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steffffi18:14 UTC11 Feb 2012

Thinking of buying an iPad2 with 3G for our travel in Spain. We will be staying mostly in a rural area of northern Spain. Will the iPad work there as is---are special chips necessary, will the 3G be crazy expensive, can I even expect reception in rural areas? Can we load all our photos/videos onto the iPad? Never traveled with any sort of modern tech device before, so we welcome any thoughts or advice.

phimeow20:24 UTC11 Feb 2012

Will the iPad work there as is

Yes
>will the 3G be crazy expensive

YES!
>can I even expect reception in rural areas

Depends on signal strength.
>Can we load all our photos/videos onto the iPad?

Yes but you will need the Apple iPad Camera Connection Kit (2 USB adapters comes as a set). It's easy to get photos onto the iPad but not so easy to get them OFF the iPad!

OK, now that your questions are out of the way.....here is what you should think about.
DON'T use your own 3G SIM as this will give a massive bill AND a heart attack as you will be roaming outside your country. Depending on how long you will be in Spain, buy a pay-as-you-go Apple SIM card when you get to Spain. This way, the cost will be lower. Where possible use the iPad's wifi capabilities - most hotels and cafes have this (usually) free service, Rural areas - generally not at farms but you may find at some hotels but will be at a cost.

My advice is to get used to connecting to different wifi service in your city before you travel to Spain so you become familiar with how to do it. Leave your 3G SIM at home (or turn it off otherwise all your apps that automatically download updates will generate a BIG bill for you when you get home).

Happy travels.

justin2323:09 UTC11 Feb 2012

Agree with #1. don't use your US sim card in spain, unless you are rich.
I travel with an ipad and/or netbook and found free wireless easy to find in europe. Most cafes will have wifi.

also agree regarding photos. extremely easy to put them on the ipad, but i always keep a copy on my memory cards to upload to a computer back home as its a pain to get them off otherwise.

yofletch00:52 UTC25 Feb 2012

see......MAXROAM.COM /

justin2306:09 UTC25 Feb 2012

yeah maxroam are not that cheap. and they try to tell you only need 50mb or something like that....
Yep cheaper than some others but really not that cheap.

Using US iPad2 in Spain? Interest forums / Travel Tech
steffffi18:14 UTC11 Feb 2012	Thinking of buying an iPad2 with 3G for our travel in Spain. We will be staying mostly in a rural area of northern Spain. Will the iPad work there as is---are special chips necessary, will the 3G be crazy expensive, can I even expect reception in rural areas? Can we load all our photos/videos onto the iPad? Never traveled with any sort of modern tech device before, so we welcome any thoughts or advice.
phimeow20:24 UTC11 Feb 2012	Will the iPad work there as is Yes >will the 3G be crazy expensive YES! >can I even expect reception in rural areas Depends on signal strength. >Can we load all our photos/videos onto the iPad? Yes but you will need the Apple iPad Camera Connection Kit (2 USB adapters comes as a set). It's easy to get photos onto the iPad but not so easy to get them OFF the iPad! OK, now that your questions are out of the way.....here is what you should think about. DON'T use your own 3G SIM as this will give a massive bill AND a heart attack as you will be roaming outside your country. Depending on how long you will be in Spain, buy a pay-as-you-go Apple SIM card when you get to Spain. This way, the cost will be lower. Where possible use the iPad's wifi capabilities - most hotels and cafes have this (usually) free service, Rural areas - generally not at farms but you may find at some hotels but will be at a cost. My advice is to get used to connecting to different wifi service in your city before you travel to Spain so you become familiar with how to do it. Leave your 3G SIM at home (or turn it off otherwise all your apps that automatically download updates will generate a BIG bill for you when you get home). Happy travels.	1
justin2323:09 UTC11 Feb 2012	Agree with #1. don't use your US sim card in spain, unless you are rich. I travel with an ipad and/or netbook and found free wireless easy to find in europe. Most cafes will have wifi. also agree regarding photos. extremely easy to put them on the ipad, but i always keep a copy on my memory cards to upload to a computer back home as its a pain to get them off otherwise.	2
yofletch00:52 UTC25 Feb 2012	see......MAXROAM.COM /	3
justin2306:09 UTC25 Feb 2012	yeah maxroam are not that cheap. and they try to tell you only need 50mb or something like that.... Yep cheaper than some others but really not that cheap.	4

Using US iPad2 in Spain?