taking our Blackberry to Ger-Aus.; Is security a problem?

I carry my "crackberry" in my purse. But I am one of those insane people that don't use moneybelts. That said, pickpocketing is a major issue in large European cities and it pays to be careful. I try to be aware of my surroundings and I carry a purse that is not that easy for a pickpocket to get into. It is a medium sized purse, but it has a rather small, velcro closure. it has two outside zipper pockets that I use but not for anything of value, those go inside. The strap is adjustable and I wear it diagonally across my body. In crowds, I put my had over the velcro opening. The velcro does not seem to be as easily accessed as a zipper and has the added advantage of making noise. We were on the Metro in Rome once when a pickpocket tried to pick my husband's pocket. He yelled "pickpocket" loudly and they hurriedly moved on. I looked down and noticed that the child with the adult pickpocket had partially unzipped the pocket on my purse. But, there was nothing of value in the pocket. cont.

cont. I don't guess that helps your husband much though. My husband carries his wallet in his front pocket and puts his hand in his pocket on his wallet when we are in crowds. That is how he felt the pickpocket, she put her hand in his pocket even with his hand in there on his wallet!

Janice, although "he is all set up for European cell access", you might want to verify what the data charges are going to cost if you use the Blackberry for surfing the net or E-mail access.

There was a post here not too long ago about a traveller from the U.S. that happily surfed and E-mailed his way across Europe with his I-Phone, and found a $3000 bill waiting for him when he got home!

Also, has your husband used his Blackberry in Europe before? When in Bath last fall, I spoke with a Lawyer that was having a lot of trouble getting his Blackberry to work, even though it had supposedly been "set up" before he left. He was contacting his provider for about the tenth time to try and resolve the problem!

Happy travels!

Ken raises very good points. My friend who went to Paris with me bought a Blackberry just so she could call and email while we were in Paris. We never did get her phone to work while we were there. I had only recently gotten my Blackberry but I had had international calling on my previous phone. My Blackberry worked fine in Paris. I panicked on the way home though, because I had received and sent quite a few emails and I was worried about the cost. When I got home I called my provider, AT&T, and found out that I wasn't charged for the emails since they were part of my package. I did have to pay a small data transfer fee but it was under $10. Better to check before you leave!

He might think about getting a rubber/silicone shell case for it. A few reasons:

1) It helps to prevent dropping it by giving him a firmer grip.

2) It won't slide out of his pocket as easy as the "naked" blackberry will so he would notice if someone is trying to take it.

3) If he's carrying a daypack, backpack, messenger bag, etc, find a place in the bag where you can secure the device from pickpockets--notably a compartment with a zipper closure. Many of these bags have "slots" for cellphones or PDA's and they are the easiest for a thief to get to because they are designed so that they are easy for you to get to to answer the phone.

4) Get a case for it that makes it possible to connect a small chain. One end of the chain is attached to the blackberry case, the other to his belt.