Travel & Aviation
Clean water for travel and survival (Steripen & Aquamira)
[caption id="" align=“alignnone” width=“4739”] Image by Tom Hal used under creative commons license [/caption] November 2012, I wrote an article about the Steripen. The Steripen is still part of my travel kit and something I rely on regularly. If you have't read it, you should. Why do I need to clean my own water? The question I get asked most often is why? If you are someone that stays in nice hotels and buys expensive bottled water, you shouldn't have any issues?
Best travel body wipes
Anyone who has travelled for business knows the feeling of feeling "un-fresh" and not having access to a shower. Anytime you need a clean freshening up and don't have access to soap/water, you need an alternative solution: enter body wipes. I recently went searching for the best wipes (for travel or EDC) and read hundreds of reviews online (websites, blogs and retailer comments) and ordered 30 different brands. what I was looking for was: large surface area thick wipe that won't easily rip something environmentally friendly something with a mild perfume and no alcohol something that comes in a resealable container After all my testing, the ones that really stood out were the Action Wipes.
Comparing T-Mobile's Tourist plan with Roam Mobility
[caption id="" align=“alignnone” width=“2333”] Image by GotCredi used under Creative Commons License [/caption] I received a handful of emails asking me to company the new T-Mobile Tourist plan with the Roam Mobility talk+text+data plans. For $US30, T-mobile gives you: a single use disposable SIM (valid for 21 days) 1000 minutes of local USA calling 2GB of high speed LTE data Unlimited international text messaging to 140 countries For $CAD4.95 a day, Roam Mobility gives you: a reusable SIM (expires after 6 months without a plan) unlimited nationwide calling (USA) and Canada Unlimited international text messaging to 140 countries ~400MB of LTE Data a day What happens when your SIM expires With the T-Mobile and Roam Mobility plan, when the SIM expires, you lose your assigned number and need to get a new one.
T-Mobile launches tourist plan for visitors to the USA
T-Mobile just launched a plan for tourists visiting the USA. Go into any T-Mobile store with an unlocked GSM phone and buy this $30 plan. It is active for 3 weeks and does not auto-renew. You get 2GB of LTE data Unlimited texting to 140 countries 1,000 minutes of domestic calling a free SIM card This will complete directly with companies like Roam Mobility and KnowRoaming. Let's see if they respond with cheaper plans. Source
Native Union USB Lightning EDC & Travel Belt Cable Review
USB Cables are a dime a dozen. Lightning cables are more expensive but come in all shapes, sizes and quality. Most cables are perfectly acceptable sitting on your nightstand at home but if you carry it with you (EDC) or travel with it, then you need to make sure you pickup something that can withstand the torture it will endure. Native Union is a boutique accessory maker that seems to put some thought in their designs and charges accordingly. No $2.
Travel Tip : Use a reliable VPN when connecting to WIFI
[caption id="" align=“alignnone” width=“2667”] Image by EFF Photos used under Creative Commons License [/caption] As a security professional, I know the risks of using WIFI, particularly when using WIFI outside of work or home. It can open you up to an entire world of hurt from hackers and bad actors. They can steal information and trick you into visiting questionable websites. But WIFI is how most hotels offer internet connectivity these days. WIFI allows you to connect to the wonderful world wide web when flying 30000 feet in the air using services like Gogo.
Travel Tip: What food can I bring back
[caption id="" align=“alignnone” width=“2592”] Image by Antony Stanley used under creative commons license [/caption] Frequent and infrequent travellers usually are confused about what food products they are legally allowed to bring back. Since many of my readers are American, I will write about USA regulations. Americans coming back home with food It is important to ensure you comply with these import control rules as breaking them can be punished with a slap on the wrist of a very severe high cost fine.
Travel Tip: Find safety tips for your travel destination
[caption id="" align=“alignnone” width=“3330”] Image by Manoj Vasanth used under creative commons license [/caption] The Paris Terror attacks were a stark reminder that the world is a dangerous place. It is now and has always been but this should prevent you from exploring this great big beautiful world of ours. There are tips to stay safe, of course, and one of those is to “Be Prepared”. In my previous blog post, Travel tips when travelling alone, I talk about doing your homework but it’s important enough for me to re-mention it here again.
Trace Me Luggage Tracker will make sure you never lose your bags again
As many of you gear up for holiday travel, you may have the lingering concern of losing your luggage. Most airlines will credit you a couple of hundred dollars for a lost and unrecoverable bag, but this rarely covers the actual cost of the contents. You can also buy insurance but that doesn’t help when you are standing around the carousel waiting to start your vacation and your luggage never shows up. Do bags really get lost? SITA’s baggage report 2015 provides some interesting industry information.
Travel Tip : Show up to the gate early
In an effort to meet departure times, some airlines (worldwide) seem to have adopted an earlier than printed (on the boarding pass) boarding start process. This doesn’t seem to be happening at every airport with every airline but I have been hearing about this more and more from readers, airline employees and frequent flyer contacts. This means that if you aren’t there a bit early, you may not board the plane early enough to get space in the coveted overhead bin.