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Cruise ships and cell phones

January 17, 2008 by Brightroam Blogger in Communication, Gadgets, Leisure travel | Leave a comment

In working with Brightroam, it has become very clear to me how much money can be saved by renting international cell phones or purchasing international SIM cards for your phone when you travel. I recently got a $300 phone bill that was a result of three days in Boston with roaming changes. However the question still remains – what if my trip takes me to the middle of the ocean? Cruise ship cell phone costs are still terrifying.

Cruise ship cabins come with phones but just like a typical hotel phone it can cost as much as $10/minute. The fact that passengers want to use their own cell phones have not fallen on deaf ears, many cruise ships are now are equip with cell phone antennae so that you can use your cell phone while at sea. However the costs are still huge because of roaming and long distance charges – expect to pay $5/minute or higher.

I still think your best bet is to get a SIM card for the area you are traveling and making your calls while at port. For example, a Greek Island tour = Greek SIM card or Caribbean Cruise = World SIM card. You can expect to make a few calls while at sea but if you get a local SIM card and schedule your long winded brag-about-the-weather calls for port visits then you’ll save a bundle.

Check out the international SIM cards available at Brightroam and their new World SIM Card that works everywhere you go.

Government travel advisories

January 13, 2008 by Brightroam Blogger in Air travel, Communication, Health and Wellness, Weather | Leave a comment

How seriously should we take government travel advisories? I think it depends how familiar you are with the places you travel. I am always apt to check advisories for places I have never visited and of those that I know have whacky weather or political strife. Travel advisories offer information on important travel issues such as crime, security, laws, customs, entry requirements and health conditions.

If you aren’t on top of it, entry requirements can change in a heartbeat, like new airport fees or passport restrictions. I was just researching a trip to the Dominican Republic and discovered that upon arrival you are required to purchase a $10 USD tourist card when going through immigration. There is not a bank machine and they don’t take credit, so if you don’t have $10 USD in cash, you’re out of luck. Definitely a tidbit worth knowing.

Health checks are always a must, especially if you are traveling to regions with limited health care or unique diseases that you only hear about on late night TV documentaries. This website, Global Health Map, uses Google Map technology to pinpoint all sorts of health issues. It is very up to date, often more so than the official government sites.

At the end of the day, be smart and safe, don’t throw cash around or eat food off a dirty counter.

Government Travel Advisory Sites

Australian wines

January 13, 2008 by Brightroam Blogger in Food and Drink, Leisure travel | Leave a comment

Australian wines have become increasingly popular over the last 10 years. With over 2000 suppliers and 60 wine regions, it is Australia’s third largest export! Some of the notable regions include the Hunter Valley near Sydney, the Barossa Valley near Adelaide, and Yarra Valley near Melbourne. The major grape varieties in Australia are Shiraz (or Syrah), Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Sermillion, Sauvignon Blanc and Reisling.

If you are traveling to Australia, there are many ways to enjoy their fine grapes from the table to the vineyard. Australia’s wine regions are increasingly catering to tourists and if a fabulous bottle of Shiraz isn’t enough to make you stay an extra day to visit one of the many wine regions, I don’t know what it is.
Read about some of the greatest wine regions in Australia and pick the one closest to where you are traveling.

Wine Tours/Regions in Australia:

Popular Australian wineries include:

Prep your car for airport abandonment

December 3, 2007 by Brightroam Blogger in Air travel, Weather | Leave a comment

If you are heading out of town and leaving your car at a snowy airport, make sure you have all the gear to get it running upon return. Here are some handy things to have in the car or in hand when you arrive:

1. Deicer spray- Buy a small jar of deicer for your key lock. Even automatic locks get jammed in frigid temperatures. Attach the deicer it to your key chain or pack it with your car keys in your suitcase – whatever you do don’t leave it in the car!

2. Winter coat, boots, gloves and warm clothes – don’t overload your suitcase if you are traveling somewhere hot, simply leave them in the car.

3. Jumper cables – if your car sits in the cold for a long time, these may be a life saver.

4. Full tank of gas – it’s always a good idea to leave your tank full at the airport because filling up is the last thing you want to do after a long flight but it’s even more imperative in cold weather because it can prevent the gas lines from freezing.

5. Other great items to keep in the truck include: Blanket, ice scraper, small shovel, flashlight, winterized windshield washer fluid, extra set of windshield wipers, flares, tool kit, tire chains, tire gauge, spare tire and changing equipment, first-aid kit.

