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For some of us, going on holiday still means getting away from it all - switching off the mobile, shutting down the PC and forgetting about the world back home for a while. But for a growing number of people, staying in touch while they are away is vital.
Whether you followed the advice in our previous issue and booked your break online or stuck with your trusted travel agent, our aim is to stop you being marooned from your home life while you are away.
So, if you're sunning yourself in Spain or trekking in Thailand, we show you the best ways to store and send home your digital photos, pick up your email, surf the internet and chat with friends back home.
Snap to it
A break away from it all just wouldn't be as much fun if you had to leave your digital camera behind. You want the freedom to snap all the sights, without worrying about pesky film. But digital photography isn't always as fuss-free as you might imagine.
If you are planning a long trip, or you just want to show off the beautiful beaches to your friends stuck at home in the rain, then you may want to post your pictures before you get home. But if you do want to do this, your packing list will get a bit longer.
As well as your camera you will need to take your notebook computer and all the cables you need to hook it up to the camera. If you want to post pictures on the internet you will also have to get your notebook online while you are on your travels, which can be expensive and requires some forward planning (more of this later).
Alternatively, if your hotel has a net-enabled computer or there is an internet cafe near where you are staying, you might be able to use these to upload your images. Many public computers don't let you upload anything, but if you do find a computer that allows uploads, you will also need a memory card reader to get the pictures off your camera and onto the PC.
You could hold off posting pictures until you get back home. But if you are anything like us and insist on taking a hundred different shots of every beauty spot, then you will have to pack enough memory cards to store all your photos, which can add up financially.
An alternative to spending a fortune on memory cards is to invest in a device such as the CD PhotoStore (£150 from www.storagedepot.co.uk). This device combines a memory card reader with a CD writer. All you do is download your pictures from the memory card and it burns them onto a CD. It's a cheap solution to storing lots of photos as the cost of CDs amounts to a few pence each. Mind you, at 1.2kg it will eat into your luggage allowance.
Message in a bottle
Once the only way to keep in touch while travelling the globe was via overpriced phone calls, now you can send back all your news and update yourself on the goings-on back home for the cost of a single session on the internet. But if you want to send and receive emails while abroad, you may well need to make some preparations before you leave home.
Checking email isn't as simple as visiting the local internet cafe and firing up Outlook (or whatever email software you normally use) the way you would at home. Instead you will have to set up an account with a web-based email service, such as Hotmail, Lycos or Yahoo, that you will be able to access easily via an internet site when you're on holiday.
You don't want to be setting up your account while you are paying goodness-knows-how-much per hour in a foreign internet cafe, though. Instead, you should sign up and configure an account before you leave the UK.
There are other options available too. AOL users can read and send email no matter where they are in the world, as this service provides access numbers to dial up all over the globe. There is also a (very slow) web-based email checking site, but this is a paid-for service starting at £16 a month for the dial-up option, so may not be worth the cost.
Access all areas
If you'd prefer to access your usual (POP3-based) email account at home, there are a couple of ways of doing it, depending on whether you have taken your notebook on holiday with you or not.
If you have your own notebook you can use a service such as Netaway. This basically hooks you up to a local internet service provider (ISP) wherever you are in the world, so you can browse the internet and pick up your email in exactly the same way as you would at home. It also works with your mobile phone or handheld computer, so you can access email and the internet using either of these devices too. The service is charged on a pay-as-you-go basis, so there is no monthly fee.
If packing a PC seems like too much hassle, and you don't fancy surfing on a mobile or handheld, you can access your standard email from an internet cafe or hotel terminal too. To do this you can use the free Mail2Web service. Or, if you have a Yahoo mail account, you can configure it to pick up your POP3 email. Hotmail offers this facility as well, but you have to pay £15 annually for the privilege.
However, do be aware that if you use any of these services you will have to be careful to keep your email private. When you log on you have to enter your email address and password to access your messages, and if you forget to log off after your session any subsequent users of the PC you were using will be able to read all your messages. So remember to log off when you are finished and never tick any of the 'Remember my password' or details boxes on a public computer.
Instant gratification
If your preferred medium of communication is instant messaging rather than email, you can still keep chatting with your friends while you are on holiday. If you have the software loaded onto your PC and are connected to the internet it is just the same as at home.
If you want to send instant messages while you are using a public computer you probably won't be able to download the software onto it. Fortunately, there are web-based alternatives in the shape of AIM Express and Yahoo Web Messenger. These will allow you to conduct instant-message conversations without the need to install special software. However, we stress again the need to sign out when you've finished, to prevent anyone from stealing your messaging identity.
