Have you ever tried to connect to the internet when you hit the road? No matter if you have to work with the internet, or if you are backpacking trying to find a cheap connection from Sydney to New York. Well, this can become very difficult or at least quite expensive.

Difficult: In rural areas you have no chance to find a connection at all, but also in big cities like Zagreb (capital of Croatia...;) you might hit a snag. The classic way to connect to the internet in a big city by hanging round at Starbucks is not possible because there is no Starbucks in all Croatia.

Expensive: Starbucks is a good catchword. Besides the fact that the coffee is extremely expensive, it is not acceptable to pay 2 Euros for 30 minutes internet connection! Youth hostels charge the same price. Hotels are even more expensive. So forget about this. A very smooth way to connect to the internet abroad is via UMTS data cards. You are free to use the internet wherever you want because you dial up to the mobile phone network. But: The prices are just extraterrestrial. Do I have to tell you about roaming? I guess not! This way to connect to the internet is only a solution for businesspeople.

My personal recommendation: Go to Paris! Before you leave check out this site: www.hotcafe.fr. The site offers an overview of all cafes with free WiFi access in Paris. Just bring your notebook and you can connect to the local hotspot of the café. And it’s for free! But ask at the bar if they still have free access cards to the hotspot before you order your bottle of champagne. Sometimes the access cards are out of stock. Cause this is how it works: 1. Start up your notebook. 2. Run your browser. 3. You will be asked to enter an access code 4. Go to the bar and ask for the code 5. The barman gives you a card with a code, at least if you order a drink in the café…6. Type in the code et voilà: You are connected for free!

You won’t have all this trouble, if you stay for long. You just buy one of the Siemens Gigaset broadband products and you get cheap access to a fast connection…;)