As a travel blogger, the temptation to take a laptop with me on every trip is a difficult one to break, with the reassuring keyboard meaning it is possible to work wherever travel takes me.
However, I’m increasingly seeing that the gap between tablet and laptop has narrowed significantly, and with portable keyboards and powerful tablet computers, it is just as handy to travel with a tablet.
Weight Benefits
The first key feature of the tablet computer is that it is really light when compared to a laptop, with even the lightest and most efficient laptops weighing over 2 pounds, while tablet computers can easily come in at less than a quarter of that weight.
Not only does this mean that your back will appreciate having less weight to carry as you travel, but if you are aiming to travel light and only take carry-on luggage, then the weight saving makes complete sense. Even if you include a portable keyboard with the tablet computer, the weight is still significantly less than that of a laptop.
Flexibility Of Modern Tablet Computers
Another of the important aspects of using tablets is that they are increasingly flexible and offer software that can genuinely match the kind of functionality that is available through a laptop, and this ranges from spreadsheet and word processing software through to apps for preparing presentations.
This means that taking a tablet computer can still allow you to be productive and to work even if you are without the bulky laptop.
Travel Apps For Tablet Computers
One of the great aspects of using a tablet over a laptop is that there are a wealth of applications that you can use which will help to enrich your travel experience. These travel apps can range from maps and digital guides to walking tours through to augmented reality programs that allow you to use your tablet to display a variety of facilities in the area you’re visiting.
Many people will already have a cell phone which can be used for these apps, but I find that the larger screen of the tablet is a lot more user friendly.
Entertainment As You Travel
We’ve all been in that position after a few hours of travel where reading a book just doesn’t quite cut the boredom, and what the tablet computer offers is a range of entertainment options, including movies, games and music.
Laptop screens are usually designed for traditional computer work, while the screens of tablets offer a much better viewing experience for movies and TV shows, as well as offering a great selection of games, many of which have graphics that are very impressive.
Editing & Sharing Photos From The Road
While tablets still don’t have cameras to rival that of even a smartphone (and should probably never be used as a camera anyways in my opinion *cringe*), there are some amazing photo editing apps!
Using WiFi or adapters, you can easily transfer photos to your tablet and edit them using a great range of travel photography apps that are available for tablet computers, before being shared and published online.
Cost Of Buying And Replacing A Tablet
The difference in price between a laptop and a tablet computer also makes taking a tablet on your trip a more practical option. If you are at the point where you are choosing between buying a new laptop or a tablet, whether you are going for budget options or the top end equipment, the cost difference is significant.
While a good travel insurance policy will cover both a laptop and a tablet, the reduced cost and hassle of replacing a tablet makes it a much better option for travel.
Thank you for sharing! I think tablets bring many great things to the table especially when it comes to traveling.
Awesome points! I really made use of subway map applications on my tablet while I was abroad, and uploading pictures day by day was so much easier than uploading them to a laptop and going through hundreds of photos at once.