Second Opinions

How Do I Stay Connected While I'm Traveling in Europe with My Laptop?

By Neil E. Aresty

THERE ARE REALLY two answers to this question. The first is the easy way, and the second is the hard way. Let's take a look at both so you can type and trek your way through Europe.

1. The Easy Way.

Do not bring your laptop. Leave it and all those headaches, cords, adapter kits, etc., at home (or in the office). If all you really need is to communicate and stay on top of your e-mail then consider the Web forwarding option. That is to say, forward your e-mail to a Web hosted e-mail account e.g., Yahoo.com, Netscape.com, Hotmail.com, MSN.com, About.com, or the like. There are growing numbers of free and almost free, Web based e-mail accounts that can be set up to receive copies of your e-mail.

America Online members can access their mail from any Web browser by logging onto www.aol.com. (You simply enter your account screen name and password). AOL also offers full service in many European cities, including 26 cities in Italy, throughout the U.K. (with 57.6, too), Israel, Iceland, Ireland, the Ukraine, and more. It even offers GSM cell access in Paris. It does not, however, offer service in either Iran or Iraq, it notes.

AOL offers special versions for residents of Brazil, Canada, Germany, France, U.K., Sweden, Japan, Australia, Hong Kong, Mexico and Argentina. It's a bit tricky to find the access number link on the main AOL homepage (it's at the very bottom of www.aol.com, in the fine print, but you can go straight to the international access numbers).

With either AOL or a Web-based account, all you have to do to access your e-mail will be to access the Web from someone's Internet connected PC. How easy is that going to be, you ask? Almost as easy as finding a decent cup of coffee! (O.K,. that analogy might not work in the U.K.) Really, just look for the nearest "cyber cafe."

Internet Cafes

So called "cyber cafes" are becoming increasingly popular. According to one recent survey there are thousands of cyber cafes located in more than 150 countries. Type "cybercafe" in your favorite search engine and you will get sites for cyber directories and even a cyber search engine where you can type the name of a city or country in order to get a listing of local cyber cafes. (See, http://cybercaptive.com/ or http://cybercafe.katchup.co.nz). There is even a listserv dedicated to the topic at alt.cybercafes --where you will find all sorts of helpful information and frequently asked questions.

Once you sit down at a local cyber cafe, you can surf the Web, go to your Web based e-mail account, read and respond to your mail, and even access your company's Extranet. If this model works for you, congratulations -- you are definitely operating in the 21st century. Why bother carrying all that baggage. You can access your work from virtually anywhere, anytime.

Quick Tips

In order to take advantage of the cyber cafe option, make sure that you have done the following:

* Set up a Web hosted e-mail account at one of the free Web host services.

* Make sure that you forward a copy of your e-mail to your Web hosted account. (Large firm folks should have their e-mail techies do this for them. Solo and small firm folks need to know your incoming mail server name, your e-mail account name and your mail password. In Yahoo.com for example you would have to set this up under the Options link, then by clicking on the "Check other POP Mail" link and follow the instructions for filling out the form.

2. The Hard Way

Take a laptop. If you really want to take that laptop to the annual meeting of the American Bar Association in London next month, or anywhere else overseas for that matter, you'll face the inconvenience of lugging all that extra weight (plus plugs, converters and disks). You also will have to think about: 1) electric plug adapters for your laptop; 2) modem connector converters for the local telephone system; and 3) an internet access provider phone numbers.

Electric adapters: Check to see if your laptop has a power supply that adjusts automatically to the local voltage. Most do, but if you are not sure, read the label next to power source interface or in your laptop manual. We typically use 110 voltage in the United States. Europe is typically set to 220 volts at the electric outlet. Modern laptops will automatically adjust to the voltage.

You'll need the appropriate electric plug adapters for the countries you visit. These are readily available in hardware stores, airport terminal stores or on the Web. Check out adaptor plugs such as the Recoton set for $20 at www.ElectronicAccessory.com. Notwithstanding the adaptor, I think it is safer to run your computer off of its batteries and just use the adapters to charge the laptop while it is offline. That will minimize risks associated with power surges that might lurk in those wires.

Telephone adapters: You also will need phone adapters for your modem's connection to the local telephone jack. Every country in Europe has its own unique telephone jack. Although several telephone adaptor jacks may come in the electronic adaptor kit that you buy, check the country's specific requirements at the "World Wide Phone Guide".

ISPs

I never realized why my partner kept his CompuServe account until we went to London together. CompuServe had one of the largest sets of European local telephone numbers that you can use to dial up to be connected to the Internet.

All he had to do ahead of time was search CompuServe's Dial Up telephone listings and then answer the questions in the "Dial Up Networking" Windows folder or in the Windows 95/98 Internet Setup Wizard, for the local number and CompuServe ISP settings.

Do not kid yourself. The greatest difficulty in getting online in Europe will be setting up your "connectoid" or answering the questions correctly to the Internet Setup Wizard in order to access an Internet Service Provider. You should check with your existing ISP to see whether they offer telephone numbers in the city or country you plan to visit. While you are at it, ask them to help you set up a Window's connectoid. That way you will be all set and only have to double click on the connectoid icon to connect.

AOL's overseas coverage is spotty; CompuServe is better. But you can establish a temporary account with an ISP that services the country's you'll be visiting.

One of the best sites to find ISPs to dial up in Europe is at the http://thelist. internet.com/. You can look up ISPs that provide dial up service all over the world. Its database offers more than 8,700 ISPs listed with detail information on their services, rates, telephone numbers and Web sites.

Before heading for Europe with that laptop, find out what your ISP's access numbers are and what "roaming charges" (surcharges) may apply to dial-up service abroad. (AOL charges between $3.95-$6 per hour surcharge for most sites).

Also remember that European phone calls are often billed by the minute. Long-distance tolls can add up quickly -- especially if your hotel is adding a surcharge.

Bon voyage!

Attorney Neil E. Aresty is a principal with Boston's Legal Computer Solutions, Inc., which provides law office automation consulting. A member of the LTN Editorial Advisory board, he implements Web based litigation support through LextraNet.com.