Do you ditch the electronics when traveling
 

or would they have to pry your cold dead fingers from your laptop/berry/iPhone?

If you do take them with you, how long did it take you to "break down" and then realize the convenience far outweighed the "always plugged in" factor? I know that a few years ago people would get up in arms at the thought of taking a cell phone on vacation, for instance.

I've gone on trips abroad recently without the laptop (both trips to London this year, actually - they were 4 nights and 3 nights respectively) but I don't think I'll ever go back to traveling berry-less (or iPhone, should the jump ever be made).

I don't even use the phone all that much, but it's there if I need it. What is most convenient is being able to pull up information at your fingertips - including restaurant/museum locations, and in a few instances the address of my hotel for the cab driver upon arrival.

When traveling without DH, I take my mobile phone (which is just an ordinary phone, not a Blackberry or iPhone) and my digital camera. With DH, it's Blackberry, netbook, two digital cameras, Kindle, and portable DVD player (if we're taking a very long international train trip).

Travelling alone I too only take a normal mobile phone, and my camera, which goes everywhere with me anyway. Plus a GPS logger for the camera and an image tank to download photos to if I am away for a while. If I'm driving then I borrow my husband's car as he has SatNav built in.

If I go with my husband he always takes his laptop. It is very useful for finding the next place to stay, since we never book our entire trip ahead of time, and for downloading photos. His iPod is also an essential for him, though I usually end up cursing the thing. I hate constant music - he loves it and plugs the iPod into the car stereo constantly.
One of these years I shall treat myself to a netbook then the laptop can stay at home too.

I meant to say the mobile phone is only switched on once a day to check for messages, otherwise it is switched off.

I generally bring no electronics. I'm leaning toward adding some but it has to stay in the context of one carry on bag only.

I love having a cellphone on which I can make cheap local calls when I travel. It's become an essential for me. Example: in September, I got lost in the one-way system of a small town in Wales, and couldn't find the appropriate car park for my hotel. The GPS (yes, I had one of those with me, too) couldn't help, because what I was looking for had no street address. So I pulled over, called the hotel, and presto, problem solved.

Having the GPS was also fabulously useful -- made it much easier to go around roundabouts when I knew in advance that I was looking for the third exit.

I took a laptop, too, for the first time ever on pleasure travel. That was a bit useful, but not as much as I had expected, since I found that for my vacation I wanted to get *away* from my normal daily life, including emaiils.

I wonder how long it will be before this thread starts eliciting dogmatic opinions and personal comments, i.e:

"If you want to stay connected to your family and office, maybe you should just stay home"
OR:
"I walked 10 miles to school in snowstorms when I was young and I had no GPS or cellphone."
VERSUS:
"We're living in the 21st Century and if you don't want to stay connected, it's probably because you have no life at home..."

Anyway you get the picture. This has GOT to turn Fodors-ugly. Like asking about what to wear in Paris.

I take my small iTouch with wireless connectivity, my SONY Reader filled with lots of good books, and camera of course.

I don't usually carry any electronica when I'm travelling - other than a camera - but this past October for the first time, I took a small ASUS netbook with me. It is small, thin and light and fit easily into my carryon or daypack. With free WiFi available so much in Europe, I was able to quickly look up information about restaurants or sites in the area I was in, check-in online, reserve event tickets, google directions, all from a cafe, station or airport departure lounge, or even dash off a quick one liner - live - from whatever interesting place I was at the moment. Sometimes, I didn't turn it on for days at a time if I didn't need to. So I found it very useful and convenient to have.

The only headache was the collection of plugs and cables I needed to carry for the various countries (to fit their outlets) when charging its battery and those for my camera. More bits and pieces than I'd have liked.

Digital camera, of course.
Unlocked quad-band cell phone, usually switched off, good for reservations or when I can't find my hotel.
iPod - for audio books - much lighter than "real" books - and the occasional walking tour
Computer - for a long time no, just Internet cafes. But I took a netbook (Lenovo S10) to France with me this spring, and loved it. However, even the netbook, with power supply and sturdier day pack to carry it, were a little on the heavy side. I took a Nokia n800 Internet Tablet on my last trip instead.

Was about to add that an iPhone probably could do all of the above for you too.

The only thing I take is my laptop and not even that if the hotel charges for wifi. Don't even carry the phone at home so wouldn't take that.I do take my camera and battery operated toothbrush!

We have not had the opportunities to travel to Europe as much as many here (but hopefully will change!) - the first time we went in 07 with our two daughters we did not bring anything - no computer, no cellphones (they did not work there anyway). We did check into internet cafes on occasion.

The second time we went in 08 we did bring two cell phones (call in Europe) and a laptop. We had 6 people total and the phones really helped - the laptop was a bit of a distraction and a "point of conflict" with the teens.

I like having the connection for last minute checks on different sites etc. when not staying in a hotel (we had an apartment) - the phones were priceless with being able to stay in touch with the teens out and about.

I travel with my iPod, digital camera, and both my US (Verizon) and "international" cell phone (very basic unlocked Motorola quadband bought on eBay). (The US phone, of course, comes in handy both for letting family know I've safely arrived in the country, and for reworking plans when flights get delayed/canceled!) Depending on the trip, I might take a laptop, but try to avoid it. The biggest downside for me, as Mathieu mentioned, is the other equipment the electronics require. My Motorola requires a converter in addition to the adapter, so before my next trip I may look into getting a different one. There are also the various chargers and memory cards, but for me it's worth it.

If/when my iPod Classic ever dies, I'll probably get an iPod Touch, which would be really nice - check email, etc. anywhere there's wifi. That would eliminate any desire for me to take the laptop on purely pleasure trips.

The main reason I take my laptop is to view photos I've taken during the day, but it's also nice to do a little research on something I'd like to see the next day. I've also found it useful to read up on something I had seen that day. If it's a short trip I figure I don't need to view photos until I get home - and in fact am unlikely to have time to do so anyway. I don't mind not having wifi in the hotel for that reason - it's a nice perk but not needed.

I take the cameras (of course) and the berry for certain. I usually take the Touch but don't always use it - even on the plane. The laptop - it all depends on the length of the trip and if I really wanted to travel lightly I wouldn't bother.

I will say it very useful when you are meeting up with friends, especially in a large city. If the other person doesn't carry a phone - good luck, unless your meeting plan is foolproof (i.e. no multiple exits at which to wait, etc).

If my employer can reach me, it's NOT a vacation. That important point made, I do carry a personal, private cell phone - that's it.

I actually don't use my iPod on the plane either. I don't want to shell out the money for the noise-removing headphones, and with the drone of the plane engines I feel like I have to turn the volume up way too loud to be good for my ears. I do have noise-isolating earbuds and will occasionally put those in just to block the noise a bit, but don't usually listen to anything. The iPod is more for trains and "me time". On my next trip I'm looking forward to finding some audio tours I can load on there.

I usually bring:

- my iPhone (unlocked, but I rarely swap SIMs),
- a camera (sometimes 2),
- a GPS if driving,
- an Mp3 player,
- at least one computer (sometimes 2),
- an eBook Reader

The wife usually brings about the same.

Occassionally, I will bring along a PSP, as well, but have largely abandoned that except for the longest trips.

The last time I went to Italy, I had a little chuckle.
In the past, I would check that I had enough film for my camera. I'd take a couple of paperbacks and was out of phone contact.
This time I took a digital camera, a Sony with 160 books on it and a mobile phone. Of course I also had to pack their chargers,

"I walked 10 miles to school in snowstorms when I was young and I had no GPS or cellphone."

Did you only have one clog?