subcon

maybe it's just me, but the last thing i want while on vacation is a goddanm cell phone. it's even more inane when on a european trip.

because of the nature of my business (construction) where i'm not in any fixed office for most of the day, cell phones are a necessary evil. but trust me, that puppy gets shut off at 3pm every day religiously. even my clients know not to bother after that time. they can leave a message for the next day.

i've had (to have) one pretty much from the incept but never thought of a cell as a trendy accessory but rather a giant cross to bear. why an american tourist on vaction in europe would need one baffles me.

Mary_Fran

I don't own a cell phone but have been considering getting one solely for emergencies. My sister and I will be traveling by car in Spain this October, and it would be comforting to know that if our car broke down or if we felt threatened, we'd be able to reach help. I wouldn't plan to use it to call home, but for safety, it seems like a good idea to have a cell phone.

rkkwan

It's a matter of safety and habit. Some people don't feel secure unless they have a cellphone with them, period.

And for many people who have had a cellphone for years, it's hard to live without one. Give you an example, if you're used to having a cellphone, you worry less about where to meet with someone. You just call them when you're ready, check where they are, and decide on the spot. Without a cellphone, you need to make all the arrangements the night before, etc... That's just not how cellphone people function these days.

Even on a foreign trip, it can be very useful if the group decides to split up - some want to see museums, some want to go shopping. Much easier to arrange with a cellphone.

MyriamC

Of course it's safer to have a cellphone while you're on the road. I never leave without mine, be it home or on vacation.

MD

It's nice to have a way to call home, and maybe to be reached. Why someone would travel Europe with a cell glued to their ear - why would someone walk the mall with a cell glued to ther ear? Who knows?

But when you want to ask that all-important question, like "what was my neice's dress size? I'm right here at the market!" It's just as handy in Europe as in N. America; after all, it's not 3am for me...

Besides, maybe you're between hotels. Maybe you stay at those budget hotels that don't have the advanced phone systems N. American hotels have. Maybe the hotel does, and you don't want to pay the same highway-robbery long distance like N. American hotels charge...

It's also amazing how many little work glitches can be solved if someone can just call and ask the quick question like "how did we restart the services after the server's been rebooted?"

But I agree, if I'm going to spend 3 hours in Paris talking someone through computer repair (a) they better be calling collect and (b) no way anyway.

NYCFoodSnob

While I always consider myself a "tourist" outside of my home, NYC, I rarely consider my travel a "vacation." And, even if I am on vacation, I own my own business and have to answer to other people who depend on me. I think your thoughts on this subject too selfish for my liking. Just because I'm on vacation doesn't mean others don't have the right to reach me.

Furthermore, there's no sense of security like knowing a loved one is just a phone call away. Now that my daddy is older, I want him to know that no matter what happens in life, all it takes is one phone call and I'm on my way home.

brotherleelove2004

Since the wireless age really took hold, so many people have bought into the concept that they just have to stay connected to the world. They've forgotten that they got along just fine without cell phones before they became so easily accessible. I agree with you, subcon, I'd never want to take one with me when I travel. I take vacations to get away from my "everyday" life. I enjoy not knowing what each day is going to bring and would never want to ruin my experience with the sound of my phone ringing off the hook. When I'm gone, I'M GONE!!!

StCirq

Some of us like to be able to reach family, and have family be able to reach us.

Some of us run our own business and have to have a way to deal with work emergencies while away from the office, whether it be 2 miles or 3,500 miles.

Some of us are engaged in guiding tour groups and need to keep in touch with people in case they get lost or miss a train or whatever.

Not all of us are going to Europe just to relax and be away from everything on vacation.

Does that help?

travelbunny

..interesting comment re business..b.c. (before cell phones) my father had a very strict vacation policy. At the time he had a very senior position in a large U>S> corporation. The only way he could be reached at our camp on a New England lake was by calling my grandmother who would then phone our "neighbor" or would come over...He felt it was the only way he could limit contact and recharge...He also felt that if he hadnt trained his management team to function well in his absence then he wasnt doing his job..the board seemed to agree with his approach as he had a very long run..and retired not to travel (at one time he was out of the country more than at home).
I think cells should be used only in real emergencies and never in a moving vehicle...just my opinion but I think cells are for many an electronic umbilical cord....

subcon

well,NYCFoodSnob...

if you don't have capable enough subordinates to handle a minor problem, i quess that's your problem. if there's a major one for my business, my guys have my itinerary and hotel numbers to call.

believe it or not, an international call is cheaper that all the cell rigaramollia.

Melissajoy

I want cell phones for our family in Italy because we have 2 daughters, ages 18 and 16, and they may spend a little time without us, with their 21-year-old brother. My 16-year-old daughter is blonde and lovely, and if YOU were taking a lovely blonde 16-year-old daughter to Italy, you wouldn't want her out of your sight unless she had a cell phone! Also, please, don't use profanity on-line. I especially am offended by the particular cuss-word you used, although since it was misspelled maybe fodors doesn't notice it.

subcon

i can understand the tour group IN EUROPE situation. and i can understand business issues popping up.

but really, don't y'all have any business organisation at home? how do you get away at all if you're so worried about things potentially
going wrong immediately upon your departure?

y'all obviously run much riskier businesses than mine.

