Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
T-Mobile Hotspot
(www.t-mobile.com/
hotspot) serves up wireless connections at
more than 1,000 Starbucks coffee shops
nationwide.
Boingo
(www.boingo.com)
and
Wayport
(www.wayport.com) have
set up networks in airports and high-class
hotel lobbies. IPass providers (see below)
also give you access to a few hundred wire-
less hotel lobby setups. To locate other
hotspots that provide
free wireless net-
works
in cities around the world, go to
www.personaltelco.net/index.cgi/
WirelessCommunities
.
For dial-up access, most business-class
hotels throughout the world offer data-
ports for laptop modems, and a few thou-
sand hotels in the U.S. and Europe now
offer free high-speed Internet access. In
addition, major Internet service providers
(ISPs) have
local access numbers
around
the world, allowing you to go online by
placing a local call. The
iPass
network
also has dial-up numbers around the
world. You'll have to sign up with an iPass
provider, who will then tell you how to
set up your computer for your destina-
tion(s). For a list of iPass providers, go to
www.ipass.com and click on “Individuals
Buy Now.” One solid provider is
i2roam
(www.i2roam.com;
&
866/811-6209
or
920/235-0475).
Wherever you go, bring a
connection
kit
of the right power and phone adapters,
a spare phone cord, and a spare Ethernet
network cable—or find out whether your
hotel supplies them to guests.
Like western Europe, Eastern Europe
is on 240V electrical circuits. You'll need
at least one two-pronged adaptor plug and
a current converter unless your electronic
gear operates on dual voltage (120V and
240V).
CELLPHONE USE
The three letters that define much of the
world's wireless capabilities are GSM
(Global System for Mobiles), a big, seam-
less network that makes for easy cross-
border cellphone use throughout Europe
and dozens of other countries worldwide.
In the U.S., T-Mobile, AT&T Wireless,
and Cingular use this quasi-universal sys-
tem; in Canada, Microcell and some
Rogers customers are GSM, and all Euro-
peans and most Australians use GSM.
If your cellphone is on a GSM system,
and you have a world-capable multiband
phone such as many Sony Ericsson,
Motorola, or Samsung models, you can
make and receive calls across civilized areas
around much of the globe. Just call your
wireless operator and ask for “interna-
tional roaming” to be activated on your
account. Unfortunately, per-minute charges
can be high—usually $1 to $1.50 in west-
ern Europe and up to $5 in places like
Russia and Indonesia. Be sure you bring
your AC charger, a converter, and an
adaptor plug and check with your
provider to be sure your converter is safe
for the phone's delicate electrical circuits.
A car charger can be useful, too.
It's important to buy an “unlocked”
world phone from the get-go. Many cell-
phone operators sell “locked” phones that
restrict you from using any removable
SIM card other than the one they supply.
Having an unlocked phone allows you to
install a cheap, prepaid SIM card that you
can purchase and use in your destination
country. (Show your phone to the sales-
person; not all phones work on all net-
works.) You'll get a local phone number
and dramatically lower calling rates.
Getting a locked phone unlocked can
be a hassle, but it can be done. Call your
cellular provider before you leave and say
you'll be going abroad for several months
and want to use the phone with a local
provider.
For many,
renting
a phone is a good
idea. (Even world phone owners will have
to rent new phones if they're traveling
to non-GSM regions, such as Japan or
Korea.) While you can rent a phone from
any number of overseas sites, including
kiosks at airports and at car-rental
