All Right, You "One-Baggers"! :)

NEVER take it. Why have something else to carry? U CAN live without email for a few days.

Nope, I never take mine. I usually check the weather and e-mail once or twice but I just pop into an internet cafe or use the computer at the hotel/hostel. By the way - there's free internet access at the Rothenburg T.I. :)

Y'all are so cute with your answers! ;)

Looks like I'm gonna have to do without lookin' at my stocks and stuff, huh?

Probably don't wanna do that anyway, the way things are going!

Thanks very much, you two! :)

Bill

Nope. Wouldn't even consider it. Quite easy to find Internet as needed.

Hubby had his laptop along as we travelled right after he attended a conference. He didn't really have a choice in that. It's not just about the weight of carrying it around, there is also the worry of keeping it safe while you're on the road.

He didn't even use it during our vacation. An hour of wireless access in a hotel can be really expensive. Internet cafes would be dirt cheap compared to that.

A laptop? No way. I take plenty of other junk, but a laptop? This is supposed to be a VACATION.

Why lug a computer half-way arund the world? There are internet cafes everywhere, and most hotels have a computer and internet access for guests. Yes, even in Rothenburg.

Bring a laptop with you on vacation? Crazy talk!

I bought a subcompact computer that weights just over 2 pounds to take on vacation. I just got back from a car trip and I'm glad I brought the computer along. But once you add the chords and stuff, the weight is over 3 pounds. Too much for light non-business travel overseas.

I have a PDA that has built in wifi. I'll take that with me when I go overseas. Small enought to carry in a pocket and handy should I run into anywhere that offers free wifi.

thats why they invented the iphone ;)

no but really, every since I've had my iphone I haven't traveled with my laptop & I can do everything I need to from my accounting program, internet, phone calls, currency convertors, etc. etc.

it's like man's best friend!

Forget about them - you're on vacation! Sure, catch a bit of email when you can, but why stress yourself over stocks, etc... that you can't do anything about while taking 'time off'

There are many small laptops available if you MUST have a computer with you (Asus EEE, etc...). But try putting a glass of beer or wine in your hand instead of a mouse. It will make for a much more enjoyable vacation from flight to walking to your hotel.

You are on VACATION. 20 years ago you would have been using pay phones to call home. People have been going to Europe for years and not having any other communication.

Bill,

I've been tempted to pack a Laptop along, but so far my answer would be to leave it at home unless you desperately need it for business during your travels! The Asus EEE PC's and new HP compact PC's are very tempting, but I feel that simply collecting my E-mail doesn't justify spending several hundred dollars for a compact computer.

Could you elaborate on your statement that "internet cafes are hard to find in Rothenburg"? I didn't find it too difficult at all, as there was a Net cafe just a few doors down from the Zur Goldene Rose where I was staying.

I've been finding lately that some Hotels and B&B's in Europe (especially the UK) are offering free Wi-Fi, so I can function just fine with my IPod Touch for just checking E-mail. The small screen isn't too bad after becoming accustomed to working with it. However, if there's a Net Cafe close by that would be the preferred method. Besides, it's always fun to try and figure out the European keyboards (those in France were the most challenging!).

Anyway, that's my spin on the question.

Cheers!

I'm always a different voice on the laptop issue. I took mine and was very glad I did. It let me blog extensively with photos every day so my family and friends could follow my travels, and I kept in touch with home via skype which was easier and more convenient when I was tired after traveling. I guess it depends if you are used to carrying a laptop around - when I took my 6-week trip I had just finished school where I would carry my laptop around with me every day so for me it was no big deal, it certainly didn't impede on my vacation and I only used it early in the morning and late at night to do my blogging and skype home. My family really enjoyed my daily blog (my dad can't see and would get really excited and log on every day to have this computer program 'read' it to him) and my blog is an in-depth memory of my whole trip and I never would've been able to handwrite so much and I don't think I would've made it out to internet cafes every day to keep everything written down so for me, I don't regret taking mine and I will always take my laptop with me overseas to do it again. I guess it depends on why you want to take your laptop and how much you'll use it. I used mine every day even when my hotels didn't have internet, but if it were just for checking email periodically, then no it's probably not worth it. But for me it was definitely definitely worth it and not at all an inconvenience through 6 weeks, 7 countries, and 10 cities.

