by David McGuffin | May 6, 2015 | Essential Travel Resources
UPDATED: August 2025
These smartphone travel tips will help you save money and get the most out of your overseas travel. Cell phone providers in the USA have made it easy to stay connected while traveling by introducing affordable temporary travel options that include messaging, calling, and data… all rolled into one plan. Sure, it cost a bit more for your travel period, but when you come home, the extra fees go away.
But before you strike out across the pond, here are my smartphone travel tips:
- Contact your mobile phone provider and sign up for one of their international calling plans. Plans vary, but usually, there is a flat fee per day of usage while out of the country.
- If you are trying to save money and not use your mobile device while traveling, turn off your voicemail, email, and data features when you leave the USA. Put your phone in airplane mode and turn on WiFi. Failure to forget this step, if you’ve not signed up for an international data plan, will rack up hundreds of dollars on your next phone bill.
- WiFi hotspots are all over Europe. Most certainly, you’ll find one at your hotel (often with slow speeds). However, cafes, coffee shops, restaurants, and public spaces often offer free WiFi as well.
- Many of the new international plans include unlimited texting and reasonable data usage. Check with your provider.
- If you purchase an international plan that includes a finite amount of data (such as 90, 120, 180 mb/month), you’ll need to keep an eye on how much you are using while traveling. I “reset” my smartphone statistics when my flight takes off for Europe. That way, I can check the actual data used while out of the country.
CHARGING YOUR DEVICE
You do not need an electrical power converter for your smartphone, cellphone, camera, tablet, or any electronic gadget manufactured since 2005. All modern devices will charge without damage on any electric current in Europe. Typically this will be 220 volts AC. You will need an adapter for the wall socket. https://davidmcguffin.com/how-to-plug-in-without-a-meltdown-electrical-adapters-converters/
If you follow my smartphone travel tips, I believe the convenience is worth the cost. If for nothing else, it gives me peace of mind knowing my family, co-workers, and friends are just a phone call, text, or chat away. Knowing that, in an emergency, a family member could pick up their telephone at home and give me a call is an added benefit as well.
by David McGuffin | Feb 9, 2014 | Essential Travel Resources
ScotteVest Evaluation
I mentioned a few days ago that I was testing a ScotteVest to determine if it was a suitable replacement for my normal drawstring backpack. I’ve worn it now for four days and now can make an evaluation. But before I do, let me tell you a little about the ‘essential” stuff I carry day in and day out my drawstring backpack.
As the name implies, my drawstring backpack is small and lightweight. It is about 12”x16”. The “drawstrings” offer no support and if the packed is loaded with gear, the string can dig into your shoulders a bit. My pack has a big main compartment and an outside zippered pouch. There is also a mesh holder for a ½ liter water bottle. Typically I carry these items in my backpack:
- Small travel umbrella
- A small waterproof pouch with medication, pens, glue stick, bottle opener, Tide to go stick, moleskin, nail clippers, paper clips, sticky note pad, sharpie markers, rubber bands, duct tape roller around a pencil, a clothespin, Neosporin, sunscreen, and other odds and ends.
- A leather-bound Journal
- iPhone charger and adapter
- iPhone, used as my all purpose camera and communication device
- Bandana,
- Sunglasses,
- Maps, guidebooks, itineraries, etc.
I’ve found that’s all I need to get through the day in any destination. Additionally, I wear a moneybelt in which I keep my valuables such as money, credit cards, and passport. If needed, I wear a lightweight, waterproof jacket with several large pockets.
Ok, back to the ScotteVest…
PROS – It has lots of pockets that are designed to lay flat and stay closed. All of the pockets are in the front or sides of the vests. There is a large pocket in the rear, but I’ve not used it because items in there would get in the way when seated. The pockets are designed for specific items, for example: there is a pocket for glasses with a cleaning cloth attached, a pocket for a water bottle, two pockets for iPods and smartphones, a tube-like channel for earphones to tuck away discreetly, an iPad or mobile reader pocket, a pocket for documents such as passport and boarding passes (I used this while in transit and flying and it is great… keeps everything handy. But once “in country” I transfer all that to my moneybelt). All of the pockets I’ve mentioned are on the inside of the vest. There are four pockets outside with magnetic closures and zippers. That’s 18 pockets in all!
I’ve neatly organized all the items I usually put in my drawstring backpack into the various pockets of the ScotteVest. Now that I’ve travel with it a few days and remember in which pocket I’ve placed items it is becoming real handy. I like it because all the weight is distributed evenly across my shoulders and it does not look like a sack of potatoes around my torso. The vest is warm and traveling in the cooler months this comes in handy as another layer.
CONS
The vest makes me hot. Especially when traveling through airports and on the airplanes. I feel the heat building on my shoulders and back an become extremely warm.
The vest is not particularly attractive, but I’m an old fart, so don’t really care.
I’m not too sure about how the vest will work in the summer heat. It does have a mesh inner liner which is supposed to transfer the heat out and cool in.
OVERALL – I am happy with the ScotteVest. At $125, it is expensive, but for me it will do for cool weather travel. I’ll be wearing this thing for the next three week, so I’ll let you know if I change my mind on anything.
