Use Your Smartphone Abroad As You Do At Home And Have No Surprises Later

by Chris Owen on

While traveling to several destinations in Europe in the last few weeks, I bumped up my calling plan for a period of time. Adding global messaging and an international data plan helped with reducing possible overage charges but it didn’t solve all of my problems. Often, I would find connectivity issues using my smartphone abroad as I do at home. I began my quest for a solution.

The first stop before international travel was to add services or modify my existing smartphone plan, mainly because of bad results in the past. On a trip to Mazatlan, Mexico, a couple years ago, I found out the hard way just how badly things can get, almost racking up over $1000 in overage charges for data usage alone.

Ignorant of how it all worked, the resort’s “free internet” was blazingly slow. On domestic travel, the next logical move was to tether a signal off my AT&T charged smartphone, bringing good speed and creating my own Wi-Fi hotspot, which I gladly shared with others having a similar connection problem. Dumb move. After a few days a text message came from AT&T’s international department, advising me that I had incurred $956 in overage charges. The result after they graciously removed those budget-busting charges was an international plan offering comparatively reasonable rates. Still, the cost was high so off I went looking for an alternative.

A friend had gone the “get a sim card that works in the destination country” route with good results. But traveling to different countries produced different results. On this recent trip, with an itinerary of Amsterdam and Italy, that looked to be the case. Looking for the ultimate situation: being able to use my phone abroad as I do at home, I kept looking.

What looks to be the best answer I have found came via Boingo, the worldwide connectivity company that recently added some Japanese airports to its list of 600,000 Wi-Fi hot spots. I like Boingo for one primary reason: it works for me.

Constantly scanning for Wi-Fi hot spots with its finder app, Boingo also provides a level of additional security with its free security VPN to protect data like credit card information when on the road.

What I like is that via agreements with hundreds of Internet service providers, Boingo-enabled smartphones and other devices connect quickly through one secure Boingo account. Loading their apps on a device makes connecting easy and they offer a variety of plans. I am testing the unlimited plan for $9.95 a month, well worth the price to know I can find a hotspot that will connect and be compatible with my smartphone virtually anywhere around the world – or so they say. I have not been everywhere on the planet, far from it, but so far the Boingo service has worked well for me and I will no doubt continue to pay a fee that makes sense.

One of the best parts is that the Boingo program tracks my data usage, avoiding potential overage charges. Boingo is not an ISP though, so picking the right plan for usage is a huge part of controlling expenses.

Still, with my Boingo-enabled devices, there should be no bad surprises when traveling internationally.

[Photo Credit – Flickr user @boetter]

Gaining Global Entry: A Simple Process For Frequent Fliers

by McLean Robbins on

Today’s frequent travelers are looking for any way possible to cut lines and make the travel process shorter, faster and more pleasant. Now, for just $100, this goal is easier than ever.

The Global Entry program from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency allows “expedited clearance for pre-approved, low-risk travelers upon arrival in the United States.”

The program is marketed at frequent international travelers, but there is no minimum number of trips needed to qualify for the program.

Here’s how it works:

  1. You arrive from an international flight and proceed to a small kiosk machine (located at these airports), where you’ll scan your passport, place your fingertips on a machine for recognition, and verify basic information about your flight. You’ll also make a customs declaration and have your photo taken.
  2. Next, you’ll get a receipt and head directly to the baggage claim.

Of course, travelers must be low-risk, meaning that they are U.S. citizens with no criminal or customs violations history and that they are generally upstanding citizens with no federal, local or state agency attempting to collect from them.

Sounds simple enough, right? What many travelers don’t know is that Global Entry also qualifies travelers for the new TSA Pre-Check program, which allows travelers flying certain airlines (Alaska, American, Delta, United and US Airways) to keep their shoes on and laptops and liquids in their carry-on bags at security.

After a marathon session in the customs line coming back from Toronto earlier this year, I decided to test the program for myself. The online application was no more difficult than a standard job application, and several weeks later, I was ready with a conditional approval. The fee was a non-refundable $100, which places me in the program for five years. The waiting period for an interview was long – about 60 days – but many airports do allow walk-in appointments.I watched a six-minute video about the program before a brief consultation with a security officer. The interview ran through basic background questions, I was asked if I’d ever been arrested, had moving violations other than basic traffic tickets, or had any other criminal history that they should know about. The officer took my photo, scanned my fingerprints, and sent me on my way. The next morning, my application was approved.

