Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
sold in the last year have built-in wi-fi
capability (an 802.11b wireless Ether-
net connection). Mac owners have
their own networking technology,
Apple AirPort. For those with older
computers, an 802.11b/
Wi-fi card
(around $50) can be plugged into
your laptop. You sign up for wireless
access service much as you do cell-
phone service, through a plan offered
by one of several commercial compa-
nies that have made wireless service
available in airports, hotel lobbies, and
coffee shops.
There are also places that provide
free wireless networks
in cities around
the world. To locate these free hotspots,
go to
www.personaltelco.net/index.
cgi/WirelessCommunities
.
Most business-class hotels through-
out the world offer dataports for lap-
top modems, and a few thousand
hotels in Europe now offer free high-
speed Internet access using an Ether-
net network cable. You can bring your
own cables, but most hotels rent them
for around $10.
Call your hotel in
advance
to see what your options are.
In addition, major ISPs have
local
access numbers
around the world,
allowing you to go online by simply
placing a local call. Check your ISP's
website or call its toll-free number and
ask how you can use your current
account away from home and how
much it will cost.
Wherever you go, bring a
connec-
tion 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.
USING A CELLPHONE
OUTSIDE THE U.S.
The three letters that define much of
the world's
wireless capabilities
are
GSM (Global System for Mobiles), a
big, seamless 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
Europeans and most Australians use
GSM.
If your cellphone is on a GSM sys-
tem and you have a world-capable
multiband phone such as many (but
not all) Sony Ericsson, Motorola, or
Samsung models, you can make and
receive calls across civilized areas on
much of the globe. Just call your wire-
less operator and ask for “international
roaming” to be activated on your
account. Unfortunately, per-minute
charges can be high—usually $1 to
$1.50 in western Europe.
That's why it's important to buy an
“unlocked” world phone from the get-
go. Many cellphone operators sell
“locked” phones that restrict you from
using any other removable computer
memory phone chip (called a
SIM
card
) other than the ones they supply.
Having an unlocked phone allows you
to install a cheap, prepaid SIM card
(found at a local retailer) in your des-
tination country. (Show your phone
to the salesperson; not all phones work
on all networks.) You'll get a local
phone number—and much, much
lower calling rates. Getting an already-
locked phone unlocked can be a com-
plicated process, but it can be done:
Just call your cellular operator 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. While you can rent a phone
from any number of overseas sites,
including kiosks at airports and at car-
rental agencies, we suggest renting the
phone before you leave home. That
way you can give loved ones and busi-
ness associates your new number,
make sure the phone works, and take
the phone wherever you go—espe-
cially helpful for overseas trips
through several countries, where local