Here is the link to their website if you want to learn more: http://www.scottevest.com
by David McGuffin | Aug 4, 2013 | Essential Travel Resources
Washcloths are an American icon, but they are not generally found in other parts of the world. I grew up using a washcloth (we called them washrags) to wash my face when taking a shower. I think I might have even used the same one for several days, however it has been so long ago I’m not sure. One thing I do remember is I quit using them when I started traveling to Europe because they were not available at any hotel back in those days.
It never fails, about a month before a tour is set to commence I begin getting questions about washcloths. Many of my travel partners have come up with clever solutions for this “problem.” If you have a suggestion, please share it in the comment section below.
by David McGuffin | Jul 17, 2013 | Culture & Customs, Essential Travel Resources
Saint Peter’s Basilica – ROME
Travel Question of the Month – JULY 2014
“I’ve been doing some reading about Italy and there is mention of a dress code for entering some of the churches in Rome. What I read was that women must be wearing long pants or a skirt below their knees and have their shoulders covered. Is there a dress code for any of the places we will be visiting (on our tour in September)?” – Joe from Florida
My Response…
Many churches, especially south of the Alps, require modest dress for men and women. Often you’ll find a “guard” at the door reminding visitors to remove their hats, take no photos, and arrive dressed properly. Bare shoulders and knees usually result in the visitor being turned away at the door. Keep in mind that all over Europe these grand churches were not built as a tourist sight, but as a place for worship.
Some of the major church sights in Italy provide disposable garments which are given to tourists who show up in short shorts, tank tops, and other immodest attire. It is kind of entertaining to watch partially clad tourists don tacky capes and britches to enter these churches. I’ve also seen many people turned away completely at the doors of St. Mark’s in Venice and St. Peter’s in Rome because they do not meet the dress code.
Allowed in – yes or no?
The bottom line here is to dress for the occasion. Europeans, in general, dress up more than Americans. You’ll not find a man wearing shorts unless they are at the seaside or a woman wearing warm-ups or short shorts unless at a workout. So, when traveling in Europe, no matter the season or destination, plan to dress for the locale and the tour plan of the day. Save your shorts and tank tops for the seaside, pool, or mountain hiking.
by David McGuffin | Jul 17, 2013 | Destinations, Essential Travel Resources
PLACE SORBONNE – PARIS
Last Thursday morning, I walked out the doors of my Paris Sorbonne area hotel to temperatures in the 50’s F. With only one carry-on sized suitcase and a small drawstring backpack, the walk to the Luxembourg RER station was short and pleasant. The Paris Métro is infamous for its lack of elevators and escalators, so walking down the steps to the tracks was relatively easy with my light load. Catching the train at LUXEMBOURG was a good idea because this stop proceeds the busier two stops down the line (St. Michel and Châtelet les Halles). To make the trip even better, a local gentleman advised me to skip the first RER B train and take the next one because it was an “express” which skips all the stops north of Gare Du Nord. So, with my luggage stowed and a seat, I enjoyed a relatively stress-free 35 minute ride to the airport.
PARIS BY TRAIN BLOG
Doing my research, I ran across a blog by Ben Lam called http://parisbytrain.com. Ben does a nice job detailing the RER and Métro systems in and around Paris. From now on, I’ll go here first to seek answers to my Paris transportation questions.
by David McGuffin | Jun 16, 2013 | Essential Travel Resources
HAPPY FATHER’S DAY TO MY DAD!
Me and My Dad circa 1957
Today, I am in Paris showing my favorite city to several of my new found friends and travel partners. This morning, I’ve had a few minutes to reflect on just how I got the travel “bug” and what drives me to share my passion with others. I’d like to tell you about it…
My Dad (Don McGuffin) taught me at an early age to explore, to see what’s at the end of the road, and around the next corner. One of my earliest memories is staying at home with my Dad one day. I could not have been much older than 3 or 4 years. He was doing some work around the yard and gave me a screwdriver to keep me occupied. I reckon he said something like, “here, take this and go figure out something new.” With that new “toy” I explored a way to use it and gained a new experience as well. I wandered around to the backside of the car and took off the taillight cover, removed the bulbs, and was trying to figure out how to put it back together when my Dad found me. He took a photo of me and the taillight hanging by the wires, then we put it back together.
Later, I recall Daddy taking us on camping trips to the mountains. This was always an adventure to me and my family. I recall driving on dirt roads across the tops of mountains and Appalachian “Bald” hills just to see where the road took us. Often we discovered a new destination or scenic route. One time we took one of those roads and ended up in a rag-tag mountain “community” where everyone looked the same and stuck their heads out of their doors as we (the strangers) quickly tried to find a way out of this pre-“Deliverance” settlement.
I could go on and on with many stories of my travels and explorations with my Dad. They all end the same… we had an experience getting there and made a lifetime of good memories.
As it turns out, I am sure I would not be sitting here in Paris today had in not been for those early experiments, trials, errors, and adventures with my Dad. Thanks Daddy for showing me around and molding me into the man I am today!
HAPPY FATHER’S DAY!!
