Netbooks for Europe

I travel a lot and haven't been in an Internet cafe in years. I can do a lot with my iPhone, and I use my netbook evenings at my lodging to check mail and news from home, do searches on places I've visited that day, or will be visiting the next day, transfer photos, etc.

I seek out (in advance) lodging with Wi-Fi, and pay for it when I have to. I'd say about half the time it's free, the other half of the time it's a few Euros, but worth it. Generally, the cheaper the place, the more likely it is to have free Wi-Fi, and the more expensive the place is, the more it charges for a connection!

After traveling with mine for a month this summer, I would not travel without one in the future.

I say go for it.

We used ours this summer and loved it. Only problem was with Ryanair. We had to check in online and print boarding pass. Did not take a printer with us. We had to go find an Internet cafe and get pass printed. Other than that, loved having the ability to stay connected with family.

I'd take it. We found internet cafes in Paris but not many in the south of France. Most hotels had internet available.

If all you need to do is be able to access the web, then I'd suggest getting an Ipod Touch. I did and the netbook now stays home on vacations. I'm even typing this on the Touch.

I've also used an IPod Touch on recent trips and although it works reasonably well, it's better for "light duty" uses due to the small keyboard and display. It's less versatile than a Netbook in some ways, for example photo storage or dealing with attachments on E-mails.

Especially given the areas you'll be travelling, I'd suggest a Netbook over Internet Cafes. I find the French Keyboards very awkward so I'll most definitely be travelling with a Netbook on the next trip.

Happy travels!

Took our netbook and barely used it. Didn't have time and didn't want to take the time to search out cafes with WiFi.

Most hotels, B&B's etc. will give you access to a computer for this purpose. I wouldn't bother to bring a computer. Remember, whatever you bring, you will have to carry with you everywhere you go. Ask yourself, "Will I use it enough to justify bringing it along?". The answer will be no, because there will be places that will give you internet access.

Bob,

One comment on a previous post......

"Most hotels, B&B's etc. will give you access to a computer for this purpose."

That's certainly true, but I've found there are two potential problems with that:

1.) While many Hotels these days provide an Internet terminal for guests (often only one computer), these often tend to be in use a lot of the time by other guests. In some cases I've found the only time I could use them was in the "wee hours" of the morning when other guests were sleeping.

2.) In some countries, the keyboard layout is a darn nusisance! When I was in France a few months ago, the keyboards were a definite annoyance (and that's putting it mildly!).

Most Netbooks are small, light and easy to travel with so I plan on buying one prior to my next trip. That will hopefully eliminate the difficulties I mentioned above, and will also provide the option of backup photo storage. Although I have a MacBook Pro there's no way I want to travel with that as it's too big, too heavy and too expensive to risk loss, damage or theft.

Cheers!