Since my laptop is not my primary computer, a regular part of my last-minute preparations for every trip used to be desperately trying to make sure my jump drive had every possible document I could possibly need to look at while I’m gone. But inevitably, I would still get an email during the trip asking about a document I didn’t have.

LogMeIn has eliminated all of that hassle and more. I can use any computer anywhere to log into my desktop PC and get documents, run programs, just about anything I could do if I was sitting in front of it. You only have to download software for your desktop– the computers you log in from only need an internet connection.

But even when I’m not traveling, I’ve found it to be invaluable. Here’s how:

Working on my laptop downstairs. Using the XP remote access was always a pain. I didn’t do it often–so it would somehow reset itself and I’d have to figure out how to set it up and find all those login codes again. And for some reason, there were issues trying to use Outlook. But now I just get the internet connection, login, and work as if I’m upstairs in my office.

Giving my tech-savvy brother access when I’m having some type of technological malfunction. He can log on and see what’s going on. We can even alternate control of the cursor so I can show him what I did that created the error and then he can open menus or whatever to fix it.

Sending large files or files you don’t feel secure sending by email. The Pro version lets me upload a document to LogMeIn and send someone a link to access it. They can only access that document, and you restrict how many days they can access it and how many times it can be downloaded.

Transferring files I’ve created offline to either computer is easy as well.

The only annoyance I’ve found is that sometimes when you’re working on the desktop through LogMeIn, the screen will freeze up for a moment–almost like it has to catch up. But then it’s fine a few moments later.

Free and paid versions are available. I think the primary difference is being able to upload files to a secure site and send people a link. So if you travel a lot or frequently work from two computers, it’s definitely worth checking out.