Ken and Everybody

First off, Ken: I am a huge fan of yours and Lee's advice regarding travel in Europe. Just wanted to say that 'cause I think y'all (and everyone who contributes, really) are such an asset to all of us.

I know about the internet cafe located in the Paradies Gasse in Rothenburg, and have used it, but really didn't enjoy the cigarette smoke atmosphere.

Point taken about the laptop going along as well. It would be just for e-mails and checking that I would be using it, so I think I can do without it for a week. I was just wondering how taking your laptop affected trying to keep everything in one bag, and if anyone actually carried theirs along.

Thank You!

B~

No cigarette or any kind of smoke inside restaurants, coffee shops, internet cafes etc. in Germany any more as of April 1st, 2008 (the latest. Some states have introduced the law last year already).

Yes, I ALWAYS take the notebook! It fits nicely into my carry on, so I don't even notice it. I'm a photography nut so I need the notebook to download my digital photos that I've taken each day. In June I took over 700 photos throughout France. They're a valued souvenir not only for me but also for friends/family.

I don't take a laptop. I don't want to lug around the extra weight.

I'm always considering lighter alternatives to everything I pack. For example, I'm considering trading my journal for digital voice recorder. I can record each days events then use voice recognition software when I get home to turn it in to a electronic file. I can then edit, add pictures, scan ticket stubs or wine labels, etc. Instead of a handwritten book on the bookshelf that I can photocopy, I'll have a digital journal I can put on a cd and make copies as necessary.

My trouble with internet cafes is more about finding time to use them than finding them. I've used them for long distance service. My idea of a perfect internet cafe is one with self service laundry and a snackbar where I can get a beer.

What do you need to do that must be done at an internet cafe? There may be lighter ways to do it.

I only take my laptop because I do business on line and I have to watch it.Otherwise I would not take it. It's an extra baggage and it's not worth carring it just to check emails.
I recently purched a new phone that has Windows mobile on it and it has all the features I need to do my business.

That's good news Andreas.Thanks

I should add that a big memory on my camera allows me to bring home hundreds of pictures without downloading them (I brought home a little over 500 on my last four week trip). If I need more, an extra 2GB memory for the camera is $35 and weighs less than an ounce.

I've heard about people losing their pics but haven't experienced anything close to that. There are lighter options for downloading your pics than a laptop.

Wouldn't consider taking it, unless I was going to be in one place for, say, a month.

I took mine to England when we went for a month in June. We did a lot of blogging to keep family updated back home. We weren't moving everyday - if we were, I probably wouldn't have taken it. But we stayed in B&Bs and flats, so I didn't have to carry it with me all the time.

As for the "you're on vacation" argument, I don't know if it is generational or just personal preference, but that argument only works if you want it to. For me, being able to read the news online and check things like Facebook, etc. is part of vacation - not everyone uses laptops solely for work - which seems to be the assumption. There are many people for whom the laptop is the ONLY computer they have - its not their "work" comptuer.

As for "20 years ago....pay phones...etc." - it isn't 20 years ago. By that argument, we shouldn't take cell phones with us anywhere, because we didn't have them before and we got by. To suggest we should ignore technology because it is new is not a good argument.

That being said, for some, technology is what they are trying to escape, so it makes sense that they wouldn't want it with them on vacation. So you really have to decide where you are on that spectrum and what other people prefer shouldn't really be your deciding factor. But, like I said at the beginning, I would calculate how much you have to carry it around - to me that is more important than "staying away from technology".

I have never taken one before and am torn about what to do next time. I have an iPod Touch that is great for just checking email but it is hard to blog on. I will be taking it anyway because I watch movies on it and listen to music of course. I also have an Asus EEE that I may take next time. I will probably make that decision after I pack my clothes, etc. and see how heavy it is. But last year most of my hotels had a computer for guest use so it was convenient.

I'm on the other side of the fence as well. I would totally take mine. We have a small macbook. And in fact, are going to be bringing it with us in October. Like someone else said, it's probably more of a generational type thing. We're very much "wired" in if that's the correct saying and the laptop/being online is a big part of our lives in fact, I use it to unwind after my day and surf around sittin on the comfort of my couch and check my facebook, email, the next days activities. To us, it is not a burden to carry it around as it's such a part of us.

