Question about bringing laptop, camera, IPod, phone, etc.

Tracfones won't work outside of the US. But you can purchase similar mobile phone in Europe once you arrive. For me Skype works fine, and dirt cheap.

I would never go to Europe without a camera. I would, however, go without an iPod. I carry a netbook that I use for blogging, uploading pictures, email, and Skype (though it can be tough to find a time for both parties to be available for it, due to the time zone difference). Generally, my family either follows my blog or we send email. That way, everyone can read and answer on their own time.

For communicating with folks back home, there are many options. First, who is your carrier, and what is your cell phone model? Don't assume it won't work in Europe without checking. Second, how many calls are you planning to make? Long ones, or just quick check-ins? Would texts suffice instead of calls? Will people in the US want or need to reach you? Are you planning to make any calls in Europe, or just back to the US? The answers to these questions (in addition to whether your current phone will work in Europe) will determine the best answer (or answers) for your situation. As for bringing gadgets, none are "necessary," but many find that judicious use of them can enhance a trip. Rick Steves himself used to be very anti-gadget, but now admits he travels with an iPhone, laptop, and digital camera, and that he would do this even if he didn't need them for his work. Even when my cell phone wouldn't work in Europe as a phone, it was very handy. Camera, alarm clock, calculator, music player - all in one small package. To keep your gadgets from being stolen, you take the smallest ones you can (easier to hide and to keep with you), know where they are at all times, and only take the ones you will actually use. This last can be hard to know on a first visit. And if you're going to be very worried about loss or theft of a particular gadget, leave it at home. You don't want your trip to be monopolized by worry.

I take my camera and a cheap phone I bought in Italy three years ago - I just keep buying minutes. I also take my iPhone (data function turned off) and am able to use the functions Harold mentioned. Many hotels have omputers for guests' use, which is good enough for me, but I don't stay in frequent touch with family/friends.

Sometimes a cell phone functions as a camera, ipod, computer....I am sure you know that. If you do not have a cell phone with these capacities, could you consider upgrading your phone? I have the new iphone (5). I was so impressed with its camera that at a certain point in my last trip, I mainly used just the iphone for pictures. While my Canon G11 is better for night and close ups, the iphone 5 took incredible out door pictures, with panaramic options. It was great for my mountain bike trip in Spain, not bulky at all and quick to retrieve from my pocket. For communicating with family, we used facetime, needing only wifi to connect to the folks in the states. It was cool because we could show them our view from our room in Ronda, show them our terrace apartment in Sevilla, and show them our alpine view in Berchules, all from our phone. One can email from a smart phone as well, internet is part of the phone's function. The few times we needed to actually place a call to some local people in spain, it did not cost us much. We did not opt for an international phone and data plan. my 4 calls were all around $6. I know a lot of people are using skype and can access that also from a wifi connection. We also bring our ipad for entertainment on the plane, as the screen is a bit larger than our phone. In terms of electronic size and weight, I would never bring my laptop. I would fear it breaking more than being stolen. In a day pack or carryon, the weight of it would leave me grumpy. Once again, my phone and ipad are small and easy to tote, even if you do not want to leave them in your hotel room. But on a normal day, it would be nothing for me to have my iphone and camera on me, leaving the ipad in the hotel safe. The safes I have seen, may not accommodate a lap top.
As far as the voice translation app, you would need to have a data plan most likely to operate that app.

I second the advice to take the smallest gadgets and as few of them as possible. And I also agree: it's hard to know in advance on a first trip, which ones you'll end up using, and even with the phone service turned off, smartphones are handy little devices. If the only reason you'd bring a laptop is to Skype? I'd leave it at home in favor of a smartphone or another small gadget with Skype capability. If you really want to make phone calls while in Europe, either to call home or to make calls in-country (make reservations, get information, contact the people you're traveling with)? Here's my two cents. Do not buy a phone or service here in the USA. Go to a mobile phone shop once you arrive in Europe, and buy an inexpensive unlocked phone with prepaid (aka pay as you go) service. All phones in Europe, like AT&T and T-Mobile in the US, use removable SIM cards. If you get an unlocked phone you can change your service by just swapping out the SIM card. Handy! You'll find plenty of bargains to choose from, and you'll come home with a phone you can take traveling with you again. You don't say which countries you're visiting, but see the "pay as you go" deals at http://www.carphonewarehouse.com for a sample of what's available in the UK if you're landing there. Perhaps others will point you to shops with similar deals elsewhere in Europe. As to camera, that's really your call and depends on how much of a photo hound you are. I love taking photos and no phone however marvelous is going to satisfy me on that score. So I tote a DSLR and a point and shoot. If you have a small point and shoot that satisfies your picture taking needs it shouldn't be a big burden to carry it along in your day bag. Happy trails!

