OK--I've resisted so far. I have been doing just fine with my little, carefully edited flat binders of info ( using both sides of a page) where once I complete a city, I toss the info.

But now I'm in a "too many cities, too many countries, too many individual flights, too many variables" situation.

One solution would be for me to upload all my info to one of my websites. Then if I have internet access, I can download all my reservations, etc at will.

Another part of me is leaning towards my very first PDA.

So if I'm going to buy one, which would be a good idea for travel in France, Brussels, Amsterdam, Czech Republic, Austria, and Cairo (not to mention USA)?

I have a Windows XP operating system on my computer with Office 2007.

As always, I appreciate the expertise on this board.

I can only give you anecdotal information, but here it is -

If by a PDA you mean a "smart phone" with internet capability, we've been through a couple in the past year, including a quad-band ATT/Cingular 8525 that we thought would be great - world phone, Bluetooth, lots of memory, camera, Mobile Office capacity....

Our conclusion after about 3 months with it was that it was a mediocre computer mated with a mediocre phone. Too fussy for easy use, impossible (despite BBerry-style scroll wheels, voice activation etc.) to use one-handed; hard to read screen in daylight; lousy battery life - really lousy; little buttons and big thumbs (a generational thing - "IM fingers&quot - and, bottom line, we dumped it. Back to an ultralight laptop and an idiot-proof Motorola quad band... happy again.

Your mileage may vary.

Well, I did this for my last trip and while it's handy, I'm not certain it was the "best" choice for me either.

I used a Palm PDA (no phone) to which I uploaded all my notes (restaurants, sightseeing, etc) and itinerary pre-trip.

I found that while standing on a streetcorner looking for info, scanning the PDA was no easier or faster than scanning a couple of typed pieces of paper.

I also used the PDA to write my journal of the trip for my website (I had a wireless mini keyboard with me) and to copy digital photos from my camera.

I think you have to ask yourself what you want to use it for. If it's just to store data, then it might work fine for you. For me, it really wasn't the substitute for a laptop I was hoping for.

Gardyloo-mind sharing what type of ultralight laptop you have? I'm thinking of going this route next time as the writing would certainly be easier and I'd love to have the ability to edit my photos on the computer.

I thank you both for your candor.

I've used two Pocket PCs in Europe - an iPAQ 2215 and a 6510 (the latter has a keyboard, so typing isn't an issue). I'd never travel without one of them or something similar.

As far as "scanning paper" - I have all my guides in machine-readable form, so finding something I want is done at electronic speed rather than scrolling through a lot of junk. Just open the Paris file, type "parc" or "musée" and hit <Enter> and they start popping up as fast as you can tap the screen.

Restaurants, bistros, and goodie shops are already loaded in Pocket Streets, so to locate one I go to "Pushpins," specify which one I want, and it appears on the map display. With the 6510, I have a built-in GPS, so I can navigate from where I am to where I want to be without a hitch.

With programs like nanika.net/metro I never have to pore over those maps in the Métro stations to figure out my optimum route - and the same goes for bus routes (which I favor over going underground).

The iPAQ is also a WiFi terminal, so I can yak with Arizona as long as I want to without spending a penny (using Skype), and surf travel-related web services anywhere. In the cities, there are open wireless LANs in every block.

The latest iPAQ Pocket PCs are the 6900 series, which you can investigate here: tinyurl.com/28faad

I use my PPC for a hundred things, some of which have been cataloged here: tinyurl.com/yctxcu

I love my Cingular 8215 (I think that's what it is - it's upstairs and I'm too lazy to go look). Nice big keyboard, great email and internet connection, works all over the world. Not great for downloading files, but OK.

And I've yet to download a bunch of travel stuff into it, preferring to use my actual brain and senses while on the road. Though I'm sure it would be fine for that too.

<i>Gardyloo-mind sharing what type of ultralight laptop you have? I'm thinking of going this route next time as the writing would certainly be easier and I'd love to have the ability to edit my photos on the computer...</i>

Toshiba with 12&quot; screen, 160gb hd, various bells/whistles. Weighs around 4 lbs. Add Skype and a headset and you're good to go.

I love my Treo. PDA &amp; phone in one, and with a SIM card I bought overseas, I've been able to surf the net and read and send email, too.