Some things you should do to prep for a road trip with your laptop.

Charge the battery, plug in the laptop the night before or any time you can and give the laptop a good charge.

Most public locations today have electrical outlets but don’t take a chance, charge before you leave.

Check for OS updates. You can postpone an update, but if you’re going to be charging the laptop go ahead and check for an update?

Run a backup even if your files backup to the cloud, consider running a backup before you leave. If tragedy hits and your laptop gets damaged or worse stolen you’ll still have a backup.

Now, if you use an external drive, which is my choice, run the backup before you go, especially when you don’t plan on taking the external drive with you.

Download some movies, music, or reading material before you leave.

You may have to pay for wi-fi when traveling so download movies, music, and books before leaving home. If you’re flying, you’ll have in-flight entertainment.

If you use cloud storage, ensure that your documents are synchronized with the laptop before you leave.

Make sure the files and folders you need on the road are available on the laptop.

You may have the internet at your destination but again, why chance not having them.

Properly pack your laptop bag with a laptop power cord and charger. If you have them pack headphones, USB storage devices, portable mouse, and needed office supplies.

Pack some screen wipes and spare batteries for any portable devices you carry, too.