International Travel
Posted in Travel Tips on Wednesday, October 25, 2006
The Holiday Vacation season is coming up and many people will spend the time off from work enjoying what other parts of the world have to offer. In helping others plan for international travel and having gone to Mexico over the summer, I’ve accumulated a few tips that I would like to share beyond the obvious concerns such as passports, etc.
h3. Currency Exchange
Unfortunately the dollar isn’t used throughout the world though you will usually have good luck finding someone who will take it from you. For that reason, many travelers prefer not to carry much cash with them when going out in public, a good idea indeed. Most credit card companies, however, tack on an additional 3% surcharge to convert your purchases back into dollars, which can add up quickly. The good thing about credit cards is that you usually get a better exchange rate than you would at a typical street conversion service, and much better than at the airport or your hotel (Hotels usually have horrible conversion rates). Capital One is the only credit card company that does not charge this 3% conversion fee, so if you want the convenience, security, and better exchange rates of a credit card without another fee, that would be the best way to buy things overseas.
h3. Staying in touch
The vast majority of countries utilize the GSM standard for their wireless services — except the US. If you are a Cingular or T-Mobile customer in the US, you too use GSM, and can use the same phone you use in the US when you travel abroad. You need to make sure that your phone operates at the same frequency as a carrier where you will be traveling to (“GSM World’s Roaming Guide”:http://www.gsmworld.com/roaming/gsminfo/index.shtml is a good resource for looking that up) and arrange for service there. You can opt to roam on your domestic provider, but make sure you activate this service before you leave and be prepared to pay in excess of $1 per minute. If you would like to use your phone more economically you can buy a SIM card from a local provider where you will be visiting which can be purchased at company stores along major thoroughfares. Once again “GSM World’s Roaming Guide”:http://www.gsmworld.com/roaming/gsminfo/index.shtml is a good way to see what companies are available and do some price shopping. From my experience, “movistar por Llamada”:http://www.movistar.com.mx/n1/n1_prep_tipo.html is a good option in Mexico at about $2 for up to 30 minutes to call the US, and “MobileWorld”:http://www.carphonewarehouse.com/commerce/servlet/gben-server-PageServer?ARTICLE=MAIN.UK.INTERNET.STATIC.MOBILEWORLD.TARIFFS in the UK at less than 10 cents/min. Be aware also that most countries outside the US charge the initiator of the cellular call and not the person answering the call. Calling a mobile phone from a landline in foreign countries is surcharged, so try to get others to call you instead of calling them if you can.
If you plan on spending a lot of time talking and can bear being at your computer when you do it, “SkypeOut”:http://www.skype.com/products/skypeout/ lets you call most first world countries for around 2 cents/min from your computer. The person you are calling does not have to be at their computer; to them it is as if you called them on a phone. If you make a lot of international calls from the US, this is also a good idea. So when you go away, set up Skype for your parents so they can stay in touch…on second thought, maybe just let your closest friends in on that secret. Also be aware that if you call a cell phone in a country that charges the call initiator, the price per minute goes up considerably so make sure you check the rate table before you call.
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