Ten things to do at an internet café on holiday

1. Check the weather
Nobody likes sweltering in a museum on a sunny day or getting rained on at the beach, so before making any plans check the local weather forecast while you're in an internet café.

2. Get a map
So you found an internet café, but you may not be so lucky finding your way around for the rest of the day! Be smart and download a map before you leave.

3. Find out opening times
Tourist attractions have a funny habit of closing whenever you arrive. To avoid a wasted trip, check the opening hours online before you leave the internet café.

4. Stay out of the red
It's easy to get overdrawn while you're away. An internet café is the ideal place to log in to your bank to see how much money you've got to play with.

5. Upload some pictures
If you like to take photos you may find your digital camera gets full very quickly. Most internet cafés will let you plug your camera into a computer and transfer your pictures to a CD, freeing up space to take more holiday snaps.

6. Set the video from an internet cafe
Forgotten to record your favourite TV programme? If you've got a digital recorder you can probably set it to record whatever you want remotely, right from an internet café.

7. Avoid library fines
Suddenly remembered your holiday reading is due back at the library? You can avoid late fees by logging in and renewing your books online from an internet café (remember to set up an online account before you go away).

8. Use the internet café to make cheap calls
Phoning home can be expensive, so why not use some of the time you spend at an internet cafe to make cheap calls over the Internet? Most internet cafes offer headsets so you can call home for just a few pence per minute using a Voice over IP (VoIP) service.

9. Make sure your home is secure
If you have a web cam on your computer at home, you can pop in to an internet cafe to log on and check on your house. If you see masked men with large bags marked "swag" it may be time to call the police!

10. Guarantee your ride home
Travelling can be stressful, so why not make it as easy as possible? Visit an internet café to confirm your travel times and, if you're flying home, check in online to avoid the queues.