Traveling with Mobile Phones

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guest post by Nora Williams

These days, thanks in large part to the massive spread of smart phones, the benefits of cell or mobile phones are greater than ever. The levels of convenience and methods of quick communication now available at the touch of a button are astounding, and this has led to a dramatic increase in the number of mobile phone users, and specifically smart phone users, all over the world. This is all fantastic, of course, but it can also be somewhat complicated when you get into what, specifically, you want out of your mobile phone and how you intend to use it. There are so many options, and so many functions that these phones can perform, that careful preparation is required if you are to make effective and budget-friendly decisions. For example, have you ever given thought to using your mobile phone abroad?

Once upon a time, only specialized travel phones could connect you with international service. Now, however, just about any mobile phone that you pick up from any regular provider such as O2 can be compatible with international service. This leaves you free to make calls, receive messages, and even enjoy your smart phone Internet and e-mail access while travelling abroad, which of course can be very convenient for a number of reasons. Unfortunately, however, all of this service can also add up to be very expensive after even just a short time abroad, as most roaming charges are higher than what you normally pay. So, here are a few tips for how to make use of your mobile abroad, and do so in an affordable manner:

o    First, of course, you need to make sure that your mobile phone is compatible with roaming services. Again, most mobile phones these days can be set up with international service. However, often this is something that needs to be organized in advance through your service provider; so do not make the mistake of waiting until you are already abroad to discover that you don't have service.

o    To save money from service charges, you can actually shut off certain features of your phone for the duration of your time abroad. For example, if you would only like to have your phone available for emergencies or rare situations, you may be able to afford turning off your voicemail. Or, if you are only using your device as a phone, and not for data access or downloads, you can turn off these smart features as well. Doing this can stop others from sending you data, voicemails, etc. that cost you money to download abroad.

o    If you follow the above step and turn off your data and downloading, but would still like to be able to access the Internet via your mobile device, you should remember to look into the Wi-Fi options wherever you are staying. Tapping into an available Wi-Fi network will almost always be cheaper than using your mobile device's 3G or 4G roaming services. In fact, more and more Wi-Fi is free at hotels and airports, so this may actually cost you nothing!

o    Similar to the above tip, you can also cut back on your mobile phone costs by bringing your laptop or tablet with you when you travel. Internet service on such devices operates entirely through the connection available, rather than roaming charges, so if at all possible you should limit your mobile device to purely phone usage, and use your other devices for Internet access.

With a bit of planning and care, mobile phones are a key element of modern travel. Used wisely, they are an effective and economical way to stay in touch.

Photo Credits: lake, beach

Seven Tips for Effective Travel Insurance

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Guest post written by Mark of Travel Wonders on behalf of cheap.co.uk, providers of travel essentials including travel insurance, car hire and airport parking.

I continue to be surprised by the number of travellers I meet that are uninsured relying on little more than good fortune. Travel insurance typically includes a variety of benefits such as medical and injury expenses, loss of bags, unavoidable interruption to travels, Evacuation and/or medical care in some countries is astronomically priced and no treatment will be forthcoming without up-front payment.

Read the Policy

While insurance policies can appear a little daunting, it is important that you read the terms and conditions before signing or paying for any travel insurance. It is an individual’s own personal responsibility that they have the required coverage for their journey. Check for suitable coverage for the countries on the itinerary, the planned activities, the traveller’s age (policies typically have explicit terms for people over a certain age) and for any pre-existing medical conditions. All the tips below require that the policy is checked carefully - this is one time to sweat the details.

Use a Comparison Site

Avoid taking the travel insurance offered with travel agencies. It is one of the highest margin elements of an agent’s business with large commissions paid by insurance companies and rarely offers good value. Travel insurance comparison sites offer quick and easy contrast between different companies based on price and features. After all, if the agent works out cheaper, you can always go back and take out the insurance.

Insure Early

It is strongly recommended to obtain your insurance early. Though the payment is related to the length of the actual holiday, coverage automatically commences for unavoidable cancellation or delay of your holiday.

