Of those altering travel plans, 37% are scrapping trips and one in four won’t go as far or stay as long, the poll finds. “We’re pretty close to the toughest summer ever, at least for consumers,” says Rick Seaney, CEO of Farecompare.com, an airfare search site.

“It’s looking very bad. People just aren’t coming,” says Jackie Gentry, manager of the Seashore Inn in Seaside, Ore. The hotel isn’t sold out for Memorial Day weekend, she says, “and we have hardly any reservations for June.” A room that usually goes for $139 can be booked online for $109.

According to the results of the research held by the French touristic portal Look Voyages, the most important item during a trip, according to the opinion of the most of the travelers is a digital photo camera: 94% of the respondents do not start their trips without this device. 14 231 people have taken part in the poll with the title “Do you use electronic devices during your vacation?”.

The second place of course has taken the cellphone and 80,6% of the respondents do not imagine a vacation without it. The third place is occupied by the video camera (36,2) and the fourth by an MP3 player. The fifth place went to the personal computer, because 13% of the respondents cannot have a rest without it.

Television set is an item of the first necessity for 68% of the tourists in the hotel. More than 50% of the holiday makers turn it on at least once during the day. 34% of the travelers require the internet access in the hotel.

And after all, the results of the traditional question: “Which device would you take with you to the uninhabited island?”. 56% of the respondents have told that it would be a mobile phone and 43% have wished themselves a computer.

In Japan, the cell phone isn’t just a gadget - it’s a way of life.

This fascinating documentary takes viewers on a journey through cell phone culture, showcasing its numerous functions around the world.

Lots of great statistics and history about the cellphone including a remarkable story of a Seattle woman who was trapped in her car for 8 days, but luckily survived when authorities were able to find her by tracing her cellphone to the accident location.

Watch the full documentary, Cell Phone: The Ring Heard Around the World!

Yackie 101: Ecotourism

For all of you who are wondering what the heck is ecotourism, here’s a brief tutorial on the whole travel movement:

Defining The Experience:

There are almost as many terms to describe types of travel as there are travel companies. A couple of buzzwords that you often hear these days are “Eco-Tourism” and “Adventure Travel” . To further confuse the issue there is also “Sustainable Tourism”, “Responsible Tourism”, “Nature Based Travel”, “Green Travel”, “Multi-Sport Adventures” and “Cultural Tourism”. The following are some definitions based on common usage.

Eco-tourism: Perhaps the most over-used and mis-used word in the travel industry. But what does it mean? The Ecotourism Society defines it as “responsible travel to natural areas which conserves the environment and improves the welfare of the local people”. A walk through the rain forest is not eco-tourism unless that particular walk somehow benefits that environment and the people who live there. A rafting trip is only eco-tourism if it raises awareness and funds to help protect the watershed. A loose interpretation of this definition allows many companies to promote themselves as something that they are not. If true eco-tourism is important to you, ask plenty of questions to determine if your trip will help “conserve and improve” the places you visit.

Adventure Travel: Another term which is heavily used by marketing departments. While travel to another country is often adventurous it is not necessarily “Adventure Travel”. (more…)

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…)

What to wear on a plane — or more to the point, what not to wear on a plane — is a hot topic today for a number of reasons. Not only are we heading into the warm summer months, when air travelers commit a majority of these sartorial slip-ups, but the gap between what we should wear on a commercial flight, and what we do wear, appears to be widening.

MSNBC Travel Columnist, Christopher Elliot, recently wrote an article discussing “What Not to Wear on a Plane”. It should be read by every traveler.

Even if you’re just an occasional air traveler, you probably know better than to wear any of those on board. Heavy perfumes can fog up the cramped aircraft interior, sickening your cabin-mates. High heels? Uncomfortable on longer flights and unusable on those inflatable emergency slides. As for shorts, once the cabin door is closed and the air conditioning is cranked all the way up, you’ll be sorry.

For more on this article check out What Not to Wear on a Plane.

