Tagged With "cell phone"
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Re: Crashing the geocache
Hello TatToo, I live in Europe especially Germany. I do know Geocaching and of course the game is known here. If you don't have a GPS device with a European card in it you can use your mobile phone as long you have the geocaching app. Before your son goes to Europe just with that mobile phone, make sure he looks for geocaches in areas he will be first and download the map and the cache itself. Even if you don't have an Internet connection they can use it via GPS. I did it in USA and it has...
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Re: Should Wi-Fi be free in all hotels?
Good discussion! WiFi has for me become an indispensable part of traveling. It allows me to stay in touch with family easily and cheaply (remember how hard it was even 25 years ago -- a phone call could run you $5 a minute? And there was no email). It lets me spend evening hours clearing out a hefty email que, and doing research on what I am going to see tomorrow and the next day. And with "Gumbo on the Go", it lets me share my travels as they happen with fellow Gumboites! I echo PHeymont's...
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Re: How'd We Live Without Travel Apps?
I wonder if anyone has any experienced with "Viber"? And if not, what other free phone apps are recommended?
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Re: How'd We Live Without Travel Apps?
I had Viber on my phone and it was nice in the beginning. But when my calls got interrupted a lot and the quality of the talk was bad too, although I have WiFi at home, I deleted it finally. I think Skype is still the best for me.
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Re: How'd We Live Without Travel Apps?
I had Viber on my phone and it was nice in the beginning. But when my calls got interrupted a lot and the quality of the talk was bad too, although I have WiFi at home, I deleted it finally. I think Skype is still the best for me.
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Re: How'd We Live Without Travel Apps?
A lot to be said for what might be the ultimate travel app category: Maps and GPS. I know people have their favorites (Google's not the only one, according to my wife...) but almost everyone uses some version on their phone or tablet. Another good one is local transit. Most big cities have a route-finder on their transit site, but you have to find it. But Google Maps and HopStop and some others have transit info for most big cities. One downside: Apple is as bad as Google about business;...
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Re: Help with mobile phone for Morocco
I did some initial research today on cell phone rentals also, and have come down to 2 options basically, any experience notes with either of these companies would also be appreciated: www.mobal.com ($29 to buy a phone, and then pre-paid card loading) www.cellularabroad.com (straight rental, but calling rates may make it a cheaper option in the end than mobal). thanks!
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Re: Help with mobile phone for Morocco
While I haven't been to Morocco for over 2 years, phone service for locals in non-industrialized nations all over the world tends to be cheap phone, available locally, with prepaid sim cards that you reload. It depends a great deal on what services your friend wants and can they, for instance, do without data and use the wifi in their accommodations or will they go to pieces without having it all, all the time. If that's the case, I can't help and will be expensive, all things relative, I...
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Re: Help with mobile phone for Morocco
One more thought. Think long term. If you're likely to travel again and might need a phone again, buying one will be even more cost effective. And buying one after you arrive will be least expensive. Phone service in the US is notoriously expensive. People in developing countries all have mobile phones because of the lack of infrastructure for land lines. So low-income working people all over the world rely on cell service and it must be cheap. So doing as the locals do when you travel...
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Re: Help with mobile phone for Morocco
If you take a look at http://prepaidgsm.net, you’ll see the reason for PortMoresby’s recommendation. It’s not the cost of the phone, it’s the cost of every minute, often many times that of a local SIM. For example, the Mobal SIM comes with a rate for Morocco of $1.50 a minute outgoing and $1.50 a minute incoming. Meditel, one of the Moroccan carriers, charges (depending on plan) about 10c a minute up to 40c a minute, and no charge for incoming. Mobal will sell you data at $28.99 for ONE...
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Re: Help with mobile phone for Morocco
I have a Mobell (same company as Mobal) UK sim that I got years ago, very convenient, phone bills charged to my credit card, rather than having to keep track of the balance and "top up". However, calls are relatively expensive although I don't mind for the convenience and limited use when I'm in the UK. Knowing full well it would cost me, about a £ a minute because I was in Italy, I allowed a British friend who was meeting me in Italy to call me when she arrived using her UK phone and my UK...
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Re: How do you use the internet while traveling?
I have not been to Japan, but generally my travel experience with internet access has been much more positive than yours. I've generally had good luck with getting on line in Europe, South America and even Southern Africa. Once in a while the internet might be down at a place I'm staying at, but usually it's quickly repaired. Exceptions to this are very rural areas, like in Patagonia and where I'm heading next week, Yellowstone National Park. There is really not internet available at most...
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Re: How do you use the internet while traveling?