My husband took our son to England for a few weeks and took his laptop. He is like the TV commercial with the guy doing his work from a lounge chair on the beach. My husband owns his own business but loves to travel. This is his compromise. I ran things from home and we were in touch twice a day. The business continued to run smoothly and he had a great time on his trip. When you're the boss it is difficult to fit in a vacation. It is inconvenient to take work but is a compromise worth doing for the wonderful memories. Once we were on a seven week cross country trip with our kids. We drove from California to Prince Edward Island and back. The business continued with a cell phone and a laptop. The employees hardly even noticed we were gone.

I am bringing mine to have a place to dump my photos every day. It's either that or spend a few hundred bucks on cards and hope I don't lose them or they don't get stolen/corrupted/damaged, etc. I can also upload photos via the internet to my online site, sharing them with friends and family before I get home. My hotel has high speed internet and I plan to use it in the evenings when we're back at the room resting from a full day of walking and sightseeing!

We brought an Asus eee pc on our past 4 week trip to Europe. We were on the go pretty much every other day so we moved around a lot, but it is so tiny it was not a problem. I could definitely have done without it, but I was glad I brought it. We were able to watch movies on the train, store our photoes (between my husband and I we took about 3,5000 pictures so an extra memory card really wasn't an option), and check email. I was also able to "somewhat" keep a journal. I say somewhat because I didn't do it as much as I had wanted to, but it's better than nothing. For us it worked. I also like to be able to look things up. For example, when my husband was sick one day with food poisoning I spent several hours on wikipedia reading all about Henry VIII and the Bolyen family after watching The Other Boleyn girl on the plane. So interesting.

Our first trip -- we didn't take the laptop. The last two trip, we did take it. It's certainly not a burden to us. Nice to be able to check e-mail, communicate with home and store photos without leaving our hotel room. Husband likes the capability to keep up with the banking stuff, and if we need to transfer money (for whatever reason) we can do that.

It all comes down to your preference. If you have a laptop and want to take it, then fine. If you don't want to take it, then fine.

Everyone is different ...

We tried the internet cafe route during our first trip. Didn't really care for it. So, the laptop comes with us.

No problem.

BILL, a few further thoughts on the Laptop issue. Glad to hear that you're aware of the Net Cafe in Rothenburg. I didn't recall anyone smoking there? However, Austria was a different story!

The issue of "one bag" is certainly one of the main reasons that I don't pack a Laptop. Although my Macbook isn't excessively large, there's not really any spare room in my Backpack. The only option would be to remove some of my photo gear to make room for the Laptop (NOT going to happen!). Other than checking E-mail, I don't really have any use that can't be accomplished just as easily at a Net Cafe or with my IPod.

Not having a Laptop also encourages me to enjoy the location and people more. When I was in London last fall, I encountered another traveller that spent hours in his hotel room pounding away on the computer. I wondered why he even bothered going on holidays, as he could have done that at home at far less cost, and not wasted a lot of valuable travel time in a fantastic city. I did have a nice chat with his wife though.

BILL (Ft. Myers), I'm also a "photography nut" but don't need a Laptop for that. Memory is quite cheap at the moment, so I just pack lots of memory cards and a very compact PHD. As I usually shoot RAW + JPEG, the images are 12-14 MB EACH.

BRAD, I've found exactly the same thing when travelling! The main problem is not finding Net Cafes, but rather finding the time to use them as I'm busy every day touring or visiting with locals or other travellers (or taking photos). If I can get on the Net 2-3 times a week, I'm doing well.

I also travel with a Cell Phone and find that sending texts is an effective and fairly economical way to stay in touch with family back home. The phone is with me all the time, and there's no problem with finding a Cafe that's open or concerns about time zones. They get the message eventually.

Anyway, that's the method I'm using at the moment and don't foresee travelling with a Laptop anytime soon.

