Do you expect free WIFI when holidaying in France ?

[alittlebitfrench]

When staying in a gîte, b&b, hotel or whatever in France do you expect to have free WIFI ?

Personally, no. What do you think ? Can you live 1 or 2 weeks without WIFI whilst on holiday ?

What is the point of spending 'x' amount of money to enjoy the dordogne and spend it on the internet ?

Even if WIFI were freely available, would you log onto what could potentially be an un-secure network ?

[Gardengirl]

It's useful to have it when staying overnight on our way up and down through France or anywhere else, to keep up with emails. On holiday, definitely prefer to have internet access for emails and skyping family.

I object to it being something hotels charge for as I think their charges are already high enough. B&Bs, no expectation, but it's a plus if they do have it. I would never log in to anything private, such as bank accounts though.

[idun]

Husband does, I do not.

[Patf]

So how do you feel, AlBF, when your wifi packs in, in Paris? Do you have a nervous breakdown?

[alittlebitfrench]

Personally Patf, I would prefer a world without internet and especially mobile phones.

When I left the UK, both were in their infancy and it was a better country to live in than today.

Well France, that is a different matter all together.

Ho hum.

[woolybanana]

Of course I expect free internet just as I expect free towels, sheets, soap and electricity; I pay for them as part of the price. And, it should be a decent quality too.

This leaves me the choice as to whether to actually avail myself of the service or not.

If I so wanted, I could choose to stay up a mountain in a cave where there are no or limited facilities, and advertised as such.

Mobile phones I barely use, except when travelling, but would again expect the choice, of course.

What is the alternative, pigeons?

[EuroTrash]

if you work for yourself it's hard to be completely "on holiday" because you want be sure you'll still have a business when you get back. You tell clients you're going to be away but if there's an emergency you have to help them out if you can (eg you delivered some work just before you left and they've lost it and need it re-sending). So I need wifi to keep an eye on emails. But I don't need it provided in a gite. I pick up emails on my phone and I have a mifi thingy in case I need to use the computer to download or upload anything. Wifi isn't a holiday essential, nor is television.

[Judith]

In a hotel, and when travelling, these days I would expect free wifi, and tend to chose only those that offer it - especially if I am going out of country - easier to keep in touch with family and within reason keep up to date with emails ... I only use my mobile to phone when really needed, nor do I text much.  Managed for years without one - and it is used more as an alarm clok and camera than anything else, as I usually take one of my ipads too.  I am an email person really ...

For B&B's, these I now only use if I need to, perhaps for an overnight, as I prefer the facilities of a hotel, or a self catering place ... and yes, I would expect wifi as the norm now.

When I am on holiday as opposed to a business trip, I would expect to look at emails at least once a day, to ensure that all was well, sometimes you do need to be in touch with the outside world, especially when travelling as a lone female.

[Chancer]

It is a real bonus to me on short/mid term rentals, my apartments are at least twice the price of a meublé in town but are all inclusive and no 12 month or 3 year contract to sign plus meeting the Financial criteria, the latter is impossible for most as they already have one family home, they can afford the rent if not they would not travel for work but according to the Financial criteria they cannot.

 

The Wifi is always the deciding factor, these people arent on Holiday for a few days they are staying away from home for 6 months, to have internet access in a rental flat they would have to pay for a phone line to be installed and sign u for a years ADSL contract.

[pomme]

Free wifi seems to be the norm everywhere now (except possibly expensive hotels). I've had free wifi in B&B in remote parts of Portugal and Sicily - and just about all faster than my 2mb French broadband.

[alittlebitfrench]

For me WIFI is just not a deal breaker unless you need it for work. Not sure I would log onto someone else's network mind you.

I would just buy a dongle type thing if it was important.

If I go skiing I don't need WIFI. If I go to the beach I don't need WIFI. In the Dordogne, I would just take some happy pills and try and just get through it.

[Chancer]

And your children?

 

I agree that no-one needs it, we all managed just fine without it but all of my customers would disagree with that.

 

These people dont even have the politesse to listen to my very very brief explanation of where things are in the apartment, the FAQ's if you like, I will be interrupted and asked about the Wi-Fi, I say I will explain later but they kick off, so I show them the code (its right in front of their nose) and its like a race between them for the whole family to connect all their devices and they no longer have their listening ears on to quote Judge Judy, during their stay they will repeatedly ask me things that were already explained to them and act all surprised "Oh we didnt know, you didnt tell us that!"

