Executive Travel

Name: Lance B. Elliot

Position: Computer consultant and author

Company: Eliot & Associates, Huntington Beach.

Elliot, who travels about four times a month for consulting work and speaking engagements, offers the following suggestions for other weary, computer-equipped travelers:

Make sure you have a power cable and a working computer battery when entering the airport security area with your laptop. You will need these to prove that the laptop functions, which is usually necessary to pass through security.

If you don’t carry a portable printer, most hotels will let you use their in-house front-office printer for emergency printouts. Alternatively, call ahead to your hotel and find out if they have a business services area equipped with printers, or seek out a local copier store that might have printers for rental or short-term use.

Always carry a hard-copy version of overhead transparencies or slides when heading to a speaking engagement. Do not rely solely on your computer disks or laptop. And never leave them in baggage that might be lost en route or left on a curbside by a rushed cabby.

Do not waste your time or energy carrying your laptop if you really won’t have the time or need to use it.

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, Los Angeles Times--Business News, Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles, Calif. 90053. Or fax it to (213) 237-7837. Or send it electronically to [email protected] on the Internet. Please be as detailed as possible and include your name, title, company and a daytime phone.