Choosing the world’s next big travel destinations is never an easy feat, especially when there’s seemingly so little left of the globe to discover! Despite the difficulty of the task, BootsnAll.com still managed to compile list of ten great destinations that combine history and culture with value for travelers who prefer to arrange their own trips and challenge themselves in the most fascinating places in the world. Being the wonderful person I am, I decided to bless my readers with the list.

Buenos Aires, Argentina

10 - Buenos Aires — After its currency collapse in 2003, this gorgeous place got embarrassingly cheap for foreigners, but that won’t go on forever, so don’t wait too long. Vegetarians may find beef-obsessed Argentina a bit challenging. It won’t be a deal-breaker, though, as this cosmopolitan city has something for everyone, including a diverse nightlife scene that usually goes until dawn or later. Brush up on your español before you go - it will help you experience the city more completely.

Budapest, Hungary

9 - Budapest — The capital of Hungary is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Unlike some other Eastern European destinations, visiting is still very cheap compared to the West. The old town district of Castle Hill is a highlight of this huge city, and the hearty portions of the paprika-accented food win over most who try it. You can spend days just admiring the classic architecture, but the city is also an excellent place to begin an exploration of the many historic Hungarian villages nearby.

Marrakech, Morocco

8 - Morocco — This moderate Muslim country is easily visible and quickly reachable from the southern coast of Spain, but it feels a world away. Quickly pass through the “border-town” city of Tangier and on to Rabat, Fes, or Marrakech for a pleasant cultural shock on a backpacker’s budget. Choose Fes or Marrakech, and add in a smaller city to escape the constant tourism push, but skip the chaotic capital of Casablanca. For those with a bit more time, trekking the Atlas mountain ranges makes for an unforgettable adventure mixed with a cultural experience that contrasts nicely with Morocco’s bustling cities. Even for independent travelers, a tour using a local guide can be a great way to see all the magical parts of Morocco and avoid its often frustrating tourist traps. (more…)

Who needs a travel adapter for their iPod or digital camera when they could buy the Solio Classic Solar Charger?

The Solio Classic Solar Charger is a pocket sized electronics charger that runs off of solar power. This little solar powered wonder can be used to charge almost any small, hand held device such as a digital camera, iPod, cell phone, and more.

The Solio Classic Solar Charger works by collecting light via its solar panels and storing its energy in the inboard battery. Power that has been collected and stored in the battery will be good for at least a year. This way you could charge up the Solio Classic Solar Charger battery and save it for a rainy day if need be.A cool feature for road warriors or eco-conscious travelers, is how the Solio Classic Solar Charger can easily be attached to a car windshield via the included suction cup. You can charge all your devices without having to buy multiple expensive car chargers or decrease the life of your car battery; all of which are great for the environment!

It takes about six to eight hours to fully charge the Solio Classic Solar Charger, with that amount of sunlight your cell phone will be powered for almost a hours’ worth of talk time and even more standby power. A mere hour in the sun could provide you with ten minutes of talk time.

Happy Travels!

Visit YackieMobile.com to discover ways to save money while traveling abroad!

So, you’re thinking about or planning on taking a trip to a faraway place? You’ve heard all about how cool it is to hike the Himalaya or to climb volcanoes, and you’ve always wanted to tour Europe.

Explore the World!

Rather than buying separate flights from one destination to another, a flexible and sometimes cheaper way of international travel is via Round the world (RTW) tickets. A round the world ticket is a plane ticket allowing you to fly around the world, usually over a period of up to a year and with between three and ten stops at different airports.

Round the world tickets cost far less than the sum of the one-way tickets between each set of individual stops. (One-way tickets are generally a poor value compared to round-trip tickets, and also may be viewed with suspicion by security or immigration personnel.) They are usually slightly more expensive than a return ticket between destinations on opposite sides of the world (London and Sydney for example), but if you were planning two or more stops then you may find that a round the world ticket is the cheapest option, and allows you at least a side trip. Many travellers plan entire holidays using a round the world itinerary.

