Anyone regularly fly with two laptops?
 

What issues have you encountered. Do airport security have any issues with this?

I ask on behalf of a friend who works for a very large IT outfit who've just gotten a little bit creepy/obtrusive with their security policies and monitoring. This potentially includes key logging and certainly includes the blocking of any software that is not approved by the organisation. As such, for longer trips, he's thinking of taking his personal laptop along with the corporate Dell for things like online banking, running his own software (Photoshop Elements, for example, which is "Not approved") and so on. Accordingly, two laptops would be useful.....

Average going through 20-30 security screenings each year carrying multiple laptops with nary a word. Only consideration is with flights with a 15 lb (7 kg) weight limit on carry-ons where I pick a simple bag which doesn't look like it's carrying that much weight.

Beware countries where they only permit entry with one laptop
Peru for example where I had a MacBook Pro and a Lenovo x100e

I had to nominate one to pay duty on and they googled its cost and charged me 18%.

Not a full summary of the rules there but worth checking out before travel. Unfortunately "how about I smash this piece of crap Lenovo into a thousand pieces against this steel bench?" was met with a stern "No Señor"

I frequently travel with 2 laptops and in terms of security I have never had a problem

Thanks - that's one I'd forgotten about. I once had some explaining to do in Fiji because I had a company laptop and also a NetBook (early model with SSD drive) checked in as a spare internet device.

No problems between here and the US. Regularly do it and also with cards/adapters/gubbins for machines too.

As for his company getting creepy, software is being developed to monitor every single keystroke, movement, site, etc on corporate computers and it will only be a few years before it hits home under the guise of "time recording".

Used to do every week in the uk and us, never an issue. Have to say though I would buy a tablet if I was your friend...

I'd agree on the tablet suggestion.

I travel with two laptops from time to time and haven't heard a peep...though at LGA a couple weeks ago, the checkpoint was almost deserted and the TSA xray operator came over to ask if both my laptops had SSDs (they do). We had a nice little chat.

The only place I have had an issue was in India. They wanted to charge me duty on one of them. I was friendly and said that I was there to do business with the government. The customs officer was pleasant but insistent. Then I asked for a receipt...and then his attitude changed completely. He went to talk to his boss, came back (ever smiling) and said that this once he would let me through with a warning but to please bear it in mind for next time. :)

Security has never been an issue.

India would have been after a bribe.

If the harddrive is easy to remove, you could probably just purchase your own drive and swap it in and out as you please. a bit easier then carrying 2 laptops.

Dunno, I take aNook, iPhone and an iPad. Is that three computers?;)

Cheers

Do they run Android or Linux? If not, no....:D

I usually bring an iPad, work laptop and personal laptop. It's a pain but haven't had any issues yet, although the travel was only for domestic since we're not allowed to bring work laptops overseas.

It's been a while, but for a few years I traveled with two or three all the time (usually flying to drop them off at a branch office). Never had a problem, but since they were new always had the receipts for them.

Will Photoshop Elements run on a tablet?

:mad:+1 from me. I fly weekly between NZ and Melbourne. I have given up on carrying a laptop and converted to an iPad. much easier, better battery life and much less to carry around. Anything that I can't do on my iPad (which is not much) can wait till I get to the other end.

Thinking about going all the way and converting from my Blackberry to an iPhone as well.

Flew many times through and to different destinations in Europe. Never had any problems.

Make sure to take a mobile phone as well. :D

This is the same problem in China as reported to me by a client of mine but not strictly enforced.

I travel with 2 domestically all the time (for the last 3 years) with no problem at all. My employer has similar policies & has pretty well locked-down the laptops, with full monitoring and DLP software.

So I carry the company computer and a personal netbook. No issues at security, but sometimes dirty looks from other passengers as it takes a few seconds longer. The only potential issue is when they try and separate you from your stuff during pat-downs or opt-outs. More to watch.

I also have an iPad, which is OK but limited in it's functionality. The iPad doesn't usually go with me on trips, though it may make it on my next same-day mileage run.

I don't know Photoshop Elements, isn't that the cheap/free version of Photoshop that sometimes comes with cameras?

I use Photoshop, Illustrator and Lightroom on my laptop so probably a bit heavy for a tablet. But I heard about Photoshop Express last week and your comment reminded me to download it for a fiddle on my iPad & iPhone.

