I saw this article (it's slop, so skim it if you like, I'm curious about the concept) about traveling without a laptop and I'm not sure if I am ready to make the leap like this, but it sounds kinda nice.
here's how he solves the screen problem:
Use an external monitor — any with HDMI. And that’s practically every one these days. A monitor at a hotel, the TV in an Airbnb, a monitor in a café, at a friend’s place. You carry nothing — a “monitor” is everywhere around you.
Are you thinking about ditching the laptop?
No way am I touching any electronics that aren't mine, let alone connecting to it.
I've traveled both with and without a laptop and if I'm trying to enjoy my travels, then I don't need a laptop at all. I can do 99% of my work on my phone while I am traveling and then do the heavy lifting when I get back to my desktop/laptop computer at home.
Where are all these open monitors you can just plug into? Seems most hotels these days have the TV's hard wired into something so its not easy to access. Then what, re-arrange furniture to actually use it comfortably?
What conferences have breakout tables with monitors for demos/collab?
What coffee shop or airport lounge has stray monitors about? My only experience has been empty cubicles at best.
What's your backup comms if something happens to your phone?
What are you really saving vs < 3lb laptop that charges via USB-c?
Sure phones got better by having desktop modes and there's some clever portable keyboards, but laptops also got better at being mobile.
I also felt that the "plug in to environmental monitors" wasn't really that great of a solution. Also, there are some laptops that are really light these days.
And you make a good point about backup devices.
I'm sure there's security people more paranoid than me too that would shudder at the notion of plugging into random devices
There's surprisingly cheap off-lease enterprise laptops that go for just a couple hundred bucks on eBay that are perfect for travel laptops... no need to spend big on a surface or macbook.
like that site
I always take my laptop when I travel. It's not really that much of an inconvenience that I need to seek out an alternative.