Before you travel around the world you need to research. What is the weather like? Which areas do you want to focus on? How many stops do you plan to make? What is your budget? How long will you be away? Don’t rush things and make sure you have enough saved money if you don’t plan to work abroad during your trip.

Here’s a list of websites to get you started:

http://www.chickenbus.com/

http://www.bootsnall.com

perpetualtravel.com/rtw/

Check out these companies for good around the world tickets:

Star Alliance has 855 destinations in 155 countries.

Airlines: Air Canada, Air New Zealand, All Nippon Airways, Asian Airlines, Austrian Airlines, British Midland, Lauda Air, LOT, Lufthansa, Mexicana, SAS, Singapore Airlines, Spanair, Thai, Tyrolean Airways, United Airlines and Varig.

Star Special Economy is the cheapest option where you can fly 26,000 miles and do 3-5 stops. With Star 1, 2, and 3 you fly 29,000 miles, 34,000 miles or 39,000 miles and do 3-15 stops.

One World has 540 destinations in 137 countries.

Airlines: American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Finnair, Iberia, Japan Airlines, Lan Chile, Malév, Quantas and Royal Jordanian.

One World has divided the world in six zones. You can buy tickets for 3-6 zones, and do 4 stops in each zone (except 6 stops North America, and 2 stops in the zone you start.)

Skyteam has 658 destinations in 137 countries.

Airlines: Aero Flot, Aero Mexico, Air France, KLM, Alitalia, Continental Airlines, CSA Czech Airlines, Delta, Korean Air, and North-west Airlines.

Choose between four different tickets depending on how far you fly: 26,000 miles, 29,000 miles, 34,000 miles, and 39,000 miles. You can make 3-15 stops and have to be away at least ten days and max one year.

For other around the world options, visit Around the World Tickets, Air Brokers and Airtreks.

Check out YackieMobile for ways to keep in touch with the ones you love while you see the world!

Tired of being mistaken for a terrorist?

CNN.com reports that the Department of Homeland Security unveiled measures Monday aimed at easing the aggravation associated with air travel, including new screening machines, clearer standards for identification, and a new effort to keep travelers from falsely being identified as potential terrorists.

Airports will be using new “millimeter wave” scanners are part of a system the department calls Checkpoint Evolution.

The scanners clearly reveal all the contours of a person’s body through clothing. Faces are obscured, and the images are not kept on file, according to the Transportation Security Administration. The staff monitoring the scanners sit in a separate room.

The department also announced standard criteria for accepting passenger identification: “Beginning May 26, 2008, federal or state-issued photo ID will be accepted if it contains: name, date of birth, gender, expiration date and a tamper-resistant feature.”

And the department unveiled a step aimed at easing frustration for passengers who, because their names are similar to those on the terror watch list, run into constant frustration and delays when they travel by air.

Well it’s about time they did something right? Let’s just see if it really makes air travel any easier…

To read the whole article visit New technology, rules aim to ease air travel aggravation.

Yeah I know, Earth day was last week but Fodors.com did the world a favor by posting tips on how you can keep your travels green and the Earth clean!