One problem I had was the places I stayed at had no Wi-Fi , so I noticed the lack of public wi-fi a lot more than on other trips. In Japan, besides the airports, Starbucks and 7-11, I had rarely could find Wi-fi and they blocked my VOIP phone, which I don't remember from previous trips. In Europe it wasn't much better and even some major train stations were lacking Wifi. I talked to a lot people in Europe and heard the same feedback about lack of Wi-Fi .
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Re: How do you buy your travel?
For my upcoming trip, after reading this thread, I did attempt to use an online booking agency for my flights when my attempts at booking directly through the airline's website kept giving me issues. I kept getting an error. Expedia gave me the same error - could not confirm the flights. Unfortunately, I ended up having to call the airline directly. But, I did find out that Lufthansa at least has awesome customer service in that the agent tried his darnedest to get me the right flight for...
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Re: Camera Advice, Please?
Three-year later follow-up on my original camera-quest. Still happy with the Sony despite its size, but never made a complete switchover: there are just some times when you have to have something that's pocket size. So, sometimes that's my Samsung S7 phone, but especially on the road, it's a camera that fit ALL of my original specs. It's the Panasonic Lumix ZS-50 (TZ50 outside the US). Eye-viewfinder (electronic), built-in WiFi to link to phones, 30x optical zoom and the Leica lenses. I've...
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Re: Replacing iPhone Abroad
I'd be inclined to contact the original source of the phone and see if they can Fedex a replacement.
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Re: Replacing iPhone Abroad
UPDATE: We went to GRAVIS on Ehrensrasse 2 : http://www.gravis.de/filialen/koeln/koeln/ They told us that nobody will repair a wet a iPhone. So, upon their advice, we booked a genius appointment at the Apple Store in the suburbs of Cologne: https://www.apple.com/de/retail/rheincenter/ There, we can exchange our wet phone with a refurbished iPhone 5 for 250 euros. Not cheap, but we can put my husband's SIM card into the refurbished phone, and he'll be on his way. We're trying not to think...
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Re: Replacing iPhone Abroad
Originally Posted by PortMoresby: I'd be inclined to contact the original source of the phone and see if they can Fedex a replacement. Be careful with that. There might be a huge duty/tariff you'd have to pay to do so. Check this out with your concierge before you take this route. But if no customs fee, I'd probably get a new phone from back home, too.
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Re: Replacing iPhone Abroad
I do expect a tax. If it's terrible, my husband will do without a phone. I remember we had to pay a big tax even when bringing in our own (used) car from the USA to use during the two years we lived in Germany. It was cheaper to ship our own car to Germany than to buy or rent one for two years. But, back to to phone...We will update this post with relevant news.
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Re: Replacing iPhone Abroad
While I know iPhone users can be very brand-loyal, if the price is too high, consider buying a cheap Android phone and using it with your SIM. At the end of the trip, you can put it back in a new iPhone, or (dare I say?) change sides... The iPhone 5 uses yet another made-for-Apple incompatible SIM size, but phone stores will have a small plastic holder to retrofit it to the sizes used by others.
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Re: Replacing iPhone Abroad
My husband would never switch phone allegiances! So, he'd still have to buy a new iPhone at home. Right now he's using his laptop to iMessage from the hotel wifi. But it's a good idea, and one that other travelers may want to try.
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Re: Replacing iPhone Abroad
UPDATE ON REPLACING AN iPHONE 5 IN EUROPE: Cologne's Apple store didn't have a US iPhone 5 in stock and the technician offered to order one for us. However, the phone would not arrive for a week, and we would be in London by then. So we made an Apple store genius bar appointment at London's Stratford City-Westfield location near the Olympic Park. WARNING: we made this appointment a week in advance, which is standard for Genius Bar schedules in Europe. (For laptop appointments, the wait is...
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Re: Replacing iPhone Abroad
Is there enough cooperation among Apple stores that if the phone arrives in London after you've left that they could express-ship it to Apple at your next stop?
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Re: Replacing iPhone Abroad
NO cooperation between Apple stores in different countries. We made FOUR visits to Apple stores—Cologne, London, and twice to the Paris Louvre store—before my husband was finally able to exchange his water-damaged iPhone 5 with a replacement. He bought his replacement for 249 euros, only 1 1/2 days before he finished his three-week Europe vacation. The Louvre Apple store (which is underground in the Carousel shopping mall) was packed with confused and anxious Apple product users. Some...
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5 Things You Must Tell A Limo Service Company While Hiring Them
Using a limousine service adds a sense of class and luxury to the person who is sitting in its back seat. Traveling in a limousine is an experience most people can only dream about. Most people hire limousine services for important life events, and therefore one needs to be careful in choosing the service. No matter what the event is, whether you want a luxury limousine service , a corporate event, or a wedding, there are a few things you must check with a limousine service company when you...
