How to pack light, some tips

Why? When travelling on holiday, you need a phone. I don't need one.

Until you need one, and then you need one.
Phones are very handy devices in some situations.

Do not know if the last sentence is a pun (I believe in Germany they
call "handy" a cell phone, what in Italy is called a "telefonino").

I'm one of the few Italians who do not have a cell phone, and do not
regret it. What I regret, is that with the diffusion of cell phones,
there are less and less phone boots around, specially the coin operated
ones.

In general I do not have need to be contacted when travelling (or simply
when out of home or office), and if so I can leave contact numbers
(offices or hotels). Similarly I generally do not need to call anybody
when travelling, and if I'd need there is usually a phone in my hotel
room, or there are phone boots (unfortunately less now) or other public
phone points.

My only real emergency was when my mother was ill in an hospital in
Scotland, and our travel insurance agent had to communicate us a
reservation code for the pre-paid return ticket, and I had to leave my
hotel sometime before departure. This was elegantly solved using a
service offered by the scottish hospital. Every bed had an LCD screen
device which could be used to receive calls for free, and, with a
pre-paid card, to make calls and watch TV. Since my mother does not
speak English we had not enabled it at the beginning, but did that on
the last day. I tested the system and it was very clever (you dial a
number, and are then instructed to dial a code ... in reply you get a
message saying you are trying to contact the bed of Mrs so-and-so, soyou
can dial 1 to continue or drop the call). My mother was upset when they
changed her room, but the code actually follows the person so it was no
problem (and at the end I got the reservation code in my hotel in
advance). To warn my office of delayed return I used e-mail via the
free internet access in the local public library (very nice, apart a
blank stare when I asked whether they supported ssh ... but I managed
around it).

Slightly annoying was during a short business trip to Porquerolles
island, when I wanted to call home. Our "hotel" was a sort of army or
public service establishment, and rooms had no phones. There were public
phones in the corridor, but, as any other on the island, they weren't
coin operated, and did not work with my credit card, so I simply did not
call.

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On Tue, 21 Aug 2007 06:26:47 GMT, "sharx35"
wrote:


"Chris Blunt" wrote in message
.. .
On Mon, 20 Aug 2007 15:58:18 +0300, Markku Grönroos
wrote:


"Spehro Pefhany" kirjoitti
viestissä:nl3jc3pki22123egcss1f7vrbitem9vb0v@4a x.com...

I carry a small bottle of shampoo, because I don't like the free
stuff. Maybe 200ml, which could last for several weeks. Not having a
mobile phone seems silly.

Why? When travelling on holiday, you need a phone. I don't need one.

I find a phone to keep in touch with people even more useful when I'm
traveling than it is at home. It also serves as a camera, an alarm
clock, a GPS, and a way to check my emails. Something so compact that
does all that and only weighs around 100g easily justifies being taken
along on any trips I make.

Chris

They take lousy quality pictures.

In fact I think the 5 megapixel camera on my Nokia N95 takes better
pictures than my Canon IXUS which I bought only a couple of years ago.
It may not be a professional quality camera, I don't think anyone
would describe the quality as lousy.

No, you do NOT need GPS unless you are,
perhaps, on safari and surely the OPERATORS of the safari will take care of
THAT need.

No, I certainly don't *need* GPS, but its was very nice to have while
driving around Thailand a few weeks ago. On several occasions it made
finding locations we were visiting a lot easier.

E-mails can be checked at any one of the MILLIONS of cyber cafes
in the world.

Of course, and that's probably what I'd do if I wanted to do any
serious work online. The advantage for me is being able to check
instantly from anywhere whether there's any email that needs attending
to in the first place, without even having to go near an internet
cafe.

Chris

"Chris Blunt" kirjoitti
om...

No, I certainly don't *need* GPS, but its was very nice to have while
driving around Thailand a few weeks ago. On several occasions it made
finding locations we were visiting a lot easier.

True. I find GPS gadget typically very practical too. Did you have a roadmap
of Thailand installed to the phone?

I often travel with light pack, but I'd never leave my LED headlamp and my
silk sleeping bag at home.
things i can easily leave at home:
.) any item that requires a battery (incl. mobile, camera etc.)

how does this fit?

