Traveling internationally with two laptops.
May 25, 2018 5:33 AM Subscribe
Can (should) I travel abroad with two laptop computers on my person?
Next week, I will be heading to Gothenburg, Sweden for work, and I will be staying for a couple of days afterwards to check out the city. My company has recently enacted some rather restrictive policies on employee usage of corporate electronics, and I am considering bringing my personal laptop as well as my work laptop so that I can use it during my personal time. Obviously, this would be annoying - but would it raise any suspicions at airport security and/or customs and immigration?
Bonus questions: I will be flying SAS, and with a layover in Stockholm. This website informs me that I will have to pass through customs and security in Stockholm. Will my bags be checked through to Gothenburg? And is two hours enough time for this? I'm arriving in Terminal 5 and departing in Terminal 4.
Next week, I will be heading to Gothenburg, Sweden for work, and I will be staying for a couple of days afterwards to check out the city. My company has recently enacted some rather restrictive policies on employee usage of corporate electronics, and I am considering bringing my personal laptop as well as my work laptop so that I can use it during my personal time. Obviously, this would be annoying - but would it raise any suspicions at airport security and/or customs and immigration?
Bonus questions: I will be flying SAS, and with a layover in Stockholm. This website informs me that I will have to pass through customs and security in Stockholm. Will my bags be checked through to Gothenburg? And is two hours enough time for this? I'm arriving in Terminal 5 and departing in Terminal 4.
This is extremely common for business travelers and will not raise a single eyebrow. Many consultants end up with THREE laptaps- a client laptop (issued by the client's IT shop), their consulting firm's laptop, and a personal laptop!
posted by rockindata at 6:15 AM on May 25, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by rockindata at 6:15 AM on May 25, 2018 [4 favorites]
Seconding (thirding) that this is extremely normal for business travel. Take into account that they may ask you to turn both of them on in security, so it might take a small amount of time longer to clear security than before, but there shouldn't be any other issues.
posted by parm at 6:30 AM on May 25, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by parm at 6:30 AM on May 25, 2018 [1 favorite]
I do this every time I travel and it has never been an issue.
posted by rustcellar at 7:10 AM on May 25, 2018
posted by rustcellar at 7:10 AM on May 25, 2018
Three or more laptops will sometimes get you flagged for additional inspection but I never have a problem with two.
posted by Candleman at 7:22 AM on May 25, 2018
posted by Candleman at 7:22 AM on May 25, 2018
Yeah, I sometimes travel with three and it's never an issue, just additional trips to the swabbing station now and then, typically in the US when I'm going through the PreCheck line which allows them to stay in their huge case. For what it's worth, in the regular lines I don't think the security folks even necessarily realize that all of the laptops belong to me because they go through separately; that would require the agent supervising the conveyor belt to coordinate with the agent reading the x-ray machine screens and that seldom happens. I tend to organize my bins as laptop-stuff-laptop-stuff-laptop which may help.
posted by carmicha at 8:02 AM on May 25, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by carmicha at 8:02 AM on May 25, 2018 [2 favorites]
Best answer: The laptops, as stated above, should be totally fine, and security may not even know they're both yours. Just treat them as normal.
Regarding the connection: If you're coming from a non-Schengen country like the US, you'll have to go through the non-Schengen passport control at T5 (big international terminal) and then go through security when you get to T4 (smaller domestic terminal). It's only maybe a 15-minute walk between the terminals, but T5 is really big, so depending on your gates, just getting out of T5 may add time. (There is a T5 bus, but it's slow, so if you've no mobility issues I'd suggest walking.)
Once you get out of T5, there's a giant annoying non-secure-area shopping mall to traverse, but at least you're not going T4-T5, which sucks -- even domestic arrivals have to re-clear security there, because the mall is open-access and there's no airside connection between the terminals, so the security lines at T5 are often long. Worth noting that, if your return trip is the same route!
