The 21st-Century Traveler

Telephones

Generally, hotel surcharges on long-distance and local calls are astronomical, so you're better off using your cellphone or a public pay telephone. Many convenience groceries and packaging services sell prepaid calling cards in denominations up to $50; for international visitors these can be the least expensive way to call home. Local calls made from pay phones are 50 cents.

Most long-distance and international calls can be dialed directly from any phone. For calls within the United States and to Canada, dial 1 followed by the area code and the seven-digit number. For other international calls, dial 011 followed by the country code, city code, and the number you are calling.

Calls to area codes 800, 888, 877, and 866 are toll-free (not to be confused with Hawaii's area code, 808, which is not free). However, calls to area codes 700 and 900 (chat lines, bulletin boards, "dating" services, and so on) can be very expensive -- usually a charge of 95? to $3 or more per minute, and they sometimes have minimum charges that can run as high as $15 or more.

For reversed-charge or collect calls, and for person-to-person calls, dial the number 0 then the area code and number; an operator will come on the line, and you should specify whether you are calling collect, person-to-person, or both. If your operator-assisted call is international, ask for the overseas operator.

For local directory assistance ("information"), dial 411; for long-distance information, dial 1, then the appropriate area code and 555-1212.

Cellphones

Just because your cellphone works at home doesn't mean it'll work everywhere on Oahu. It's a good bet that your phone will work in Honolulu and Waikiki, but take a look at your wireless company's coverage map on its website before heading out. If you need to stay in touch, consider renting a phone from InTouch USA (tel. 800/872-7626; www.intouchglobal.com) or a rental car location, but be aware that you'll pay $1 a minute or more for airtime.

If you're not from the U.S., you'll be appalled at the poor reach of our GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) wireless network, which is used by much of the rest of the world. Your phone will probably work in most major U.S. cities; it definitely won't work in many rural areas. To see where GSM phones work in the U.S., check out www.t-mobile.com/coverage/national_popup.asp. And you may or may not be able to send text messages home.

Internet/E-Mail

Without Your Own Computer -- To find cybercafes in your destination, check www.cybercaptive.com and www.cybercafe.com. If your hotel doesn't have Web access, head to Web Site Story Cafe, 2555 Cartwright Rd. (in the Hotel Waikiki), Waikiki (tel. 808/922-1677). It's open daily from 7am to 11pm and serves drinks. Or try Caffe Giovannini, 1888 Kalakaua Ave C-106, (tel. 808/979-2299; www.caffegiovannini.com).

Aside from formal cybercafes, all public libraries on Oahu offer free access if you have a library card, which you can purchase for a $10 fee. The closest library is the Waikiki-Kapahulu Library, 400 Kapahulu St. (across from the Ala Wai Golf Course; tel. 808/733-8488). Most hotels on Oahu have in-room dataports and business centers, but the charges can be exorbitant.

With Your Own Computer -- Every major hotel, even most small B&Bs, have Internet connections, many of them Wi-Fi, but fees can be high (generally $11 per day).

ShakaNet, Hawaii's largest wireless provider, has completed the first phase of its free Wireless Waikiki network. Phase I covers a significant portion of Waikiki and includes an estimated 1,000 hotel rooms, portions of the Honolulu Zoo, Kapiolani Park, Queens Beach, Kuhio Beach, and the adjacent shoreline. The boundaries of Phase I are roughly Kalakaua Ave from Liliuokalani Avenue to Queen's Beach in the Diamond Head direction and Liliuokalani/Kuhio avenues on the Ewa side, down Kuhio Avenue across Kapiolani Park to Monsarrat Avenue.

As we went to press, Chinatown was about to launch a free wireless service, provided by Earthlink in a 27-block range (bordered by North Beretania Street, Nimitz Highway, Fort Street Mall, and Nuuanu Stream).

Wherever you go, bring a connection kit of the right power adapters, or find out whether your hotel supplies them to guests.

Online Traveler's Toolbox

Veteran travelers usually carry some essential items to make their trips easier. Following is a selection of handy online tools to bookmark and use.

• Airplane Food (www.airlinemeals.net)

• Airplane Seating (www.seatguru.com; and www.airlinequality.com)

• Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau (www.gohawaii.com)

• Hawaiian Language (www.geocities.com/~olelo)

• Helpful Hawaii Websites and Links (www.hawaiiradiotv.com/puka.html)

• Honolulu Daily Newspaper (www.honoluluadvertiser.com)

• Honolulu Weekly Guide to Activities (www.honoluluweekly.com)

• Foreign Languages for Travelers (www.travlang.com)

• Maps (www.mapquest.com)

• Oahu Visitors Bureau (www.visit-oahu.com)

• Time and Date (www.timeanddate.com)

• Travel Warnings (http://travel.state.gov, www.fco.gov.uk/travel, www.voyage.gc.ca, www.dfat.gov.au/consular/advice)

• Universal Currency Converter (www.xe.com/ucc)

• Visa ATM Locator (www.visa.com), MasterCard ATM Locator (www.mastercard.com)

• Weather (www.intellicast.com and www.weather.com)