For the first time in the Internet era, I took an overnight business trip and left my laptop at home.
I’ve been thinking of going laptopless on a trip for a while because of the extra weight, security hassle, risk, etc. Also, my book is done, so I’m not furiously typing all the time. With all the talk recently in the media about laptopless meetings, I decided to go the extra trip and have a laptopless trip.
On Monday, I flew from LA to Oakland for a talk early Tuesday AM. It’s a short flight and a quick trip, so I hatched a simple plan: Bring my suitcase, glasses, a book, my Iphone and a USB stick filled with emergency files (my database, my powerpoints, etc.).
How did it go? I read most of a book (Michael Port’s new one on biz-life management), saved $13.00 on hotel internet access and kept up with important email via my Iphone. I sailed through security and even saved enough time to catch an earlier flight home from Oakland.
Now that I’ve done this, I can carry my baby Martin guitar as my second carry on item. No more boredom on the road!
Will this work for long haul or multi-day trips? Maybe not. After all, I need my files, letter writing capability, etc. However, I’m pretty stuck on the idea of my suitcase replacing my briefcase, so I might choose Guy Kawasaki’s solution in the long run.
