Home > Store > Solution Guides > Mac, iPod, and iPhone Travel Tips
by Jazmin V. Hupp, Tekserve Staff
I fly about 60,000 miles a year and spend a third of my time away from home. Here are some of the hard lessons I've learned between flight delays and crummy airport food.
#1 Protect Your Laptop
I've used several different cases and sleeves to protect my laptops while traveling over the years:
Best 24/7 Protection: A Speck Hard Case adds weight to your laptop but will protect it from scratches and dings totally. Tekserve uses them to protect rental computers and they definitely take the brunt of cosmetic damage.
Best Protective Sleeve: If you just need your laptop protected while in transit without a lot of bulk, I like the Brenthaven sleeves and BOOQ Vyper series.
Most Interesting: The BookBook sleeve appears to be a leather handcrafted hardback book when closed and might be overlooked by thieves.
#2 Consolidate Cables & Adapters
Everything I travel with can be charged through USB so I use my laptop or a USB charger to provide power to whatever needs to be recharged. I also sometimes use a Shortz iPod cable, which takes up less space in my cable bag.
If your trip involves driving, you might want to check out the Griffin PowerDuo to charge devices through a car cigarette lighter or home wall outlet.
#3 Backup Your Data BEFORE You Leave
I always make sure to backup my Mac and iPhone before I leave town. Creating a complete bootable clone of your computer's hard drive will make sure that you have every single file on your Mac backed up before you leave. If you are going to be traveling for more than a few days, you should bring a portable external hard drive or USB flash drive with you to backup new files on the road. Alternatively, if you'll have reliable Internet access, you can use an online service like iCloud, DropBox, or CrashPlan (I use all three but CrashPlan is my favorite for backup). Computers can fail or be stolen and I'd hate to hear that you lost all your trip photos in the process. (Hint: Keep your trip photos on your camera and computer until you get home, just in case one or the other goes missing.)
#4 Adjust Your Mac's Settings for Better Battery Life
There are several things you can do to maximize the amount of time you can use your computer on its battery. Apple uses all these tricks when setting the expectation for how long your battery will last.
First take a look at the Energy Saver pane of your System Preferences. Choose Battery from the Setting for menu and then choose Better Battery Life from the Optimization menu. The second thing you’ll want to do is dim your display to the lowest brightness level comfortably possible using the function keys on your keyboard. If you have a backlit keyboard, turn off the extra lighting by pressing the labeled function keys.
Next, you’ll want to turn off AirPort wireless and Bluetooth using their drop down menus in the upper right corner of your computer’s screen (near the clock). (If you don’t see their symbols there, you can use the Bluetooth and Network panes of System Preferences.) Even when you are not using these features, they consume power.
Lastly, you should disconnect any peripherals and quit applications when they are not in use. Eject CDs and DVDs when you’re not using them. Your Apple notebook works best in temperatures between 50° and 95°F so you may experience poor battery life at extreme temperatures even after following all these tips. If none of these steps get you the battery life you need, you can purchase a spare battery or external battery.
Read "How can I maximize the lifespan of my portable computer’s battery?" to calibrate your computer's battery.
#5 Adjust Your iPod or iPhone's Settings for Better Battery Life
According to Apple, the most important thing is to keep your Apple devices out of the sun or hot cars (even the glove box).You can also conserve power and make your iPod or iPhone play for longer by following some the tips below. If they don't get you the battery life you need, you may want to have a new battery installed or use a case with external battery.
iPod: In the Settings section of your iPod menu, check your backlight duration. Using the backlight less often saves power. If you don’t need the Equalizer, turn EQ off. Use the Hold switch more often to prevent the iPod controls from inadvertently activating the iPod unnecessarily.
iPhone & iPod touch: A bright backlight will drain your battery pretty fast so I always go into Settings > Brightness and adjust it as low as I can comfortably read. I honestly don't know if this affects battery life but I find it crazy annoying to get the constant pop-ups with available WiFi networks, so I go into Settings > Wi-Fi and turn "Ask to Join Networks" off. You can also turn Wi-Fi off here if you won't be using it. Unless you have a Bluetooth headset, also go to Settings > General > Bluetooth and turn it off to save battery power.
#6 Prevent Thieves From Stealing Your Mac or iPod
Laptops and iPods are hot targets for thieves around the world. Rick Steves posts practical advice on outsmarting thieves while traveling. The basic idea is that if you look like you have something of value, you are more likely to be targeted by thieves. Some travelers even ditch their high-end laptop bags and put their electronics in a baby diaper bag instead (nobody steals dirty diapers). Either way you'll want a protective laptop sleeve or hard case to prevent damage while traveling. If you fly frequently, you might want to get a TSA-approved laptop bag that doesn't require you to remove your computer from the case while going through security. Most laptop sleeve, hard cases, and certain zip-apart bags don't have to be removed before X-ray screening.
#7 Lock Down Your Software
Protect Your Mac
You also want to take some time to password protect your devices in case they do fall into the wrong hands. Your Mac's system password should be at least eight characters long with a mixture of letters and numbers. (See "How can I change my system password?") If your Mac automatically loads the desktop when you turn the computer on, require your Mac to ask for your system password first. Go to System Preferences, click on Accounts (under System), and select Login Options. Disable Automatic Login to require your password to be entered before someone can use your computer. If you don't shut down your computer between uses, go to the Security section of System Preferences and check the option to Require your password to wake the computer from sleep.
