Nudge, nudge and getting back on track, I have registered laptops with US Customs (my company required it then) so to avoid any problems upon return. Someone may have a link regarding this. I dont take laptops overseas anymore thus I search out nearby internet cafes.

Get a POP3 mail account so you can log onto it but remember, it aint always very secure. Be wary of using passwords, cc numbers. I always try to get an internet cafe where the computer reboots after you use it (or I will do the reboot manually if possible).

MisterNice

I try to avoid carrying a laptop from a weight standpoint by sometimes only carrying a handheld (IPAQ) that I can get mail on. I can sync with my cell phone to my desktop so I dont have to worry about cafe security issues. The IPAQ mail sync is efficient enough that the call is completed in about 3-5 minutes, even with a slow (9600) CSD connection. That is about a dollar and a half on a good prepaid cell call. Many times though I need the laptop for something so I have it along. The only time I have ever seen much attention paid was in Argentina. A friend from there told me they are pretty strict about citizens of Argentina bringing in stuff without paying the taxes. Once they scoped I was a US citizen they waved me through without any problems. I doubt US customs pays much attention to laptops since they often cost a lot more in places other than the US from what I have seen. I have had people come to visit over here from Europe tell me they wanted to go to J&R for instance to get one because they were much cheaper than in their country of residence. I suspect you will have no trouble in Spain or returning.

[This message has been edited by GadgetFreak (edited 10-07-2003).]

In europe nearly every hotel room I've ever been in had a converter in the room. If not, I've asked at the desk and they usually have one there. As for religious conversion, I don't think laptops have religion (unless you count mac vs. pc. Some people are pretty religious about that). http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttr...orum/smile.gif

Unless you will arrive at a very odd hour, it will probably be easier and less expensive to get a plug adapter at your European destination than in the States. U.S airport prices tend to be high and the things are not widely available elsewhere on these shores.

U.S. phone cords work in continental Europe but not in the U.K. Phone jack adapters are easy to get there, though. In addition, business hotels often have RJ-11 ports in the rooms, and the concierge should have an adapter.

I just find I cannot travel without my laptop any more, business or even holiday trips. I do all my e-mails through my office account to keep everything in one place so I sync back there to get all my messages, e-mail photos to people at home, etc.

Latest reason is my digital camera. When I first had it I downloaded daily when on holiday as I only had the basic 24-photo memory card. On my Concorde trip I downloaded in mid-flight! Now I find I am taking the laptop to do a slideshow of all my photos for the family, or to act as a backup in case the camera is lost.

Regarding electricity overseas, look at the plate on the back of your power supply, it should say somewhere something like "Input 100-240V 50-60Hz". This shows it can handle anything. Laptops are entirely driven by low voltage DC (they have to be to run off battery) so the power supply just converts it. It saves the manufacturer having to do separate power supplies for each market.

I love the knowledge of those high-paid consultants visiting from overseas, referred to above. One of them told me once that his laptop tended to overheat because the fan only ran at 5/6 speed, because the frequency in the UK was 50Hz, not 60Hz. Hmmm!

Be Careful with this. Continetal Europe has MANY types of phone sockets. I have a bag with loads in. Luckily most phones have the standard jack on the handset end so you can plug it into your laptop. Watch out for digital phone lines in hotels giving you fun

As mentioned previously, Internet cafes are more and more prevalent around the world, so there's usually reasonably-priced access nearby, depending on your destination.

On the other hand, we lugged our laptop to France for a one-month stay, and found to our delight that we could sign on at the Internet cafe one block away from our apartment for a mere Euro (unlimited time) per session.

This allowed us to compose e-mails at our apartment at our leisure, and the other big advantage I can think of is being able to use your own keyboard. The French and German ones, at least, have their own quirks, as they would say ours do, and amusingly one of the trickiest steps is learning to create a @.

Cheers,
Fredd