On a recent trip, I spent two weeks visiting Paris and traveling around Bordeaux and the Loire Valley. To stay connected with my American iPhone this time around, I decided to try out a new strategy and buy a SIM card in Europe. Rather than purchasing what was then a $70 “Passport” package from AT&T » Read more
Technology: Budget Travel Guide
While the iPhone gets a lion’s share of publicity, Apple’s iconic device only accounts for a small portion of the global smartphone market. With an ever-expanding number of smartphone makes and models—from a variety of service providers—it can be a bit confusing to figure out how much an international call will cost for North Americans » Read more
One afternoon in Paris this past February, I exited the Metro at the Place de la Republique. I had been visiting hotels all morning and needed a coffee break. The French café ritual is one of my favorite aspects of working in Paris. You stand at the bar next to locals, order “un cafe,” and » Read more
If you’re an American smartphone user getting ready to take a trip to Europe, you’ve likely been warned about using your phone abroad. After all, most American phone carriers’ rates for international calling and data use can be confusing, and misunderstanding your usage or phone setup could be a very costly mistake. I recently returned » Read more
No matter where you’re traveling, it’s important to keep yourself well-connected, technology-wise. Luckily, pocket-size, travel-friendly gadgets are no longer limited to the businessman-on-the-go market. (And even the most modest backpackers duck into Internet cafes to type emails on PC setups that rival the most tech-savvy home office.) If you’re making plans for a 2010 getaway » Read more
Recently Twitter, the micro-blogging service and current “it” brand of the web, turned 3 years old. Yet, while most three-year olds we know spend their time observing others and imitating their parents, Twitter is busy trying to create a new communication platform (and vocabulary) for the web. Twitter for budget travelers? So what does this mean » Read more
