Rambo's World Adventure

[whodini]



glad you brought that up - How does cellphone coverage work internationally? I have an iPhone 4S and its a worldphone. Do I just buy simcards in each country with a pre-allotted amount of minutes and data on it?

Yup.

Some countries require special settings on your iphone for data but voice isn't a problem with a few exceptions outside of Europe and SA.

Wiki has a great list of countries and their telecom carriers to see what's compatible.

 

[acidboy]



glad you brought that up - How does cellphone coverage work internationally? I have an iPhone 4S and its a worldphone. Do I just buy simcards in each country with a pre-allotted amount of minutes and data on it?

Yup.
Some countries require special settings on your iphone for data but voice isn't a problem with a few exceptions outside of Europe and SA.
Wiki has a great list of countries and their telecom carriers to see what's compatible.

doesn't iphone only use a micro-sim card? most prepaid sim cards are still in those larger sim card format in my experience... besides, I'd sooner just bring along a cheap, entry-level nokia phone and use that since these bastards' batteries last for days and just bring the iphone along and keep your u.s. number in constant roaming just in case there's an emergency or someone from sf in the u.s. drunktext you.

 

[jrd617]

Power plug adapters. Get one for each zone.

 

[whodini]

It's fairly easy to get a sim cutter off ebay or even in the country you're in to accommodate the micro-sim for iphone as a lot of travelers deal with the same prepaid issue.

But your idea of a nokia cheapie is a good one. Really, though, I can't imagine needing a phone unless it's for emergencies anyway. Just use the iphone to skype via wifi.

 

[curzon]

In many countries you can buy simcards and prepaid minutes. But why? Do you really need to be that connected? Can go to an internet cafe and send an email/update facebook or whatever every once in awhile.

If you drink bottled water, which is widely available in India and elsewhere, you don't need purifying tablets. Heck, after a couple of days you'll forget all about the warnings and will be using tap water when brushing your teeth. Also you won't need anti-malarial meds.

 

[oneeightyseven]

hey Rambo, I'll probably end up messaging you on facebook, but I can probably get some info for you from West24. He's done something similar in Europe and is planning to do it in Asia and also travel to Australia so he has a lot of experience and probably can give you a lot of tips.


Also, if Toronto is on your list hit me and him up. We'll have fun!

 

[acidboy]



It's fairly easy to get a sim cutter off ebay or even in the country you're in to accommodate the micro-sim for iphone as a lot of travelers deal with the same prepaid issue.
But your idea of a nokia cheapie is a good one. Really, though, I can't imagine needing a phone unless it's for emergencies anyway. Just use the iphone to skype via wifi.

good luck getting wifi in public places in the 3rd world... cafes/restaurants won't give you the password unless you order something, and the public ones are slower than a dial-up modem.

Also, if Toronto is on your list hit me and him up. We'll have ass-chafing, salad tossing, homoerotic fun!

 

[acidboy]



In many countries you can buy simcards and prepaid minutes. But why? Do you really need to be that connected? Can go to an internet cafe and send an email/update facebook or whatever every once in awhile.

If you drink bottled water, which is widely available in India and elsewhere, you don't need purifying tablets. Heck, after a couple of days you'll forget all about the warnings and will be using tap water when brushing your teeth. Also you won't need anti-malarial meds.

ime its easier to make contact with a person in the same country using a prepaid simcard vs. sending an email and waiting for the guy/girl to respond.

a good percentage of people I personally know had the ***** when they went to india, and no one among them ate in those cheap food stalls. even my wife had some issues of that nature and for the most part she was staying in an aman resort. all I'm saying is its better to be safe than having a runny ass in some hostel far far away from home.

 

[oneeightyseven]

^^
I knew that was going to happen, and I am glad it was you over some of the other fellows here; quick and painless

 

[b1os]



ime its easier to make contact with a person in the same country using a prepaid simcard vs. sending an email and waiting for the guy/girl to respond.
a good percentage of people I personally know had the ***** when they went to india, and no one among them ate in those cheap food stalls. even my wife had some issues of that nature and for the most part she was staying in an aman resort. all I'm saying is its better to be safe than having a runny ass in some hostel far far away from home.

