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Aircard for laptop

Posted by on

Hi everyone~

In July/August, my husband and I will be traveling in England, France, and Italy. It is a "working" vacation, in that I'm an online college instructor, so I have to be accessible to my students. Here at home, I have an air card through ATT for my laptop which allows me to connect to the internet when I'm away from my desk and other wifi connections. I contacted ATT about using my air card in UK/Europe and my jaw hit the floor when they told me the prices.

I've managed to book us hotels/b&bs where there is free wifi available to guests. While we're in Italy, we'll be on a cruise, so I'm actually not too concerned about it there as I can use the ship's (expensive) wifi. (Although I would of course love a cheaper option!)

However, while we're in Scotland, England, and France, I would just like the security of having an alternate means of getting on the internet if, for example, one of the B&B's we're staying at has their internet down. I'd just like to have a back up plan.

Is it feasible for a traveler to get an air card while over in Europe? If I get one in Edinburgh when we arrive, will I need to get a different one when we get to Paris? I'm trying to avoid exorbitant data fees.

Any/all tips are welcome! While I know it's best to leave the work at home, my job allows me to travel whenever I like, so that is the tradeoff and one that I cannot just leave at home.

Thanks, everyone!

Posted by
19118 posts

I used an aircard (I think they call them web sticks over there) in Germany last Aug/Sept. I had a flat rate while in Germany, but I was told I would have to pay roaming charges in Austria so I didn't use it there.

There was a problem with the billing (the flat rate was used up sooner than it should have been) so before I left, I called them to ask what happened. When the woman found out I was from the U.S., she told me I was not supposed to be able to have it. I was ready to leave, so I never bothered to ask why.

Posted by
3580 posts

I was in France and London recently. I stayed in 6 different hotels. All but one had Wifi. One charged a Euro for an hour's use. The one with no Wifi was in Avignon. I found several places in that town with free Wifi--Flunch and a couple of bars, cafes. Four of the hotels had free Wifi, and I was able to log on in my room. Libraries in England have computers, and maybe Wifi, that you can use. I'd suggest that if your B&B has no internet access, you check at nearby pubs/cafes for Wifi.

You will need two different adapters (GB and France use different wall outlets) for charging your battery. I bought a "universal" adapter kit in Paris. You can find adapters where they sell travel gear or at the airport before you leave.

In the past I always went to an Internet Cafe. I think computer/internet security is much better if you use your own equipment.

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