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Vacations and IM...

by Kim Standerline
20 replies
Just replying to Martin Avis in a previous thread got me thinking about vacations and IM.

I go on about 3-5 vacations a year, (it's hubby who loves them so much), and it's imperative I'm able to conduct my IM business abroad.

If we're stopping in a hotel (as we are doing for 2 weeks in Cape Verde in Nov), it's imperative there is a wireless connection. I usually spend the weeks in the runup to the vacation worrying about whether it will work or not.

If we stay in an apartment, I' find an internet caff. (Limited, but managable)

If I'm on the move in the UK, I use mobile broadband which is perfect, (tho a tad slow), however this becomes dreadfully expensive once I leave the UK.

So, question is, is there an ideal method of being able to connect to the Internet when your abroad without having to sell your first born to achieve it.

I don't want to sit on the beach tapping on the lappie, (might get sand in it), but I'd like to be able to sit on my balcony downing a bottle of the hotels finest without worrying about whether I'm going to drop my connection to their and miss wireless connection.

I could connect through my phone if I wanted to, but again its really expensive (and erratic)

Cheers
Kim
#vacations
  • Profile picture of the author Angela V. Edwards
    Here ya go, Kim.

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    • Profile picture of the author Kim Standerline
      Originally Posted by Angela V. Edwards View Post

      Hi Angela (looks like you did lol)

      I have a mobile broadband like that (it's really expensive to use tho) looking for some slightly cheaper alternatives.

      Mike, I usually hand everything over to the team also, but (call me a control freak), I like to check in to emails etc. Plus to be honest I get really bored on the beach every day.

      My ideal vacation is to have a couple of hours on the beach with my latest fave author, (you don't expose a 50 year old body toooo much to the sun), and have a couple of hours online later in the pm whilst hubby is sleeping off the vast amounts of beer he has consumed to keep hydrated. :rolleyes:
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      • Profile picture of the author DanGTD
        Many cafeterias have wireless internet, in almost all countries.

        Not sure if this comes cheaper though. Cofee, cookies, etc.
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  • Profile picture of the author Andyhenry
    Hi Kymi,

    I don't children so I can't even offer my first born - I just pay and have mobile broadband, and if I feel like not paying so much I find an Internet cafe.

    The only problem sometimes is - even though I have a Blackberry, and iPhone and a 3G Sony Ericson, I still get the same problem as some of the Internet cafes - I can't login to the Warrior forum - so I use the broadband dongle (different sim card for different countries sometimes)

    A lot of the Internet cafes in Singapore don't let me login to this forum, so they're ok for playing with my websites but really I need my laptop and proper access to work effectively.

    I never rely on Hotel broadband, so although I use it I always have a backup plan for how to get access on my own wherever I am.

    Andy
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    • Profile picture of the author Kim Standerline
      Originally Posted by Andyhenry View Post

      Hi Kymi,

      I don't children so I can't even offer my first born - I just pay and have mobile broadband, and if I feel like not paying so much I find an Internet cafe.

      The only problem sometimes is - even though I have a Blackberry, and iPhone and a 3G Sony Ericson, I still get the same problem as some of the Internet cafes - I can't login to the Warrior forum - so I use the broadband dongle (different sim card for different countries sometimes)

      A lot of the Internet cafes in Singapore don't let me login to this forum, so they're ok for playing with my websites but really I need my laptop and proper access to work effectively.

      I never rely on Hotel broadband, so although I use it I always have a backup plan for how to get access on my own wherever I am.

      Andy
      Hmm I had wondered about getting a mobile dongle whilst we are in Tenerife, I wonder if they do pay as you go.

      Problem isn't quite so much in paying (tho it hurts), its just I was silly enough to tell hubby how much it is a minute on my UK dongle. He sits and watches me like a hawk (timing me and putting me off).

      Reminds me of when we were on a cruise once and I went in the casino, he had been going to bed till then, but he then felt obliged to follow me round suspiciously lol. (After 31 years of marriage, he knows me to well)

      Dan the whole point, is I want to get away from Internet caffs

      Cheers
      Kim
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      • Profile picture of the author Neil Morgan
        Hello Kim

        I have the same problem. Mobile Broadband is great in the UK but is simply too expensive to use abroad, as you know.

        This year when I went to Menorca I bought a pre-paid data sim for Vodafone Spain before I went. So I arrived in Menorca, stuck in the sim and off I went - 3G for the whole of my holiday with no nasty roaming charges and no monthly bill. I think I was the only one using it, and the mast was at the back of the hotel - it was the fastest mobile broadband I've experienced!

        I think I paid about £80 for the sim but I built in 100% contingency on my data plan so it could have been a lot less.

        But...

