Stay Connected

How do you stay connected when you are traveling in Europe? How connected do you want to be? What should you bring with you? What should you leave at home?

Is it better to give up a little of your sightseeing time to keep in touch with those you left behind or to come home to an inbox full of emails.

There are advantages if you stay connected while you are gone but there are also disadvantages.

Advantages

• Your friends and family at home will appreciate knowing that you are safe and having a wonderful time.
• You can deal with matters that require immediate attention and might grow worse or be more time consuming if you waited until you got back.
• Internet access is convenient and generally fast in Europe making it easy to send emails.
• It's nice to hear the voice of someone you care about when you are far away.

Disadvantages

• It can be time consuming to read and answer emails
• Looking for a pay phone where you can place an international call can be difficult especially finding one in a private, quiet location.
• It's hard to get away from work if your boss and colleagues know you have a cellphone and laptop with you.
• Internet access at hotels can be expensive. Often costing from $10 - $25 a day.
• Making international calls from your hotel room (often the most convenient place) is very expensive.
• Once you get started it's hard to stop reading your email. It can be addictive.

Stay Connected Tips

• Set up an email address that you can access from anywhere (e.g., gmail, yahoo, hotmail) and only give the address to people who will need to get in touch with you.

Check this email account whenever you have time. There should be a low volume of emails so it will be quick. You won't have to wade through a lot of junk mail to get to the important emails. If you have more time you can check your other email accounts.

• Set up an automated vacation response on your regular email accounts. Leave a contact (family member,friend or colleague) so someone else can answer the email for you.
• If you must respond to an email, send a short response letting the person know that you received the email and you will give a more complete response when you return.

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Ways to Stay Connected

• Use the Internet

There are lots of ways to use the internet to stay in touch while you are traveling.

• At the Airport
• In the Air
• In your Hotel
• At Internet Cafes
• At a Hotspot





• Make an International Phone Call
What is the best way to call friends and family while you are traveling?
• Use your Cellphone
• Rent a Cellphone
• Buy a Phone Card

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