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7 Steps Guide to Easier Travel Packing
Hey people, if you are travelling, make it comfortable for you to enjoy the trip. Of course you don't want your travel to be a hilarious disaster and the value for money won't be achieved. So if I were you, I'll be more practical and creative to enjoy the travelling period on your chosen destination. As a budget traveller like myself, here are some tips (seven tips to be exact) when packing things for your trip. This is based from my personal escapades in the recent years and of course, tips...
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A kind word for Booking.com
I've often used booking.com for accommodations as I travel, and for more reasons than that TravelGumbo benefits when travelers make reservations using the link on our pages—but I have another reason now. When we arrived in Palermo, Sicily a couple of weeks ago, our airport bus+taxi combo made us a bit later than we had told the hosts of our B&B. So, while we were in the taxi, we got a phone call from a booking.com rep, who told us that the host had called, concerned that we might be...
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Best Ways To Save Money During Your Travels
It’s definitely very possible to live life to the fullest. You can travel the world while you are young – don’t wait for you pension. You can see everywhere and everything you want to, following some intuitive money-saving tips. This article gives you the best advice, including some tips from experts! Talk to locals Locals have the best advice on what the best and most affordable attractions are in town. Making friends with locals is even better, as it secures connections across borders.
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How do occupy your time while flying?
Despite the hassle of security clearances and waiting at airports, I usually enjoy my time in the air. I find it relaxing and productive. No cell phone or pages to deal with. No bureaucratic meetings. I stay off wifi (as I'm...
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How do you buy your travel?
There's a report on Skift, a travel industry news site, that says that a recent survey shows that about 2/3 of U.S. travelers think they can do better buying from the "brand" rather than an agency, and that only 15% trust online travel agencies to...
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How do you use the internet while traveling?
I've just finished a long trip and it's time for me to rethink how I use the internet on overseas trips. It actually ending up costing me a lot more by not buying a data plan and relying solely on Wi-Fi. This trip my plan was to use...
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Guide To Pack Well For An Overnight Hike
An overnight hike is an interesting and exciting experience. Whether its a group of friends or some unknown fellows, you get to learn so much from such trips. First hikes are always the difficult ones and when it is about packing the right hiking gear and essentials then it gets really tough to figure out what to pack and what not.Well, it basically depends upon the situation. Are you going to the forest or just near the roads? What are the dangers that you can face there? How many days does...
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Walk your way to a new you on the Camino de Santiago
If you would have told me two years ago that I would be telling story upon story about going on a walking holiday – a pilgrimage at that – and claiming it has been the best holiday ever (even better than our week in the Bahamas the year before), I would most certainly not have believed you. Today, I am planning my next Camino as we speak – writing this has taken me back to some of the best moments on the road, and you will most likely see me on the Camino Frances again in 2018. To make a...
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How'd We Live Without Travel Apps?
For the last couple of years I've brushed off travel apps. I thought they were cool, but I didn't own a smart phone and honestly I thought they were more of a conversation item than something that would help save money or time. But with the proliferation of cheap tablets and no contract smart phones I started using some apps the last few months. BTW—Walmart will begin selling iPhones for their budget no-contract Straight Talk. Below are three apps I use that are really useful to me. They...
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Should Wi-Fi be free in all hotels?
Seems travelers expectations keep changing with time. Decades ago people liked free local phone calls to be a perk with their room. The advent of cell phone technologies has totally changed that demand. What do travelers want...
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What can't you live without on a plane flight?
I've noted that travelers seem to vary as much in what they do during a flight as with everything else in life. Some are glued to videos on their backseat monitors or ipads. Others love to read their kindles or -- in a throwback to the...
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Help with mobile phone for Morocco
A friend is planning a Morocco trip next spring—6 weeks, I'm envious—and would like to have mobile phone service. She doesn't have a cellphone; the friend she's traveling with does, so any advice both about getting a local SIM, and buying a cheap phone with SIM would be appreciated. I took a quick look at http://prepaidgsm.net and found that there are three operators listed, but I have no way of knowing which to recommend or beware! Any help gratefully appreciated...
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Replacing iPhone Abroad
My husband dropped his iPhone 5 into the toilet on Day One of his 3 weeks in Europe. We checked at Frankfurt airport phone stores, and they will only sell an iPhone with a phone contract. In Cologne on Day Two, we discovered that Kaufhof will sell...
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Gear up Chandler’s, Apps for Pitching High
Gadgets have become the best friends for the people around the world. A survey states that 85 percent of the population does have a cell phone for themselves. It is not just a cell phone which we are talking about, the tablets, laptops, iPods, and smartphones. In today’s generation, things are getting done by staying at one place with the help of the gizmos. Business people want to know the ways in which they can get their work done in no time. Now, everything has started to become digital,...
