Everyone wants a laptop because it’s portable, but there are some important aspects of travelling with your laptop that you need to remember.  The last thing you want is to damage your laptop or have it stolen, so keep some of these things in mind when you’re on the go with your computer.

•    Invest in a good laptop bag.  No matter how careful you are, chances are at some point your laptop bag, with your laptop in it, will get dropped or will swing out and hit something.  While you don’t need to invest in the most expensive bag out there (and there are some very expensive bags), you should get one that protects your laptop and has enough room in it for all your cables and accessories.

•    Never leave your laptop unattended.  While it may be tempting to run to the restroom or to go order something while working at a restaurant or café with wireless, don’t do it.  If you aren’t with someone who can watch your laptop, take the time to pack it up and take it with you.  Even if you’re only stepping away for a few minutes, that’s all it takes for someone to steal your laptop.

•    Be sure to take your power cord with you if you’re going to be working for several hours.  You never know when your battery is going to run down.

•    Keep your virus scanner and other security programs up to date.  Since you’ll be logging on to a variety of networks, you should never trust that they will be secured or have any sort of firewalls active.  Protect your own computer; don’t rely on others to do so.

When you find your cheap laptop buy, you might think you know exactly how much money you’ll be spending.  However, you may discover that there are other things you need to purchase for your new laptop that will impact your bank account more than you expected.

The first item you may want to purchase is a laptop mouse, especially if you don’t like using touch pads.  Laptop mice come in two types: corded and cordless.  Both generally take up one USB slot on your laptop.  Laptop mice aren’t usually that much, and while you could purchase a regular mouse to use with your cheap laptop, mice designed specifically for laptops are usually smaller and easier to fit in a bag.

Speaking of bags, you’ll want a nice bag or hard case to carry your laptop around in.  You can find some very cheap bags for laptops, but the old saying that “you get what you pay for” definitely applies here.  Cheaper bags often don’t have as many extra pockets for your laptop accessories, and some aren’t as well padded.  If you know you’ll be taking your laptop everywhere with you, you may want to invest in a laptop bag that’s going to protect your computer and take a lot of daily wear and tear.

Chances are you’ll be offered a long-term service plan or warranty along with your laptop.  On one hand, purchasing one of these can be helpful since it will save you money if your laptop breaks down later, but it can add more to your bill than you might like and it may seem like wasted money if you never need to use it.

There are a number of other items you might need to purchase with your laptop.  They include headphones, blank CDs or DVDs, or a USB hub if you will be using a lot of USB devices at once and will need more ports.  While each of these is fairly cheap individually, if you need to purchase them all at once, expect your overall bill to be a lot more than you were expecting.