No one wants a 10-pound weight on the shoulder while strolling by the Eiffel Tower in Paris, perusing the Prado in Spain or walking the streets of NYC. One way to lighten the load is by subbing your laptop for a tablet. It’s light, portable and there are a range of hotels in metropolitan areas like New York, London and Paris where you can check in with just an iPad app.
However, you might have to get more heavy duty work to get done while you’re on the go, and your tablet just might not cut it when it comes to functionality. For these situations, there are a host of handy dandy peripherals and apps. By investing in the right accessories and programs and using just a little bit of ingenuity, you will have the equivalent of a laptop at a fraction of the size.
Use a USB or a Wireless Keyboard
Many tablets have built-in support for wireless keyboards, mice and other peripherals. If your tablet does not, pick up a USB OTG (On-The-Go) for the same effect. Do not rely on the touchscreen keyboards, as you will be too busy using the screen for other applications. Try out a keyboard case, which is a wireless keyboard, tablet case and stand all together, so you can easily see the tablet screen while browsing for Broadway shows in your New York City hotel room or booking reservations for Fouquet’s Paris from your room at the Renaissance Paris Vendome Hotel.
Choose the Right Apps for Your Needs
Business travelers and journalists often need to edit documents and spreadsheets quickly as they set up an office away from home. Whether you’re working on your tablet from the Club Quarters, Wall Street during a finance trip to New York or covering a political event from your home base at the JW Marriott Washington DC, you should choose an office suite that lets you work with documents effortlessly, and keep your storage in the cloud to minimize memory clutter on your tablet.
Many of your traditional computer programs are available in app form, so you can easily recreate your desktop setup in a smaller format. If you have some business-specific programs that do not have an app equivalent, leave your laptop at home and use a remote access app to log in from your tablet.
Manage Your Data in the Cloud
If you are traveling to tour potential colleges or interview for jobs in your future home, you will need easy access to a lot of your personal documents. Use a cloud storage solution to keep all of your documents in one place, and use a note-capturing app to collect data to review when you return home.
You can also import your existing browser bookmarks to your tablet’s web browser, so you can check in on all of your favorite websites in a snap. Many websites have developed their own apps as well, so you can easily catch up on the latest news.
You may have never considered turning your tablet into a laptop, but the process is surprisingly easy. Save room in your carry on luggage and set up your miniaturized version of a laptop in moments. The ease and convenience will make you reconsider lugging around your laptop ever again.
