Travel light when it comes to gadgets

By PETER GRIFFIN

Let's get this straight from the start. Unless you need to be in telephone or email contact 24 hours a day, any expensive communications gadget you own shouldn't be going on holiday with you.

They're the type of things that get left on the top of ATM machines as you try to figure out how many euros you need for a six-week Contiki across Europe.

Most of the time you won't want technology cluttering up your holiday anyway. There's nothing worse than the piercing "bleep bleep" of a text message arriving as your tour group collectively holds its breath so as not to disturb the Bengal tiger lying 2m away.

Having said that, there are a few gadgets worth stuffing into your luggage. If you possess a PDA (personal digital assistant), for example a Palm Pilot or Compaq Ipaq, there's a good chance it doubles as an MP3 music player - ideal for passing time on the long-haul to Heathrow in "Pacific" class.

That same PDA will also serve as an e-book reader. Before you leave, download a novel or two from a website such as ebooks or Palm, to occupy that 72-hour Greyhound trip across the States. The back-lit screen will even mean you won't have to hold a torch between your teeth. Some travel guides come in e-book form as well.

Before you head off you'll be able to type your itinerary on your PC, and any important dates, numbers and scraps of info you might need on the road. Download it all to the PDA through its "sync" function and have all that stuff at your fingertips - or the tip of your stylus pen - as you travel.

If you get really sophisticated you might find your PDA can support a GPS (global positioning system) module, like those produced by our very own Navman. Pick up a wireless GPS card and map for central London, say. Soon the cabbies will be asking you for directions.

If the mobile phone has to go as well, check with Vodafone or Telecom that it will work where you are going. Chances are it won't, because the mobile operators are kidding us when they mention phrases like "seamless connectivity" and "global roaming". If you are lucky you'll be able to make voice calls and send text messages on your phone overseas (but check the per-minute pricing first).

Some WAP (wireless application protocol) based services will allow you to send emails home from abroad over foreign mobile networks. But the mobile internet and email experience abroad is flaky at best - don't rely on it.

For internet, the safe option is to plug your PDA into a phone line using a modem attachment, or lug along your notebook computer. A sub notebook such as a Sony Vaio is even better.

You should be able to plug straight into the wall in most hotels and connect to a global internet provider such as AT&T or GRIC. Hopefully the hotel will only charge you for the price of a local call and the ISP will bill you at a predetermined rate. But things are far from certain in this game - check before you dial.

Whatever you do, don't forget the appropriate power adaptor or your phone, PDA and laptop will be as useful as the tacky statues you stuff into your luggage as you try to blow the last of your local currency.

You can pick up a universal plug adaptor from most electrical stores - or at the airport for last-minute types.

Vodafone

Telecom

ebooks

Palm

Travel Unbound

Navman

GIRC