Many of you have attended our 'Travelling with your iPad and iPhone (and other Technology)' class, in which we look at (amongst other things) the options for keeping in touch via phone and internet while you are away.
We talk about the risk of 'bill shock' from using mobile data while travelling, and the options that you have for avoiding this nasty experience. One of the options discussed is purchasing and using a 'travel SIM'. These special SIMs provide you with relatively cheap call rates and, in many cases these days, also offer 'data packs' and 'bundles' that can give you access to reasonably priced mobile data. One such 'travel SIM' is actually called TravelSIM, and is available from Australia Post outlets or online. Just today, I received an email from TravelSIM (as we have used this SIM previously in our travels), advising that there have been some changes to their 'Data Packs' - changes that are really worth a look! See below for the content of that email, which I thought many iTandCoffee subscribers and clients would find of interest.
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At the 'Travelling with your iPad and iPhone' class held in June, we discussed some issues that you may incur with Messages and iMessage when you travel.
We also discussed the issue of how best to protect yourself when travelling, and the option of using a Virtual Private Network (VPN) when accessing the internet while away. The information provided to attendees at this class is provided below, just in case anyone else has plans to use Messages to communicate with those back home or wants to learn how ensure safe online browsing 2/6/2017 1 Comment Travel and your technology - ‘Don’t leave home without it’, but make sure you know the traps!
(Contributor: Jim Coulston)
When I think of travel and my technology, I find myself reminded of the iconic catch-phrase from the ‘80’s AMEX advertisements; “Don’t leave home without it”. We have all become more reliant on technology to manage our daily work and private lives. In an increasingly connected, on-line world, the relentless pull toward ‘mobile’ technology, whether in the form of the almost ubiquitous smartphone or tablet, seems unstoppable. For the traveller, the attraction of staying connected with loved ones at home is obvious but the pleasure that comes with the freedom of being relieved of all those bulky paper itineraries, maps, guidebooks and the feeling of empowerment that comes with having the internet at your fingertips adds to the joy of modern travel. Of course, these feelings are reserved for the well-informed and well-prepared traveller. Like me, you probably know of travellers who’ve returned home to a horror phone bill because they didn’t have an appropriate phone or data plan for their travels. Unfortunately, it's not necessarily a simple matter of taking your device with you! Don’t let that happen to you, come along to iTandCoffee's 2-hour Travel with your iPad and iPhone session to find out about the best (and cheapest) options for staying connected while you travel, for both phone and internet. If you’re planning a trip, whether for business or pleasure, Travel and Your iPad and iPhone offers great tips about using your iPhone and iPad to plan, hold your itinerary and plans, then all the things you need to know about using it when you are away - including great apps that are 'must-haves'. Find your way around, find out what to see, book tickets, learn how to ensure that your carefully laid plans are stored and accessed securely and STAY SAFE while you’re on-line. Here are details of upcoming 'Travel with your iPad' sessions at iTandCoffee. Just choose 'Sign up' to book! (Contributed by Jim Coulston) It’s coming up to 2 years since Lynette and I travelled to Europe, leaving our 4 children (aged 12 to 21) at home to fend for themselves. The fact that we felt confident enough to leave the children had as much to do with our confidence that we could stay in touch as it did with our confidence in their capability and responsibility. Our technology was such a key contributor to the success of our trip – in more ways than one. We were in daily contact with our children via face-time, telephone and texts thanks to the modern technological wonder of the internet and travel SIM’s. It cost us less than $150 for the entire 7 week trip. Gone are the days when a trip to Europe meant being out of reach for all but the most serious and urgent matters! While planning to be away for so long we had anticipated the possibility that there may be a crisis at home while we were on the other side of the world. When our (stoic) older boy broke a bone in his hand the day after we had visitied the Colosseum, a Facetime video chat with him allows us to see that he needed medical attention. While we weren’t there for the emergency hospital visit or the subsequent surgery and the various follow-up appointments (how lucky were we!), we were able to provide support and advice via phone, text and video calls whenever it was needed. Like many travellers, we had planned our itnerary and booked our accommodation before we left, with the exception of our first week in Provence and our last week in England, which we planned on-the-run using some very useful travel apps. While we were away, we used our iPhones (we didn't take a camera) to capture some magical photos of some of Europe’s iconic destinations. These photos were then included in a series of photobooks (my therapy after every major holiday) which now grace our coffee table. Some of my favourite photos: If you’re contemplating an overseas trip soon, why not join us for the ‘Travelling and your iPad/iPhone’ class on March 24? You'll hear also sorts of useful tips and information about taking your technology on a trip, and using it beforehand to prepare for that trip. Travellers may also be interested in one of our favourite classes, the ‘Make a Photo Book’ class on May 2nd. Related Handy Hints and ArticlesSome of the below items are 'members only' hints for iTandCoffee Club members. Others are 'free' articles that can be viewed by anyone. Find out more about The iTandCoffee club here »
