(Cheap?) Internet Access in European Hotels?

[SuperFriendlyAviator]

Please can anyone help me? I am trying to find a reasonably priced roaming internet service for use in European hotels.

I would also like to not be bankrupt after using the service!

Please can anyone advise me of companies to approach and how much they will cost?

Thanks.

[BOAC]

Like MJ I use AOL. Prices quite competitive, and you get the European access 'inside' your monthly UK subs. You will have to put up with the AOL 'negatives' though, like the way it installs and will not let go if you remove it! Big bonus is FREE UK (0800) tech support.

There is also GRIC (no URL, try Google)

[gofer]

Use Tiscali.ch - which is basically free unless you want a sexi lot of extra's;)

[RomeoTangoFoxtrotMike]

And if you're not already an AOL user, try www.maglobe.com (http://www.maglobe.com/)

[flyingwysiwyg]

Superfriendly,

I travel a lot with work, and spend quite a lot of time in Europe.

The cheapest way I have found is to use GPRS on a Vodafone connection. They don't charge you for being abroad, just for the amount of data you pull or push through the network.

The Vodafone ISP is free anyhow to Vodafone customers, and my true ISP is Pipex Dial. I have no problems downloading my Email or if neccessary downloading files off the internet.

Depends on how much you want to use it as to which is the cheapest option.

A Standard Pipex account is £ 14.99 per month + £ 5.00 for the global roaming service (only charged when you use it). There are local dial ups in every country I've ever been to. The reason I use GPRS is I find the hotel rip you off going through their switchboard even if the local call is cheap.

Vodafone charge £ 15.00 per 5Mb of data. Sounds like a lot, but if your just using it for Email, you should find that you don't get close. Web sites too are fairly low on the data front, unless thy're very graphics intensive.

I'm not sure but I believe most of the mobile phone providers now have GPRS up and running on their networks.

Hope this helps,

FWyg

[Checkboard]

You may want to try forking out around $US100 for a WiFi card for your laptop - chances are you can log on to an open wireless network for broadband internet access for free (although you may have to wander around the local cafe's a bit to find an open network!)

Become a War chalker (WAR stands for Wireless Access Revolution - and "War Chalkers" leave chalk marks on pavements and buildings to show others where businesses or private individuals have set up open wireless networks, allowing free broadband access to WiFi capable equipment)

[A-V-8R]

WiFi cards are a lot less than 100 bucks in the US....You can find them as loss leaders for 30 bucks or so.

The war chalking is a good idea...I have a Toshiba E740 PDA with WiFi and I am constantly surprised at how many sites are available.

At most airports in the US you can find two or three hot spots, usually near Red Carpet kind of clubs.

[invalid entries]

I use maglobe as detailed above. Very reasonable in the USA or Canada, but can be expensive elsewhere, especially europe.

[PPRuNe Towers]

Paris is running a Wifi experiment at the moment to test the viability of using their metro/RER/bus comms system as access points.

It's free till mid summer and follows the path of the 38 bus route which you find on any tourist map.

Regards
Rob