Technology Tips: 2004
European tourism now comes with a digital divide: those with high tech gadgets and those without. Which fancy new tools are worth the trouble and actually enhance your travels?
Have BlackBerry, Will Travel
We just returned from a two week trip: one week split between Disneyland Paris, Nice and Monaco; and one full week in Paris. Before the trip, I bought a BlackBerry wireless device (with email and cell phone features) to use at work. Another person in our group also had a BB. There were typically nine or ten in our group, including some small children (hence the detour to Disneyland Paris).
The BBs made a world of difference. Understandably with a group of this size, we were often split up (early vs. late risers; sightseers vs. shoppers). But with the BBs, we were able to keep track of the other group's whereabouts, and could coordinate when and where to meet for meals. For example, I went to Versailles early one morning, toured the State Apartments quickly when they opened at 9:00, went on the 10:10 english guided tour of the King's Apartments, and went back through the State Apartments with Rick Steve's guidebook in hand before the rest of my group arrived with kids in tow. (This was my second visit to Versailles.) With the BBs, I was able to meet them just as they arrived at the equestrian statue. Priceless.
The ability to discretely send emails on the fly was terrific. As it turns out, we never needed the BB's cell phone feature.Woody
Woody
Los Angeles, CA USA Mon 11/29/2004
Make use of those old cell phones!
I came up with this idea before going on a Caribbean cruise... Instead of taking my expensive PDA, I just brought along one of my old "decommissioned" cell phones. While I couldn't use it as a functioning telephone, I made very good use of its' accessories (Calendar/organizer, clock/alarm clock, notepad, calculator, games while bored). The most invaluable function was a programmable currency converter built into the calculator feature. It didn't have the availability to carry live conversions, so I had to change it with each new currency, however it worked WONDERS!
Dee
USA Thu 11/25/2004
Downloading timetables to a PDA
I just discovered that the German site Die Bahn, which has timetables for most of european public ground transporation will allow you to download timetables to a PDA. Go seehttp://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/query.exe/en
Jeff
Grass Valley, CA USA Tue 11/02/2004
electric outlets in Slovak Republic
If you are travelling to the Slovak Republic with electronic gizmos, be warned that your nifty transformer will NOT fit Slovak outlets. Great for Austria perhaps, but will not fit into the recessed Slovak outlets. I bought an adapter for my transformer at an electronics store (artdata?) in a mall in Bratislava... And then had to cut off the plastic lip so it would fit. A hassle, but it can be resolved.
ashley olson
Galanta, Slovakia Sat 09/18/2004
Walkie Talkie limits
If you own some walkie talkie's, especially the high powered Motorola type, be aware that the frequencies used in the U.S. are not legal in Europe. If you're not sure, ask before taking them (luckily I did).
Tim
Everett, WA USA Mon 09/13/2004
Palm handheld programs
Having a Palm is a really helpful travel tool. I don't know how I traveled without it. Probably the single best program is called METRO 5.2.2. It's a subway route calculator and comes with subway routes for many cities in the world. I used it for Paris and Amsterdam this summer. If going to London, download Zagat and /or Vindigo for restaurants. I copy a lot of text unto my Palm using Snapture and have cities organized in brackets e.g. [Paris] so that the articles sort correctly. I also use iSilo and the iSilo desktop program to capture webpages to read later on my Palm (used it for the Bruges train schedules). I also have an SD card for backup and use BackupMan or BackupBuddy VFS. Finally I loaded some photos of loved ones for when I'm lonely. The Palm can play music but I use an MP3 player.
Viviane
New York, NY USA Mon 09/06/2004
USB Drives
USB keychains are tiny, cheap and definitely indispensible. I bought a 256 MB drive for $70 CAD and it comes in handy wherever I go. I can store digital pictures, some MP3s, software... It also works well if I need to transfer files from one computer system to another.
Karla
Timisoara, Romania Sun 08/01/2004
Voltage in Europe
I notice a couple of posts in the Packing Light thread about using devices in Europe without a transformer. The posts were hidden between other posts about clothing so, I almost missed the good advice and would have blown $20 on a transformer. It turns out if your device (battery recharger, etc) has an input range of AC100-240V printed on the plug, all you'll need is an adaptor for the country you are visiting if that country's voltage is within the range.
Mimi
Orange County, CA USA Mon 07/19/2004
Casio Pathfinder Watches
I got one of these "inexpensive" watched to leave my "nice" watch home and not draw unwanted attention. This Casio Pathfinder has a built in electronic compass that I found very usefull to get my bearings in past trips to Rio de Janerio and Europe.
G. Perez
San Juan, PR USA Mon 06/21/2004
Swiss Rail Schedules on a PDA
The Swiss railroad system is excellent and recently improved with downloadable train schedules. Save the schedule to your PDA.