Ensure Coverage for Planned Activities

Many policies have exclusions including snow skiing, scuba diving, golf, rock climbing and trekking. Ensure that any planned activities are covered by your policy (even if it costs more) by checking the policy document before signing up. Many policies require that the traveller informs the insurer of the adventurous activity before departure.

Understand Coverage For Costly Items

Ensure that you understand and have desire coverage for expensive single items such as photography equipment, laptops and electronic gadgets. Some travel insurance policies have a single item maximum which can be extended for an extra fee. Some home contents insurance policies also provide coverage for portable goods for an increased premium.


Avoid Excess Car Hire Insurance

Most car hire companies demand an extra fee of $20 to $30 to waive or reduce the outrageous excess on car insurance, often several thousands of dollars. Travel insurance typically pays out the excess on car rental insurance if you have an accident in the rental vehicle.

Multiple Trip Coverage

A number of insurers offer good value for year long coverage for multiple journeys or vacations (as against one year-long holiday). Each journey is typically limited to periods of 30 or 45 days, but can include as many vacations as you wish. If you foresee having more than one break, often including breaks in your home country (read the policy), then take the multiple-trip insurance policy.

Stories on the internet and in magazines are rife of dream holidays spoiled by a failure to insure or by a badly chosen insurance policy. Make insurance an aspect of planning a trip and help ensure that an unexpected event during a holiday is only an inconvenience and not a long term financial disaster.

Photo Credits: stretcher

Photography in the Himalayas (Nepal / India)

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Two close friends of mine have recently departed for a trip to the Indian Himalayas for a multi-week trek. Before leaving, we had a long discussion about SLR photography needs based on my prior travels to Nepal and India. This article summarises some of our thoughts on photography for such a region. Many of the ideas apply equally to African safaris and other long treks and hikes in more remote parts of the world. While the list is hardly exhaustive, hopefully it will prompt some thoughts before embarking on travel to this mountain wonderland.

Batteries are a significant challenge in Nepal and India. The cold saps the life of batteries and recharging batteries can be difficult. Take a number of camera batteries and charge them in the teahouses wherever a source of power (typically solar or generator) can be found. Most importantly, keep your batteries warm by wrapping them in a beanie or jacket and keep them in the bottom of your sleeping bag at night. Keep spare batteries warm in your pack during the day. Remove the active battery from your camera before going to bed. Save considerable battery life by limiting the use of the on-board flash and limiting the viewing of images on the LCD display.

By contrast, keep the camera cool. On the day of the main pass of the trek I undertook, the temperature before dawn (when we set off) was -25°C (-13°F). If the camera is taken from the warmth of a sleep bag then it will instantly mist up due to the sharp contrast in temperatures. Leave the camera settle into the ambient temperature before setting out.

Bring lots of memory cards (or an external storage device). The Himalayas are photogenic attracting many more photos can you’ll plan on taking so pack those extra cards. Change cards regularly to avoid risking all your photos to a single card.

Plan out exactly what gear you want to walk with each day. Lens, cameras and accessories weigh a fair amount that may be regretted in the rarefied air of higher altitudes.

Dust is difficult to manage in these regions. Every time that you swap lens, dust sneaks into your camera. Keep your gear as clean as possible (a job for each evening) and keep lens swapping to a minimum. It is disappointing and hugely time-consuming to remove dust spots off thousands of photos at the end of a journey (and they show up badly against blue skies and snow-capped mountains). An ounce of prevention...

As in most locations, the early morning and dusk provide wonderful photos. The mountains are painted in a golden yellow, the morning skies are often at their clearest and the small mountain villages are a buzz of activity.

Panoramas help capture the amphitheatre of towering snow-capped mountains that consistently surrounds your trekking in the Himalayas. Become practised in taking panorama sequences of photos before you leave to capture the stunning mountain vistas that accompany your trek. I strongly recommend Autostitch (see Autostitch guide) for joining the photos together later and start and finish each sequence with a meaningless photo to help easily identify the groupings after download. Overlay each photo generously (I suggest 20 to 30 percent) and keep the camera settings the same for the full sequence.

