Yackie 101: What to do When Arriving in a New Place

The experienced traveler knows that arrival can be the hardest part of a trip. It’s probably late at night, you’re experiencing jet lag or either road-weary, and to top it off everything is new and strange. You may even need to find an affordable place to sleep, something to eat and drink, and your first objective is to find a way to get around. Whether it’s the first stop on a trip or the fifth city in as many days, every traveler feels a bit overwhelmed stepping onto a new street in a new city. The sense of excitement and potential for discovery ends up in the shadow of practical matters. It’s enough to make you wish you were back home. But having a good checklist of arrival essentials lets you head out into the unknown free to focus on the real adventure.

RULE #1: AVOID ARRIVING IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT
Get informed about the timetable of your means of transport, and avoid arriving in a foreign city in the middle of the night. Obvious? Yes, but when you get there at 2 AM, it’s too late, you can’t do anything. You will have to choose between spending the night in the train/bus station or at the airport, or searching for a hypothetical hotel open at this late hour. If you’re arriving early in the morning, especially after an overnight journey, you might want to arrange an early check in with your hotel.

RULE #2: BRING ENOUGH CASH FOR TWO DAYS
No matter what city in the world you are arriving in, you won’t get too far on an empty wallet. A good rule of thumb is four times your hotel cost for one night. Know in advance how hard it is going to be to get cash. Sure, the guidebook may claim there is an ATM, but is it on the other side of town? (Not a problem in New York City, Bucharest or Barcelona, but potentially a tricky question in Cairo. Or Vernazza.) Also be aware that it is possible to have too much money– a stack of 100 bills won’t help you buy a bottle of water that costs 3 coins. Public transportation or even small guest-houses often won’t have, or won’t give you, change for large bills. Make sure to ask for some small denominations at the exchange counter or break large bills at the airport.

RULE #3: BRING A GOOD MAP
Don’t count on an open tourist office, if there is one at all. (more…)

If you’re heading overseas, be prepared to defend being an American. International travelers face a growing global anti-American attitude. A Forbes.com article discusses the unfavorable image of Americans abroad.

“European and world views of the United States and President George Bush have dramatically worsened since 2000; the trend has intensified since the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq. There has been a decline in perceptions of the United States throughout the European Union, including in such traditional U.S. allies as the United Kingdom and Poland, and in Muslim and Latin American countries, according to annual polls undertaken by the German Marshall Fund of the United States, the Pew Research Center and the BBC World Service.”

For the rest of the article visit: Anti-American Sentiment Grows Worldwide.

Concerned about being a magnet for anti-Americanism during your next trip abroad? Bruce McIndoe, CEO of iJet Travel Intelligence, offers his tips for staying under the radar:

Avoid American fast-food restaurants and chains.

Keep discussions of politics to private places, not rowdy bars.

Take a rain check on wearing clothes featuring American flags or sports team logos.

Keep your passport out of sight.

Keep cameras, video equipment and maps tucked away.

Soften your speech; Americans typically overshadow their hosts in the volume department.

Yackie 101: GSM V.S. CDMA

In cellular service there are two main competing network technologies: Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) and Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA). Understanding the difference between GSM and CDMA will allow you to choose a carrier that uses the preferable network technology for your needs.

The GSM Association is an international organization founded in 1987, dedicated to providing, developing, and overseeing the worldwide wireless standard of GSM. CDMA, a proprietary standard designed by Qualcomm in the United States, has been the dominant network standard for North America and parts of Asia. However, GSM networks continue to make inroads in the United States, as CDMA networks make progress in other parts of the world.

Data Transfer Speed:

With the advent of cellular phones doing double and triple duty as streaming video devices, podcast receivers and email devices, speed is important to those who use the phone for more than making calls. CDMA has been traditionally faster than GSM, though both technologies continue to rapidly leapfrog along this path. Both boast “3G” standards, or 3rd generation technologies.

EVDO, also known as CDMA2000, is CDMA’s answer to the need for speed with a downstream rate of about 2 megabits per second, though some reports suggest real world speeds are closer to 300-700 kilobits per second (kbps). This is comparable to basic DSL.

GSM’s answer is EDGE (Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution), which boasts data rates of up to 384 kbps with real world speeds reported closer to 70-140 kbps. With added technologies still in the works that include UMTS (Universal Mobile Telephone Standard) and HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access), speeds reportedly increase to about 275—380 kbps. This technology is also known as W-CDMA, but is incompatible with CDMA networks. An EDGE-ready phone is required.

In the case of EVDO, theoretical high traffic can degrade speed and performance, while the EDGE network is more susceptible to interference. Both require being within close range of a cell to get the best speeds, while performance decreases with distance.

Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) cards:

In the United States only GSM phones use SIM cards. The removable SIM card allows phones to be instantly activated, interchanged, swapped out and upgraded, all without carrier intervention. The SIM itself is tied to the network, rather than the actual phone. Phones that are card-enabled can be used with any GSM carrier.

The CDMA equivalent, a R-UIM card, is only available in parts of Asia but remains on the horizon for the U.S. market. CDMA carriers in the U.S. require proprietary handsets that are linked to one carrier only and are not card-enabled. To upgrade a CDMA phone, the carrier must deactivate the old phone then activate the new one. The old phone becomes useless.

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