a surge protector that is compatible with your plug adapter.
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The life of a travel writer is one shrouded in mystery, and is often a source of daydreams and fantasies for some people who love to travel, but committed to the daily grind. Of course, being a travel writer takes some work and discipline (after all, it is a career), but overall, it is hard to say that there are any real drawbacks to being a travel writer. If you need some convincing, here are some benefits of becoming a travel writer:

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If you are a travel writer who runs a niche blog, then you’ll be happy to know that you can increase your blog’s monetization by finding sponsors for your travel blog. Sponsors are third-party entities who pay you money to allow them into your blog in some form or another. For example, you may have sponsors who display advertising on your blog, or who ask you to write blog posts supporting their products or services – usually both. Blog sponsorship is a great way to fund your travels and put a little cash in your pocket, and all you have to do is partner up with them and do what you love to do the most: travel and write. So, how do you go about getting blog sponsorships? Here are some pointers for how to find sponsors for your travel blog:

Be prepared to provide quality. If you want to find sponsors that are interested in your blog, you must be able to prove that your blog is worth sponsoring. Basically, what’s in it for them? Travel blog or not, if you don’t have a quality blog and a good, strong readership, then that’s where you need to start. Once you can prove to potential sponsors that they will make more sales if they sponsor your blog, you are ready to find sponsors.
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If you travel a lot, and you are a writer, chances are you can combine your two loves into a lucrative money-making opportunity. Travel magazines are always looking for insightful, well-written travel articles, and you may be able to convince a travel publication to finance all or part of your travels in exchange for some great content. If you want to make your travel pay, here are some tips for querying travel magazines.

Writing samples. First off, you are going to have to provide proof of your travel writing acumen. Prepare some of your best writing samples – preferably published – for submission to travel magazines. Remember that travel writing is a bit different from standard article writing, so your writing samples should be of the travel writing genre. If you don’t yet have any travel articles published, then submit some articles to travel publications without seeking compensation, so that you can use the pieces as virtual references when you query about compensated travel writing.

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