Should I bring laptop and camera?

[thegermandude]

hey. I'm going to Mexico and I'm thinking about taking my laptop with me. It's extra weight. but that bothers me not, what worries me do I get mugged If I have stuff like that with me?

thanks
Chris

[bote]

I'd say it's not worth the hassle. Even if you don't get mugged, you'll still be more stressed than you would be otherwise, if you're carrying valuables. Better not to have things you care much about, or have to look out for-
that way you're more free.

[gqsmoothie]

I'd bring the camera but I'd leave the laptop.

[eric_lco]

camera for sure. But just remember, the less you have and the more you can give up, the more free you truly are. =)

~peace~

[koss_2004]

laptop is more lbs. A camera is all u need with a flash card to send to family of the pic. theres must be a place u can go and take the flash card with u and post it online.

[thegermandude]

hey guys! thanks for the advise, but think I can't do it without my laptop. need to stay in contact and need a place where I can store my pictures. I got a light laptop, so I hope it more an enrichment than a burden.

[andrewdeham2]

I remember the first and only time I thought I couldn't do it without my laptop. I got over it in three weeks and couldn't get rid of it fast enough. Your laptop may only weigh six pounds or less, but when you start adding up the power cable, the bag, and anything else.. it starts making less sense.

Regardless man, I've spent quite a bit of time in Central America and it depends on the trip. If you're going to sit around in some Americanized resort in Cancun for a couple weeks, you'll be just fine. If you're going to hitch and get off the beaten track, or travel further south into Mexico/Guatemala and beyond, you'll very well run into people who work a whole year or more to make as much money as your computer is worth. Even good people can be tempted to crime when a year's worth of labor is right there for the taking.

Do what you will though. There's a good chance you'll be just fine.

[Raus]

Say, you are a freelance photographer, writer of some kind someone who needs a computer to work, then yes it is worth it..
But there is internet everywhere, even the smallest little villages I visited in Mexico, had some shop with a phone and internet.. I have carried a 10.2 MP digital SLR around Europe hitching for two-three months, and it was very worth it.. But a laptop? I have one 2 Gig card and another 1 Gg card and never lacked for photo space.. I could up load 300 MB to my FTP site for my dad to download back in the states in an hour or two just sitting in the local internet cafe, wherever I was... How large of a camera do you actually have? Will you really need more space than that? You can get internet storage space accessible from anywhere very easily.. Sure I couldn't take RAW format photos while travelling because they would have filled up my cards to fast, but I had my resolution set on the highest JPG setting..

So, no I do not think a laptop is worth it. Unless you are planning on doing paid work on it..

[Scrappy]

I agree with Raus, in that there are computers available with the Internet just about everywhere in Mexico, and for just pennies. Why take a tool with, when there are tools already there for the cheap rental?