Keep a notebook detailing the names of the mountains and villages. With a bundle of photos and a fading memory, it is difficult to identify the mountains photographed when sorting through them back in the comfort of your own home. If it is important to you, only noting names as you go avoids confusing your shots of Thamserku from your photos of Gyachung Kang.

Most treks pass several Buddhist monasteries (gompa), a location of spiritual succour to most of the local population. Note that the sherpas and porters treat these locations with reverence. Ask permission before photographing inside the monastery and before photographing any people. Note that the monasteries are dark so consider cranking up the ISO or find a place to rest the camera. In my experience, the porters and sherpas are familiar with travellers’ photography habits and are happy to be photographed while many other local people are very uncomfortable. If you promise to send photos back, then follow your commitment through.

Take lots of photographs and include many incidental events and sights along the path each day. The steep roughly hewn stone stairs, the yaks, the campsite or teahouses, the rickety bridges, the prayer flags, village life and the landscape all add to the overall trekking experience.

Most importantly, spend considerable time without your camera. The Himalayas are a spectacular natural travel wonder of the world that heightens the senses. Stop and enjoy the exceptional vistas of the world’s highest mountains, the freshness of the mountain air, the rage of the mountain streams, the colour and sounds of the monasteries, the buzz of village life and the refines culture of the Buddhist people.

Save an Average of 41% on your City Break Hotel

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Guest post by the short breaks team at travelsupermarket.com.

Some great advice on saving significant money on hotel bookings based on recent European research from travelsupermarket.com. I was surprised by the size of the savings for the sake of a staying a couple of miles from the city centre.

Many holidaymakers are turning their interests to the increasingly popular European city break. Whether they’re looking to enjoy the breathtaking architecture of Barcelona’s cityscape, or wanting to jet away with your beloved partner for a romantic Parisian setting, you’ll be surprised to know you can save a remarkable 41% (£53 per room per night) on your hotel, simply by booking 5 miles from the centre itself.

Research by travelsupermarket.com shows the average of 41% across 5 of the more popular destinations. For a Parisian getaway you can save even more, with the average being 48%. Not only can you save by venturing a little further, you can also opt for higher quality hotels, take the French capital for example, you can book the 4 star Golden Tulip Paris hotel, just 5 miles out for £100 a night, while the 1 star Le Petit Belloy Saint German within the centre, is offering a room for £132 per night.

This isn’t just the case for Paris; the research shows a similar pattern for Venice, London, Barcelona and Madrid. A saving of £94 per room per night (60%) can be found in London by being a little further afield.

The main thing you should bear in mind to see prices fall, is to keep to hotels away from major business areas such as Canary Wharf in London or La Defense in Pais, as their popularity is shown in the price.

Venturing from the centre and its attractions isn’t the setting stone for a dull weekend. The hotels that featured within the research were well within a mile of a bus or metro station, enabling access to all of the city’s sites.

Even with the prices of metro or bus tickets, you’ll still be making a recognisable saving. Taking London for example, a hotel 5 miles out will put you within zone 3 of the tube map; the most expensive travel day card will cost £6.30 per adult, which covers zones 1-4 off-peak. Being £12.60 a day for two adults, you’ll still be saving on average over £40 a day, nearly £81 over the course of the weekend. And in the majority of cases, even staying in the centre itself may need the ability to travel in order to see some of the more renowned sites.

Metro and bus tickets are relatively inexpensive, with option to have individual or day passes. Most cities also offer travel cards or something similar that will give you access to all the cities public transport, from undergrounds to water buses.

There are some instances where opting for a travel card will give you additional benefits. London’s travel card comes with a promotional 2 for 1 entry to some of London’s more popular attractions such as the London Eye and the London Tower. This is available to anyone purchasing a travel card from specific railway stations as opposed to the underground or Dockland Light Rail (DLR), saving even more.

Top tips for saving money on city break hotels:

    •   Look for hotels 5 miles or further from the city centre.
    •   Book a hotel close to a Metro or bus station for ease and quick access to the city’s attractions.
    •   Check travel cards for promotions, like 2 for 1 entry to major attractions, giving you additional savings (terms and conditions often apply, please check relevant websites for more details)
    •   Avoid hotels near stadiums or business areas

Research Notes
Research conducted by travelsupermarket.com. Correct on 14 June 2010.
Based on 2 adults, 1 double room, room only. Dates of: 16th-18th July (Friday and Saturday night).
Prices per room per night.
Data compiled on 5 cities of London, Venice, Paris, Madrid and Barcelona.

