CD/DVD Drives

Most computers come with a built-in CD/DVD reader/burner. They are used for alot of things. You use them for installing software or playing DVD movies on your computer. They are also used for a media to burn such things as music, backup data, and movies onto. Do you absolutely need one? No you don't. There are other types of media you can use to backup your data and mail back home (see this article for more information on storage).

The reason a traveler might opt not to have a CD/DVD drive is that the drives make the laptop larger and heavier (and a bit more expensive). My ultra portable laptop has no CD/DVD drive but I did buy an external one so I could use it for backup and to reinstall several programs that require a CD drive to install. By purchasing an external drive I kept my computer small and portable. I just stuck the small, lightweight external CD/DVD player on the bottom of my trailer. I could, I suppose, rely on the myriad of cheap computer shops in South and Central America to lend me (for a small fee) an external CD/DVD drive the few times when I actually needed one.