In 1984, when the first cyber cafe opened, expatriates were still putting pen to paper and breaking teeth on grandma's cookies that took three months to arrive by snail mail. Although there's still no guarantee that grandma's cookies will arrive fresh, international communication has become decidedly easier.

Quick Tips While many "cafes" serve food, it can be a distraction when you're paying for Internet time. Avoid paying for food if you can. If you just want to check email - consider a place that charges by the minute, not the hour. For longer projects, look for places that offer "bonus hours," so you can sign up for several hours at a time. Be prepared for some inconsistencies -- not all countries will offer the same software as you have at home. Online Info WORLDWIDE CAFES Cybercafes.com contains a searchable database of more than 3,800 Internet cafes in 142 countries. The listings include street address, homepage URL and email address. CAFES ORGANIZE The International Association of Cybercafes was founded in 1996 to serve proprietors and customers of Internet cafes. Its Web site sells merchandise, offers newsletters and contains interesting articles about cyber cafes.

Today there are more than thirty-five hundred Internet cafes worldwide, so people passing through almost any city in the world can count on being able to use a computer with an Internet connection. Although cyber cafes vary greatly in connection speed, price and atmosphere, they are invaluable assets to voyagers and expatriates. Lisa Bombardieri, a 23-year-old who has used Internet cafes in the Czech Republic, Belize, Italy and Germany, says it best: "When you're abroad, the Internet becomes your lifeline."

An Overseas Office

In addition to providing a lifeline to one's friends and family, the cyber cafe functions, for many, as a temporary office. Relocating abroad does not easily ensure one the conveniences of home. When phone lines are not yet installed, or the risk of traveling with your computer seems too great, many find paying for a quick fix of Web access the way to go.

On one Monday afternoon, THENETGATE, an Internet point in Rome, was filled with a mix of tourists, students and job seekers like Karen Rauscher, a 19-year-old Austrian studying Italian in Rome for two weeks. Rauscher uses places like THENETGATE to search for a job and an apartment. Because she has no land or mobile phone to use during her stay in Italy, the Internet point is her sole means of communication with potential employers.

George Gelles, executive director of the San Francisco Philharmonic Baroque Orchestra, traveling through Europe on business, chose not to bring his laptop computer with him abroad because he expected it would be no problem to find Internet cafes. He stopped at the Internet Train in Siena, Italy, to type up an article and email it to his office. On this day he was pleased with his experiences: "They spoke English and were very helpful. Everything worked." But not all Internet points can be so easily adapted into temporary office spaces. Gelles recalls one in Leipzig, Germany that was "small, crowded and noisy".

"It was a place for kids to play games," he says. "Not for grown-ups to do work."

Hold the Coffee

The names for Internet cafes generally involve some combination of "net," "point," "cyber," "@," "Web," "Internet" and "cafe." But because fewer and fewer Internet cafes actually serve coffee or food, the term "Internet cafe" is being replaced by "Internet point." Generally "Internet point" refers to a place that doesn't serve coffee or food, and "Internet cafe" refers to a place that does. Food or not - the success of a Web stop seems to depend mostly on efficiency.

Some cyber cafes are actually restaurants with elaborate menus. While people may like to have something to drink while they surf, the menus aren't much of a hit. Bombardieri recalls an Internet Point in Munich that doubled as a restaurant: "It was kind of hard to eat and surf," she tells. "I didn't want to get the computer all nasty."

Some cafes are taking to more elaborate business combinations to find their niche in the market. On the outskirts of Rome, Flashback 2, an Internet cafe, contains an arcade and a restaurant. There's a special "dinner and one hour of surfing" rate, which includes a sandwich and a beer.

Anise Ojede, 22, of California, who is traveling through Europe with her friend and frequently stops at Internet cafes, says, "We've been to some with food, but we never eat there."

Money Pits?

The prices of Internet cafes vary greatly from country to country. In Western Europe, the hourly rate is generally about $5.00; though many computer centers offer free bonus hours when you sign up or buy several hours at a time. Cyber cafes can easily become money pits, however, in several ways. When you pay by the hour, rather than the minute, you may end up dropping five beans just to check your email and run. Another tip for frugal surfers is to beware of cafes that insist that you buy a membership card with a minimum number of hours. This could pose a problem if you are only passing through the city.

Wherever You Go

Internet points can be found in virtually every city, though they vary greatly in quality. Julie Write, 20, from California, was checking her email at THENETGATE in Rome. She was in the middle of a 2.5 month program, "Semester at Sea," and had stopped in Greece, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Belgium, Egypt, Israel, Norway and Russia. In each country, she stopped at an Internet cafe. She has terrible memories of the one in Russia. "There was always a line, the keyboard was all weird, and there was no Microsoft Word." Although these inconveniences are common, the Internet cafe has become an essential and dependable resource.