Paul's & Janita's Travel Site

1. Use technology to plan your trip

The internet and mapping tools like Google Earth are  indispensible when planning travel these days. Compare prices, scout out accommodation options that best meet your needs, book flights, print boarding passes, manage your photos, keep in contact with home and even write a blog.

2. Travel with the smallest device that will meet your needs

Modern mobile phones are virtually computers these days. If all you need to do is make phone calls and access the internet, your phone will probably do the trick. If you want to copy and store photos from your camera, you will probably need a tablet device or a small netbook style computer. In the latter case, make sure you have the required cables or that you can put your camera’s storage card into your computer.

3. Use local mobile SIM cards where possible

First off you will need an unlocked phone. Your phone company can do this for you if you meet certain conditions. WARNING! Mobile phone bandwidths vary from country to country. To cover all eventualities you will need a quad-band phone. If you don’t know what this means, seek advice or do some research. If you are going to Europe or most of South-East Asia and you come from Australia, you should have no problems. If you are from the US or Canada, or going there from anywhere else, you will need a compatible phone for these areas. Japan and South Korea are different again, neither country support 2G technology anymore. You will need a 3G or 4G device.

4. Set your phone up before you leave

Make sure your phone is set for international roaming, if this isn’t done you will get no reception in the country you are visiting. Roaming can usually be turned on through your service provider’s website or over the phone. On your phone handset, setup a diversion for all calls to your message bank. Be careful not to block SMS messages. Change your message to tell callers to contact you via SMS so you can call them back. So avoiding the expensive incoming call charges you can incur while travelling overseas.

5. Consider a wireless modem & WiFi

If your device doesn’t have an internal wireless modem you can usually purchase a local external one that includes internet access. Assuming you don’t download music or video, you will be amazed how far 1GB of data will go. Almost all devices have WiFi these days and many hotels, coffee shops, restaurants and libraries offer free access.

6. Take a second battery for your camera

Nothing is more heartbreaking than to miss the perfect shot because you battery has died.  Keep the charged second battery in your camera case.

7. If driving take a GPS or hire one

A good GPS with recent local maps will save you petrol costs and hours of frustration. A bit of research on the internet will also allow you to download some useful Points of Interest (POIs). This data can allow you to find locations and services that may be important to you. For example supermarket locations, favourite chain motel sites or discount fuel outlets.

8. Subscribe to Skype

The Skype computer to computer video call facility is generally well known. What many people don’t know is that Skype offers computer to landline and mobile phone services as well. Calls are not free, but they are extremely cheap, an international call will only set you back a few cents a minute. The advantages of this service over the better known one is obviously the ability to call at any time and not be dependent on the other party being on-line.

9. Take a good quality power converter

As obvious as it might sound, many people forget to pack a converter plug for the country they are visiting. Purchasing one when overseas is often difficult and time consuming. Also consider taking a double adaptor. With the number of gadgets we carry about, it is handy to be able to charge two devices at the same time.

10. Carry important travel data on your phone

Prepare a document that has key information such as booking reference numbers, flight details and your itinerary and save it to your mobile phone. Being able to call up this data from your phone rather than digging about for paper copies will save you time. It will also be a great back-up in situations where your documentation is lost.

International Bandwiths