Yackie 101: Rail Travel

Before airplanes and automobiles exploded onto the scene, rail travel was the ideal way to travel cross-country. In some parts of the world (e.g. Europe, Japan) it’s still one of the standard modes of city-to-city travel, and in others (e.g. North America) it remains as a fairly popular alternative. It lacks the speed of air travel and the flexibility of driving an automobile, but compensates for that by giving you more room to casually move around, while someone else still does all the driving. It’s also more comfortable than air travel to those who don’t like the thought of being suspended 30,000 feet above the ground. For distances between about 100 and 800 km it may be the fastest way of traveling, especially if you travel from city center to city center. For longer distances it takes longer than traveling by air, but provides you with a ground-level view of the territory you’re visiting, and allows you to stop on the way.

For the International Traveler, travel by rail is a great option. Because the goal of any real traveler is to experience that sense of place. Beauty is found not just in a museum or monument. It’s also right outside your train window. While the train does get you from Point A to Point B, it will also enrich your travel experience. Discover an off-the-beaten path attraction. You’ll learn so much from locals about the place and culture, their views on socio-economic problems and make so many new friends on the way. We get time to reflect, honestly it has been my favorite pass time to look into the oblivion and get lost in my thoughts. Wherever one has to go, I will suggest taking the train because it is not only about the destination rather it is the journey itself that makes it more fulfilling.

Here are a few tips if you decide to use the rail ways to get around while abroad:

• Be aware that it can be very expensive in some countries to travel by train. Especially high-speed trains can be as expensive as — but more convenient than — flying.
• If you can, book in advance. In many countries you may benefit from a substantial discount. Reserving a seat, on the other hand, will usually incur a small surcharge - in these countries, you will have to decide whether or not the train will be empty enough for seats to be readily available.
• In some countries, fares are calculated by market, not by distance. In the United Kingdom, it is accepted practice to take full advantage of loopholes, such as it being cheaper (for whatever reason) to buy separate tickets A-B and B-C for a journey from A to C, or conversely it being cheaper to buy a ticket from D to F for a journey from D to E. Other countries may or may not allow this practice. (more…)

  

When you’ve had a crisis while traveling internationally, do you remember the feeling? Suddenly your heart rate skyrockets and panic quickly starts to take over. What do you do? Back home the chances are that you’ll call someone who’ll help solve your problem. But that’s not easy to do when you’re in a strange country.

So how do the most experienced travelers handle the unexpected? They always take a reliable, quality international cell phone service with them. And it makes sense for you to copy them.

Here Are the 5 Most Popular Ways to Use Your Cell Phones While Traveling Internationally:

1. Use Your Own Cell Phone Abroad — Tricky!

This sounds like the perfect option doesn’t it? You don’t have to change your number and you already know how to use your cell phone. But there’s a problem — approximately 80% of US cell phones cannot work internationally due to pesky mobile technological incompatibilities.

First, check with your carrier, but be ready for extra charges. You’ll have to pay more for your calls. Plus, you might get people who don’t know you’re traveling abroad calling you just to check in on their business account. And because you’ll have to pay for incoming calls this will be expensive unless you don’t care about their business and don’t answer!

2. Rent A Cell Phone — Old News!

Don’t do this. Sorry to be so blunt, but renting a cell phone is outdated. You wouldn’t think about renting a suitcase every time you traveled, would you? This is no different. For the cost to rent a cell phone for about 2 weeks, you could easily have bought a SIM card and a international cell phone.

3. Buy Local SIM Cards — Hidden Expenses!

Buying your own cell phone is a better value for your money. However, you’ll need a different local SIM card for each country you visit.With local SIM cards you pay in advance for talk time, and then you keep buying extra talk time to keep your service active.

The problem with local SIM cards is they can be expensive to buy (e.g. the local SIM for Germany will cost you $60, and that’s without a cell phone, and before you’ve made calls). You run the risk of getting cut off during an important call with a client or your boss if you run out of talk time. And you won’t be able to find anywhere to buy more time immediately. Plus, your cell phone can only use one carrier’s network in each country, so you may not have great reception everywhere.

4. Buy A Prepaid SIM Card — Best Quality!

Travel experts love this method! You get global coverage on 1 cell phone number. The best prepaid SIM card is the Yackie Mobile SIM card. (more…)

In 2010 your mobile phone may be powered by water. Samsung Electro-Mechanics announced that it has developed a micro-fuel cell and hydrogen generator that runs on H20.

Samsung Electro-Mechanics has developed a micro-fuel cell and hydrogen generator that runs on water.

How it Works:

When the handset is turned on, metal and water in the phone react to produce hydrogen gas. The gas is then supplied to the fuel cell where it reacts with oxygen in the air to generate power. Other fuel cells need methanol to produce hydrogen, while Samsung’s needs only water. Since the micro-fuel cell can generate up to three watts of electricity, it could be used in mobile devices. The new fuel cell could power a handset for ten hours, twice as long as rechargeable batteries. Oh Yong-soo said water-powered handsets are expected to hit the market by 2010.

For more on the article visit http://www.sem.samsung.com/cms/_work/en/company/news/newsView.jsp?seq=641

Hey global travelers! I know a couple a days ago I made a post regarding Europe approving cell phone usage on airplanes but now the U.S. is jumping on the bandwagon but in a different way.

A L. A. Times article reports that some foreign carriers are enacting plans to offer in-flight cell use. The U.S. prohibits calls, but using phones to enter the Net is another matter.

The article goes on to say:

In a recent Forrester survey, 54% of leisure travelers said they would be interested in accessing the Internet on four-hour-plus flights. Several U.S. airlines are moving forward to offer that service…

U.S. airlines that are considering the possibility of offering Wi-Fi in the air are teaming up with Aircell, a Colorado-based company that in 2006 won an FCC auction for air-to-ground broadband frequencies. Aircell’s air-to-ground broadband system will provide customers with an Internet connection, virtual private network access (allowing workers to ply their trade by connecting them to their organization’s systems) and e-mail capabilities through Wi-Fi-enabled laptops, personal digital assistants (PDAs) and portable gaming devices.

For the entire article visit Using cellphones and Internet on airliners.

Hmm… this sounds pretty cool. Happy Travels! Don’t forget to bring your Yackie Mobile SIM card, the Prepaid SIM Card that lets you stay in with everyone, everywhere.