Cell Phones
SIM Card Tip
May 11th
Before traveling internationally, I always have two items on my packing checklist, my BlackBerry and my old-fashioned Nokia tri-band phone. Why? Those of you who check the phone bill after a long-haul flight know why. The roaming charges are through the roof! My small, non-smart phone is smarter than it looks and it saves me a bundle of money.
The first thing I usually do after landing internationally — even before leaving the airport, if possible — is buy a local SIM card. It never costs more than $10-15 and, depending on the length of my stay, the card lasts the entire trip. If it does not, I usually only require one more $10 refill. The SIM card is a small chip under the phone battery that stores and registers phone numbers and calls being made. Refills can usually be done at any newsstand in the country. By using the card, I save $200-300 on my phone bill, as I often call home or to the office. With the amount of time I spend overseas, you can imagine the savings.
Now, don’t get me wrong. I absolutely love my BlackBerry, and I chose to have one because it does work internationally — everywhere but Japan! However, depending on the country and the continent, calls can cost me $1.25-2.00 per minute. I will still use it to make urgent calls, and it has kept me out of a bind numerous times, but when traveling outside the country, I recommend travelers bring a phone without a contract to make sure they can swap in the local SIM and make quick, inexpensive calls.
– Alex Young, vice president and associate publisher
GPS and Good Old Common Sense
Jan 9th
It seems to be something one can count on at this time of year: a news story of individuals getting lost and/or stuck in a remote area after relying on their GPS system to navigate their way in unfamiliar territory. I’m guessing part of that may be due to a whole bunch of folks getting a Christmas gift of one of those nifty gadgets, and before they fully understand its shortcomings as well as its benefits, they head out to visit the relatives and then go astray.
Within just a few days of each other around December 25, two local incidents became national news stories, and both centered around GPS navigation systems. In the first, a couple traveling from Portland to Reno became stuck in snow on a remote Forest Service road in the mountains here in Southern Oregon. Their system had directed them onto the unmaintained road from a state highway, and by the time they got stuck, weather had closed in and made calling for help impossible. They were stuck for at least two days before the weather lifted and the same instrument that led them astray was able to send a weak signal containing its coordinates to 911. Luckily, the pair had proper clothing and extra food and water with them and were no worse for the experience.
The second story involved a young couple who had, indeed, just received a GPS system for Christmas. They left the Willamette Valley and headed over the Cascade Range on Christmas Eve to visit family in Eastern Oregon. Jeramie Griffin decided to follow the “shortest route” option the device offered him, which would supposedly cut 40 miles off the route he usually took. After spending a cold and frightening night stuck on a remote, snow-covered road with his girlfriend and their baby daughter, running low on formula and with no survival gear, they filmed a farewell video, thinking they would die before they were found. Luckily, a family member used a similar GPS device that duplicated the route Jeramie used, which led rescuers right to the stranded family less than a day after they were stuck.
Reading of such incidents, one has to wonder: What happened to common sense? Sheriff Tim Evinger, involved in the search for the first couple, said it quite plainly: “If there’s any lesson, it’s to understand what the GPS is telling you and not to follow it blindly.” It reminds me of an episode of The Office, where Michael returns to the office soaking wet after unquestioningly obeying the directions of his GPS system and driving right into a lake. Why take an unknown route in the dead of winter in the mountains, especially when it appears to be unmaintained or off the beaten track?
Law enforcement and travel experts offer sound and logical advice: use a paper map in addition to GPS, keep your gas tank full, check the weather forecast and your cell phone charge, keep a survival kit in the car in winter, configure your system for “highways only” or a similar setting. I note on my good old (free) AAA maps that they include notations for roads that are closed in winter, and one can readily see the entire area and detect which routes are “scenic” (meaning narrow and winding) and which are more heavily traveled. Unfortunately, GPS technology doesn’t contain information about seasonal roads or weather conditions.Â
Happily, the two stories I mentioned here ended on a positive note, and the technology that got those folks lost also helped them be found. It doesn’t change the fact that a little common sense (and, maybe, a plain old paper map) would likely have kept both parties and their loved ones from enduring a very scary, uncomfortable experience.
– Patty Vanikiotis, proofreader
Gifts for the Traveler
Dec 13th
My younger daughter, Jenny, heads off for two-and-a-half months in Europe in January, and she has had no problem coming up with a lengthy wish list of items for Christmas and her January birthday. While she has let it be known that cash would be most welcome, she’d also be happy with a whole slew of seeming necessities for the journey: a new piece of luggage or two, a video camera, iPhone . . . you get the picture: some big-ticket items.
Since she reads this blog, I won’t reveal what has been crossed off her list, but let’s just say that I’m hoping to find some items for her that will prove to be extremely useful on her journey and a lot more friendly to my budget. While I’ve done some traveling, I haven’t had to live abroad for an extended period with only a couple of suitcases to hold what I’d need for that time. And I certainly wouldn’t claim to be aware of all the handy and ingenious gadgets out there that make travel in a foreign country easier or more enjoyable. In addition, I’m pretty sure that what I might consider essential would not necessarily match what Jen feels she couldn’t do without.
I always look forward to Alexandra Kirkman’s Tech Toys column in each issue of Global Traveler. She presents an amazing array of items which seem to answer a plethora of busy travelers’ needs. I’m not particularly technically proficient but can clearly ascertain the value of the most advanced of products she finds. And not all are of the high-tech variety, either, but each provides a solution for situations many travelers face. I’ve been skimming through past issues to consult the column and believe I’ve found a few surprises Jenny may be glad to have along with her.
Nevertheless, I’d welcome hearing from those of you out there who travel often and have suggestions for those don’t-leave-home-without-it items. Whether it be the right kind of shoe for navigating cobblestoned streets, a readable travel guide — or even what NOT to take — I’d appreciate the input. Actually, any sort of travel tips aimed at a young woman traveling in Europe and staying in hostels with friends would be great. Fellow GT blogger and staffer Kim Krol has already graciously and generously offered Jenny some great comments and observations from her own study and travel abroad experiences. I think that’s one of the most admirable characteristics that I find the majority of global travelers possess: an eagerness to share with and assist fellow wanderers in their explorations of the world.
– Patty Vanikiotis, proofreader