        I was supposed to be off to Fiji tomorrow for 3 weeks but I've had to put it on hold because I can't do the same thing there - they simply don't have pre-paid mobile broadband.

        Unfortunately there's no single solution that works everywhere.

        Cheers,

        Neil
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        • Profile picture of the author Kim Standerline
          Originally Posted by Neil Morgan View Post

          Hello Kim

          I have the same problem. Mobile Broadband is great in the UK but is simply too expensive to use abroad, as you know.

          This year when I went to Menorca I bought a pre-paid data sim for Vodafone Spain before I went. So I arrived in Menorca, stuck in the sim and off I went - 3G for the whole of my holiday with no nasty roaming charges and no monthly bill. I think I was the only one using it, and the mast was at the back of the hotel - it was the fastest mobile broadband I've experienced!

          I think I paid about £80 for the sim but I built in 100% contingency on my data plan so it could have been a lot less.

          But...

          I was supposed to be off to Fiji tomorrow for 3 weeks but I've had to put it on hold because I can't do the same thing there - they simply don't have pre-paid mobile broadband.

          Unfortunately there's no single solution that works everywhere.

          Cheers,

          Neil
          Neil I love you

          Exactly what I want for Tenerife, PAYG for Spain, (where did you get it from)
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      • Profile picture of the author Richard Tunnah
        Originally Posted by Kim Standerline View Post

        Hmm I had wondered about getting a mobile dongle whilst we are in Tenerife, I wonder if they do pay as you go.

        Problem isn't quite so much in paying (tho it hurts), its just I was silly enough to tell hubby how much it is a minute on my UK dongle. He sits and watches me like a hawk (timing me and putting me off).

        Reminds me of when we were on a cruise once and I went in the casino, he had been going to bed till then, but he then felt obliged to follow me round suspiciously lol. (After 31 years of marriage, he knows me to well)

        Dan the whole point, is I want to get away from Internet caffs

        Cheers
        Kim
        Hi Kim,
        In Spain you can get a telefonica doggle from many places. Start from about $35 euro's (I travel a lot to Spain as my dad lives there and a few mates). There's also plenty of wifi spots in cafe and hotels but broadband is somewhat slow in the canaries due to knackered cable from main land Spain.

        Rich
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        • Profile picture of the author Bev Clement
          I use the internet in the hotels. If you book online, you will find a number will throw free unlimited internet access into the package. The other thing I found is that some of them have weekly cards for the internet, and that is also unlimited.

          Not had any problems using the internet in the Far East via different hotels in different countries.
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          • Profile picture of the author Kim Standerline
            Originally Posted by Bev Clement View Post

            Not had any problems using the internet in the Far East via different hotels in different countries.
            The UK is now a third world country when it comes to stuff like that.

            I go up to London regularly, the wii fi in some of thos so called posh hotels is absolute crap.

            The best wii fi connection I've ever had was in Sharm in Egypt. super fast and it was free. the staff didn't know what I was on about when I offered to pay for it
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          • Profile picture of the author Neil Morgan
            Good points Bev.

            In 2007 I was promised Telefonica-based wifi in my hotel in Menorca.

            When I got there, it was broken, and remained broken for my entire stay. To say that was inconvenient is a big understatement!

            In 2008 we were going back to the same hotel so I decided to take control and source my own solution before I went.

            I'm glad I did - the Telefonica wifi was still broken and the Vodafone ES 3G mobile broadband was simply fantastic.

            I know what I'll be doing next year.

            Cheers,

            Neil
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        • Profile picture of the author Kim Standerline
          Originally Posted by richt1971 View Post

          Hi Kim,
          In Spain you can get a telefonica doggle from many places. Start from about $35 euro's (I travel a lot to Spain as my dad lives there and a few mates). There's also plenty of wifi spots in cafe and hotels but broadband is somewhat slow in the canaries due to knackered cable from main land Spain.

          Rich
          I was gonna wait till I got there next week and look for a dongle, but didn't want to take the risk they didn't do em.

          Hmm I normally work from my desktop remotely, but I can live withot doing that if the broadband is pretty slow.

          Lol I'll just have to buy a huge data memory card now to load everything on. (this is all gonna end up costing more than the holiday).
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  • Profile picture of the author jensrsa
    Isn't it possible to get data bundles for your sim card so that you pay per Mb rather than for time? In SA anyway that's a lot cheaper.

    Edit: I see on that Spain site that a 1Gb data sim card is 80 Euro

    Jens
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    • Profile picture of the author Neil Morgan
      You're welcome Kim.

      Hopefully one day they'll all sort out this roaming issue because it really is a problem for globe trotters like us!

      Have a good holiday. I expect a PM from beside the pool!

      Cheers,

      Neil
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  • Profile picture of the author Stanley Tang
    Same here... although I do try my best to avoid using the computer.
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