"AILEEN" wrote ...
Hi everyone,

For our 10 year anniversary, my husband and I are biking across Europe
beginning in the Netherlands, going through Belgium and ending in
France. I have found a lot of information for all the attractions in
Paris, but neither of us is very familiar with the other two countries -
we did buy a Lonely Planet, but really do not wish to carry it with us.
Given the route we have in mind so far (which is still pretty flexible),
what things should we not pass up a chance to see along the way? Also,
we will be leaving the two kids at my mother's for the trip and of
course I want a way to reach them, preferably cheaply. I have heard you
need a GSM-capable phone in order to make calls. This sounds
complicated. Am I better off using phone cards?

Aileen

Phone cards are definitely the cheap way to go in Europe, and I've never
seen a cell phone that was as light and compact as a phone card. Pre-paid
cell phones are also popular in Europe, just buy a cheap one and buy phone
cards for it as you go along. The various Lonely Planet guides have pretty
detailed information on this.

A lot of European countries still let you place phone calls from post
offices, which has traditionally been the cheapest way to call long
distance. This is a good way to go if you're going to make a long phone call
at a time that you've pre-arranged with the receiving party.

Internet cafes are another good option for staying in touch by e-mail, they
also let you do things like access your bank and credit card accounts if you
have Internet access for those.

I appreciate the need to travedl light, but are you sure you don't want to
bring your Lonely Planet guide with you? If nothing else, LP guides have a
lot of good information about the nuts and bolts of foreign travel. By this
I mean using foreign phone systems, where to buy phone cards, where to find
Internet cafes, etc. You can always get a pair of scissors and chop out the
bits you know you won't need, and if you decide bringing it was a waste then
you can just leave it at a hostel/hotel/campground.

HTH,
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mark