Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
48
be very expensive—usually a charge of 95¢
to $3 or more per minute, and they some-
times have minimum charges that can run
as high as $15 or more.
For reversed-charge or collect calls,
and for person-to-person calls (also an
expensive way to call when traveling), dial
the number 0, then the area code, and the
number; an operator will come on the
line, and you should specify whether
you are calling collect, person-to-person,
or both. If your operator-assisted call is
international, ask for the overseas opera-
tor. Again, if you're calling from your
hotel, you may have to dial a 9 (or other
number) first to reach an outside line.
For local directory assistance (“infor-
mation”), dial & 411; for long-distance
information, dial 1, then the appropriate
area code, and 555-1212.
rental fee, and there are often significant
restrictions (and high fees for overages)
regarding the number of minutes available
to you. If you only plan on making calls
within the United States, a good solution
is to purchase a pay-as-you-go phone.
They don't require a lengthy contract or
monthly plan to use, and you pay only for
the calls you make. Cricket (www.
mycricket.com) and T-Mobile (www.
t-mobile.com) are among the most widely
known for offering this type of service;
however, others (such as AT&T and Veri-
zon ) are beginning to jump on the band-
wagon.
VOICE OVER INTERNET
PROTOCOL VOIP
If you have Web access while traveling,
consider a broadband-based telephone serv-
ice (in technical terms, Voice over Inter-
net Protocol, or VoIP ), such as Skype
(www.skype.com) or Vonage (www.vonage.
com), which allows you to make free inter-
national calls from your laptop or in a
cybercafe. Neither service requires the
people you're calling to also have that ser-
vice (though there are fees if they do not).
Check the websites for details.
CELLPHONES
Just because your cellphone works at home
doesn't mean it'll work everywhere in the
U.S. (thanks to our nation's fragmented
cellphone system). It's a good bet that your
phone will work in Orlando, but take a
look at your wireless company's coverage
map on its website before heading out.
If you're not from the U.S., you'll be
appalled at the poor reach of the GSM
(Global System for Mobile Communica-
tions) wireless network, which is used by
much of the rest of the world. Your phone
will probably work in Orlando; it defi-
nitely won't work in many rural areas. To
see where GSM phones work in the U.S.,
check out www.t-mobile.com/coverage.
And you may or may not be able to send
SMS (text messaging) home.
If you need to stay in touch and you
know your phone won't work in Orlando,
rent a phone that does from InTouch
USA ( & 800/872-7626; www.intouch
global.com) because rentals aren't readily
available within the Orlando area. Note,
however, that you'll pay $1 a minute or
more for airtime in addition to the initial
2
INTERNET & E MAIL
With Your Own Computer
More and more hotels, resorts, airports,
cafes, coffeehouses, restaurants, and retail-
ers in Orlando are going Wi-Fi (wireless
fidelity), becoming “hotspots” that offer
free high-speed Wi-Fi access or charge a
small fee for usage. Wi-Fi is even found in
some campgrounds and RV parks. Most
laptops sold today have built-in wireless
capability. To find public Wi-Fi hotspots
in Orlando, go to www.jiwire.com ; its
Hotspot Finder holds the world's largest
directory of public wireless hotspots,
though you'll find that most Orlando
hotels (especially the larger area resorts,
most Disney resorts and Universal resorts),
Search WWH ::




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