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5 tips for travelling abroad with your iphone
Almost anywhere you travel in the world these days—especially to any First World country or popular tourist destination—a strong cellular signal and Wi-Fi hotspots in hotels, restaurants, Internet cafes, shopping centers, and airports are readily available. So even though you may be on the opposite side of the world from where you live, your iPhone or iPad can still serve as a powerful communication, organization, and productivity tool, as well as an interactive entertainment device. The...
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To make your vacation cool, try these Apps
Everyone is leading a stressful life, their work life demands a lot from them. A peaceful and happy life has become days of past. Most of us are living mechanical and sedentary lives. Once in a while, we feel like taking a break and go on a vacation. A long trip within India or foreign countries will help us to let loose and become stress free. Traveling and exploring is always an adventurous task. Going on trips with our family or friends is completely a different kind of experience. It is...
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Adobe Scan: an ace app for travelers
I'd like to put in a word here for an app I wish I hadn't needed—although I expect it to be useful in the future, too. In Basel, Switzerland, on a Sunday and needing to submit documents to travel insurance, I had no access to a fax or a scanner. Only my Android phone. A quick search turned up Adobe Scan, a free app that uses your phone camera to turn documents into PDFs, and can even recognize text and turn them into Word documents. Essentially, you open the app, hold your phone above the...
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8 terrific hacks for US travelers
Whether you’re a seasoned traveler or an eager novice, these eight great hacks that will enrich your global getaways. 1. Bring your own bottle Traveling is thirsty work and airports are strict when it comes to liquids. To swerve extortionate airport prices, bring an empty bottle with you and fill it up for free once you’ve passed security. 2. Roll don’t fold Make maximum use of your luggage space by rolling your clothes into a tube shape. Rolling helps protect your clothes from creases and...
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Really Effective Tips to Keep Working Even While Traveling
This is not very surprising to work even during the trip you make for entertainment. A long-time trip can be boring sometimes and you cannot get a long-time vacation either so you have to keep working during these days. People make business trips and other vacations to work in that completely new place with a new community. This is not inconvenient either there are a lot of opportunities to make the working environment better. Sometimes, people make trips to find new jobs. This is another...
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Changes in Domestic Travel Rules: Need-to-Know Facts
For those of you who frequent airports across the country may be aware about some of these but might also be completely unaware about others. There were a couple changes that happened this year which contributed to revision in policies and procedures at airports. In this article we have compiled a list of all the things you need to know, that changed this year, with respect to air travel. From flight pre-checks to domestic t ravel insurance plans, we got plenty for you to look over in this...
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Most Important Travel Essentials to Pack
Whether you're a spicy globe trotter or a beginner, it's always a good idea to get an overview of what to pack. Oh, the complete checklist for international travel. It is advisable to bookmark this list because of the closer the path is, the more you refer to it. Even the best travel plans can be affected by something as lean as forgetting to pack small necessities. But these necessities seem to be forgotten, but we tend to forget them! If you are a perfectionist who googles every time you...
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Flight Map App: I tried it out...
A recent news post on Travelgumbo mentioned Flight Map , an Android app that can give you a live flight map display on your phone, even in "airplane mode," with the cellular radio features turned off. It works by combining known information on...
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On-line in the Air: Rules still vary
Just back the other day from a week in Spain, flying both ways on Iberia. Unlike the U.S. carriers that now allow gate-to-gate use of electronics (as long as they're in airplane mode) Iberia very firmly told me to put away my phone and Kindle until the seat-belt light was off—just like the old days! Has anyone else had recent experience with non-U.S. airlines and their policies. I know the EU regulatory authorities have issued rules that are pretty much the same as the FAA's, but apparently...
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Thinking Of Going On A Camping Trip? Read This
If you are thinking of taking the trip of a lifetime, you should consider camping as one of your vacation ideas. It does not matter if you are thinking of hiking the best trails in Norway or going to the local campground like Alabama Hills , the memories of your camping trip will last a lifetime. Use these tips to help ensure you have a safe and exciting adventure. Your sleeping bag should be seasonally appropriate. If you're camping in the heat of summer, a sub-zero bag just isn't...
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Most Unique Pools Around The World
Every child knows exactly how special it is to jump into a pool and suddenly become weightless, with all the cares of the world being washed away. Of course, as people get older, their tastes tend to get more sophisticated. Here is a list of amazing and interesting pools that would excite even the most astute connoisseur. Magical Gold Energy Pool Image credit: starwoodhotels.com Okay, so it may not technically have magical properties, but guests at the St. Regis Lhasa Resort in Tibet will...