In the digital age, we have grown accustomed to a travel style that relies heavily on smartphones, apps, and having the best travel laptops on the market.
Advancements in technology have completely changed travel over the past few decades. The improving technology opens the door to many opportunities that didn't exist in previous generations.
The more connected you are, the more opportunities you will receive. Many travelers prefer to carry a lightweight laptop to stay connected. However, choosing the best travel laptop is not always easy. With so many options, it is no wonder people can't decide.
We have created a Laptop Buyer's Guide for backpackers and digital nomads that should help you choose the best laptop for your travels.
Table of Contents
Choosing a Travel Laptop
First, you need to determine your use for the laptop. Will it primarily be used for chatting on Zoom with your family back home? Will you run your internet business from it or use it primarily for travel research and price checks?
Which laptop you choose relies heavily on your wants and needs, but here's a short list of the most important specifications for travelers and a range you should look for in each:
Size and Weight
As travelers, size and weight are two of the most significant aspects to think about for laptop travel. A big, bulky computer that weighs as much as a brick probably won't be as beneficial as a slim laptop that can easily be thrown into a small daypack. Try to keep the weight around three pounds, with no more than a 13-inch screen size-of course, the lighter and smaller, the better.
Price
It is safe to say most budget travelers don't have a lot of money to spend on a laptop because we'd rather use it for traveling. So, a low price is often a significant factor, and we will share the best budget laptops for travel later.
Battery Life
That old 1999 laptop probably has a battery life of about 15 seconds. Will that be much help on a 10-hour bus ride? Look at how long the battery will last before making a purchase.
There's not much sense in bringing a laptop that can hardly operate away from an electrical outlet. Nowadays, you could expect at least nine hours of battery life, especially for a lightweight, transportable laptop.
Specifications
Speed, memory, hard drive, graphics, and so on; these are the most essential hardware aspects of buying a laptop. Consider your laptop's primary purpose while traveling, and choose specs that fit your needs. Those who will need more firepower, make sure you accommodate the need.
Safety and Value
Depending on where you travel, it's important to acknowledge that foreigners are often the target of theft. Would you be able to deal with your travel laptop getting damaged or stolen?
If it's just too valuable, you might want to get a less special laptop (depending on what you plan on doing). Often, it is best to shop for a second-hand laptop if you don't want the stress of continuously worrying about the security of your new laptop.
Our Recommended Laptops (2019)
Best Travel Laptops (Apple)
13" MacBook Air (Retina Display)
Apple produces stylish, cutting-edge laptops with incredible functionality and an array of attractive features. The latest 13" MacBook Air weighs just 2.75 pounds and is a mere .61" thick.
The laptop features a fast 1.6GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor, 8GB RAM, and a 128GB hard drive, which can be upgraded to 256 GB. The battery should last about 12 hours and is available in three colors: silver, space grey, and gold. Now that it features a Retina display, the latest 13" MacBook Air is the best travel laptop on the market today.
The biggest drawback is the cost, which starts at $999. Depending on which upgrades you choose, it can quickly become much pricier, too. While it uses flash memory storage, less prone to problems than regular hard drives, you might consider the MacBook Air too valuable to risk tossing in a backpack.
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13" MacBook Pro
- Portability: 3 lbs
- Battery Life: 9.5-hour battery
- Storage Space: 128GB or 256GB SSD
- Processing Power: 2.3GHz quad-core Intel Core i5
- Operating System: iOS
- Touch Bar
The 13" MacBook Pro is the dream laptop for all graphics and video designers. If you are running an online business, doing some serious blogging, or taking professional photos, it doesn't get much better than this. It's the ultimate digital nomad pick!
It is installed with a lightning-quick processor (with boost capabilities), the usual monster hard drive, a 9+ hour battery life, and a Retina display, perfect for all online workers.
The 13" MacBook Pro's base model costs around $1,700. The drawbacks are virtually all budget-related. This is the pinnacle of laptop travel. Ask yourself if you need all the features and style before selecting a laptop that will keep you awake at night worrying about its security in your backpack.