It's funny that the generation thing was mentioned. I see myself as a wired person. My only computer is a laptop, although my wife has a desktop. Whenever I travel for work training or conferences, I always have my laptop with me. I do all the things mentioned above on a daily basis. I have a computer in front of me all day at work and my laptop is on almost whenever I'm home. But for me, a vacation means to leave my daily routine behind and get out and do stuff that doesn't include a computer.
That being said, I would like it for the research aspect when I may want to side-trip on the fly. But I don't feel that I need it. I'll usually hit an internet cafe or hotel's computer a couple of times on a trip, but that's it. I could see wanting it as a photographer, although memory is pretty cheap and there are more compact ways of storing photos.As the new 'netbooks' evolve and I get closer to replacing my laptop, I can see possibly getting another desktop for home and one of these truly small portables for the road. I still don't know that I'd bring it on vacation like this though.

Bill, I spent half a day looking for the Internet cafe in Nördlingen (Radlos), because the TI office gave me the wrong directions. (I was desperate to send an email back to my fellow students in the German class class at the university in Denver.) I finally found it, but it made me realize that Internet cafes are not as easy to find in Germany as they once were.

During my trip, I had FREE wifi connections at half of the places at which I stayed, but I found Internet cafes to be difficult to come by.

Andreas,

Thanks for the note about the smoking ban - I had forgotten about that so that is good news indeed.

If I may hijack my own thread, how is that ban going over in Deutschland, by the way? I know that Germans (some of them) are heavy-duty smokers, so that must have had a major impact.

I have an uncle who lives in Eastern Germany (die neuen Bundes-Länder) who used to buy his smokes "schwartz", and both my parents smoked very heavily, so I don't know how they would deal with all the new limitations.

Ken, luckily my best friend lives in Rothenburg, so I can use his computer to check e-mails, stocks, usw. So the internet cafe is a good back-up, but if you know Rothenburg, then you know that a lot of merchants have closed their doors because of the economy, and so it was with the internet cafe at "Der Rote Hahn" hotel, which was my favorite place to go online, because I could sit and drink a beer while cruising the net. I guess it just wasn't a profitable venture for them.

So anyway, in other threads on this board, I have mentioned my concern over heavy luggage, so I think the Notebook will stay home from now on, and I will enjoy the convenience of not having to drag and lift close to 50 pounds of weight as I take the train and have to make all those transfers! ;)

Thanks, Y'all!

My notebook computer weighs under 3 lbs. If I only used it for watching movies or playing games, it wouldn't be worth carrying, but on it I have all the train schedules, including contingencies. I also keep a few expense work sheets, including one that tells me how much it will cost to finish my trip. I don't just download pictures to give me more space on the memory card, each morning at breakfast I sort the pictures into folders by location and label them if necessary, while their locations are still fresh in my mind. I have all my travel information as well as a Word document with the journal of my trip.

If you don't want the inconvenience of a notebook, for goodness sakes, don't bring along any quidebooks or a journal - too much weight.

I'll add my vote to the cacaphony. The day that I take a lap top on vacation a little part of me would probably die. If only for email, I have never had trouble finding an internet cafe or some other public-use computer in Europe, post-war Kosovo included. Between the worry of losing it and the extra weight and bulk it occupies, I gladly leave my lap top at home. Now, for business travel, that's a different story...

I didn't read all the responses but..several countries offer free internet use in their libraries. If you are out walking just go past the library and spend a few minutes. Also some hotels have the use of their computer for checking emails, etc.

Hey Bill....WE TOOK IT
The biggest reason why is since we use a digital camera we downloaded the pictures each night and deleted what we didn't want. Also, we went "budget" and many of the B&Bs we stayed at didn't have a TV. Since we were gone over 3 weeks, we kept up on the news, email, work, etc. without having to deal with an Internet shop. We both also brought yoga videos. Good thing since we ate so much pasta in Italy. :) We are very light packers though. In total we each had a backpack and a small carry on - MIke's being his laptop, mine being my purse. That's it!

Hey! That's great that you were able to take it and share the load. Hope you got some great pictures!

A word about libraries in Germany and the internet availability there: One of the most lamentable closings in Rothenburg is that of The Goethe Institute.

It was not only a place where you could get the internet for a nominal fee, it was also a place for people of all ages to learn about German culture as well as the language.

I went there one afternoon and found it closed and thought I had just caught them at a bad time, but when I recently made reservations at a B&B names haus Karin, she told me they had closed for good.