• Beware of Green Washing. Always book with hotels or tour companies who are legitimately touting either eco or sustainable tourism. If you’re not sure if they’re reputable, inquire with a watchdog agency such as Tourism Concern (www.tourismconcern.org.uk) or Green Globe (www.greenglobe.org), or with a conservation organization such as World Wildlife Fund (www.worldwildlife.org). All of them have been actively promoting clarity in standards for green tourism.
• Ask about the company’s green philosophies. Do they recycle? Are they energy efficient? How do they address water conservation and waste management? Have local materials been used in building your lodge? Does the menu in the dining room where you take meals use local ingredients? Also find out whether the company provides economic opportunities for local communities. Many have established foundations that make donations to local peoples or wildlife, to which you can contribute.
• Look into offsetting greenhouse gas emissions. If you have a choice, take trains over flying. If you must fly, try to take a non-stop flight. You can calculate your CO2 footprint using several online tools. Atmosfair (http://atmosfair.de), Better World Club (www.betterworldclub.com), NativeEnergy (www.nativeenergy.com) all have CO2 calculators that will calculate your emissions for individual flights and ideas on how to offset them.
• Be Sensitive to Cultures and Customs. Be clear on the tipping protocol before you travel. Don’t take photos without asking first. Don’t wear revealing clothing, especially in Muslim countries. When visiting religious sites, behave appropriately.
• Never litter. Though you may see locals disposing of their garbage willy nilly, you should NOT follow suit.
• Think small. Stay in a B&B or locally owned accommodation that benefits the local community.
• Purchase local products whenever possible. However, purchasing tourist souvenirs made from animals (i.e. shells, horns, pelts, coral, etc.) is risky and aids in animal and environmental distinction and destruction. If you do purchase something, make sure you’ve checked that it’s legal and that you’ll be able to carry it through customs and back to your home country.
• Conserve resources. Use water sparingly and turn off lights when not in use.
• Do not feed wild animals. You may think you’re doing them a favor, but your interference will only do them harm.
• If you are camping, don’t leave anything behind but your footprint. This means using only biodegradable products like soap, toothpaste, etc. in streams, lakes, etc and carrying out what you carried in.

Visit YackieMobile.com for more travel tips.

3 Billion GSM Connections On The Mobile Planet

The GSMA, the global trade group for the mobile industry, today announced that total connections to GSM mobile communications networks have now passed the 3 Billion mark globally. The third billion landmark has been reached just four years after the GSM industry surpassed its first billion, and just two years from the second billionth connection.

The 3 Billion landmark has been surpassed just 17 years after the first GSM network launch in 1991. Today more than 700 mobile operators across 218 countries and territories of the world are adding new connections at the rate of 15 per second, or 1.3 million per day.

The world’s biggest GSM markets today are China (509 million), which is growing at a rate of more than 7 million new connections a month and accounts for 14% of the third billion growth; India (193 million), growing at 6 million per month accounts for 12% of the third billion growth, Russia (178 million) and Brazil (93 million) which both contributed 4% of the third billion growth.

“The growth of mobile communications continues to soar, not least in emerging markets, which are responsible for 85 percent of new connections today,” said Rob Conway, CEO and Board Member of the GSMA. “One cannot underestimate the importance of mobile as a vital communications tool, connecting so many people, often for the first time in their lives.

The news comes as the GSMA premiered a special documentary film Mobile Planet, exploring the social and economic value of mobile communications across 20 countries of the world. Produced in partnership with TelecomTV, the film features a host of locations from Japan to Rwanda, South Africa to Chile, where mobile is enhancing lives and changing the face of societies. The film was shown for the first time in full at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts in London.

The Yackie World Travellers are hitting the open road. This time they’ve landed in Eugene, Oregon. Here’s a brief profile of the traveling duo.

OWEN BOWLING

AGE: 24
SEX: MALE
NATIONALITY: AUSTRALIAN
DATE OF BIRTH: 20/03/1984
OCCUPATION: PERSONAL TRAINER
INTERESTS: SURFING, SOCCER, TRAVEL, FILM AND PHOTOGRAPHY

ABOUT OWEN:

Owen was born and raised in Hobart, Tasmania. At the age of 6, his parents packed the family into a station wagon and roll-up caravan and drove around Australia for 16 months. This early adventure instilled in him the “travel bug” and he has since traveled extensively.

In 2002, Owen traveled to Italy and spent time playing soccer in the semi-professional “Serie D” league.

Owen has spent the past 5 years working as a Personal Trainer in Brisbane Australia.

JAIME KOHLEIS

AGE: 29
SEX: FEMALE
NATIONALITY: AUSTRALIAN
DATE OF BIRTH: 06/12/1978
OCCUPATION: PERSONAL TRAINER
INTERESTS: TRAVEL, RUNNING, WATER SPORTS, FOREIGN LANGUAGE, ANIMAL RIGHTS

ABOUT JAIME:

Jaime was born in Perth, WA and was already traveling before she could talk – moving to New Zealand for the first 9 years of her life.

