sory for the question but i am techo spazzy. what do i need to do to ensure our cell phone works there? this is our first trip away from the kids (ages 2 and 4) and i need to make sure all things work. thanks
also, i have had blowdyers blow out w/ adaptors. is an adaptor all i need for my digital camera rechager and blowdryer?

1. you need a GSM phone enabled for frequencies 900 and/or 1800 MHz
2. you need a foreigner (non French) SIM card and a roaming agreement with the company owning the card or
3. you need a French SIM card (if the phone was not sold by the operator owning the SIM card, then make sure the phone is unlocked)

- otions 2 and 3 are alternative
- option 3 usually is cheaper and incoming calls/writen messages are always free

If your blowdryer and recharger are dual-voltage, take them with you. If they aren't, buy some that are.

Do you have T-Mobile or Cingular? I believe those are the only US companies that offer GSM service. Even then, you must have at least a dual-band phone including the above-mentioned frequencies. You need to contact T-Mobile or Cingular customer svc to have your international roaming access set up. (this is if you plan to use your own phone 'as is' without changing SIM cards).

If you want to buy local SIM cards for the cheaper per-minute rates, you have to 'unlock' your phone so you can switch out the SIM. You may get the unlock code for your phone model from T-Mobile/Cingular.

We have GSM phones with Cingular service. I found Cingular to be very helpful in setting up the phones to use in Europe. Just call the customer service number and they'll tell you exactly what to do. (I, too, am techno-phobic.)

I think we paid about 99 cents a minute for calls and 20 cents for text messages. Service was excellent.