Hi, I am bringing a laptop with me to France to email my friends and family and probably use it to do research on some places to visit. It is a very old laptop so I don't care if anything happens to it, but I just thought of something...What are the phone jacks like there? Has anyone ever brought a laptop to hook-up to the internet? If so, what do I need to do to get connected? <BR>Thanks for the help!!<BR>Jen

The phone jacks are the same, so you shouldn't have any problem with that. Most nice hotels have internet connection avalible. Ask at your hotel, otherwise there are always internet cafes.

Phone plugs (for the wall) in France ARE different. They are large, three prong concoctions, the size of a matchbox.<BR>Sometimes, you can unplug the cable from the hotel phone and plug it into your laptop. If the phone cable is fixed however, you'll need an adapter cable. You can get them in any department store in France (Carrefour, Leclerc, etc..) and any computer shop. Sometimes the front desk has one lying around.<BR>Modern & modernized hotels also do have the RJ type wall plug these days.<BR>Since you're on AOL, you'll have no problem logging in anywhere (except in Monaco).

Good grief, not only are phone jacks completely unlike what we use in the US, but, no, not every hotel has phone jacks in the room. You plug your US phone jack into an adaptor, which is about a 2" long rectangle with a 1" long male end that is plugged into the wall jack. They are not three pronged, just one with a little bend in it. Watch out for AOL fees that get a little ridiculous. For these reasons I recommend using a cybercafe for the equivalent of about $6 an hour.

If you're bringing your laptop to Paris, there are several plugs/adapters you'll need.<BR><BR>First, you'll need a regular socket adapter as you would for any appliance you want to use in France (get the oval, not the round) so you can plug it into the wall for power.<BR>Then, if you don't have a 220-110 volt switch on your computer, you'll need a power converter also.<BR>If you need electrical power for more than just the computer (external modem, etc), you'll need more than one of each of these. A multiple socket/extension cord would be a good idea also. <BR><BR>To plug the modem into the telephone system, you'll need an adapter . Contact: <BR><BR>TeleAdapt Inc.<BR>51 E. Campbell Ave. <BR>Campbell, CA 95008 <BR>Tel: 408-370-5105<BR>Fax: 408-370-5110<BR>They also have all kinds of plugs and adapters for the electrical connections.<BR>For more Paris information e-mail me: [email protected]<BR>

Try http://kropla.com/ Regards, Walter

The phone jacks in France are completely different. You'll need to go to a FNAC or Phillips or some other electrical supply store and get both a phone cord that will fit on the one end into your computer and on the other into the French "prise." The wall plugs are different, too, so you'll need to buy a power cord that fits into your computer on one end and into the French wall plug on the other. I've never needed any kind of adapter with my laptop, but perhaps yo&uacute; will. <BR>And even if hotels DO have phone jacks in the room, you can't assume you can plug your modem into them and dial right out - you'll probably get stuck in the hotel's internal phone system (unless it's a fancy or business hotel that's used to clients using laptops in their rooms). If that happens, there is usually a way to reconfigure your computer to bypass the number you dial to reach the reception - but do you want to spend 6 hours in your hotel room doing this? If you have an old laptop, as I do (old is 6 years old these days), it's probably a heavy one. I'd advise you leave it home and go to a cybercaf&eacute; - they pretty plentiful in France

I have a very thin sony viao with built in modem that I would like to bring on this trip to France, Italy, Croatia. Any tips?