Family Travel Forum - Across the World, Internet Cafes Keep Travelers in Touch

As high school and college-aged travelers visit distant lands with ever-increasing frequency, Internet cafés have popped up all over the globe, capitalizing on traveler's need to keep in touch with family and friends.

With Iran as an exception (In April 2001, the Middle Eastern nation closed down hundreds of storefront Internet cafes for lack of permits, or perhaps for political or moral reasons) keeping in touch with home has never been easier or cheaper.

Throughout Europe and the United States, cybercafés, which combine the cozy atmosphere of a coffee shop with personal computer stations, are popping up everywhere.

Easy Everything, a company that operates 20 cafés throughout Europe and one in Times Square, New York, boasts 9,000 computer terminals available 24 hours a day, for as little as US$1 per 15 minutes. Many more locations are planned.

And throughout Central and South America, the Middle East and Asia, from Hong Kong to the tiny mountain town of Boquette, Panama, small mom-and-pop cybercafés are up and running. Now students have no excuse for "disappearing" from the family for a while.

For a directory of cybercafés worldwide, check out www.cybercafe.com.