WiFi?

Sarah, Using an iPod Touch for net access or E-mail is certainly one option. However, I've found that it's best suited for occasional or "light duty" use, due to the small display and keyboard. Using it as the only method of net access becomes very tedious, very quickly. This is one reason I decided to travel with a Netbook last year, and that will be with me on every trip now. Happy travels!

We just returned from Italy three days ago and used our iPhones to access the internet exclusively with the WiFi feature. Of course your iPod Touch is similar without the phone feature. We also took them to France last year as we like the small size, portability and security from theft as they fit nicely into zippered pockets. We prefer not to take a lot of tech gear since we travel well with back packs. If you have used the iPods for the same reason in the U.S. then you should have no problems in Italy. All of the six hotels, agritourismos, and B&Bs we stayed in had free WiFi.

Like the others said, it depends what you need the Internet for. I'm posting this using my iPhone in Venice right now :) It's good for light duty things, like email or searching for info, but some pages don't load well or the pagination is off. For example, the line into St. Marks was really long yesterday, so I thought about buying a pre-timed pass for today (they wouldn't let me check a messenger bag at the bag check to "skip the line" btw). When I loaded the page it was all screwy and I couldn't navigate it. That being said, Unless you have work or something you must do then you probably don't need the laptop. Ciao!

During the weeks from 6 May to 14 May, and in the NL, UK, and Italy, my 10 year old grandson used his touch for checking e-mail, the Red Sox, and talking to his parents on Facetime with no problems at any of the hotels we stayed at.

I loved having my Touch for many of the reasons Scott mentioned. Also, now that the new ones have a camera, you can use it to Skype family back home. If you think you will not like writing long emails with your thumbs, you can buy a small keyboard that connects by bluetooth to bring with you. It will still be much smaller and lighter than a netbook.

I suggest doing test runs before you travel. See if you can use the Touch to search for hotel rooms or conduct other activities you might do over there. I've been doing that with my smartphone. My conclusion, so far, is that it isn't as easy as doing it on a netbook, which itself isn't as easy as a desktop. You have to decide whether the added difficulty is bearable for the trade-off in weight and size. For me, I think it is. I have been debating whether to take a portable bluetooth keyboard, though, just in case I have to do much typing. It doesn't add as much weight as a full netbook and I can leave it in the room during the day.

Thank you all for your input. Since we have hotel reservations everywhere, I won't need to do much online "searching". I think the Touch will be fine for web accessibility. Thanks again