Travel web sites universally unhelpful for long-term travelers

Is it just me, or are travel advice web sites almost universally unhelpful?

I'm not talking about finding the right hotel or car rental agency (both of which are questions I am mostly uninterested in). My questions are more along the lines of: what (and how) should I pack? how can I protect my belongings? and what are the mistakes most people make that I should be aware of?

I encountered this problem before, the first time I moved to London. I spent four months there in fall 2006. While I was probably more prepared than many travellers, there were still many things I wished I had known.

For example, I only found out recently that wheeled luggage are really about the worst thing you can take if you have to carry them around yourself anywhere but the airport. Not only can they hold much less (both in terms of space and also weight restrictions if you're checking them), but the handle on one of mine broke on my way to the airport while still in the US, and so I spent almost a week (before I was able to move into my flat) lugging around a piece of luggage that I couldn't wheel properly. From now on it's soft-sided rectangular bags sans wheels for me.

I did, thankfully, pack most of the right clothes. A friend told me about the immensely helpful web site journeywoman.com before I left, which instructed me about the type of clothes and shoes mostly worn in Europe. Who knew that bright colors and sneakers will peg you as someone who ought to be pickpocketed? (It seems that a lot of the rest of the world has the mistaken assumption that all Americans carry wads of cash in their pockets. Sometimes I wish for a sign I could wear reading "poor student.")

This time around, however, I'm encountering other problems and questions that I'm having a hard time finding answers for. For example, the last time I lived in London, my laptop had an awful time. While no one has been able to explain to me exactly what happened, as near as I can tell it was this:

The higher voltage in Europe led to a build-up of static in my laptop's motherboard. This both decreased the life of the battery and made the computer switch off and refuse to restart. I had to take out the battery, disconnect the AC adapter, and hold down the power button until the static had flushed itself out of the computer. Then (sometimes) it would turn back on.

In the beginning, this process took 30 seconds. In the end, it might take upwards of 5 or 10 minutes. And once I returned to the US, the computer was never the same. This spring it began exhibiting the same symptoms and eventually died completely.

This left me with an interesting dilemma. By that time, I knew that I would be returning to London in the fall for an extended stay. I had the opportunity to buy a computer that would hold up better on British power. I decided to research what type of computer would work better abroad.

I was unable, through many Google searches, to find anyone who had encountered a similar problem. But I did find that other users with a similar computer to mine had trouble with AC adapters catching on fire and their computers shocking them when they touched them. Apparently this had something to do with the material used in the laptop's casing. I decided that this was about the closest I would get to a similar problem, and started looking for a computer with a non-shock casing.

This wasn't my only problem. When my computer wouldn't start while I was in London, I had to call the US service desk, be put on hold, and then try to explain to them what I was seeing. I couldn't send it in for repairs--they couldn't send or receive computers outside of the US--and their only repair center was in Kentucky. Naturally, I wasn't looking forward to this expensive and hassling experience again.

In the end, I bought a Macbook, which doesn't shock me and which is the same computer both in the US and the UK, which I hope means that it will work. Plus, I can bring it for repairs to any Apple store, which are located almost anywhere I might want to go. But now as my departure draws nearer, I'm beginning to worry. Supposedly, since the AC Adapter works from 100-240 volts, it should work with just a plug converter. But is that enough? Is there something else I should do to protect it? I can't find a web site that will tell me.

I've been searching travel web sites, looking for one that is even partially useful. Besides Journey Woman, onebag.com has some useful tips for packing and some really very random information that I might not use but I'm glad I know. (Did you know that you can use your watch as a compass? Or that you've been tying your shoelaces the wrong way your entire life?) And according to kropla.com, I really do only need a plug converter (not that this confirmation puts my mind at ease).

I searched for travel sites, and I found flight and hotel information, and I searched for business travel tips, and found information on packing light. Why isn't there information for someone who frequently moves back and forth between countries and wants answers to her silly questions, such as what do I do if I need a guarantor for renting a flat and I don't know anyone in the country I'm moving to? and what should I do first, open a bank account or find a place to live?

I can't be alone. Today, in an age where we can't live without our electronic "accessories" and hopping countries--and continents--by plane is easier than ever, you'd think that travel web sites would have caught up. In the lack thereof, I suppose it's a good thing I have some time to spend searching the internet before I leave.