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Best Travel Laptops (PC)
Dell XPS 13
- Portability: 2.7 lbs
- Battery Life: 9.5-hour battery
- Storage Space: 128GB
- Processing Power: 3.1GHz Intel Core i5
- Operating System: Windows 10
At 2.7 pounds, the Dell XPS 13 is one of the lightest, most powerful laptops on the market. Its 9.5-hour battery life will last the duration of your cross-continent flight while you watch Netflix. For those who prefer to stick to PC's, Dell seems to have developed a solid choice in its XPS 13.
For less than $900, you could save some serious money by purchasing a laptop with just as much power as any Apple product. The 13-inch screen size is a bonus as it is ideal for travelers who do a lot of their business online.
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Best Budget Laptops for Travel
Samsung Chromebook 3
- Portability: 2.5 lbs
- Battery Life: 9.5 hours of battery
- Storage Space: 32 GB SSD
- Processing Power: 1.6-GHz Intel Celeron N3060 processor
- Operating System: Google Chrome
These days, netbooks seem to be getting more advanced by the day, and every company is launching its own version. Netbooks are essentially made for using the Internet and are decent for small, daily computer tasks like looking at photos, writing, or watching movies.
They usually have moderate processors and medium-sized hard drives and are attractive for their minimal size (7-10 inches), low weight, and low cost.
The most significant drawback of netbooks is that they have smaller-than-normal keyboards that can feel cramped and be frustrating when editing photos or performing complex computer tasks. The Samsung Chromebook 3 is a great little laptop for travelers who don't need a lot.
Sometimes, less is more -- especially if you're looking for a laptop that isn't so valuable as to kill your savings account if something happens while traveling. It is also light enough (2.5 pounds) to hardly notice it is in your backpack in the first place.
There are plenty of netbooks, so what makes the Samsung 3 stand out? For less than $180, you can easily overlook the lack of specifications, precisely the tradeoff you are looking for in a budget laptop for travel.
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Best Travel Tablet
Microsoft Surface Pro 4
- Portability: 1.7 lbs
- Battery Life: 8-hour battery
- Storage Space: 128 GB SSD
- Processing Power: 3 GHz Intel Core i5
- Operating System: Windows 10 Pro
By far and away, the most convenient way to travel with the luxury of a large screen without all the power of a laptop is via a tablet. Fortunately, the Surface Pro is as powerful as your ordinary travel laptop.
The Surface Pro has always been at the top of the industry, and the newest model is no different. At 1.7 pounds, you can't ask for much lighter, which is one of the key components of a great travel laptop. Surface Pro isn't the cheapest tablet on the market, but it doesn't perform like it.
>> Click here to see it on Amazon
Popular Software Programs
Of course, the software programs you have installed depend on your intentions for your laptop while traveling. Some laptops may come installed with all the software you need, while others may need an upgrade.
Photo Editing
- Adobe Lightroom
- Adobe Photoshop
Video Editing
- Adobe Premiere Elements
- Final Cut Express (Mac only)
Cloud Services
Whether you pay for your cloud service or get access to free cloud space, online database storage is key for travelers who don't want to be bothered by the hassle of lugging around external hard drives or keeping track of small USB sticks.
The cloud is perfect for offloading your phone or camera, as you've probably accumulated hundreds or thousands of travel photographs and videos. Using the cloud rather than physical storage ensures you will not lose those precious memories.
Below are some of the best cloud services:
- Google Drive
- Dropbox
- Microsoft OneDrive
- pCloud
- Apple iCloud
- Flickr
- SmugMug
Buying a Travel Laptop
Assess your style of traveling and your needs. Bringing a laptop along isn't always the brightest idea. Break down the times you may or may not use your computer and the potential benefits of having one with you. Do the pros outweigh the cons? If so, you may consider purchasing one of these laptops for your next trip.
P.S. - All of the companies mentioned here are ones we've used ourselves. If you found this article helpful and plan to buy one of the laptops we mentioned, please consider purchasing it after clicking one of the links. We'll earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you, which will be used to pay our writers.