Sad, huh?

Thanks for all the answers, y'all!

B~

I don't believe it is a generational issue as I'm in the best decade yet...50's, just dependent on personal use. That said, my opinion is take it. Besides email and movies, (yes, I get tired of foreign languages at night), there is the obvious reason for me: It is a huge source of information. Considering all the questions on art, history, hotels, directions, etc. that traveling brings up, the internet gets those questions answered while the question and interest is fresh.

Just returned from 10 days in Germany. One of the best things about the trip was not having a phone or internet. It was great to be unplugged.

We just got back last night from a month long trip to Europe,(each with only 1 < 2o lb back pack)..... my husband brought his tiny,lightweight ASUS EEE laptop and it ended up being a good item to have with us. We used the computer to down load and back up our photos, we then wrote a free travel blog on REAL TRAVEL that we would track our trip destinations and photos to our friends at home.

My 70 year old husband takes his ASUS Eee everywhere. Before he bought that early this year he dragged his laptop. I fought it mightily, then gave in begrudgingly, now wouldn't be without it. We just got back from two weeks in Montreal and Quebec City. We got input from folks at Trip Advisor on how to get from the train station to our hotel, how to get the heck out of QC the same day 250,000 people were arriving for a free Paul McCartney concert, where to eat, how customs worked getting back into the USA etc., etc. And we booked tickets online from our hotel room for The Louvre in Quebec show at the art museum. We can also write a trip report as we go and bore the heck out of the folks back home on an almost daily basis! We don't travel with cel phones so we make contact with people we are meeting up with via computer -- my cousin and his wife overlapped us in Montreal on their way home from Paris and our computer and her blackberry made the dinner cruise connection. Truth be told I'm happy to have hubby occupied with the computer in the evenings so I can plan our next day's sightseeing or chill out in front of the TV -- otherwise he's a chatterbox!

Hubby does the accommodation arrangements and tries to book hotels with free internet. We refuse to pay the $25/day some of the big hotels want, but we usually stay in one place for at least a week so we feel $40 for a week of connection is a decent price for being able to use the computer in the comfort of the hotel room. Hubby will track down a Starbucks, McDonalds etc. for free/cheap WI-FI if he has to. We won't mention that he forgot that the Residence Inn in Montreal had free internet, overlooked the plackard on the desk reminding him of that, and then signed on for a $40/week plan anyway!

Oh, and we travel outward bound as carry-on only, but don't always manage that on the way home -- especially if there is maple syrup and ice wine to bring home!

Both times that I've been to Britain have been genealogy-based trips, and the laptop was loaded with the equivalent of 3 shelves of full notebooks. The next trip will also partially involve family research. The only thing that has changed is that I'll leave the Dell behind and take my new ASUS Eee. It fits in my purse with my camera and billfold with room to spare. The only accomodation I'll make is that the genealogy will be loaded on a lightweight external hard drive. The Asus plus drive plus cords and minimouse weighs less than half the previous load, and takes about a third the space.
As to the "I'm on vacation" responses - I've saved myself money, time and hassle by having the internet at hand: making travel changes especially.
In addition, as to the generation remarks: as a baby-boomer I've seen double nickle (55 for the kids) come and go. I remember when anyone over 30 was ancient, now anyone UNDER 30 is still a kid... ;-)

I'm with the " no you don't need to bring it" camp.
I never have time to look at "facebook" on vacation( this is the worst use yet I've seen described here) , but can understand that for some business owners having their laptop makes sence,, just a shame they have to,, but if it makes a difference between being able to vacation or not, then of course they should take it .

When I am busy on vacation, I cannot imagine wasting time on the computer,( keep in mind I LOVE the computer , look how often I post here, LOL ) BUT, it is handy to look stuff up once in awhile, but I find most places have either internet cafes, or they have them in the hotels. I have spent a few euros for 30 minutes once or twice during a trip, I just don't see the need to have it more then that, but , then that is my travel style.

Ps. I travel fine without a cell phone either, I called home ( Victoria Canada) from Wengen Switzerland about two weeks ago,, from the hotel, cost me 5.40 Euros for 15 minutes,, dirt cheap to me. I do not need to call home daily,, geesh , that IS a generational thing.