These simple steps could save me an hour or more in lines at the airport and cost only $100 for five years.

For frequent travelers, even those who travel out of the country only once per year, the program is well worth it.

[Image Credit: Flickr via CBP Photography]

5 Detoxifying Spring Break Destinations

by Elizabeth Seward on

Spring break is a vacation time of the year wherein many people let loose and eat and drink with abandon. Fun as that might seem to some, your idea of a good time might be one that isn’t filled with worries about the pounds you’re packing on or the detox you’re going to need post-vacation to recover from all of the alcohol. If you’re looking for an detoxifying escape plan this spring, here are some ideas that will get you started.

1. Sweet + Thrasher: St Lawrence Gap, Barbados
This resort is offering a health-conscious vacation package called “Fitness + Foolishness” for April 18-22. The package includes daily yoga, Pilates, morning runs, surf classes and dancing in the evening at the hot spots in town.2. Playa Nicuesa: Gulfo Dulce, Costa Rica
Playa Nicuesa is an eco-friendly lodge in Southern Costa Rica. Fully immersed in the rain forest, this beautiful destination can only be reached by boat. Once you’re there, you’ll take part in fresh and communal meals and have an assortment of detoxifying activities to choose from in between, including yoga, massage, hikes through the rainforest, swimming and more.

3. Esperanza, An Aubrege Resort: Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
This “Find Your Balance” program offers guests vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free meals and the resort offers relaxing ways to stay in shape. Spend your time attending vegetarian cooking classes, practicing yoga in a private lesson or enjoying a massage at the spa.

4. Wanderlust Festival: Vermont, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Canada and Chile
The Wanderlust Festival’s locations this year are all fantastic and each offer their own advantages. While attending this festival, you can join in on a yoga class and indulge in the food at the healthy marketplace during the day and see live music at night.

5. Grand Velas Resort and Spa: Playa del Carmen, Mexico
This grand expanse of luxurious accommodations is the perfect place to pamper yourself and detox this spring if you’re looking for something top-notch. The resort is all-inclusive and you’ll have your choice of fresh juice, salads and veggie-heavy meals – the restaurants are also equipped to adjust their menu to your diet if you ask. When you’re not taking advantage of the detoxifying food options, you can spend your time swimming, scuba diving, kayaking, snorkeling, doing yoga or working out in the resort’s fitness center.

[Photo Credit: Elizabeth Seward]

Should Easter Be A Long Weekend In The US?

by Dave Seminara on

At the stroke of midnight, fireworks lit up the night sky on the Greek island of Naxos. In a square outside a centuries old church, at least half the island’s population gathered to celebrate the occasion. Children ran around and threw firecrackers, senior citizens occupied all the choice benches and everyone was dressed to the nines and holding lit candles. An hour or so after midnight, everyone filed out of the square and retreated to their homes for a huge feast that breaks the Lenten fast. This is how Orthodox Easter is celebrated in towns and villages all over Greece.

If you’ve never spent Easter Sunday in a predominantly Christian country like Greece, Italy or many others in Europe and Latin America where it’s the biggest holiday of the year, you’re missing out on the travel experience of a lifetime. Here in the U.S., Easter isn’t even a public holiday worthy of a long weekend. In many parts of the country, you can drive around and shop and not even realize that it’s an important Christian holiday that celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ.





I’ve spent Easter in a variety of countries where everything completely shuts down for a few days. As a traveler, that can be disruptive and annoying. But I will never forget how joyous an occasion Easter was in Naxos. Nor will I forget an Easter Sunday I spent in Modica, in southeastern Sicily several years ago (see top photo). The entire town turns out onto the streets, dressed to kill, for a colorful procession with marching bands and then after Mass, everyone repairs to a house or restaurant for a meal fit for a king. Everyone you meet wishes you a buona Pasqua and the good vibes are contagious, even if you aren’t religious.