CarolA

I like to have one when I drive. No one has the number so it is a one way deal, but I am NOT going to change the flat tire so I need to be able to call for help.

I will have one next year for a Girl Scout trip so the parents can call me in an emergency. Since I plan to make them reimburse me for each call I figure it should keep "casual inquiries" down.

I am a consulant in my real life and my clients would NOT be happy if the phone went off at 3. Europe is the one time they have no way to track me down. We do have people who cover for me.

tledford

I need to communicate with my family at least every other day. What is the least expensive way to call home? A friend told me that cell phone is the cheapest and most convenient. Last time I tried an MCI prepaid calling card and never could use it because they were in the process of changing the world service code and neither the old one nor the new one would work. Maybe that was unusual but I am hesitant to try it again.

StCirq

Subcon:

Please don't presume to tell me how to run my business. It is a SMALL business. I have only one other employee, but hundreds of consultants/contractors all over the USA and Europe. I don't have a "management team" to delegate to, nor do I want one. And my European contractors are used to working almost exclusively by cell phone.

If it makes you feel any better - and I still don't understand why you care a whit about MY cell phone habits - on a typical 2-week trip I usually receive about two calls and make about four. I'm not walking around with a cell phone glued to my ear.

Oh, and that cell phone has helped me out of jams on several occasions - such as when the train I was on got stopped unexpectedly for almost an hour. I would have missed picking up my rental car if I had not been able to call EuropCar and ask them please to stay open and wait for me.

sandi

subcon -

I hear you! A vacation isn't, if I had to be in contact with or could be contacted. Friends and family know where I am should "something" happen, but I've told them "under penalty of death, don't even bother even if someone died!" Can't do much for the dearly departed and certainly wouldn't get home in time for a funeral.

I don't own one at home (NYC), don't call friends or families on theirs, cut incoming cell calls quickly, as the connections suck, regardless whether around the corner, across the country or overseas. Not a one doesn't have problems with interference from trees, buildings, wires, and disconnects.

I can remember but twice in the past three years that I had to make a call while out on the street - the corner payphone worked just fine.

Granted, when I did a drive trip in France, we rented a cell, as we were two women traveling and it was a safety issue. We never took it out of the case, almost forget we even had it.

And still laugh when I recall my mom calling those connected to their Walkmans', "life support systems" - now it's cellphones.

As to needing it for business or having clients reach me, I can just as easily use hotel phones, it's a write-off - big deal, and really aren't all that expensive. A cellphone is one less thing I have to concern myself with and surprisingly, since everyone I know, knows I don't own one, just accept it. It seems to be okay with family, friends and business associates - most are rather impressed and always saying "if only I could get rid of this thing" - my response, "then toss it!"

But, to each their own!

xyz123

We now live in the 21st century and should take advantage of 21st century technology where feasible and within our own life style.

How was it to travel before credit cards? How was it to travel before jet planes? I could go on and on.

It's great having a cell phone. I live in NY and have friends in the UK. I often stay at one of their flats in London just like they stay with me in NY. So when I get off the plane, I might find a message in my voice mail on my UK mobile or I can call my friend to see if he is picking me up or waiting for me or I can call him at work to find out where we are meeting for lunch and that sort of thing we do at home.

But admittedly not everybody has friends in other countries. But it's great, you meet a couple, they tell you about a great restaurant; instead of having to hoof off to a pay phone, you can call the restaurant immediately or make arrangements to call them later.

And of course, as at home even if you absolutely refuse to admit this is 2004, I wouldn't think of travelling in a car without a mobile phone just in case. I can't conceive parents allowing their kids to travel in cars without a mobile phone.

But then again, it's all a matter of personal preferences, isn't it.

RufusTFirefly

I've never owned a cell phone, so I guess I don't miss what I never had. I guess in some extreme emergency it could come in handy--like my car goes over an embankment and is covered in snow where no one can see it from the road or something like that. Otherwise I think it would just be an expensive nuisance--I'd have it turned off all the time. Of course, I don't even answer my phone at home--I just let the answering machine get it.

Scarlett

I got a cell phone when I had my third flat tire in as many weeks, in a new car! But when we travel, I like to think that the world can do without me for that many days, so the cell stays home. We always stay in hotels with telephones and those who need to know(children & pup sitter) have those numbers. The rest can wait until we return.
I also try to avoid emailing when traveling, a vacation is supposed to be getting away from it all, no?
Of course, if I had a business that relied on me me and only me, things would be different, but I am one of the lucky ones..

mcgeezer

xyz is right, "How was it to travel before credit cards?" etc. I don't spend my vacation time talking on the phone to my friends and family at home but I like to check in with the dog sitter once a week. It's convienent if someone needs to leave me a message. My phone is folds up and is very lightweight.
This year we will rendezvous
with a friend in Europe and it's convienent to have her number have her number plugged into my cell phone in case we need to reach her or she us.
I draw the line at taking my laptop on vacation or allowing my boss to call me.