Photo Credits: Coins, Paris, London

Winter Hiking in the White Mountains (New Hampshire, USA)

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Guest Article by Jamie Sward

The opportunity to move out East was a dream come true! The promise of things to come was tremendous and my wish list of things to do in New England was a mile long! Here I am five years later and I haven't made it halfway through my list yet. How frustrating! One of the most exciting prospects for me was getting out and enjoying all of the beautiful natural wonders that the North East has to offer. Doing the 9 to 5 thing five days a week sort of put a damper on those plans, leaving me too exhausted to move on the weekends. Well, it's a new year and I have new motivation so this year I plan on putting myself out there. First plan of action - planning a trip to the White Mountains in New Hampshire!

I've always enjoyed hiking. Family trips to Jackson Hole, Wyoming stick in my memory as was the myriad of hiking trips I took during my stint with the Boy Scouts. Winter hiking however is something that I have never tried before so research and planning is definitely a must! Luckily, I have someone who's done this all before accompanying me but there's still a lot to think about before embarking on this little adventure. Here are some important tips to consider before planning a Winter White Mountain Hiking excursion.

Take Precautions & Be Prepared

Be prepared for extreme temperatures, harsh winds, snow, rain and the occasional thaws. Snow shoes or skis are recommended for a winter hike in and around the White Mountains. Sudden storms can quickly come and go, unexpectedly leaving massive amounts of snow in your path. This risk of course increases the higher you go. Being an experienced hiker/camper is necessary before embarking on any sort of winter hiking excursion. Minor problems and injuries can become even more serious when combined with harsh winter conditions. Be prepared and bring along all the necessities. Here is a list of ten essential items you need to pack for your trip, courtesy of HikeSafe.com.

    • Map
    • Compass
    • Warm Clothing
       o Sweater or Pile Jacket
       o Long Pants (wool or synthetic)
       o Wool Hat
    • Extra Food & Water
    • Flashlight or Headlamp
    • Matches
    • First Aid and Repair Kit
    • Whistle
    • Quality Weather Proof (Wind & Rain) Jacket and Pants
    • Pocket Knife

Other Recommended Items

A backpack of some kind is of course necessary. It should have a thick, protective outer layer to keep all of your food, extra clothes and supplies dry. For overnight trips you definitely must be prepared with your own shelter in case weather conditions prevent you from making it to a cabin or hut along your path. Bringing along a sleeping bag and some sort of air mattress is also very important. Other recommended items include crampons, hand warmers and of course a sturdy, comfortable pair of boots.

Given the cold temperatures and the fact that hypothermia is a year-round hazard, layering is key. Start out with some wicking underwear made out of polypropylene. For your insulating layers, fleece or wool is preferred over down, as the latter loses warmth when wet. Your outer layer needs to be water and wind proof and have an integrated hood. Don't pack cotton, because just like down, cotton is useless when wet. Mittens are recommended over gloves as the fingers are kept warmer. A neck gaiter, face mask, and extra wool socks are also key.

Have Fun!

While it should always be safety first when it comes to winter hiking, you also should have fun! The views, scenery and wildlife you're likely to encounter are worth the trip in and of itself! Also, winter hiking means fewer crowds so if you find yourself bothered by too many people on the trails, chances are it's going to be pretty isolated. At the same time, while fewer people might be less nerve-racking, it's important that you have a buddy or two with you and that you let someone know where you will be and what your planned route is. Expect the unexpected!

One other thing to keep in mind is that weather conditions are the determining factor in the distance you are able to travel. With skis and good weather you can easily cover 10 - 15 miles in a day. But if the weather is not perfect or if you are snow-shoeing - you'll be lucky if you make it two miles! If you properly pack for your trip and have all of the essentials then you'll be golden!

Notes
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