Two cool gadgets I got for my trip are an iPad mini and an eye FI card. I use my iPad daily at home but it is too heavy and large to carry in my purse. So I got an iPad mini. I can carry it all day instead of my iPhone and iPad. With all the same apps and abilities. The eye fi card automatically uploads your photos to the web when you have wifi. That way if my camera is stolen I don't loose all my pictures and I don't have to store them on the iPad mini.

Electronics on my last trip to Spain included: a little Nikon camera (and plenty of SD memory cards), an Ipod touch (configured with Skype, Docs to Go, and Jibbigo Spanish), and a cheap cell phone I bought the day I arrived. We made calls home (and a small number of local calls in Spain) using Skype on the Ipod touch. I did pack ear buds with a microphone because using Skype in a Starbuck's, McDonald's, or lobby can be too noisy for the intergrated microphone. The Ipod was also plenty to keep itineraries, lodging phone numbers, reservations, and even a spreadsheet with things to see/entrance fees/operating hours. The phone was through Vodaphone, purchased at a department store (El Corte Ingles) in Barcelona - 25 euro for the phone, charger, sim card and ten euro credit for calls (VAT is always included in the price in Europe). I saw an identical deal on another phone from Orange so I doubt you would have much trouble finding something similar. I still think a good camera is worth having (but I like it to be as compact as possible). Although you can take photos with an Ipad or phone, I don't think the quality is good enough to rely on.

Megan..lots of advice here...only you can decide what you need, but here is what I take AT&T iphone that I use for texting (at a low rate) and phone calls if necessary Data is turned off. I also bring camera (professional photographer) and a small computer for downloading and emails, etc. I am always trying to keep it simple, but know what I need at this point. I will pack less other stuff so I can take these items.
As far as the translator program I think you are talking about Jibbigo. You will download the language you want (its about $5 per) and you can talk into it, but it has a hard time understanding me, so some of the translations are laughable...but , it is very easy to type into it and it will do a reasonable job for you. Much better than hauling around a dictionary. It works offline on my iphone. I have gone to Europe a ton of times and would not leave stuff home for fear of having it stolen...just be careful with your stuff, but you bought it to use... so use it.

I went to London in December 2012 & took my ipad & used my cellphone. Actually so many places had wifi I was able to talk via Skype with friends and family. I am not sure if the Ipod can use Skype or facetime. Still if you keep them with you & are not being flashy you should be fine.

I should add that I didn't have much luck with the voice recognition feature on Jibbigo. It seemed to go into think mode for much longer than I was willing to wait. The app did come in handy, however, for typing things in and translating. My Spanish was sufficient for getting basic ideas across. In private casetas, my wife would "type" conversations with Spanish women (almost like texting). She typed in her comment in English, let it translate. Then a local woman typed in something in Spanish and let it translate back to English for my wife to read and respond to.

Hey Everyone,
Thanks so much for the advice! I went to my cell phone carrier and asked them whether my phone would work over in Europe or not. They told me that my phone would not work, since it is not a smartphone. They said that if I had a smartphone it would work, because you can buy a SD card or something of that nature to plug into your smartphone and make it work. Plus, I cannot afford to upgrade to a smartphone, because it took me over a year to save up to go to Europe for only a couple of weeks. Talk about irony! Ha! Anyway, I thought I would either go to Italy, Greece, or France. So, if I bought a phone over in Italy would it also work in Greece and France, and would it allow me to call back home in the USA? Basically, I just need something that would let me call home and check in with my over-protective mother. I have a question about bringing along items like a straightener, curling iron, or blow dryer. I never do anything fancy with my hair, but I do straighten my bangs. Would it be best to buy a straightener over in Europe or bring my own along with me? I know that their electric outlets are not like ours over here in the USA. Any tips on that? Plus, do you have to pay for Skype? And is it expensive to make a call from Europe to USA using Skype? I know my IPod touch has Facetime. Is that better to use? Do you have to pay for it? I've never used anything like Skype or Facetime before, I don't know how any of that works. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks so much for your help!!

Your phone doesn't have to be a smartphone to work in Europe. It just has to be able to operate on their frequencies (which is probably not the case). What they were referring to, probably, is a phone with which you can switch out the SIM card. This makes your local calling cheaper, but you can also use it to call the US cheaper than if you used an international plan from your provider (IF your phone worked). And yes, you can buy a phone in one country and it will work in another. If you are still on the same SIM card, you will use up your time more quickly, but it will work. As for hair appliances, you are better off buying there. In most cases, hotels will have hairdryers available either in the room or at the front desk.

Megan, I just read Rick Steve's info on cell phones, SIM cards, and online services (such as Skype). Here's the link:
http://www.ricksteves.com/plan/tips/cell-phone-europe.htm