Each time I travel overseas, I find I discover a few new handy tips for travelling with an iPhone (or another mobile device). During our family trip to Vietnam in June/July 2016, I utilised a different option for phone/text access to that which I had previously used. It was very easy and ended up very cheap. I also discovered a great new feature of a popular app - one that gave a great 'photo journal' of our trip and mapped all the places we visited. I'll be sharing these tips in the next 'Travelling with your iPad and iPhone (and other technology)' class on Friday August 5th, 11am-1pm. For those who are interested in reading about about these tips now, I have added them to the iTandCoffee Club Clubhouse, for iTandCoffee Club Members. Here are the links to the relevant articles:
If you are interested in reading great tips like this, why not join The iTandCoffee Club today? It is only $30 per year. Find out more here. 14/7/2016 0 Comments Your mail account may be locked when you travel - a very frustrating security precautionA client who is travelling contacted iTandCoffee this week about a Hotmail issue she suffers when she travels. This very same issue - where Hotmail locks a mail account if the user is more that 300km from their 'usual' location - happened to my daughter only recently, when we travelled to Vietnam during the June/July 2016 school holidays. Whenever she went to use her Mail app, her Hotmail emails could not be retrieved. Additionally, she would get an email sent to the account's 'rescue email', saying that the account had been locked for security reasons. She got a new email each time she move to a new city during out trip This problem is not unique to Hotmail. Find out more about this issue, and what you can do to ensure that you don't lose access to your email, in this Handy Hint for iTandCoffee Club members. Not yet a member of The iTandCoffee Club? It is only $30 per year. Not only does it help fund this free newsletter, it also gives you access to a huge library of handy hints and tips, videos of iTandCoffee classes, free guide offers, and more. Find out more here. 4/6/2016 0 Comments Exciting news about Google Translate - just in time for school holiday travel to foreign lands!I was very excited to read this week that the Google Translate app now has a feature that will be incredibly useful for an upcoming trip overseas. Not only does it offer translations for even more languages, but now Google Translate can store its translation files on your device - so that there is no need for an internet connection to use the amazing translation features it offers! But wait, there's more! One of my favourites is that it can give you immediate translation of a sign, menu or any other written text you see, by using the 'World Lens' feature that is now part of the app. (This used to be a separate app.) Just hold your phone up to point at the sign, press the camera symbol, and prepare to be amazed. Here are some examples, showing photos I have taken as I sit in my hotel room (on a very wet day in Sydney) writing this article, using a sign that is on my desk.
We cover more on this App (and lots of other useful information about travelling with technology) in the 'Travel with your iPad and iPhone' class that is run at iTandCoffee on a regular basis, with the next class scheduled for Fri Aug 5th, 11am-1pm. (If you are interested in attending this class sooner than this date - or need a private appointment before you travel - contact us on 1300 885 420 or email enquiries@itandcoffee.com.au. If there is enough demand, an additional class will be scheduled.) Here is a recent article in The Age about the improved Google Translate app. Related articles and handy hints How to keep in touch by phone while travelling overseas
iPhone tip: How to dial an overseas number that has a '+' at the start Apple SIM provides data for travellers in 90 countries So many ways to keep in touch from the other side of the world using your iPad and iPhone Some warnings about using Wi-Fi when travelling - even Hotel Wi-Fi A really handy app for travellers Checking your voicemail when you don't have access to your regular phone or SIM Making sure that your contacts' names appear in the Messages and Phone apps when you travel OS Why don't certain iPhone messages arrive until I am connected to WiFi? I turned on my data roaming and used 11MB in a flash For travellers: how to get SatNav on your iPhone or iPad when you don't have internet Client Question: Why can't I send my Bigpond email when I am in Hong Kong? How to get access to Australian content when you travel - while keeping your online world secure Great ways of adding more storage to your iPad and iPhone - especially when you travel Here's a handy app for when you travel - especially by train A great accessory for travelling with your iPhone and iPad - battery charging, backup and extra storage for your i-Device
Did you know that Apple offers SIM cards, called Apple SIMs, that can provide you with data access in over 90 countries while you travel?
I must have 'missed the memo' on this one, because I only just saw the below article this week - even though the article was published on July 1st 2015. For those of you who are interested in options for having mobile data access while you travel, this may be one to seriously consider. If you ever need to check your voicemail from another phone - for example when you are travelling, and perhaps are not using your usual SIM in your phone - you can easily retrieve your voicemails remotely from any phone. Just dial your own phone number and, when your voicemail message starts, press the # key to access your voicemail. You may need to do some initial setup to make this feature work - for example, to set a 'pin' that you then enter to gain access to your messages after selecting the '#'. I used this handy feature when travelling overseas recently, when I did not have my regular Telstra SIM in my phone. I also used it more recently when my husband and I went away overnight on a weeknight, and I forgot to take my iPhone (!). I was able to check my voicemail regularly from his phone, to make sure I responded to any client calls that needed attention. (Thanks Katie K for this handy hint suggestion.) For those of you with kids, this article might provide some useful tips on apps that can keep your kids entertained by one iPad when you travel.
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