Moving back to Australia, she focused her talents in the sporting arena. By 18 she was rowing for the Australian Under 22 squad.
This took her to Italy, Greece and Switzerland. This international travel was enough to open her eyes to a bigger world and she has not looked back, having traveled to over 15 countries.

Jaime has also spent the past 3 years working as a Personal Trainer in Brisbane.

How it started:

The Idea began in December 2006.
Springing from the revelation that although fulltime RVing was a style of travel previously exclusive to the retired generation, now it could also be an option for us!
Through much discussion and online research, coupled with a desire to do something different, we discovered that it was not only achievable, but possibly the best way to travel!

Over the next 9 months, whilst each working up to 3 jobs at once, we planned a skeleton of a trip that involved spending 3 months trekking around India, 2 weeks seeing the sights in London, Flying to Canada, Buying an RV in the USA and then driving down to the bottom of Panama and beyond! The possibilities were then expanded with the introduction of the new Canadian Working Holiday Program visa, allowing us to spend up to 2 years in Canada working, thus opening up the doors to Alaska!

Catch up with them and their travels at Yackie World Travellers.

Yackie 101: SIM Cards

So I’ve been constantly telling international travelers to get a Yackie Mobile SIM card and I’ve realized that many people don’t know what a SIM card is. So here is another yet another tutorial that breaks down the basics of SIM cards.

What is a SIM card?
The SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) card also known as a “smart chip” is basically the “brain” of the phone, providing cellular service as well as many other functions including call log, voice mail and SMS and GPRS (internet connection standards). SIM cards are the size of a credit card but they have a pop-out chip about the size of a postage stamp which fits into all modern GSM phones. The smart chip is embedded with circuitry and when inserted into a GSM mobile phone provides wireless phone service on a particular GSM network. SIM cards are usually available prepaid or on a contractual basis, however Cellular Abroad only offers the prepaid version which is the most popular because of the user’s complete control over how much they spend. There are no hidden fees or surprise charges.

How do I install a SIM card?
SIM cards typically are credit-card sized cards with a smaller SIM chip almost completely floating within the card and attached on one edge of the chip by some perforated plastic. The chip is approximately the size of a standard postage stamp folded in half.

Whether you are a frequent business traveler, or just a tourist seeking a reliable and affordable cell phone solution, the Yackie Mobile International SIM card is the solution. The Yackie Mobile International SIM card makes it easy and affordable for anyone traveling overseas to enjoy the safety and convenience of cellular service! As long as you have an unlocked GSM tri or quad bnd cell phone, you can benefit from using the Yackie Mobile International SIM card.

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.

(more…)

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.

GREEN MOBILE TECHNOLOGY

Great news for the international traveler who’s eco-conscious. German researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute (the largest labs for applied sciences in Germany) have created a prototype for the world’s first-ever solar powered cell phone. While full-fledged solar panels are still quite large and expensive, the researchers have integrated smaller, high-efficiency cells into the phones which, they claim, offers a module efficiency rate of 20%. In other words, the phone will stay steadily charged as long as it gets roughly 2 hours of sunlight per day. Failing that, the phone can still be charged via conventional methods.

Excerpt from the press release:

“Under the leadership of the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE, scientists from various institutes are working on technologies that will make it possible to achieve greater power densities and, when combined with batteries in hybrid energy systems, extend operating times.”

With all the excitement surrounding the worldwide push to “Go Green”, there have been some fascinating innovations that make it easy and even fun to save energy. Thanks to their creativity, we are entering an age where saving energy is almost as convenient as wasting it.

Hmm… I wonder will it work with the Yackie Mobile SIM card?