Niels Nielsen
Bethesda, MD USA Mon 06/21/2004
Digital Camera Solutions
Techno Geek Here.
MP3 player/hardrive that lets you download memory cards to it.
Archos - has several models that do this - so I have my music, dump off my pics to it and keep shooting. Wish I'd thought of it!
USA Sat 06/19/2004
Wireless e-mail, phone, calendar, alarm clock, and notepad
Easy access to email and telephone (and memo pad, to do list, alarm clock, calendar, and websites): a T-Mobile Blackberry device. Calls are a bit pricey but you can check email and make calls from trains, buses, or even while walking the streets. Use it all over Europe and in the USA.
I can't explain how convenient this was. In the USA, I get unlimited data access for $39.99/mo, and in Europe it's $0.15/MB (about 500 average e-mails). Like I said, it's not ultra-cheap, but sometimes convenience is worth paying for.
After 3 months, T-Mobile will unlock the SIM card for you so you can go to one of the other sites and use a prepaid country SIM card for cheap calls.
Brian
Raleigh, NC USA Tue 06/01/2004
Storing Digital Photos without a Computer
I am about to leave for my first trip to Europe (Spain, Greece & Italy for 4 weeks) and wanted to mention something regarding digital cameras and storing photos. I recently purchased an Apple IPod MP3 player, which is in effect a mini computer hard drive. Not only can I bring my music with me and share with my traveling companions and new friends, but now they offer an accessory to it which is a digital memory card reader and can be used to transfer your photos from your digital camera to the IPod.
Now I don't have to worry about stopping off in internet cafes, network storage, etc. Especially since I have a pretty nice camera (4 mega-pixels), most of the photos turn out to be about a 1 MB file, which is pretty big to send over e-mail. Now I'm not limited on how many pictures I can take, because the IPod holds 20 GB of files (approximately 20,000 photos), and if my camera memory card gets full, I can stop wherever I am and just transfer them in a few short minutes and be on my way again.
I just thought this would be an idea worth sharing, especially for traveler's going to more remote regions of Europe or elsewhere that may not have access to a computer. Also you can create text files on your computer at home and store them on there as well, they are viewable, you just can't modify them so you can keep phone numbers, address lists, directions, etc.
Dawn
Denver, CO USA Tue 05/11/2004
Rome Webcab
Violet, I do the same thing. There is one webcab that I know of. It is on the website for Albergo del Senato. This hotel overlooks the Piazza della Rotonda. Here is the URL http://81.208.34.15/dynamicindex/camera.html
Cynthia
FL USA Tue 05/04/2004
Webcams
Whenever I go on a trip, I find a webcam that my friends will be able to spot me. I tell them to log on at a certain time and there I am! I've found a good one in London and a so-so one in Paris. I'm going to Rome in Nov. and still have yet to find one there.
Violet
San Diego, CA USA Mon 05/03/2004
Pre-Loading Waypoints into GPS-unit
To make self-guided tours easier, I put waypoints for my hotel, museums, monuments and Paris metro stops into my Etrex-GPS unit. Just go to www.mapblast.com, plug in the addresses, and look at the URL line, within it will be the Long./Latit. for the waypoints.
Jeff
Wyandotte, MI USA Mon 03/08/2004
GPS Limitations in Italy
I used a Garmin Etrex when in Italy last year, and if you're considering using one, do be aware that a GPS works only as well as it's "view" of the satellite constellation overhead. In Europe, this can be greatly constricted by narrow streets and tall buildings. I found the Garmin to be least useful in Venice, somewhat useful in Florence, and most useful in Rome. I'm not saying don't use one, just be aware of the limitations of GPS in the narrow streets of Europe's cities. If you go to www.topografix.com you can download a waypoint management program for free that is very useful. I took my saved waypoints of public WC's and created a database that I can now download to the GPS from my laptop to the GPS before we leave. It is handy, just be aware of the limitations!
Tom Winkle
DeKalb, IL USA Wed 02/25/2004
A thumbs up for GPS
A GPS or Global Positioning System receiver can be a valuable item to pack. Using satellites, this device can tell you where you are virtually anyplace on earth. Once you buy it, there are no additional fees. The satellite system is paid for by our (US) taxes. These days they come in all sizes and price ranges. Most are the size of cell phones, but now there are wristwatch GPSs, and GPS modules for PDAs. Some have advanced mapping features that can give you directions. My favorite use for a GPS is called "Geocaching." That's a high-tech "treasure hunt" game, played worldwide. (For more info on Geocaching, visit www.geocaching.com)
Jason
Reno, NV USA Mon 02/23/2004