Executive Travel

Name: Fran Berman

* Position: Consultant, Laguna Hills

When traveling to speaking and training engagements, I take a portable computer with me. It lets me work on presentations, articles and business plans in the airport, on the plane and in my hotel room. With the modem I can send and receive messages and important correspondence easily and conveniently.

On my flight home, I compose thank-you letters, complete my expense report or work on my next presentation, avoiding loose ends when I get back to the office.

Here are my portable PC travel tips:

* The airport X-ray machine won’t harm your PC or your data. But don’t walk through the metal detector with diskettes in your pocket. The magnetic field could erase the data.

* Be sure the battery is charged. Security may ask you to turn on the system and prove that it is what it appears to be. Take an extra charged battery for extended productivity, and a battery recharge adapter to charge while you sleep.

* When you make hotel reservations, ask for a room with a data line so you can use your modem. Not all hotels and not all rooms in a hotel have such lines.

* Protect yourself from theft. If you must leave the computer in your rental car, lock it in the trunk. If you leave your hotel room and can’t take the PC with you, check it at the front desk.

* Guard against equipment failure. Most portable PC manufacturers have service programs that offer repair or replacement if your portable goes down, whether at home or on the road. Many of them also offer extended warranties for up to three years, for a nominal fee.

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Do you have advice for fellow business travelers or a travel-related experience you would like to share? Please mail your typewritten contribution to Executive Travel Editor, Business Section, Los Angeles Times, Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles CA 90053. Or fax it to (213) 237-7837. Or send an electronic message to TimesLink or Prodigy account YMAH69F or to Internet address business@news.latimes.com. Please be as detailed as possible and include your name, title, company and a daytime telephone number.