phones vs. Ipads, etc

If you are just using it to check mail and do an occasional search on the web, I've been satisfied with my Ipod Touch. It is easy to carry along and I also use it to listen to music, etc. Plus, you can download some of the RS audio tours and various apps.

kim, I'm not sure that Internet Cafés are a "thing of the past", but in my experience there are certainly fewer of them than in the past. You have several choices.... 1.) iPod Touch - small and easy to travel with, allowing you to check the net or E-mail at a Hotel or other location with Wi-Fi. These also provide music, photos and storage of travel files (Word or Excel documents). I've found they work well for "light duty" use, but the small screen and keyboard become a bit tedious with heavy use. 2.) Netbook - these provide the benefits of a "normal" computer with a keyboard, and work well in Wi-Fi areas. They can also store travel files and E-books (Kindle) and as these are equipped with a hard drive, they're useful for photo backup. Most Netbooks have a built-in SD card Reader for easy photo transfer. 3.) Tablet (iPad, Galaxy) - much the same as a Netbook or iPod Touch, with a larger screen and light and easy to travel with. Not as useful for photo backup, as they're currently limited to about 64 GB of solid-state memory. The virtual keyboard is a problem for me, however external keyboards are available (I don't want to have to pack along an accessory). 4.) Hotel computer - Many Hotels and Hostels provide at least one computer in the Lobby for use by guests. These may have a foreign keyboard which can be confusing for some people (which is why I travel with a Netbook these days). 5.) Phones - Much the same as an iPod Touch in use, but also provide the ability for calls or texting back to family at home, calling Hotels, etc. If using a Smartphone such as an iPhone, one must be EXTREMELY careful to avoid data roaming charges, which can be HUGE! Good luck with your choice!

Any device you have that can use wifi will do the job of email and general web searching. There are internet cafes and hotel computers for infrequent use, but for daily use, you will want your own device. If you do not already have a wifi device for internet & email, I would suggest you NOT buy a device specifically for your trip. Instead, consider how such a device would be useful in your regular life (lounging on the couch surfing the web, for example) and buy that, then take it with you. It doesn't matter how well a device works for travel if it sits unused in a drawer the other 50 weeks of the year.

I'm very pleased with my iPod Touch. I used it on a trip in the U.S. this past summer and loved the convenience. The only problem is that it's dependent on wifi so if you don't have access to the network, you're out of luck.

Do you use your phone to check email or do web searching now? If not, I'd go with a wifi only device. If you have become addicted to being connected through a phone, however, you might not want to give that up when overseas. You can get a prepaid phone connection in Europe that will let you have some modest Internet connection for not too much money ($20 or less). I have found it helpful to do searches for museum hours, phone numbers, and maps. Being able to do so whenever you want, without the need to search for a wifi connection, is great. I wouldn't want to go back. My experience is with a U.K. account, which I recommend because it is easier because everything is in English, albeit that strange variant that they use over there. Using a U.S. phone account overseas has always been pricey for phone calls, but it also has the potential to be astronomically pricey for data usage (thousands and thousands of dollars). It appears this may be changing and some more affordable data packages are becoming available. They aren't cheap - and the local prepaid SIMs are still way cheaper - but if you have one of the U.S. carriers that offer this service (AT&T?), you might want to check into that, too.