As you've no doubt noticed by the condition of your luggage after it reappears on the baggage claim carousel, the baggage handlers don't exactly treat every piece of baggage with the utmost care. It only takes a short drop or something moderately heavy being thrown on top of a laptop to break the LCD panel. Laptops are also temperature sensitive and could be damaged by prolonged exposure to the cold temperatures typical in a cargo hold. Be careful using hotel phone jacks. Before plugging your modem into a hotel phone jack, ask the front desk whether it's safe.
Many hotels use digital phone systems, which operate at a higher voltage than regular phone systems.
These digital phone lines will fry your modem, and IBM probably won't cover the damage under warranty. Carry your laptop in a padded bag. This is a good idea in general, but an especially good one while travelling. Add your laptop to your renters or homeowners insurance. Many renters or homeowners policies will cover the loss of a personal laptop, but you may need to pay extra to add it to your policy.