Curious: (I'm so addicted) do many travelers take their laps with em? Afterall, it's got all of you right there for help!

They are not necessary!! There are inexpensive internet cafes even in the little towns.

When I am staying for a long time .... say more then a week or two, I will take my laptop so I can download digital fotos.

It depends how you use your computer. If you just need to look at the web (or check email and newsgroups through a web interface), internet cafes are great. They're relatively cheap, and easy to find. If you'll be using them a lot, you might want to go to someplace like EasyInternet that lets you buy a debit card for their services. (In Madrid, I go to the one on calle de la Montera, just off the Puerta del Sol.) I went through three of the cards on my last trip.

However, most cybercafés are useless if you need to upload files or send attachments: for security reasons, you can't insert a floppy disk or CD in the computers. I finally found a couple of small mom-and-pop internet shops in Malasaña that allowed uploads, so I could send paperwork to a colleague back in the States. But it took some hunting.

If you need to do a lot of that sort of thing, the laptop is a better option.

I'm following up on my last post now that I have been to Madrid and back. If you do bring your laptop computer and a portable printer, stock up on ink, software and similar items before you head over.

I had no trouble finding shops that sold the exact model of Canon portable printer I have, but none of them had ink for it. Likewise, a lot of stores have the same model of Apple laptop I own, but none carried Apple-compatible software. As a technogeek friend of mine over there explained, "Spain is different," and the distribution system for IT accessories is still forming.

Since I couldn't print without ink, I went hunting for the nearest local equivalent to Kinko's, which I found just outside the San Bernardo metro stop. It's called WorkCenter (I assume this is a British chain), and is open 24 hours a day.

We spent two weeks vacationing in Spain during October. Well, my wife vacationed and I worked part time managing my internet business,www.diversity.com. The good news is i am very happy I did not lug a laptop and accessories since we brought the minimum of clothes and that turn out to be too much. The internet cafes I used were cheap ranging from 1.20 to 5.00 Euros per hour and I was able to communicate with developers and clients. The bad news is I unable to access the Sys Adm ports on my server back in the states. All in all.. using internet cafes are fine provided you don't attempt to do system critical type functions