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.
While I agree with you that traveling with just a tablet would be awesome, I have tried it and found blogging from a tablet a very frustrating experience. While you can do some photo editing on one,trying to sort and edit raw images, and then getting the layout right in WordPress almost drove me mad. Also writing on the virtual keyboard gets tiering on longer posts, and I missed a real keyboard.
With the latest lightweight laptops like a Macbook Air the weight difference is really not that big, a laptop is so much more versatile, and has much stronger wi-fi connectivity. Surprisingly often I could not connect with my iPad, while others where surfing away on their laptops. Also not everywhere has WiFi, in Japan for instance at most hotels still only offer a wired internet connection. So now my tablet is home, and the only thing I miss is my iPad magazine subscriptions.
Totally agree that blogging from a tablet is a different story. This post was mostly meant for travel in general and not specifically other bloggers 🙂 But, I still think it’s totally doable. You should try the Blogsy app for iPad. It’s the best WordPress app I’ve found. I actually traveled for an entire year with nothing more than a tablet. RAW images will be a problem with mobile devices (that’s why I don’t shoot in RAW). Everything that ends up on my blog is compressed regardless, so I find that fine res JPEGs are the best option for me. I also find that editing images is sometimes easier on a retina display tablet than even in Lightroom on my Macbook. Something about the touch screen is so helpful. I also got a wireless keyboard for my tablet, which was a game changer. Maybe I’ll make a post on my tips for travel blogging from a tablet. Might be useful for short trips or trips where you want to pack light.
I have not tried Blogsy, great tip, it might have saved me some grey hairs! 🙂 I considered buying a keyboard for the iPad, but in Japan with so few hotels offering wireless internet, I finally broke down, bough a laptop and sent the iPad back home. So yes, I agree it is doable, and great for shorter trips, but after eight months I gave up and decided the weight advantage wasn’t worth the workarounds and the slow workflow.
When I decided to buy a tablet, I feel great to be able to go anywhere, but it can work in conjunction with, without feeling anxious. I used to buy a tablet worth it because my job requires Internet most of the time.