On Tue, 21 Aug 2007 12:13:03 +0300, Markku Grönroos
wrote:


"Chris Blunt" kirjoitti
viestissä:5j9lc3trdj6avqi2va24skf845uvh2k0ab@4ax. com...

No, I certainly don't *need* GPS, but its was very nice to have while
driving around Thailand a few weeks ago. On several occasions it made
finding locations we were visiting a lot easier.

True. I find GPS gadget typically very practical too. Did you have a roadmap
of Thailand installed to the phone?

With the N95, the phone downloads from a central server just those
sections of the map it needs to display the area around your present
location as you move around.

I think you can pre-load maps for the entire country in advance using
a PC if you prefer to have the full map coverage already stored on
your phone.

Chris

gernot almen wrote:
I often travel with light pack, but I'd never leave my LED headlamp and my
silk sleeping bag at home.
things i can easily leave at home:
.) any item that requires a battery (incl. mobile, camera etc.)

how does this fit?

wow .. it took a while ;-) .. any _other_ item ...

The headlamp works for approx 250h with one battery pack .. means I have
it now for 3 years and I had to change once the batteries (logically
they went off during a night climb of a vulcano, and I had no extra pack
with me ... ;-))

Manfred

"Rog'" wrote in message
. ..
"William Black" wrote:
There's very little you can't buy in most European cities.
You can just leave everything at home and take a shed
load of cash and a bundle of gold credit cards.

... and much of what you can buy in abroad will have more
cachet than what you have in your closet, anyway.

Any ideas (for my wife) on how to pack for these limits:
US-Europe... 23kg (50lbs) ea. (2 allowed);
Inside Europe... a total of 20 kg (44 lbs); and
Inside Greece... a total of 15lkg. (33lbs.)....
plus a carry-on.
I said, pack for the least weight allowed, which went
over like a lead-balloon. =R=

In a word, no...

Bring what you think you'll need, Europe is reasonably casual just about
everywhere. The only place you'll be expected to wear a tie is in a posh
restaurant. Last time I was in church I was the only person wearing a
tie...

Try and avoid tourist clichés in your dress and appearance and you'll be
treated better.

European styles in clothing are radically different to those in the USA, be
aware that people will know you're 'not from around here'.

Always remember that you can claim the VAT charged on major purchases when
you leave the EC.

--
William Black


I've seen things you people wouldn't believe.
Barbeques on fire by the chalets past the castle headland
I watched the gift shops glitter in the darkness off the Newborough gate
All these moments will be lost in time, like icecream on the beach
Time for tea.

"Markku Grönroos" wrote in message
i.fi...

"Chris Blunt" kirjoitti
om...

No, I certainly don't *need* GPS, but its was very nice to have while
driving around Thailand a few weeks ago. On several occasions it made
finding locations we were visiting a lot easier.

True. I find GPS gadget typically very practical too. Did you have a
roadmap of Thailand installed to the phone?

Gawd, it makes one wonder how everyone survived WITHOUT GPS for all those
centuries of exploration. The Vikings STILL discovered America WITHOUT GPS.

"Magda" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 21 Aug 2007 03:06:03 -0400, in rec.travel.europe, "Rog'"
arranged some electrons, so they looked like
this:

... A few years ago, my wife and I were in a shop in Brussels,
... and she arrived at the counter with her hands full. At that
... point, I pulled out a CC, handed it to the shopkeeper and
... said, "My job is to pay." He nodded and replied, "As it is
... of husbands, everywhere."

Fine, let her be irresponsible and do whatever she wants - hope you like
the hernia YOU
are going to get.


Those guys who are saddled with "high maintenance" wives, take note.

"sharx35" wrote in message
news:HAvyi.174$bO6.161@edtnps89...

. No, you do NOT need GPS unless you are, perhaps, on safari

Or on a walking holiday somewhere...

E-mails can be checked at any one of the MILLIONS of cyber cafes in the
world.

Cyber cafes are disappearing fast in Europe. Everyone has a computer,
wireless access is available in many town centres, and even in some rural
areas. I don't think there's a cyber cafe within forty miles of where I
live these days, there used to be half a dozen, but I can get free
wireless access down at my local pub..

--
William Black


I've seen things you people wouldn't believe.
Barbeques on fire by the chalets past the castle headland
I watched the gift shops glitter in the darkness off the Newborough gate
All these moments will be lost in time, like icecream on the beach
Time for tea.