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Anyone regularly fly with two laptops?

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Old Dec 6, 2011 | 1:24 pm
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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.....
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Old Dec 6, 2011 | 1:28 pm
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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.
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Old Dec 6, 2011 | 1:32 pm
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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 Seor"

I frequently travel with 2 laptops and in terms of security I have never had a problem
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Old Dec 6, 2011 | 1:47 pm
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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.
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Old Dec 6, 2011 | 1:54 pm
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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".
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Old Dec 6, 2011 | 2:04 pm
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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...
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Old Dec 6, 2011 | 2:26 pm
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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.
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Old Dec 6, 2011 | 3:23 pm
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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.
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Old Dec 6, 2011 | 3:26 pm
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Originally Posted by Snoopy
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.
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Old Dec 6, 2011 | 4:04 pm
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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.
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Old Dec 6, 2011 | 4:21 pm
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Dunno, I take aNook, iPhone and an iPad. Is that three computers?

Cheers

Last edited by X3Skier; Dec 7, 2011 at 10:49 am Reason: add a nook
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Old Dec 6, 2011 | 4:50 pm
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Originally Posted by X3Skier
Dunno, I take an iPhone and an iPad. Is that two computers?

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Do they run Android or Linux? If not, no....
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Old Dec 6, 2011 | 7:38 pm
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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.
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Old Dec 6, 2011 | 7:54 pm
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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.
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Old Dec 6, 2011 | 9:01 pm
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Originally Posted by stueys
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...
Will Photoshop Elements run on a tablet?
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