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I travel around with two MacBook Pros, two smartphones, and a PS4. All of this fits in my backpack, and it’s a mild pain to go through airport security, but it

I travel around with two MacBook Pros, two smartphones, and a PS4. All of this fits in my backpack, and it’s a mild pain to go through airport security, but it’s not too bad. What I’d do is ask yourself which of these things you REALLY need and take those in a carry on. Putting laptops in checked luggage may be difficult, as they don’t like lithium ion batteries because of the risk of fire in the luggage compartment. Shipping used electronics is risky, probably expensive, and perhaps impossible. It all depends on how customs works. For example, shipping a laptop to Mexico with an import partner is quite difficult, and Indonesia may not allow it at all. Shipping to a Western European country may require paying a lot in import duties. What I’d do if I were you I’d this. Put everything you can carry into one backpack. Put the stuff you could afford to lose in a carry on suitcase, which they could potentially make you check if overhead luggage is full (pack with some padding, like put things between your clothes or whatever). Try carrying it through and see what happens. They may not stop you, and if they do, just be prepared to pay a fee or abandon your equipment. Another option could be just making two trips, or paying someone to fly with you. You can encrypt drives if you want, but that could be a pain if they ask you to turn in the equipment. That happens. Maybe just backup the stuff you need and wipe the drives if you’re really concerned about security. Good luck!

devilbunny 4y ago
My standard travel carryon when I'm with my wife has a laptop, an iPad, two Kindles, a big bag of chargers (helpful at security - you can pull it out and let them re-run the main bag, and they only have to physically inspect the chargers, which will turn out to be a boring pile of wires), two good-capacity batteries, two spare cell phones (neither of us can afford to have cell phone outages lasting more than a few hours), noise-cancelling headphones, and a digital camera or two. She carries her own laptop, headphones, and iPad because otherwise my shoulder will fall off. In Germany, a security officer once pulled me aside and said "so... many... electronics..." and I politely pulled them all out and showed them. Once they realized that I just travel heavy, it was nothing. It's not what I would take to China on business (that would be a cheap Android phone with a prepaid SIM that would be discarded entirely on return), but I've taken it to Kenya and Tanzania, the Caribbean, Western and Central Europe, Canada, and Mexico. If none of them batted an eye at that for a trip of two weeks or less, I don't imagine they will care much if you're actually moving.

devilbunny 4y ago

My standard travel carryon when I'm with my wife has a laptop, an iPad, two Kindles, a big bag of chargers (helpful at security - you can pull it out and let them re-run the main bag, and they only have to physically inspect the chargers, which will turn out to be a boring pile of wires), two good-capacity batteries, two spare cell phones (neither of us can afford to have cell phone outages lasting more than a few hours), noise-cancelling headphones, and a digital camera or two. She carries her own laptop, headphones, and iPad because otherwise my shoulder will fall off. In Germany, a security officer once pulled me aside and said "so... many... electronics..." and I politely pulled them all out and showed them. Once they realized that I just travel heavy, it was nothing. It's not what I would take to China on business (that would be a cheap Android phone with a prepaid SIM that would be discarded entirely on return), but I've taken it to Kenya and Tanzania, the Caribbean, Western and Central Europe, Canada, and Mexico. If none of them batted an eye at that for a trip of two weeks or less, I don't imagine they will care much if you're actually moving.