Packing a PC
While there are several ways to get around the difficulties of not packing your own portable PC while you are on holiday, it certainly makes it easier to keep in touch and to store your digital photos. But simply having your computer with you doesn't solve all your problems.
As we mentioned above, if you want to store your digital photos on your PC to free up your memory card, then you will need to pack all the cumbersome necessary cabling. And if you want to put them online - or access the internet, email or an instant messenger - you will have to find a way to connect to the internet.
In order to do this the first, and perhaps most obvious thing, you need is a power adapter for your notebook. As we mentioned in our previous feature on planning and booking holidays online, these are easy enough to come by in your departure or arrival airport (although if you are flying somewhere really far-flung you might want to make sure you have the right adapter before you leave).
The next thing is to decide how you intend to access the net. As Wi-Fi hotspots aren't that widespread yet, and your notebook may not be wireless-enabled anyway, the easiest (if slowest) way to connect is via dial-up. In order to do this, you will need to have organised a local ISP, either via a service such as Netaway (mentioned earlier) or by using AOL, which offers local access numbers worldwide. The alternative is to just dial up to your usual ISP back home, but for that you'll have to stomach the cost of an international phone call each time you wish to connect.
Mobile connections
If you want to dial up using a phone socket you will also need a modem cable to hook up to the local telephone system. But before you get connected do some research: if you're staying in a hotel, for example, the cost of making even local calls can be high, and it will probably be cheaper to use your mobile phone.
The easiest way to connect using a mobile is if you have Bluetooth on both phone and notebook, in which case you can configure your computer to recognise and use the phone as a modem. If you have infrared ports on both devices this can do the same job, although there must be a line of sight between them, unlike with Bluetooth. Some phones can also be connected using a USB cable.
If you do plan to use your mobile as a modem, check with your operator that data services are enabled, and also that you will get coverage in the place/s you are planning to visit. You might also want to find out the call cost, because the answer might very well put you off the whole idea.
If you don't fancy lugging your notebook along with you for the ride, consider a handheld computer. Most models can be used for email and internet surfing, but if you want to do things like upload holiday snaps onto the web then the screen size is a limitation, and doing this via dial-up is painfully slow. Also, the amount of storage offered by the average handheld wouldn't really be enough to archive all your digital shots until you get home.
Touch down
Including a PC or some handy web addresses in your hand luggage can really add an extra dimension to your travels. You can store all your digital photos or even post them on the web, so that your friends can see what a great time you're having before they even get your postcard.
Speaking of which, why send a postcard by mail anyway? You can email all your news directly back home and pick up return messages from your email inbox online. If even email is too slow for you, then why not try out one of the web-based instant messaging services, so you can chat in real time, distracting all your colleagues stuck back in the office, looking out at the drab British weather.
Thanks to the wonders of modern technology, even when you are halfway across the world, you can stay in touch with those you love, and those you work with.
Online albums
Once you are back from your holiday, one way to distract yourself from your peeling tan is to get to work creating an online album of all your favourite shots. Now that you are reconnected with your own computer this is easy enough, thanks to the plethora of sites offering this service. We looked at these in detail in our Sharing your photos online feature.
One of our favourites is Pixum. Unlike some of the other free sites, you don't have unlimited storage space at your disposal. But it will probably take you a while to fill up the 200MB allowance so this is not a major concern in the short term.
However, if you want to be able to manipulate your uploaded photos then consider Kodak's Ofoto, as this site's online editing tool offers red-eye reduction, exposure correction and lots of special effects and tints to play with. These functions will undoubtedly come in really handy if you don't already have a photo-editing application on your PC.
Emergency services
There are several websites that might be able to help you out of a tight spot while abroad. First stop is the Foreign & Commonwealth Office site, which has an 'If it all goes wrong' section containing information on local consuls and advice on how to deal with travel disasters.
If you are worried about outbreaks of diseases in a country you are travelling to, then you can check up on the latest medical news from the World Health Organization.
For information on what to do if you are victim of a crime abroad visit the Victim Support website.
See also:
With prices plummeting, there's never been a better time to stay in touch and on top of appointments with a handheld computer. We check out six of the best-value models 05 Aug 2004
With summer in the air, we find out how to use the web to plan some unforgettable day trips 05 Jul 2004
You can find great holiday deals online, not to mention local information a travel agent will never tell you. And all without having to leave your chair ... 14 Jun 2004All Online
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