According to the most recent census data, about 76 percent of adults in the U.S. self identify as Christians (3.8 percent practice other religions, 15 percent don’t practice any religion, and 5 percent refused to answer the question). The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution guarantees the separation of church and state yet Christmas is a government holiday while Easter is not. Peter Steinfels, writing in The New York Times in 1998 wrote that America was “too religious and too Christian to ignore Easter, but also too pluralist and too secular to absorb it comfortably as a national holiday.”




We are indeed a diverse country, which presents interesting opportunities for visitors to our shores, but it’s also very special to visit a largely homogenous country during a major holiday because it’s fascinating to see an entire place come to a standstill as a community celebrates out on the streets together.

Easter is a religious holiday and we’re a largely secular country, so there are good reasons why it isn’t a public holiday. But I think making Easter a long weekend would be good for the travel industry and good for the country. We take an average of 13 days off per year, compared to 38 in France, 34 in Brazil, 32 in Sweden, 27 in Germany and 19 in Australia, for example.




Surely even those who don’t celebrate Easter wouldn’t mind a long weekend, would they? Or would the declaration of Easter as a national holiday be offensive to non-Christians who are already uncomfortable with Christmas being a public holiday? Let us know how you feel about this in the comments and in the poll.

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[Photo credits: Dave Seminara, Klearchos Kapoutsis and jpereira_net on Flickr]

A Q&A With Plastiki Adventurer David de Rothschild On The WHOLE WORLD Water Campaign

by Jessica Marati on

Three years ago, adventurer, entrepreneur and activist David de Rothschild sailed from San Francisco to Sydney on a catamaran made of 12,500 reclaimed plastic bottles.

His goal with the Plastiki project was to bring awareness to environmental issues like global warming and plastic pollution, and he has continued to stay active in the environmental movement. Most recently, de Rothschild signed on as an advisor to WHOLE WORLD Water, a three-year campaign that aims to unite the hospitality and tourism industry to combat global clean water issues.

Launched on March 22 to coincide with World Water Day, WHOLE WORLD Water uses a social enterprise model to generate funds for the clean water movement. The process of signing on is relatively simple. First, hotels and restaurants sign on to the WHOLE WORLD Water campaign for a nominal per-property fee. Then, they use the suggested Vivreau water filtration system to filter, bottle and sell their own water to guests. Finally, they donate 10 percent of the proceeds to the WHOLE WORLD Water fund, which benefits safe, sustainable clean water projects in the places that need it most.

Founders Karena Albers and Jenifer Willig estimate that if the world’s three largest hotel groups joined the campaign and sold just one bottle of water per day, the campaign could raise up to $1 billion for its mission, while contributing up to 25 percent toward the company’s bottom line. The campaign has already signed on a number of well-known hotel groups, including Virgin, Dusit and Banyan Tree, along with a number of restaurants, nightclubs and Ritz Carlton properties. Advisors include high-profile names like Virgin mogul Sir Richard Branson, designer Yves Behar, actor and filmmaker Edward Norton and de Rothschild.

In an email exchange, de Rothschild shared with Gadling what sailing the Plastiki taught him about the world’s water supply, why he decided to sign onto the WHOLE WORLD Water campaign and what travelers can do to get on board.

What did sailing the Plastiki teach you about the world’s water supply?

What the Plastiki taught me is sometimes it’s just as important to unlearn as it is to learn. We had to unlearn that it wasn’t all plastic that was the issue, but rather dumb uses of the material. And more importantly it was about redefining the story we tell ourselves about the value of the material – moving it away from valueless to valuable. That in turn will then have an influence over how we use and reuse. I believe the same applies to water issues; we all have to start to leave behind the concept that we have an endless supply of water, if we are to have any chance of creating a future.

Why did you decide to sign on to the WHOLE WORLD Water Campaign?

I can’t see any reason not to! I have been working for a while now to ban plastic straws across the world of hospitality so this seems like an easy and logical extension.

Why tackle hospitality of all industries?

Has to be a whole system approach to have an impact!

What will the WHOLE WORLD Water campaign achieve that other water campaigns haven’t?

That’s yet to be seen, but I have no doubt with such a great team behind the campaign it will produce something positive!

What can travelers do to support the efforts of the WHOLE WORLD Water Campaign?

Just say no to plastic water bottles! And encourage establishments that you come into contact with who haven’t engaged to sign up!

[Photo Credit: WHOLE WORLD Water]