What things do you pack foremost when you are going on your vacation? Maybe clothes? Food? Nowadays you can pack that technique things that you use in your everyday life. There are some notes about travelling with technical devices. Hope you will enjoy them!
With my mantra being “Pack Light,” I used to be against packing electronics of any kind. But now, I bring my laptop, iPod, digital camera, and mobile phone to Europe. With hotels retiring their fax machines in favor of email, mobile phones getting cheaper and easier to buy, and Wi-Fi hotspots popping up everywhere, it’s never been simpler to get connected.
There are plenty of Internet cafes in Europe. Large European chains such as easyInternetcafe.com offer in-expensive access in big cities. Even small towns have some way to get online — at hostels, hotels, libraries, bookstores, post offices, and so on. If you plan to check your email using a public machine, make sure you sign up for a Web-based account.
If you tote your own laptop, you’ll find that many hotels and cafes offer wireless access — sometimes it’s free, other times, you’ll have to buy a drink or pay a fee — while some towns have Wi-Fi hotspots scattered around highly trafficked areas. Just pay for a password, park yourself on a bench in your favorite idyllic spot — overlooking a sandy beach, on a floodlit piazza, or along a bustling people-watching boulevard — then log on and surf away.
If you’re packing a digital camera, your biggest challenge will be storing photos. Buy the biggest memory card you can afford (or get two). Memory cards are available in Europe, but they’re more expensive. I travel with a six-megapixel camera and a two-gigabyte memory card. Taking photos at high resolution, I can fit about 500 photos onto my memory card. Since I usually travel with a laptop, I upload my photos to my computer. Without a laptop, you could empty — or copy — your memory card as you go, by getting your images burned to a CD.
It’s handy to travel with a mobile phone, whether you’re calling a hotel for directions or getting in touch with that lost travel buddy who missed the train. If you want to use a mobile phone in Europe, you have two choices: Take your own, or buy one once you’re there.
If you’re traveling with your laptop, the cheapest way to talk to loved ones back home is via VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol). VoIP lets you converse with people around the world over the Internet for free. The two main services are Skype.com and Google.com/talk. Computer-to-computer calls are always free, and the sound quality is about as good as a standard phone connection.
I’ve just been cruising through several European countries, communicating with friends, family, and office workers with my laptop and mobile phone. My days of chatting in noisy, smelly phone booths are long over.
