International Calling

One thing I learned on a recent trip to South Africa is that I really, really like having a local cell phone that I can use to make phone calls with.

It is hard to predict in advance if you will need to use a phone while traveling.  In the end, I had to

• call my hotel to ask for directions
• call my friend who I was meeting for dinner but was not receiving my text messages
• call my travel agent when there was a problem with my flight

It may be worth getting the international calling and/or data plan.  Check with your cell phone provider for details.

iPhone

I use an iPhone 4s at home, and I took it with on my trip.  I primarily used my iPhone for directions/maps and downloading boarding passes via email.

I did not pay for an international calling plan for my trip because I didn’t think it was worth the money.  In Europe, it only saves about $.20/minute.  In Africa, it saves $1.00/minute, but I am not likely to make calls even at the bargain $3.99/minute!

However, I did purchase an international data place for $25 for 100MB of data.  I did use this on the my trip – although as sparingly as possible.

I was able to send and receive text messages to and from U.S. phone numbers.  However, I was only able to receive text messages for international phones — my text messages never got through to a non-U.S. phone number.

Contact your provider before you leave as I was able to get a signal outside the U.S., but other people were not.

Skype

Skype is a great option for calling home if you have a smart phone or laptop.  With Skype, you can instant message, call, and even video call.  You have to

• Have an account with Skype
• Your friends/family have to have an account (or you call land/cell phones for a small fee, which is much, much cheaper that calling direct)
• Download the free app
• Be on WiFi to use

Blackberry / Sim Cards

I had an old Blackberry that I was able to “unlock” from AT&T.  Then I got a local sim card, which costs a small fee for calls.  I got a Toggle, which is good in Europe, and I have used a World Sim in the U.K.  I also just purchased a sim card at the Vodaphone store in the Johannesburg Airport.  You can also get a cheap phone in your local country.

• http://www.togglemobile.co.uk/
• https://www.worldsim.com/tariffsmulti.aspx

#1)  Always have your travel itinerary (with emergency contact information) and flight information handy and have extra copies.

#2)  If no one is at the airport to meet you, don’t panic, but call the contact phone number immediately.  And it sure is nice having a phone that works in the country where I am traveling.

#3)  Check-in or reconfirm all flights 24 hours in advance (online or have the hotel make a phone call).  If there are any problems with online check-in, call airlines immediately.

#4)  Keep your passport, money, and credit cards on you or in a safe place at all times.  Have a copy of your passport plus a backup credit card and money in a separate well-hidden place or swap a few with a travel companion.

#5)  ATM’s generally work well, are more available than Currency Exchanges, and the exchange rate can be better.

#6)  On longer trips, I always think I will do some laundry in the sink, but in the end, I just don’t like washing large items that way, and they end up all wrinkled if they dry at all.  In the end, I find that I like having the hotel wash my clothes, and I just wash my underwear in the shower.  I try not to pack cotton.

#7)  Try to save your shopping to the end so that you don’t have to carry extra things around.

#8)  Bring more money than recommended for guides and small bills for luggage carriers, etc.

#9)  On any flight, take a mini toiletry bag in your carry-on (3 ounce bottles max if traveling through the U.S.).  Make sure you have the bare essentials you might need if you have to spend the night in a hotel without your checked-in luggage.  For long international flights, include wet wipes and deodorant.

I was recently airport hopping and thought it would be nice to have access to comfortable lounges there, so I looked into various options for joining airport lounges.  If you only fly on one airline, then a membership to that airline lounge is probably all you need.  However, I was traveling on various airlines, so I needed a different option and found the American Express Premier Card and Priority Pass.  Read on for details about each lounge I visited as well.

American Express Premier Card

If you are traveling a lot, it seems that the American Express Premier card is the best option because there are many extra travel perks.  It costs $450/year, and gives you access to a large number of various airport lounges around the world.  However, it does not give you access to the United Airlines Clubs, and I live in Denver, so I just cannot live without United Airlines Club access….

Priority Pass

I ended up purchasing a Priority Pass.  I got the Standard Plus Membership (the middle level) for $224, which gives me 10 entries into airport lounges around the world – the exact same list as the American Express card, but also the United Clubs.  After 10 visits, it costs $27/visit.  There are cheaper and more expensive options a well.

You can take a limited number of guests into the clubs (exact number varies by club), but they will most likely have to pay $27/person/visit.  The United Clubs allow 2 free guests.

Overall Lounge Experience

At a minimum, the lounges give you a quiet and comfortable place to relax while waiting for your flight.  They all seem to have outlets for charging electronics, free WiFi, drinks, and snacks.  Nicer lounges have nicer food options, free alcoholic drinks, TV, meeting rooms, showers, work areas, etc.

Denver United Club

This club has free Wi-Fi, light snacks (crackers and cheese, fruit, trail mix), coffee (latte machine!) and juices, newspapers, TV’s.  It has comfortable seating and great views.

Washington-Dulles United Club

It is pretty much the same as the Denver United Club.  We were there in the afternoon, so we were also able to take advantage of the free cocktails.

Zurich Airport

On my first visit, I was at the lounge between the A and B concourses.  I was here in the morning, so it had pastries, yogurt, cereal, fruit, latte machine, juices, and champagne.  It also had free WiFi, but newspapers were supposed to stay in the club.

The Panorama Club on the E concourse was not quite so nice.  It had free WiFi, but just croissants, fruit, coffee/tea, and juices for breakfast.  They started lunch at 10:30am, which is a bit better with soup, small sandwiches, a selection of cold salads, and a noodle dish.

Nairobi Airport

The Nairobi lounge was not as nice as the other places, but I have decided that all I really need is a outlet and WiFi, so I was happy (the vodka-tonic helped).  There were lots of comfortable leather chairs, light snacks, soda, and self-serve bar.  I guess it is just the decoration that was lacking, and maybe the large Maasai warrior statue at the front door scared me a little.

London-Heathrow Airport

This club in Termal #1 was okay but not as nice as the one in Terminal #4 (I almost missed my flight there once because of all the free food).  Free alcoholic and soft drinks, light snacks and yummy soup, plus free WiFi.

Frankfurt Airport

The only club I could use in Frankfurt was in the B Terminal, and my gate was in the Z Terminal, which might as well been in Warsaw.  It was just too far away (walking + train), and I would have to go through security again, so it just wasn’t worth it.

The Frankfurt Airport has a lot of outlet options in the general waiting area plus 30 minutes of free WiFi.

Narita Airport

I didn’t actually go to this club on this trip, but I have been there before, and it is worth mentioning.  If you go, make sure you get a beer – take the frosted glass out of the cooler below the beer machine, set the glass in place, and watch as it tilts the glass, pours the beer, and puts the perfect head of foam on top.  Then just add the free sushi.