Advice on cell phones and internet

mainwestpt,

i can only speak for the cites i visited, Oslo, Stockholm & Copenhagen (CPH) so far. I found internet cafes in each of those cities and have in all of the other cities i have visited, so far.

As to when they are open, thats something you will have to find out and to the location.

Since youre traveling in a couple weeks, not alot of time to do much, but you will get help from the more well traveled people on here.

My opinion, is that once youre out of the larger touristy cities reservations shouldn't be an issue unless GOD is having a festival and everyone and their dog is going to be there but you werent on the list of attendees. With that said, you can find places to stay, but may not be to your exact liking in some respects. Being flexible is good in this case.

if you dont mind paying more for last minute train seats, then thats another one for last minute travels. Sometimes it pays to plan and sometimes its not an issue.

i bought an inexpensive cell phone in the UK so that i would have convenient access to a phone when "I" needed it. So far i havent.

just a comment. some lodgings will want advance notice/call if youre going to show up o-dark-early. just something to think about.

happy trails.

We carry an ipad with WIFI only. Use it with the hotel wifi system and to see stored information. We don't worry about phone contact as email is enough for us.

You may find internet cafes but they are becoming harder and harder to find since most people do bring their own devices now. Most travelers do fine using only wifi in a hotel or café so email and websites can keep most your trip running smoother. You can also use Skype programs to make cheap calls within Europe or back home when connected to wifi. If you want your phone to have the option of making calls international plans have gotten better so it would be worth looking at Verizon's options. If you plan to make a lot of calls within Europe you will get better rates buying a sim-card in Europe but it can sometimes be complicated to get your current phone to work with that sim-card. Many of us find it easier to just buy a cheap phone to go with this sim-card in this situation. You can find more information here.

Thanks to you all for your great advice! I just bought an e-reader that also has internet connections so I can take my books with me and also make connection by email when necessary. I am so grateful for your guidance on this issue! If anyone else wants to chime in I would love to hear from you as well.

Not having can be difficult??? Why? We didn't have phones 20 years ago and got along fine. It would be hard to live without my smartphone in the US but no problem when traveling in Europe. Have yet to have a situation where a phone would have been needed or critical. However, we do fine the iPad with wifi to be very useful especially in the evening at the hotel since nearly all hotels have free wifi.