Here you can discover these tools and test them out so you’re extremely prepared for your upcoming holiday!
Are you travelling outside of your country? If you’re with a group of people and get separated, cell phones are a blessing to have. However, roaming charges in the US and internationally can add up quickly – not to mention any text messaging you send or receive can be calculated at international fees as well! There are a few options to relieve the stress of a massive phone bill when you return. If you need to stay in contact with your group, you can purchase pay-as-you-go phones from a number of providers, such as Net10. Through your cell phone provider, you may be able to add international/US minutes and texting to your phone for the duration of your journey. There’s also the option of purchasing a SIM card for your smart phone for travel in the States that would allow you to add pay-as-you-go minutes as well.
If you’re going to be somewhere for an extended period of time and don’t want to be taking your cell phone, there is the option of communicating through services, such as Skype, via computers with microphones – you can video chat as well if you have a webcam on the computer. If you’re taking your laptop with you, scope out potential internet cafes, or places with wireless internet that you can hook into and chat with your friends and family that way. Best of all, Skype is free if both users have computers, and extremely cheap if you’re calling a landline from your computer.
One area that we recommend you investigate is if your carrier has an option for you to have them disable your roaming ability, some carriers allow you to stop and start data roaming ahead of your departure. Sometimes, even if you have set your phone programming to not allow data roaming, you will get dinged. In addition, even if you have Wi-Fi where you are going, you must disable your data roaming or you will have a nasty surprise.
When you have a plane to catch or an important passenger to pick up, a flight tracker app is an essential tool for your mobile phone. You can use it to keep an eye on your departure time, confirm when that special someone is arriving, or even check a plane’s position in the air. These flight tracking applications let you track the status of any flight arriving or departing the United States or Canada. In addition, they provide updates on flight arrival and delay times, and remaining time en route for departed flights, updated every 5 minutes. You can also view additional flight details including departure time, aircraft type, current altitude, and current groundspeed, along with the forecasted weather conditions for your selected destination.
There are numerous applications to choose from for various price points. Two options that are available for iPhone, BlackBerry, android and palm devices:
International travel can take you to places where immunization is required or strongly recommended. For a list of suggested vaccinations and arrangements that should be made, visit the Center for Disease Control and Prevention website. If you’re unsure of anything at all, book an appointment at a travel immunization clinic near you. Click here to search!
For airline baggage information, find the name of your airline below: