Wifi

Just as common as it is here in the US. You'll find it in the usual places: Hotel, McDonalds, Starbucks etc.
In London I've noticed a some public parks have free wifi.

Public parks in Italy sometimes have it, too. Fewer hotels still charge for this service than before. You can also use it on some trains. I have a wifi-only iPad so I depend on availability, it's almost never a problem finding it.

slavender ,

its common, but what people dont say is that is it accessible to you when you need it. thats the question.

so, as mentioned, the starbucks i have frequented on my trips all had wi-fi and was accessable by me. Usually the password for the wi-fi was on the receipt.

in the UK, specifically London i was able to use the wi-fi in Kings X train station. Dont know about the other stations, but i would guess the same. The train i rode up to Leeds had wi-fi, but it was free for 15 mintues and then you had to buy.

what i did on my trip this year was to buy SIMS from each country so i didnt have to find any free wi-fi spots. My time was worth more to me than to roam around looking for it.

happy trails.

WiFi is widely available. Most hotels have it (sometimes the signal is weak unless you go to the lobby). McDonald's and Starbucks have it, and they're everywhere, as well as other restaurants, cafes and bars. There are also some public places - parks, squares, TI's, etc. - that offer free WiFi. I don't think you will have too much trouble finding it.

Wifi is very accessible. Every hotel will have it. Big chains will have it, Starbucks, etc. Also, just about every café I went to had it. You need to ask sometimes for the password and its expected in cafes that you buy a drink to use the free wifi. I rely on wifi when I travel and I have always been able to get on wifi every day.

Hi Slavender,

My experience is similar. You'll find free WiFi in big restaurant chains and sometimes in smaller bistros too, hotels, train stations (London and Italy), some public institutions.

You'll always be able to reach password protected WiFi hotspots coming from smaller scale stores, cafes, gas stations etc. and you can try asking for the password. People are quite friendly and they'll prove understanding, especially if you're having an emergency.

Hope this helps! Happy trails! :)

You probably need to read this first -
Maybe Better If You Don’t Read This Story on Public WiFi