Winter’s coming, watch the weather

December 3, 2007 by Brightroam Blogger in Weather | 2 Comments

People are simply obsessed with weather because they want to know it’s always worse somewhere else. For those of us of us who travel in winter, we pay attention to the weather so we know what to expect when we deplane. With winter conditions around the corner, here are some ways to keep track of weather conditions around the world.

Know the weather of your destination

When you make assumptions about the weather it always seem to be the time you get caught in a rainstorm. Checking the weather of your destination before travel is a great way to pack your bags appropriately and prepare for any possible flight delays. The Weather Network in Canada offers detailed forecasts across Canada but also to many popular destinations . Check out the airport forecasts links for information on any airport delays due to weather.

Other good places to look for weather updates:

Weather at your fingertips

If the changing weather is very important to you, why not arrange updates right on your cell phone? Here are several companies that offer weather updates for your cell phone:

PSP, more than an in-flight magazine

November 21, 2007 by Brightroam Blogger in Air travel, Gadgets, Games | Leave a comment

More frequent travelers are finding handheld entertainment devices more fun than the typical in-flight magazine or local paper. In this digital-dependant world we are more accustomed to instant gratification when it comes to entertainment and there is something about a video game that offers it. Much like the popularity of personal TV sets in each seat, travelling with a personal gaming device keeps you occupied from take off to landing. Check out these popular gaming devices:

Nintendo DS and DS Lite
With impressive 3D rendered graphics and ultra-bright screens, Nintendo DS Lite makes it easy to play even when the cabin lights are down. It has touch screen technology so no fiddling with buttons and two 3 inch screens so you have more room to play.
Games to try: Legend of Zelda; Brain Age; and Final Fantasy XII Revenant Wings

Sony Playstation Portable
The Playstation portable is great for gaming but is also optimized for music, video, photo, internet, and wireless connectivity. It’s like a mini computer for all the stuff you love. The wide screen LCD brings to life the over 135 games available for single player gaming.
Games to try: Madden NFL 08; Naruto Ultimate Ninja Hero; and Grand Theft Auto

PC Gaming
Don’t forget your laptop! Chances are you travel with it anyhow. There are loads of awesome games that you can play right on your PC. It might be a little more cumbersome to lug out on the plane but for those long treks there are lots of great games you can buy for your PC.
Games to try: Flight Simulator X; Age of Empires III – The Asian Dynasties; and Halo 3

Accessories
If you are all geared up and ready to game there are a few other things you will need to buy:

  • Headset – not everyone on the plane wants to hear you
  • Carrying Case – Check out the various cases that come with your gaming device, it will protect the hardware and keep everything together

One Day in London

November 19, 2007 by Brightroam Blogger in Leisure travel | Leave a comment

So you’re traveling to London on business and have a day to spare. Or perhaps you are traveling across the world and need to stopover in London for a night. London is one of those cities most of us find our way through at one time or another and never seem to have enough time to see it all. Here are some short itineraries developed by various travel enthusiasts on making the most of London in a day:

The London Guide

Here is a great place to start if you want to be on foot for a full day. What they call the “Grand Itinerary” walks you past the Tower of London, Houses of Parliament, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, Tate Gallery, Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre and The Thames. Almost the entire walk is along the Thames River on a wonderful path so it’s easy to follow and lovely in decent weather. See full map and notes.

London Guide also recommends one day trips that aren’t on foot but easily accessible via the tube (subway) called The Main Gigs and the Culture Vulture

London for Free

This site also offers nine self-guided walks around London including themed itineraries to match your interests:

Frommer’s One Day in London

This ambitious itinerary includes Westminster Abbey, Trafalgar Square, the National Gallery, Buckingham Palace, the Tower of London and a night of theatre. Make sure to break it up and head back to your hotel for a rest in between.

Hop on a bus with The Original Tour

Of course you can always hop on a traditional London double-decker! The Original Tour (Yellow Route) takes you to the best of London’s sights including Buckingham Palace, Piccadilly Circus, The National Gallery, Downing Street, Big Ben, London Bridge, St. Paul’s Cathedral, Tower Bridge, The Tower of London & Westminster Abbey. Check out other tour routes.

Get over it, jetlag tips

November 8, 2007 by Brightroam Blogger in Air travel, Health and Wellness | Leave a comment

Your eyes are burning, feet swollen, legs sore – yup, it’s been a long flight and now you have to suffer through jetlag. Jetlag can include tiredness, dehydration, disorientation, swelling of limbs, colds and flu. From a three hour to 13 hour time difference jetlag is a reality.

