Travel gadgets – international sim card

Yesterday, a girl that is planning to spend quite some time travelling around Europe asked for advice concerning roaming and best solutions for keeping in touch with her family and friends.  Using the internet on your cell phone, buying a foreign sim card, going to internet cafes…those were all ideas that came up. But they weren’t good enough.

So, it got me thinking. And researching. Let’s say that you’re visiting a few different countries, roaming is too expensive for the time you want to use it, it would be great if you didn’t need to search for internet cafes wherever you go and you don’t want to depend on payphone’s…

This is what I came up with… SIM4travel is a service that provides you with an nternational sim card that you can use worldwide (they cover the whole Europe). What you get is a sim card that you insert into your cell phone and a phone number that stay the same for every trip you take. You just buy more credits. The prices are low and a lot of countries (mostly European) are free to receive calls. Which is great! On their site you can check and calculate the rates.

The flip side is that you can only call and send text messages. No MMS message or web service. For now as they say.

examples

The question that stays unanswered for me is how to brigde the fact that you can’t and won’t notify all your friends that you are going to be using a different number at certain time in the future. Of course, not everybody needs to know where you are every day but let’s say that’s the case. What pops in my mind is to redirect your cell phone number to this number though I’m not sure it would work.

Since I’m not the user of SIM4travel, I can’t guarantee for their service. This is just an idea. It would be great if anybody has any experience or if somebody’s friend had used it to give us some insight, some recommendations…

Stella – European Travelling Advisor

What about lost luggage??

I’m sure most of you know someone whose luggage was lost while travelling on an airplane… Hopefully, that person you know, is not you. The problem of lost luggage has lately increased drastically in Europe. Some of the biggest airline companies last year had around 26 lost bags per thousand passengers. And, in general, in some months the number went up to 10 bags per flight! That’s huge! Now, I’m not here to scare you but to think of a solution.

What happens when you loose your luggage is that you usually start by calling the airline company which takes your data and that is the most you can do about it, the rest is up to them and their best efforts. This whole process can last long; it can take weeks, even a month to get to know that you luggage is never to be found, in the worst case scenario. You can get a compensation, but it depends on the kind of route you’re flying (domestic, international, etc.). And it’s nothing to get excited about, it won’t cover the value of your belongings.

So what is my advice?

It’s called global bag tags. There is a company that produces metal tags and stickers for luggage that have a unique serial number which can be traced through their website. The number can be traced only by you or airline officials who found your luggage. if anybody else finds it, they can report it through company’s website without getting your information. When you think about it, it’s not the best idea to leave your name, address and phone number anyway. When you get your global bag tags, you can update and enter descriptions of your luggage and even details of your itinerary in your members area. In case you are still travelling while your baggage is found, it will be delivered to you where ever you are. The moment your lost bag is located, you will receive a SMS text message, email or a call.

A pack of globalbagtags (2) costs £9.95 (approx. 8 euros). You can use them as many times as you want and just change the itinerary information and luggage description in your members area. When you buy these tags, one year membership is included, upgrade costs £3.95 (approx. 3.20 euros). Tags have a 100% guarantee and are usable all around the world, not only in Europe.

That way, if your luggage gets “lost” it will definitely be indentified and returned to you. Frequent or occasional  traveler, doesn’t matter, it’s your essential accessorize.

Stella – European Travelling Advisor

Best tips for budget travelers

1) If you are travelling with a group of friends, rent an apartment or a house. It will cost you as if you were staying at a hostel or maybe a 3 star hotel, but your accommodation will be A LOT better, in some cases even luxurious. You can try to do the same even if you’re travelling with your friend or partner. It’s easy to come across a good offer.

2) Book in advance. Accommodation, transportation, tickets… most of the time when you book your ticket in advance, you get a discount. Budget hotels, low cost airlines…

3) Plan your itinerary in advance. Set your priorities and decide where will you go, what will you do; make it easy for yourself by deciding what will your budget be once you get to your destination and see how you can incorporate all your plans in it.

4) Buy public transportation passes. They will save you both time and money. Remember that they are ordered online and picked up at certain tourist offices upon your arrival. Where you can’t buy passes, buy daily tickets. They are valid for all lines and all types of transportation around town.

5) Ticket passes for museums, galleries and other sights and attractions can be a money saver. But always find a list of places the pass includes so that you are sure it’s the best option. Good thing about it is that with it you don’t stand in line; you just show it at the entrance and come in.

You can also book tickets for individual attractions online.

6) Choose a low cost airline if you are travelling to a certain place or make the most of your trip by travelling by train and visiting a number of places. Trains also have lower prices for people under 26. You don’t have to feel uncomfortable and tired travelling by bus anymore. There are better solutions.

7) I always say that it’s better to make your trip a little bit shorter but more fun than making it as long as possible and the same as every other. Only by focusing and investing more in what will you do than chasing all that is written in a guide.

8 ) Always, but always focus your time and money on what you are most interested in. Travel agencies don’t adjust their itinerary to you, you adjust yourself to it. If you’re not in that position (when you’re buying a package from a travel agency), don’t try to reinvent what they would do. Now you can do whatever you want. So let you imagination work a little!

9) If you are a student, use your student ID. If you don’t have one, make one. Because you can get discounts for accommodation, transportation, tickets, some places are even free for you, you can get discounts at restaurants etc. Do a little research on the internet.

10) Never settle for less than you can get. People set boundaries for themselves right at the begining. Next time, don’t do that. Try to make it two times better than your last holiday. Don’t beat yourself up about how you will do it. It’s easy, just put some ideas on the paper and start researching. It will all fall into place.

Stella – European Travelling Advisor