Traveling with a Computer Girlfriend

“Old Faithful,” my big rock of a Dell laptop, has served me well through the toughest stretches of travel these past two years. But I have began to notice something: traveling with a computer makes me a vastly more cautious traveler, as the extent that my activities and travel methods are limited by Old Faithful’s inherently delicate construction.

My computer has become a friend of sorts. I sure enough hang out with it enough to be a friend. “Old Faithful,” is what I call her. And like a friend, I must watch out for her when out on the Road, as:

Old Faithful cannot be out in the rain.

Old Faithful can not be knocked around, kicked, or dropped.

I harbor reservations about sitting on Old Faithful.

I do not like being separated from Old Faithful’s company, so I do not allow her to ride in the steerage of a bus, train, or plane.

I am also a little bit jealous when it comes to other suitors pursuing Old Faithful, so I keep her hidden at all times and only bring her out when there is no one else around.

I miss Old Faithful when we are separated, so I rarely let her wander out of my proximity.

I must be more aware of my travel plans and be sure that I find shelter for Old Faithful as well, as she does not like sleeping outside without a waterproof blanket.

Old Faithful also likes to be warm but does not like excessive heat, or does she like the freezing cold.

I think that Mira is also jealous of my relationship with Old Faithful, so I must sometimes choose between what girlfriend I want hang out with on any given night hehehe.

So traveling down the long, long road with Old Faithful requires a certain amount respect, diligence, care, and, occasionally, cleverness. In the vagabond world it is difficult to control all of the situations that you find yourself in, and traveling with a computer is sometimes a lot of work.

But Harry Franck traveled with a Kodak camera in 1910. I am sure that this was almost the equivalent of traveling with a laptop today. Franck crossed mountain, desert, jungle, storm, and scorch on foot with his Kodak in his shirt pocket or wrapped up in a bundle that he carried under his arm. His camera completed a Vagabond Journey Around the World a little scathed, but undamaged.

Old Faithful takes inspiration from this story.

Wade from Vagabond Journey.com
Heredia, Costa Rica
February 13, 2008

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