Cell Phone & Laptop in Honduras

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ibenaround
ibenaround

Hello Fellow Travelers,

I'm thinking of taking my small "netbook" (laptop) to Honduras for my 3 week trip ...I need to be connected at some point daily for my business.....but don't want to drag it along if I'm not going to be able to find wi-fi. Don't get me wrong, I'm not someone that has to be connected at the hip with my laptop but if I can use it vs. having to seek out an internet cafe to get my work done, then that would be my preference.

I'll be in Copan Ruinas for about a week, then onto Gracias, Santa Rosa de Copan and don't know exactly the rest of my schedule, but it will be on the Mainland. Do you think I'll find wi-fi, or should I give up this idea of taking my small netbook with me? I didn't take it to Guatemala on my last visit only to be quite surprised that even my homestay in Antigua had wi-fi....so I made a mental note on my next trip to CA, to remember to check out the availablity of wi-fi.

Second, I know in Guatemala I could not buy a SIM card for my unlocked cell phone, but instead needed to buy a phone (w/o sim card inside). Is this the same situation in Honduras....meaning that I will not be able to just bring along my unlocked phone and buy a SIM card? I know if I use my Moviestar phone from Guatemala and add minutes in Honduras then I will be considered "roaming"...or at least that is what I have gathered from this forum.

I'd appreciate your feedback. Thank you.

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sparkyblue
sparkyblue

Hmm... wondering this as well. I plan on spending a while in Honduras and I was thinking about buying a laptop to take with me, but this is wholly dependant on whether there is WiFi readily available - otherwise it'll only be good for minesweeper!

Anybody got any insight?

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ibenaround
ibenaround

Hi Sparkyblue,

I started this post and as you can see there was no response. I just returned from 3 weeks in Honduras and I did take my laptop. It all depends on where you plan to go in the country.

I spent my time in Western Honduras and my arrival city (via plane) was San Pedro Sula. I was able to use my laptop for wi-fi at the family B&B that I stayed at...but that was only because I jumped on a neighbor's wi-fi.

In Copan Ruinas I went to school for two weeks and the school had wi-fi, so that was a win/win. But also in Copan you can go to a few different restaurants and wi-fi is free.

I also spent a week In Gracias, stayed at the wonderful Hotel Guanacasos and they had wi-fi.

All in all, I was happy with having my little netbook. It worked for me.

Have a great trip.

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hopefulist
hopefulist

I was never tempted to take my laptop to CA because of the weight/stress/loss/battery/durability issues. Before one of my sons moved to Africa he reserarched and bought a little Asus netbook. I ended up buying one just like it and enjoyed having it last year in Guatemala and Belize. I like to blog as I go and it was great being able to sort and backup my photos and set up the blogs, even if I didn't have easy wifi. Then we I did have it I didn't need it for long. I also supervise people who are getting college credits for travel and immersion programs and it was great to have it for that, too. The weight is so small (2 pounds) it's not very noticeable and I can pack it around in my grungy little daypack without looking like I'm carrying a laptop. The battery lasts about 8 hours on a charge and it's solid state (SD card) so durable. It doesn't have anything on it I couldn't live with out and I paid just over $200 so less valuable than my camera. Guess I'm a convert!

My photos w/ blog & travelogue links on the main page of each collection: http://www.flickr.com/photos/staceyholeman/collections
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sparkyblue
sparkyblue

Thanks for the tips ibenaround and hopefulist - much appreciated!

I think I will get a laptop now, I wanted to get a swanky looking laptop (since I will be selling my PC for over a $1000+ because it is an absolute beast) - but now,

a) i will get a laptop considering wifi seems available (albeit not everywhere)

and

b) i won't get a massive bells and whistles laptop. instead i'll be going with a smaller, more durable, lighter laptop.

i need it for a bunch of websites i run, as well as blogging/photo uploading.

Cheers again for the advice!

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