Yackie Mobile 101: Telecom Talk

The world of Telecom Jargon can sometimes be difficult to decipher. To aid the inexperienced world traveler in understanding my post content I put together a Telecom glossary. Here are some of the most commonly used and misunderstood acronyms:

1. MVNO=Mobile Virtual Network Operator
2. VOIP=Voice Over Internet Protocol
3. IP=Internet Protocol Address
4. SIM=Subscriber Identity Module
5. GSM=Global System for Mobile Communications
6. SIP=Single Internet Protocol
7. IVR=Interactive Voice Response

Yackie Mobile 101: Travel Safety

If you’re an international traveler like me, then I know that one of your main concerns is your personal safety while roaming abroad. When you journey far away from home, the odds are that you will have a safe and incident-free trip. However, sometimes travelers are experience unexpected difficulties. I asked some of my fellow traveling buddies, along with my past experiences to come up with a list of safety tips for the inexperienced international traveler. Hint: don’t forget to pack your communication essentials; Prepaid SIM Card/ Prepaid Debit Cards.

Lesson 1. How To Be a Tourist Without Looking Like One

• Avoid attention-grabbing attire, dress conservatively! You don’t want to stand out. Never wear expensive-looking jewelry, avoid displays of affluence. A flashy wardrobe, or one that is too casual, can mark you as a tourist. Walk confidently to your destination, even if you have no idea where you are going.

Lesson 2. Be a Safe Packer

• Simply put, travel light! You can move more quickly and will be more likely to have a free hand. You will also be less likely to set your luggage down, leaving it unattended, which is a big NO NO! never, ever leave your luggage unattended! That’s like hanging a huge neon advertisement that says, “Please Rob Me.”
• Make sure to pack a mobile Phone with the Yackie Mobile SIM card that way if you’re ever in trouble during your travels you have a way to call for help. The Yackie Mobile International SIM card makes it easy and affordable for anyone traveling overseas to enjoy the safety and convenience of cellular service! Whether you are a frequent business traveler or a tourist seeking a reliable, yet affordable cell phone solution, the Yackie Mobile International SIM card has you covered in over 200 countries!

Lesson 3. How to Deter a Pickpocket

• When you have to carry passports, cash, credit cards etc., conceal them in several places rather than putting them all in one place. Avoid handbags, fanny packs and outside pockets that are easy targets for thieves. Only carry enough money for the day on you. The rest should be hidden under your clothes. Use a money belt or sewn-in pocket. Otherwise leave all other valuables where they belong: at home or in a safety deposit box.
• Beware of groups who create a distraction while picking your pocket. Be careful in crowded places: subways, train stations, elevators, tourist sites, etc. It’s best to always be fully aware of your surroundings. I once caught someone following me.

Lesson 4. For the Things Money Can’t Buy

• Bring prepaid debit cards along with one or two major credit cards instead of cash. You never know when your housing arrangements will change, Hotels prefer credit cards then cash.
  
• Note on Credit Cards: Never let your credit cards out of your sight, even for a split second. Watch the store vendor or travel agent carefully. The scam works like this: someone in the establishment will cause a diversion while the other person sneaks two transactions in. One for your legitimate purchases, and another credit card imprint for future forgeries. This happened to me twice in Athens, Greece, and on the island of Crete, but I’ve heard the same horror stories in other countries as well. I cannot stress the importance of retaining all your receipts until you receive your next monthly credit card statement.

Lesson 5. Beware of Dark Alleys!

• Avoid sightseeing at night! You may stumble into an undesirable neighborhood not knowing any better. Tourist are most vulnerable at night.
  

Lesson 6. Do Your Homework

• Learn a few phrases in the local language so you can navigate around more easily and can signal your need for help.
• Research ahead of time: The Department of State’s Consular Information Sheets are available for every country of the world. They describe entry requirements, currency regulations, unusual health conditions, the crime and security situation, political disturbances, areas of instability, and special information about driving and road conditions. They also provide addresses and emergency telephone numbers for U.S. embassies and consulates.

Most importantly, just use plain common sense and intuition. Traveling abroad should not be overwhelming or dangerous. In fact, it should be one of the most rewarding and memorable experiences in your lifetime–especially if you bring your Yackie Mobile SIM card!