 

Yet these self same people who by all apperances will die if they are not connected never answer their phones, respond to E-mails or text messages in the days leading up to their arrival asking for their approx ETA, its asked 3 times during the booking process, several more times by messages and several times on the day by phone and text.

 

Sadly as Nomoss says its seems to be pretty much universal now, I still cant get my head round the expense and hassle of visiting a place that no-one would ever come to but for the WW1 graves and memorials and then spending all the time in the apartment on the wifi.

 

It would be like me travelling to the Galapogos Islands, a real cost and logistical challenge, taking a 14 day bdive oat cruise around all the islands and not leaving my cabin to see the wildlife or to dive.

 

When I travelled there was no Wi-Fi, backpackers would pay to use the computers in the hostels to keep in touch with home, other travellers by e-mail and to book onward travel etc but from what I can see everyone is just on Fessbook or Twatter reading and forwarding the utterances of people that they dont even know.

[pomme]

I needed it when travelling in Portugal and Sicily as I didn't have a specific planned itinerary and was only booking the next stop one or two days in advance.

I was also uploading (reduced size) copies of the hundreds of photographs I took each day as backup, just in case...

[alittlebitfrench]

Chancer Said "And your children ?"

They don't need it and as a parent taking their children on holiday I don't want them to have it. It is not going to happen.

Holidays are holidays.

Seriously.

I do honestly believe the world is going bonkers with the internet. What happened to quality of life ? Internet has become an addiction.

I am very surprised how all the old folk on this forum can't live without either. You should be ashamed.

Don't get me STARTED about sat navs. The best invention ever for lazy stupid people. WHAT IS WRONG WITH A PAPER MAP ????. Flipin eck.

[Kong]

Paper map? It's always out of date....

[NickP]

Someone must have finished the housework early today, hates the internet and spends an absurd amount of time spouting tripe on a forum. Still, I don't mind feeding the troll. I love sat navs having just driven 3000k around the southern states of America, we would have been lost without it, literally. Also, I find it works wonderfully well in France. I gave up buying maps years ago, save the trees buy a sat nav.

Although I must say the Irish lady voicing our SN does get confused when we get to the tunnel, she says "well now, take the Ferry dat's the big ting on the water" By the way before any socially aware lefties accuse me of racism I am married to an Irish lady, and she laughs at the Irish style vocal directions

[alittlebitfrench]

P*ickN

When you spend as much time on the internet as I do the last thing you want to take on holiday is a computer.

How on earth does anybody need a Satnav in France ? Guessing I have travelled most here in France.... (I am a logistics expert.....did I tell you that)...... I have never needed a dumb idiot computer to me where I am and where I need to go.

My kids will learn how to use a map.

I worry for society.

Your sincerely..

The Troll.

Note to myself, must clean the oven.

[woolybanana]

Your kids should be taught to use both equally well; anything less is just prejudice.

[Chancer]

[quote user="pomme"]I needed it when travelling in Portugal and Sicily as I didn't have a specific planned itinerary and was only booking the next stop one or two days in advance. I was also uploading (reduced size) copies of the hundreds of photographs I took each day as backup, just in case...[/quote]

 

I travelled for a year exactly like that without a computer or internet access although I suppose it was rare for me to book even a couple of days in advance, I would just rock up and wander around, backing up photographs was nothing but a pipe dream then, I would get an internet café to burn a CD for me as soon as the tiny memory card was full, I did meet some Americans who had fast connections back home and they said they ordered their prints on the internet, it seemed like another planet!!!

 

I suspect when I set off travelling again I will have no choice but to have a smartphone and roaming as all available beds will have been reserved on line, I am seeing it myself from the other side of the counter.

 

Editted. Last time I set off with 18kg of guide books (Lonely Planet, Rough Guide, Footprint etc) for the countries that I would be travelling through which gave détails (out of date as soon as printed) of accomodation, gradually I whittled down the load as I left countries, it was hard to do so because they had been so valuable and such a part of me that I wanted to keep them as souvenirs, in fact I have rebought several.

Wont be long now before they stop printing them completely.

 

I have loads of maps, a shatnav will never take their place but even I will admit that at times it is invaluable.