Yeah, that is certainly true. But Rambro, don't panic. That's the guaranteed way to catch something. I'd be careful the first week or so in Asia. I'm sure our bodies adjust very quickly to the different bacteria/viri. If you want to eat cheap food over there, don't go where all the tourists go (i.e. no ****** burger places or in your case other non-gluten western food places). Go where the locals go. It's safer and tastes a lot better. Oh, and don't buy watermelons in Indian cities that have canals.
+1 for more exotic places actually. I mean, visit a few first world countries to "adjust" to the new surrounding and culture. Then move on to the more exotic places. That's where you'll experience the most.
You could visit some North African country to do a guided trip on camels, a few days, through the desert. My grandpa did this a few times so far after he went diving and he liked it a lot. Not sure how much it costs but it shouldn't be too much.

 

[Eason]

FYI now is an awesome time to go to Burma.

 

[whodini]



good luck getting wifi in public places in the 3rd world... cafes/restaurants won't give you the password unless you order something, and the public ones are slower than a dial-up modem.

Speaking from experience, I haven't had any issues here or in other donkey towns. Things are fairly backwards here and yet 1) there's free fast wifi at any mall, 2) there's free unlocked wifi at most restaurants, 3) free wifi at hotels, etc. And this is within the non-touristy metropolis. You get out to touristy destinations and places are fighting to give you free wifi.

And that's been my experience throughout Central America/Mexico, as well as what I've heard from people in SA.

 

[KJT]

malaria pills give you awesome, super lucid dreams.

 

[ballmouse]

Don't buy the Eurail pass. I did it and regret that purchase; flying easyjet or ryanair and buying the train ticket when absolutely necessary (no flight from my city to the city I want to go to with easyjet or ryanair) is the cheapest/best option.

I traveled throughout Europe and every hostel I stayed in was less than $20 a night. Granted, I was in my 20s and you're in your 30s so you might not want to go to slightly better hostels in the range of $20-40 a night.

If you can couchsurf, I'd try it. I know people that have done it and had a blast. It certainly increases your chances of making friends and being social.

And as much as you want to 'wing it', I highly recommend doing your research on each city or town you go to. Things to know would be 1) how to get from the airport/train station to your hostel (unless you're taking a taxi, in which case know your address), 2) what hobbies of mine can I explore in this city (clothing stores, record stores, restaurants, etc.), 3) what is famous in this city (flea market, chocolate, river, etc.) just to name three. I say this because it gives you a decent idea of how long you should stay in the city. It is a terrible feeling to stay too long or too short of a time in a city. For me, I had everything written down before I even left my home city (so I had notes for probably 15 cities or so) so I wouldn't have to waste time every morning/night on my laptop when I was traveling.

Also, pack lightly. You seem like the person that doesn't mind wearing dirty clothes for a couple days. You will more than likely come across a couple souvenirs or items you want to purchase, and you do not want to spend $100 or so to ship it back to the US.

And lastly, I recommend dressing nicely. Everyone will treat you much better this way. This was probably my biggest regret because I literally looked like a homeless person for 7 months in Europe.

 

[whodini]

Eurorail reminded me. I just assumed you'd be flying with specific spots in mind. If your goal is to wonder semi-aimlessly, look up Busabout. There are different options but the one I took basically was a month-long pass on a travel bus circuit.

It wasn't like Greyhound where you could go to any city at any time, nor was it like a bluehair guided itinerary tour of Europe. My buddy and I had a basic idea of which cities we wanted to hit on this circuit that would go from London>Paris>Amsterdam and worked its way around Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, etc. until it got back to Paris. The cool thing was that we could stay at our destination city for a night and leave the next morning or wait a few days for the next bus to come around and continue the route. We could pre-book our legs but we could also change them at any time. The buses went from one hostel directly to another but we weren't forced to stay at any one spot, although if we did then they could even book the hotel/hostel while still on the bus.

I loved it because it was a guided tour when we needed it be (ie, they'd have optional tours you could take once you got into town) or offered complete freedom the rest of the time. Best of all, everyone on the bus spoke english, not necessarily American, so it wasn't hard to find a group of people to join for drinks after.

It wasn't just "kids," either. I was in my early twenties but the average bus seemed to run from 18-40.

Not sure how cheap it is now but several years ago it was slightly cheaper than Eurorail but far better in my book because I didn't have to worry about booking tickets, finding a place to crash, meeting people, etc.