Travel & Aviation
Skype offers free WIFI access in 50 US Airports
Make travelling less stressful with free WIFI from Skype. Until December 27 2011, The fine folks at Skype are offering you an hour of FREE WIFI internet at more than 50 US Airports. All you need is a free Skype account and a Windows, Mac Skype application (or IOS Skype WIFI App). You can read the Skype blog posts and get a list of participating sites here. In years past, we have seen Google offer similar gifts (but alas, not this year).
Be safe when staying in a hotel (part 4) - Hotels are for spying
In most countries, a hotel is simply a convenient place for you to stay and recharge. Without naming any specific countries, local intelligence agencies in some of them are known to use hotels as an information collection tool on guests. In these countries, you should assume that everything you do is monitored including telephone conversations via the telephone assume the hotel's internet service is monitored assume the room is bugged for audio monitoring and sometimes even video This being said, it is important to never leave your laptop, PDA or confidential/important documents in the room.
Be safe when staying in a hotel (part 3) - What to do when checking in
When travelling, it is best to assume that anyone can be a hostile. When you pull up to the hotel, ensure all of your luggage is removed from the taxi or bus. Stay with your luggage until it is brought into the hotel lobby. Even in the lobby, always keep an eye out for your luggage. Remember that thieves are always looking for distractions and a busy lobby may be the perfect opportunity to snatch your items (or stuff something) in your bag.
Be safe when staying in a hotel (part 2)
How to choose the safest hotel room Always choose a room between the 4th and 6th floor (never lower and never higher). The 6th floor maximum is in place because most fire department truck ladders have a maximum height equal to the 6th floor[ of most hotels]. Any higher and rescue during an emergency becomes problematic. The 4th floor recommend is in place to make it difficult for someone to enter your room from the ground floor (from the outside).
Be safe when staying in a hotel (part 1)
Having travelled to over 30 countries, I have picked up some interesting tips and tricks about hotel safety over the years. Since the holiday season is approaching and many of you may be travelling, I thought I would write a couple of short, bullet point style articles to help you stay safe. The Preparation Before leaving, I strongly recommend that you make at least 3 photocopies (front and back) of the following documents: Credit cards All tickets (airplane, train, show, etc) Passport Important documents you may be travelling with I would leave one copy with a trusted resource back home ( as a worst case scenario backup) and carry 2 copies with me in different places.
Airports may be hazardous to your Kindle
Over the last couple of days, we have been hearing more and more complaints from Kindle owners about airport X-Ray machines killing their beloved eReaders. The UK Telegraph reports some travellers claiming their device was bricked after going through the X-Ray. The devices were nonfunctional with blank screens. Amazon is denying that there is a design issue but seems to be replacing affected devices. Some specialists believe it may not be the X-Rays themselves but more a static discharge from the machine’s thick rubber conveyor belt.
Xcom Global now offers an unlimited 40 country European data service
Frequent travelers know the headache and high cost of global “staying connected” while travelling abroad. Xcom Global recently solved this issue for travelers to Europe with their new EuroSIM. It enables US travelers to rent a device that will provide unlimited data connectivity in 40 European countries. They are renting a MIFI for $US14.95 a day (provides connectivity for up to 5 devices) or a USB WWAN for $US12.95.