As long as you've nothing to declare, I'm pretty sure your bags will be checked through, although you'll need to confirm that when you check in at your departing airport, and I'd probably double-confirm it with a gate agent when landing in Stockholm, just in case.
posted by halation at 8:15 AM on May 25, 2018 [1 favorite]
Regarding the connection: If you're coming from a non-Schengen country like the US, you'll have to go through the non-Schengen passport control at T5 (big international terminal) and then go through security when you get to T4 (smaller domestic terminal). It's only maybe a 15-minute walk between the terminals, but T5 is really big, so depending on your gates, just getting out of T5 may add time. (There is a T5 bus, but it's slow, so if you've no mobility issues I'd suggest walking.)
Once you get out of T5, there's a giant annoying non-secure-area shopping mall to traverse, but at least you're not going T4-T5, which sucks -- even domestic arrivals have to re-clear security there, because the mall is open-access and there's no airside connection between the terminals, so the security lines at T5 are often long. Worth noting that, if your return trip is the same route!
As long as you've nothing to declare, I'm pretty sure your bags will be checked through, although you'll need to confirm that when you check in at your departing airport, and I'd probably double-confirm it with a gate agent when landing in Stockholm, just in case.
posted by halation at 8:15 AM on May 25, 2018 [1 favorite]
Don't be tempted to place a laptop in checked luggage; it is likely to be stolen by US security.
posted by Nelson at 10:03 AM on May 25, 2018
posted by Nelson at 10:03 AM on May 25, 2018
It's fine, just annoying; have done it travelling US/UK on a US passport. I quickly switched to just using my phone for personal use while travelling, though, due to the increased annoyance.
posted by assenav at 10:12 AM on May 25, 2018
posted by assenav at 10:12 AM on May 25, 2018
I can vouch for how much fun it is to not travel with computery devices that distract you from where you are. It's a lot of fun. Don't bring the personal laptop. Spend some time in Sweden.
posted by aniola at 10:31 AM on May 25, 2018
posted by aniola at 10:31 AM on May 25, 2018
Response by poster: My connecting flight on the way home is in Copenhagen, luckily.
I can vouch for how much fun it is to not travel with computery devices that distract you from where you are. It's a lot of fun. Don't bring the personal laptop. Spend some time in Sweden.
The main reason why I want to bring the personal laptop is to look up things to do in Sweden! That and maybe watch a movie or something at night (I like traveling solo but I'm not really one to go hang out at nightlife spots by myself).
In any event, I'll mark this as answered. Thanks all!
posted by breakin' the law at 11:57 AM on May 25, 2018
I can vouch for how much fun it is to not travel with computery devices that distract you from where you are. It's a lot of fun. Don't bring the personal laptop. Spend some time in Sweden.
The main reason why I want to bring the personal laptop is to look up things to do in Sweden! That and maybe watch a movie or something at night (I like traveling solo but I'm not really one to go hang out at nightlife spots by myself).
In any event, I'll mark this as answered. Thanks all!
posted by breakin' the law at 11:57 AM on May 25, 2018
I‘ve made a 45 min connection in Stockholm - that was a SAS flight to the US - 2 hrs is plenty. For looking up things I would consider using your phone or tablet, if you have such items. I simply prefer to not carry the extra weight. In most Nordic countries English language programming is not dubbed but only subtitled so if that is a concern don’t worry.
posted by koahiatamadl at 2:19 PM on May 25, 2018
posted by koahiatamadl at 2:19 PM on May 25, 2018
Its funny how devices multiply. I routinely travel with two laptops and two phones. I've never had a question about it. Europe, the Middle East and all over NA.
posted by bonehead at 4:09 PM on May 25, 2018
posted by bonehead at 4:09 PM on May 25, 2018
This thread is closed to new comments.
Neither of us can remember for sure, but I believe he has done it while traveling between the UK and the USA without issue at customs. He is a UK citizen with a green card for the USA.
posted by cpatterson at 5:39 AM on May 25, 2018 [6 favorites]