Communicating over the Internet
By Rick Steves
The streets of Europe are lined with shops where you can affordably access the Internet. These are known as "Internet cafés" or "cybercafés," even though many of them serve no food or drinks. Large European chains such as easyInternetcafé offer inexpensive access in big cities. Even small towns always have some way to get online — at youth hostels, hotels, libraries, bookstores, post offices, copy shops, video stores, and so on. Ask the TI, your hotelier, any young person, or another traveler for the nearest place to access the Internet.
You'll want an email account that you can access from anywhere through the Internet. Consider one of the major Web-based email providers that offer free accounts, such as Yahoo! Mail, Hotmail, Google's Gmail, or AOL.
Be patient with foreign-letter keyboards. It takes time to find the right keys. If you can't locate a special character (such as the @ symbol), simply copy it from a Web page and paste into your email message. On many Windows-based computers, you can look for a box in the lower-right-hand corner of the screen where you can click and select which type of keyboard you prefer. Or ask the clerk for help. Often a simple keystroke or click of the mouse can turn the foreign keyboard into an American one.
Avoid storing personal information (such as passport and credit-card numbers) online. If you need important documents, email or phone home and have them sent by fax.
Note that because of an anti-terrorism law, you may be asked to show your passport (carry it in your money belt) when using a public Internet terminal in Italy. The proprietor will likely make a copy.
Getting Online with Your Laptop
With the abundance of cheap Internet cafés in Europe, you don't need to bring your own computer. But as laptops shrink, Internet access becomes widespread, and blogging becomes more popular, many travelers are taking their computers with them to Europe. There are three ways to get online from your laptop:
Wi-Fi (wireless Internet access, sometimes called "WLAN" in Europe) is increasingly common. If your laptop is Wi-Fi capable, you'll be able to get online at many hotels and cafés. Sometimes it's free; other times, you'll have to buy a drink or pay a fee to get the password. (Strangely, while many budget and mid-range hotels offer free Wi-Fi to their guests, the pricier places usually charge a hefty fee.) Some towns even have Wi-Fi "hotspots" scattered around highly trafficked areas. You pay for a password, then get online in whichever idyllic spot you like best — find a bench overlooking a sandy beach, on a floodlight piazza, or along a bustling people-watching boulevard...then log on and surf away.
Many hotel rooms, and some Internet cafés, have high-speed Internet jacks that you can plug into with a network cable (which looks like an oversized phone cord) — no special software or password required. I travel with a small length of network cable just in case, but most hotels will loan you one if you ask. Again, while this is usually free, some hotels charge a fee for access.
The old-fashioned way of getting online is to accessa dial-up Internet service provider from your hotel room. This can be useful if you can't find a Wi-Fi signal, but it's impractical for casual travelers since you have to arrange it in advance with a service provider.
Blogging
Instead of sending postcards or lengthy bulk emails to family and jealous co-workers back home, more and more travelers are writing blogs. Short for "Web log," a blog is an online journal where you can write about your experiences and post photos and short video clips. Set your blog up before you leave and access it on the road wherever you have Internet access. If you don't have your own website, plenty of free services are ready to host a blog for you. Many have email notification systems to tell your friends when your blog is updated, and allow readers to post comments (expect a ribbing for those crooked Eiffel Tower photos).
Blogger, Wordpress, and Typepad are good general blog hosts. People who use social-networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace simply blog through their pages there. Travelpod, MyTripJournal, and Realtravel are specialized for travelers and provide custom maps with "pins" for the places you've visited. Also check out Travelblog and Travellers Point. When choosing a website to host your blog, check the fine print to see how long your blog will be stored, whether you can later download your photos and text and in what format, and if there's a fee for premium services, such as uploading high-resolution photos. Also consider whether to make your blog "public" (anyone can see it), or "private" (viewable only by invited guests).
I've caught the blogging bug myself - follow along on my travels here.
Calling over the Internet
Some things that sound too good to be true...actually are true. If you have access to a fast Internet connection, you can talk to people around the world (such as from Europe to the US, or vice-versa) over the Internet — for free. This technology, called Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP; sometimes also known as Internet telephony or broadband phone), can save you a lot of money on calls home from Europe.
The major providers of this service are Skype and Google Talk. At either of these websites, you can download the application and register for free. Once you're signed up, you can talk via your computer to any other computer running the program. Computer-to-computer calls are always free, no matter where you are, and the sound quality is generally at least as good as a standard phone connection. The program uses your computer's built-in speakers and microphone, if it has one. (If your computer doesn't have a microphone, or if you want to improve the voice and sound quality, you can buy an operator-type headset for around $20.)
While you must download an application to use Skype — and therefore can only call from your own computer — Google Talk allows for Web-based calls, which you can make from any computer, such as at an Internet café. Of course, the service works well only if both parties have a high-speed Internet connection. Increasingly, you can even use these programs from certain Internet-enabled smartphones (such as the iPhone) by using third-party applications such as Fring.com.
Skype and Google also allow you to make calls over the Internet using an actual telephone (rather than a computer) on one or both ends. In this case, the calls are not free, but they are still inexpensive. Skype's version is called SkypeOut, while Google's is called Google Voice (www.google.com/voice). SkypeIn can automatically forward calls to your European cell phone on the road (so it remains a "local call" for the caller). While this all has to be set up online, it's fairly user-friendly and can save you a bundle on a long trip.
Other companies, such as Vonage, allow you to place calls over the Internet using an actual fixed-line phone, with cheaper rates to Europe than those offered by most old-fashioned long-distance companies. And services such as Rebtel allow for super-cheap international phone calls over the Internet, but work only if you're always calling the same number (such as a relative who's living abroad).
Even if you're not using VoIP, it's worth knowing about because of its increasing popularity in Europe. It's only a matter of time before a new European friend who wants to keep in touch asks you, "Do you use Skype?"
Updated for 2009. For lots more tips, check out our best-selling Europe Through the Back Door travel skills guidebook.