Ever since the very first iPad appeared on the market, I’ve had this desire to make traveling with only a tablet a possibility. As tablets grew in capability, and shrank a bit in weight, I continued to hope. I gave up making that work with my day job, but still had hopes of taking a personal trip with only a tablet. I picked up an iPad cover and bluetooth keyboard from Brookstone that I stumbled upon a few months ago on sale, and figured someday I’d give it a shot.

Finally, the opportunity presented itself last weekend with a quick Bahamas cruise. MrsMJ and I were departing at the crack of a.. dawn Friday morning, and returning Monday. Surely, I could survive that long without a laptop. I packed my backpack, purposely left my MacBook Air at home, slipped my iPad (3) and Brookstone cover/keyboard into my bag and went for it.

End result – I survived the weekend, but I won’t soon attempt it again. Why? Well, some of this wasn’t the iPad’s fault. The ship’s internet was flaky. OK…..that means the majority of my time with the iPad was spent reading a book. Hard to do in the sun, but that’s neither here nor there. A camera connection kit fixes the issue of managing and uploading photos. The least favorite thing about my weekend without a laptop? The Brookstone cover and keyboard. The combo of my iPad and that cover/keyboard weighed more than my 11.1″ MacBook Air! Worse yet, it took up more space in my bag.

The end result – Just my opinion, but I think the 11.1″ MacBook Air is the perfect solution to just about everything! Do you travel with just a tablet on a frequent basis? What works for you? Any tablet solutions you’ve found to be suitable?

MJ, February 20, 2014