[Judith]

I can read maps, books etc and quite often read instead of surfing the internet ... but as several of us have already said - maybe on holiday you don't necessarily need either wifi, sat nav or what not ... however, if you travel on your own, as I often do, it is not only reassuring to know  you can be contacted if needed, and vice versa, but when it comes to sat navs - well, you know, it is just a tad difficult to read a map and drive at the same time .... so though I love maps and always have one with me if going somewhere I don't know, my relatively recently acquired (last 5 years) sat nav has been a boon and a life saver in both France, the UK, which I know well, and yes, even locally when going to a new place ... so do not deride modern technology - it does NOT rule my life, but it has its uses, and is here to stay.

Like you, I spend quite a lot of time on the computer in my daily life, and whilst I do not need it all the time I when on holiday, it still has its uses.  Thus yes, you do need free wifi when on holiday - even in France.

[Gardian]

Frankly, I don't understand the need for the question as to whether it should be available.

I agree entirely that, for us, there's no need to be 'in touch' all the blooming time. 90% of incoming emails are rubbish and the remainder can wait. Any important message can reach us via our mobile.

However ......... the world is what it is now and if I was running some sort of accommodation facility, it would be a no-brainer.

[idun]

[quote user="alittlebitfrench"]P*ickN

When you spend as much time on the internet as I do the last thing you want to take on holiday is a computer.

How on earth does anybody need a Satnav in France ? Guessing I have travelled most here in France.... (I am a logistics expert.....did I tell you that)...... I have never needed a dumb idiot computer to me where I am and where I need to go.

My kids will learn how to use a map.

I worry for society.

Your sincerely..

The Troll.

Note to myself, must clean the oven.[/quote]

ROFLPMP,

now I do not like sat navs and never use ours. As I say to my OH and son, I have driven in the USA and Canada and all over europe on my own and never needed one, so why do I need one.

HOWEVER, I remember clearly being in Clermont Ferrand and we reached a major junction and the only 'helpful' sign said, to the left toutes directions and to the right autres directions. And that covers EVERYTHING, nez pah!

OH driving, demanding which way, and as it happened we were heading west, but the trouble with junctions and especially roads in France,  is that we could have taken the road that appeared to go to the west for it to curl round, like disappearing up it's own backside and end up going east. AS so often happens with couples, we had a few words about which way to go....... well actually, a screaming row ..... but such is life. And we ended up where we needed to be........ eventually.

Would a sat nav have helped?????? I would suppose so, but there again, IF everything is just so, where is the fun and the stories to tell..... life would surely be very boring when not eventful.

[PaulT]

albf:

'How on earth does anybody need a Satnav in France ? Guessing I have travelled most here in France.... (I am a logistics expert.....did I tell you that)...... I have never needed a dumb idiot computer to me where I am and where I need to go. '

I presume that you do not need a ferry or the Shuttls to cross the Channel, you just walk across.

[PaulT]

'Don't get me STARTED about sat navs. The best invention ever for lazy stupid people. WHAT IS WRONG WITH A PAPER MAP ????. Flipin eck. '.

Perhaps we should have two versions of this forum, one for lazy stupid people and the other for active extremely intelligent people.

That would be one version of the forum for all of us with the exception of albf and the other for him/her.....one can hope.

[Jonzjob]

WIFI on holiday is great for finding out about the place you're staying at. And don't say that you can find it all from the local TI or by forward planning, some/most, but not as much as the things you hear of or see when there.

We have just had a trip back to Blighty and had to go to see someone we've not been to before. My TomTom took us straight to his door and I have yet to find a paper map that can do that? I am a great fan of paper maps and I pour over them lots when we are away, the ones I have for the area that is [8-)]. They tell all sorts of stories. My collection starts with the 3/6p cloth backed OS jobbies and comes forward from there.

When I was stationed at Brize Norton I was lucky enough to be going out with a WRAF lass who worked in Flight Planning and she aquired several (well lots ) OS maps of all over the U.K. OK, that was a long time ago and there's loads of changes to the main roads, but the country doesn't change and they are still useful.

But my TomTom 6100 has included lifetime map upgrades of the World, traffic conditions and speed, sorry safety cameras and when there are traffic problems it suggests a way around them.

I use a womans voice on mine as I find it easier to ignore at times. Practice I suppose [:-))][8-|]