Going to have a fiddle with it now

There is also now Photoshop Touch if you're on Android and I think they are working on an iPad version. Really research it though as I've heard it has a few caveats that might not make it as appealing as it first looks.

Have travelled a fair amount (including India) with an Ipad and a notebook. No-one ever asked anything. Indeed the only place the two were seen together was at the security check and no-one has ever been interested.

I've traveled a few times this year (domestically) with all of the following--

* company laptop (was a Lenovo Thinkpad 15")
* Apple MacBook Air 11"
* Kindle
* iPhone
* work Blackberry

The first time I did it with both computers, I didn't know to put them in separate bins, and of the TSA person was a bit snarky about it. But I've learned from that experience.

Same is going on with my work, when I travel I try to avoid doing too much personal stuff on the work laptop. The MacBook Air makes a great add-on, since it isn't too heavy.

After doing this a couple of times though, my backpack/laptop bag was pretty heavy. Conveniently timed, a month ago I had to get a new work computer (every 3 years), and I selected the 12.5" Thinkpad. What a world of difference in weight -v- the 15" ^

I just tried Photoshop Express, it is a bit crappy, like iPhoto light but right there on the iPhone without having to sync it.

I suppose if you are the sort of person that would take a photo of a car crash and absolutely had to put a basic vignette on it then tweet it then it'll work out for you.

It also lets you straighten photos if like me you have one leg shorter than the other. It's a bit of fun, nothing else.

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Just take the receipts with you proving that you paid duty/tax on it somewhere else.

So I read that the TSA had officially stated that the MBA 11 is small enough that it doesn't have to be scanned, but I still take mine out at security, because it is not really a big deal and I'm sure if you run into a new agent or someone who doesn't know the policy (which is weird anyway), you'll end up wasting more time overall.

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They make it up as they go along. I always take mine out to avoid the muppets going through my entire bag.

Just to be clear, Photoshop Touch is a different program than Photoshop Express but it does still have certain limits that might make it not as attractive as it first looks on "paper".

Yikes! I didn't even think about Australia being an issue. I'll have to go see if I can find something on this. I was planning on taking a 17" laptop and an Asus Transformer with its keyboard dock. (Which they will instantly call a laptop.)

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I found this on the Australian Customs site:

"Visitors including business people and students can bring such items as desktop or laptop computers and similar electronic equipment duty free into Australia provided Customs is satisfied these items are intended to be taken with them on departure."

Should be ok, I would think.

If the flight is international you should check the customs law, as the regulations in many countries allow one laptop per passenger. Central America, Panama, Brazil, Dominican Republic.

Elements won't though you can get basic photo editing apps as others have said. Also adobe have just launched a cloud based solution that looks neat, not tried it though.

If anyone does know a way to access an elements library from an iPad I'd be delighted. Mine all sis on my NAS and is painful to access.

That's interesting to know. I'm flying on Friday, I guess if I have enough time, I can leave it in my backpack and see what happens :p
I do keep it in the sleeve at security (something I bought at the Apple store) and I've never been questioned about that.

Before my MBA 11" I used a Dell mini 10", and I always took that out, just never knew any better. If I really want to be a stickler, I could take both and leave them both in my backpack ;)

I could post over in the TSS forum and see what the experts say.

My husband and I just got back (to CPH via AMS) from the U.S. on Monday. I was carrying a Lenovo Thinkpad, iPad2 and Kindle (and a GPS). He was carrying a Macbook Pro, Macbook Air, iPad2 and Kindle (plus android phone and a few other small electronic gadgets). No problems at all, although his carry-on was opened and swiped.

We've traveled for years between Europe and the U.S. with multiple laptops and netbooks, usually always having at least a laptop plus netbook each.

Susan

I've been in and out of countries with limits on electronics such as cellphones and laptops and when asked, I usually tell them that one is a work issued device and is only supposed to have work stuff on it and the other is personal for my personal things. Usually have no problem there with 2 or 3 laptops or cellphones.

I regularly travel with at least one laptop, an iPad, two to four PDAs along with the associated cables, connectors, etc... Sometimes I also take my Mac Book Air. Most of the time no second look at security. Once in a blue moon they take a look inside my bag, probably due to all the wires they see.

Never really have any problems.