According to Wikipedia, “When traveling across a number of time zones, the body clock goes out of sync with the destination time, and so it experiences daylight and darkness contrary to the rhythms to which it has grown accustomed. Jet lag occurs because the body cannot immediately realign these rhythms.”

So how do you get your body back in sync? Like everything else, it will entirely depend upon the individual. If you’re a teenager who can drink all night and still get up at 8AM for class, well chances are your clock is off track anyhow. But if you are like the rest of us, try some of these tips:

The British Airways Jetlag Advisor

This is a nifty little tool BA has created to help determine what your sleep patterns are, what time it is in your hometown vs. where you are staying and what you need to do to set your clock right. It depends highly on the theory that jetlag is primarily caused by daylight and darkness. Test out the BA Advisor.

Adjust your in-flight experience

This is by far my favourite solution and is recommended on many travel website. Rob from the Gorp exert advice panel recommends you set your watch to the time of your destination as soon as you board and adjust what you do on the place to match it. For example, if it’s midnight when you board and will be morning when you arrive then sleeping the whole flight will align your clocks better. If the opposite is true, then stay awake for as much of the flight as you can. It is also recommended you align your meals to your destination time. Read full article.

Take a pill

There is a drug for everything. No-Jet-Lag is a homeopathic remedy, a herbal tablet developed in New Zealand that remains popular. Simply chew one tablet before take-off and again at landing. Visit No Jet Lag to find out more.

All about wrinkles. Pack, steam and hang your clothes

November 5, 2007 by Brightroam Blogger in Air travel, Gadgets, Health and Wellness | Leave a comment

I hate ironing. I hate it so much that I actually only have an iron in the house for when my mother comes to visit. However when you travel a long distance with your clothes stuffed in a bag, even the most wrinkle free clothing needs help. Here are some of tried and true methods for keeping your clothes wrinkle free when you travel:

Shower steam it

I’ve seen this many times and it works wonderfully for shirts and dresses. Simply hang your outfit in the bathroom while you take a shower and leave it in there for a short while afterwards with the door shut until the steam subsides. The steam from the shower will help work out any wrinkles or folds in your outfit. This is a simple and practical way to quickly give your outfit a fresh look.

Travel steamer

While the shower steam method is simple and convenient, it doesn’t work out all wrinkles. If you are very determined to eliminate all wrinkles, a Hand held Travel Steamer might be right for you. These handy tools fit nicely in your suitcase and offer you excellent control to work out wrinkles and refresh your clothes on the road. Here are two popular ones:

The hotel iron

Still the most effective is the hotel iron. Most hotels have irons in the room or certainly in housekeeping. Ironing is a pain but there is no question it works.

Hang your clothes

One of the best things you can do when you arrive at your destination is hang your clothes! The sooner you take them out of your suitcase and let them hang, the better they will look when it’s time to wear them.

Pack Smart

Keep your clothes in good shape by packing them right. Check out these handy websites for packing additional tips:

NYC breakfast diner reviews

October 29, 2007 by Brightroam Blogger in Food and Drink | Leave a comment

Traveling to New York City is always an investment whether it’s for business or pleasure but there is one thing worth every penny and that’s the food. I’m not talking about the likes of Le Cirque or Nobu, fine dining journeys for the palette; I’m talking about the joy of a classic NYC breakfast diner.

During the couple of years I lived in NYC, I stopped at a deli or diner for breakfast every morning. It was part of being a New Yorker. From freshly baked bagels smothered in cream cheese and lox to wonderfully greasy bacon, egg and cheese sandwiches, you never run out of options.

Here are a few of the best:

Katz’s Delicatessen
205 East Houston Street
Totally authentic and delicious – order in Yiddish if you want.
What to eat? Corn Beef Sandwich

Carnegie Deli
854 Seventh Avenue
I used to work very close to this place and while it’s a bit of a tourist trap, it’s still awesome.
What to eat? The Bacon Whopee!

Ess-a Bagel
359 1st Ave and 831 3rd Avenue
Popular with locals – fresh, fast and filling.
What to eat? Bagel with cream cheese and loads of lox

Here are some lists that have been put together by various resources:
10Best.com recommends…
Diner City recommends…
New York Mag recommends these bagel shops…
New York Mag recommends these for brunch…

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