Internet access when touring abroad

[malverncyclist]

Elsewhere on here I talked about my ride from malvern to Bonn in Germany this summer. One thing I haven't got my head 'round is Internet/Wifi access. Bt offers something called BT Fon which is meant to work in many countries, any other thoughts how I could deliver my blog update without having to pay tons of money to Vodafone for,roaming?

Thanks

Martin

[shane]

Macdonalds or other wifi hotspots. Library's usually offer free or cheap internet access too. As do most cafe's and pubs nowadays. Paid campsites often hace wifi too but not always free.

if spending couple of weeks in each country a local pre-paid sim card can be affordable too.

[stephenjubb]

If you limit the days you use the internet and have a pay monthly (about £12 p.m.) account with3 you can get the Euro Internet Pass from 3 mobile.

It is £5 per day and is all you can eat but only from a smart phone. Once expired you buy another for another day.

http://support.three.co.uk/SRVS/CGI-BIN ... e=obj(6018)

Crap thing is if you need to use a mobile and cannot tether a pc.

[Barrenfluffit]

Campsites may offfer wifi and you might be able to get it in bars / coffee shops / tourist info / town halls. some towns have public wifi. more reliable is to purchase some prepaid access from vodafone and use your email client to send updates. Email generally having quite a low footprint; you write it when convenient and send it when you have access. OTOH if you have a smart phone then it might be hard to stop it gobbling up data with updates etc etc.

[eileithyia]

Lots of places have wifi for the price of a coffee, when in Spain 3 years ago we found pulic places such as train stations and bus station had free public wifi access, they seem far more switched on abroad in ensuring wifi is an easily accessible service.

[andymiller]

Elsewhere on here I talked about my ride from malvern to Bonn in Germany this summer. One thing I haven't got my head 'round is Internet/Wifi access. Bt offers something called BT Fon which is meant to work in many countries, any other thoughts how I could deliver my blog update without having to pay tons of money to Vodafone for,roaming?

BT Fon have a coverage map here, and to be fair the coverage in continental Europe is a lot better than I had expected (ie precisely none) but I wouln't particularly want to rely on it.

As people have said, free WiFi in hotels, cafes, bars, etc is now quite common. Often the Wifi is open (ie you don't need a password), but if you do you just need to ask at the bar.

There are also paid-for WiFi hotspots (eg BT Openzone), where you pay a certain amount for WiFi access. IIRC BT are linked up with other operators abroad. I doubt though that you would ever actually need this.

I don't know about Vodafone, but some UK mobile operators do euro add-ons which give you a certain amount of internet access abroad. These might be useful to keep for an emergency.

If you are going somewhere for say a month you might find it worth buying a USB dongle. These are often quite reasonably priced: but prices varyfrom country to country.

If you limit the days you use the internet and have a pay monthly (about £12 p.m.) account with3 you can get the Euro Internet Pass from 3 mobile. (...)

http://support.three.co.uk/SRVS/CGI-BIN ... e=obj(6018)

(The link doesn't work BTW). Check the small print - I wouldn't mind betting that this only applies in the countries where 3 has a network and even then only where they have coverage.

[binsted]

I have a BT Fon + BT Openzone account and I have never been able to access them abroad, its a great idea that doesn't really work. I found the best solution was an unlocked dongle and a local data sim for each country.

[mr mchenry]

If you're on Vodafone, it's £3 a day (only on the days you use it) to replicate your uk contract allowance. Not too bad if you don't use it every day and combine with a bit of free weefee.

http://www.vodafone.co.uk/shop/pay-monthly/travelling-abroad/vodafone-eurotraveller/index.htm?cid=rdr-6935-02

[nmnm]

If you got a free T-mobile payg sim, you could use their £1, 3MB, one-day "travel booster". You can use opera desktop browser, or opera mobile, which do a compression thing for reducing data use and have data counter functions. Turning images off is an option too. You can write a lot for 3MB, though you'd not be uploading dslr photos at native res!

For me, mostly just doing push email roaming, it's cheaper to just use the data out-of-bundle. The new(ish) law limiting roaming charges (for EU customers roaming in the EU) to 69p per MB (and charged per byte, not rounded up!), makes my fees pennies per day. If I were doing a blog, I'd use the voda sim without a bundle for days when I was just doing push email and I'd hook up the £1-a-day t-mobile sim every few days for major sessions, keeping it below 3MB.

[gordy]

McDonalds is the best for free WiFi IMHO, as you don't have to log on each visit - it just recognizes you from the first time and you get online quickly and easily. I like McDonalds for lots of reasons while touring - they always have toilets, visible bike racks and have opening hours far in excess of most European cafes and restaurants. They also never bat an eyelid if you arrive soaked through.

[malverncyclist]

thanks folks, really useful information. I may well frequent McDonalds on my trip and have a coffee and a bun there (I draw the limit here ...) and upload my ramblings and reassure my wife that despite cycling on my own I'll be safe and sound. I think she fears that when leaving the shores of this little island and I fall off my bike I'll be DEAD. Little does she know that the French, Belgians and Germans not only have much better roads (or roads with fewer potholes) but also are more bike friendly. Once I'm on "home territory" (i.e. Germany) it'll be even better as I'll be rolling down the Moselle and then Rhine Valley on cycle paths ...

Martin

[shane]

I think she fears that when leaving the shores of this little island and I fall off my bike I'll be DEAD.

Funny how that works , I just spent 1 year cycling on another Island where contra to expectations I didn't die and never went long than 30 hours without mobile internet...

Even in Africa you can keep your facebook addiction up to date

[foxyrider]

Little does she know that the French, Belgians and Germans not only have much better roads (or roads with fewer potholes) but also are more bike friendly. Once I'm on "home territory" (i.e. Germany) it'll be even better as I'll be rolling down the Moselle and then Rhine Valley on cycle paths ...

I wouldn't bet on that. Due to tax funds having been diverted to 'modernise' the former DDR many parts of western Germany have seriously cut back on maintenance of quieter roads. Roads in Belgium are not reknowned for great surfaces either so take care, i'm sure you'll enjoy your trip anyhow

[malverncyclist]

The last time I was in the Rhein and Mosel valleys all was good. Either way, doesn't take much to improve on British roads, I have to say

[shane]

The Rhine is about 80-90% cycle path


P1030296 by shanecycles.com, on Flickr