Hubby needs to decide whether to bring his Blackberry and laptop; kids want to bring Ipods
 

We're going to London for a week and Paris for a week. We're staying in apartments in both places. I am bringing a power converter thingie (for my curling iron).

Does it makes sense for my husband to bring his Blackberry or laptop? He says he plans not to work on this trip (yeah, right!), but thinks it would be convenient for planning things (checking museum hours, checking e-mail, staying in touch with people at home).

Will these devices work in Europe? Will they explode in a plume of fire if he tries to charge them with a converter? How common and convenient and costly are internet cafes? Should I let the kids bring their Ipods?

Many thanks for putting up with my endless stream of last-minute questions!!!!!

If he has an international chip in the blackberry and international service on his plan, it will work. you'll need converters for all the devices to plug into. you can always use an internet cafe for email, etc.

Tell him to leave work (and the appliances) at home. Its a vacation not a business trip. And the more crap you all bring, the more you have to cart around - and worry about losing or theft.

Many hotels have a guest usable computer for quick planning checks or the bellman would be happy to tell you the same info, so that excuse doesn't wash.

Ipods are a tougher one. If it keeps them happy, then yes. But make it clear it's their responsibility.

imho

Ian

Just realized, no bellman . . . also no guest computer . . .

Ian

Do converters damage electronic devices like Ipods and laptops?

Most ]modern technology will not be ruined by using converters.

Let's put it this way, why do you need to bring a curling iron? Why should dad and the kids give up technology, while you are lugging around a curling iron?

Many electronics do not need converters to be used in Europe. Many are dual voltage and you would just need a plug adapter (different ones for London and Paris). Look at your laptop and at your iPod chargers. If they say something like 120-240, they are set to go.

See this thread for a thorough discussion: http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...p;tid=35003244

I doubt you need a power converter for the ipods and blackberries, but you will need a plug adaptor. You can download excellent podcast travel guides onto the ipods.

iPods are charged via its proprietary "dock connector" either from a computer's USB or Firewire port, or from a power supply.

Apple sells one, and so does several 3rd party manufacturer. The Apple one, and I believe most if not all the other ones, can accept voltage from 110-240V. So, buy that power supply, and a adapter plug with 2 round pins, and you'll all set for charging the iPods.

Mike, There is no comparison between carrying a curling iron and a laptop. Not in terms of weight. Not in terms of importance (I can't exactly go to an Internet cafe to do my hair). Not in terms of cost.

And most importantly, not in terms of attraction to thieves.

Anyway, I am asking the question because he asked me to ask you guys, not because I'm being a control freak.

Start here: fodors.com/forums/threadselect.jsp?tid=35003244

I charge my Blackberry with a plug adaptor. As cmeyer5 mentioned, you need both international chip and service. Also, have telephone numbers for support in case you have a problem.

I'm a bit of a Crackberry addict, but I do think it's very convenient to have on a trip. Before leaving home, I store all of our hotel info, reservation/ticket confirmations, some train times, dimensions or sizes for specific shopping objectives, etc.

I can check home email in a pinch, but it's not very easy to read because of the formatting. If something looks important, we go to an internet cafe.

Although calls are expensive, the phone is nice to have, especially with elderly parents at home, and I admit I'd rather send "e-postcards" than the paper kind.

It is really convenient to have two mobile/cell phones. There are times when my husband doesn't want to shop with my daughter and me etc. We SMS each other to set up a time and place to meet up. Also things change - such as museum queues. Everyone doesn't need to be queueing, but it's good to know when the line moving.

Yes to all three. The problem with the laptop, though, is connectivity. I traveled with a laptop for a month earlier this summer and found that it wasn't always easy to get connected.

As for the curling iron, be sure that the converter has a wattage that surpasses the wattage of the curler. Even then, stand back when you plug it in. I tried a converter a couple times and have talked to people who have tried and all have related experiences of blown fuses and blown converters.

iPods? Mine is an essential travel item. I use the Apple charger, which is rated for any current around the world.

Highly recommend a dual voltage curling iron. Way better than a "power converter thingie".

Highly unlikely that possession of a curling iron will make you work.

for the laptop where is hubbie expecting to get internet access?

I agree that converters for items like curling irons, which need to generate heat, really don’t work that well. Converters are fine for things like electric shavers and even work for things like TVs, but not hair dryers and curling irons in my experience. Just buy a dual voltage curing iron. Dual voltage appliances are easy to find in the US. Or buy a curling iron once you get to the UK and you won’t even need an adaptor plug for the UK (but will for France, take a look at voltagevalet.com).

If your husband’s Blackberry and laptop are not already dual voltage, I would fall off my chair. Same with the ipod charger. Just read the power pack or instructions. They are made for travel and don’t believe they even come in models that are not dual voltage. I would never in a million years bring my laptop on vacation, but that is a personal choice. I assume the flats can accommodate this, i.e. there is wireless or a land line in the flats and the land line can take a laptop connection (that is not always the case, or speed may be so slow as to be useless and you will regret lugging the laptop around). You may find that you need a different type of phone wire to fit into the phone socket and then the laptop, in some European phone systems the phone jacks are flat and rectangular rather than square, you may have to buy a wire once you get there.

Bringing a Blackberry is fine, assuming your husband’s service provider package supports it overseas. Esp if you don’t have any other mobile phone which will work, and as noted it is good to have another phones if you already have a mobile phone for the trip.

You will find internet cafes in both London and Paris, for a list to start with, try cybercafés.com

The iPods will be nice for the kids to use on the flight to/from Europe.

I take my laptop for several reasons - DVD player on plane, GPS if I'm driving, picture holder for my photos, and really cheap telephone communications using Skype.

dave

I took my laptop on my recent trip to the UK. Besides using it for the internet, I also downloaded photos from my camera daily and used the laptop as my GPS (with Microsoft Autoroute). I had an internet connection at my lodging (ranging from an apartment, to a B&B, to a business hotel) 12 out of 16 days. I was glad to have it, even with a little extra hassle of lugging it around.

If you are staying some place where you have an internet connection, then I'd say take it. If not, don't bother.