These changes will prevent most thieves from accessing your data, but your information is still accessible to the Mac savvy. You can encrypt your most sensitive files for free by creating an encrypted disk image for them, see our instructions on encrypting files for safety. Alternatively you can encrypt all your files by turning on FileVault in your System Preference's Security section. FileVault encrypts and decrypts your files as you use them but it can slow down your Mac and it doesn't play nice with Time Machine (pre-10.7 Lion). After a full backup, you might want to turn FileVault on just for the duration of your trip. (Just make sure to remember your FileVault password though because you can't recover your data if you forget it.)
Protect Your iDevice
Protect your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad from curious thieves by setting the passcode lock in Settings > General. There you can also set the device to erase itself after 10 failed attempts to enter the correct passcode. (Great if your phone is stolen, not great if curious children play with your phone.)
iCloud also lets you track your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad using 'Find My iPhone.' It's pretty easy to set up, and will let you find your device using its built in GPS and/or wireless internet, send a message to the phone, have it play a noise at full volume (great if you've left it wedged between the couch cushions), or even remotely lock or wipe the data from your device. Check out how to set up this feature of iCloud.
Recover Your Mac
In the unfortunate event that your computer is stolen or lost, make sure you're covered. Most homeowner's and renter's insurance policies will cover your lost or stolen computer, and you should check with your agent before you travel to make sure your policy does. If it does not, you can purchase a SafeWare plan to cover your computer in the event of damage or loss. Additionally, some credit cards, travel clubs, and travel insurance may also cover your computer when you travel.
Even if your computer is covered, it would be nice to recover it if it is stolen, and perhaps catch the theif in the process. Fortunately, you can do this if you've purchased Orbicule's Undercover and installed it on your Mac. Undercover hides on your computer, sending you its location and screenshots of its desktop like a lojack system for your computer. If you can't track your Mac down, Undercover also can simulate a hardware failure, prompting the theif to sell or repair it; after it is brought to a repair shop an alert is then displayed informing the repair shop that the computer is stolen. Orbicule even has a money-back guarantee for recovering your computer!
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 | Orbicule Undercover Software for Mac - $49 Single User License | $49.00 | AvailableDigital Download |
| Radtech ProCable Shortz White USB iPod Dock Cable - 7cm | $7.95 | In StockShips in 1 business day |
 | Radtech ProCable Shortz Black USB iPod Dock Cable - 7cm | $7.95 | In StockShips in 1 business day |
 | Radtech ProCable Shortz White USB iPod Dock Cable - 20cm | $12.95 | Out of StockCall for Availability |
 | Kingston 19 in 1 USB 2.0 Media Card Reader - CF SD SDHC MMC SM MS MD | $19.00 | In StockShips in 1 business day |
 | Griffin PowerDuo Car Charger and AC Charger for iPad, iPod & iPhone | $29.00 | In StockShips in 1 business day |
 | Moshi Rewind Dual Power Adapter for iPad, iPhone, and iPod | $29.95 | Out of StockCall for Availability |
 | Brenthaven ProStyle Sleeve for 11" MacBook Air - Black | $39.00 | In StockShips in 1 business day |
 | Apple World Travel Adapter Kit | $39.00 | Out of StockCall for Availability |
 | Brenthaven ProStyle Sleeve for 13" MacBook Pro - Black | $39.00 | Out of StockCall for Availability |
 | Brenthaven ProStyle Sleeve for 15" MacBook Pro - Black | $39.00 | In StockShips in 1 business day |
 | Speck See Thru Case for 13" MacBook Pro - Clear | $49.00 | In StockShips in 1 business day |
 | Speck See Thru Case for 15" MacBook Pro - Clear | $49.00 | In StockShips in 1 business day |
 | Speck See Thru Case for 13" MacBook Air - Clear | $49.00 | In StockShips in 1 business day |
 | Speck See Thru Case for 11" MacBook Air - Clear | $49.00 | In StockShips in 1 business day |
 | Kensington 7 Port USB 2.0 PocketHub | $49.95 | In StockShips in 1 business day |
 | Mophie Juice Pack Air 1500mAh Extended Battery Case for iPhone 3G & 3G S - Black | $49.95 | Out of StockCall for Availability |
 | Mophie Juice Pack Boost 2000mAh Quick Charge External Battery for iPhone and iPod - Product(RED) | $49.95 | In StockShips in 1 business day |
 | Twelve South BookBook for 13" MacBook Pro - Black | $79.95 | In StockShips in 1 business day |
 | Twelve South BookBook for 15" MacBook Pro - Black | $79.95 | In StockShips in 1 business day |
 | Mophie Juice Pack Powerstation 4000mAh Quick Charge External Battery for iPhone, iPad, and iPod - Product(RED) | $79.95 | Out of StockCall for Availability |
 | Twelve South BookBook for 13" MacBook Air | $79.95 | In StockShips in 1 business day |
 | Twelve South BookBook for 11" MacBook Air | $79.95 | In StockShips in 1 business day |
 | Mophie Juice Pack Plus Extended Battery Case for iPhone 4 & 4S - Product(RED) | $99.95 | In StockShips in 1 business day |
 | Twelve South BookBook for 17" MacBook Pro - Black | $99.95 | In StockShips in 1 business day |
 | LaCie 1TB Rugged Mini Disk Portable Hard Drive - USB 3.0 & USB 2.0, 5400rpm | $159.99 | Out of StockCall for Availability |
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| 27 products foundSort by: $ → $$$ | $$$ → $ | A → Z | Availability | |||