Nothing beats real-world testing and during my last international trip it was like having a mobile testing lab to actually put all of the things I've been writing about over the past year to the test. I visited Germany, London, and Paris over the course of two weeks. In many cases I was only in a given city for one night. So there were multiple trips to the airport, and multiple hotel stays as well as getting around on the ground in places that I've never been before. So I thought I'd spend a few moments highlighting the gear and gadgets that I depended on during this trip and talk about the ones that came up short.
What worked?
I would have to say that just about everything "worked". There weren't really any pieces of technology that totally failed me. Of course I took my MacBook Pro, my iPhone 3GS, my Nikon D5000 DSLR, my Kodak Zi8 HD Video camera, a multitude of cables and accessories as well as the necessary luggage to carry it all. So with the understanding that nothing really failed me miserably, let's talk about the devices that really made a difference:
The iPhone 3GS was the star of the trip
Now granted my MacBook Pro was really the tool that I depended on to get my work done, but the iPhone was actually the gadget that made the most impact on this trip. I can't believe how much I depended on it throughout the day. I used it for just about everything, including keeping my flights and schedule together. I used it as my GPS for getting around. I used it of course to make calls, but more importantly I used it to make very low cost VoIP calls. I used it to snap photos and of course instantly share those photos with friends and family. I even used it for language translations. While I'm sure other smartphones do a great job too, I just couldn't imagine travel without my iPhone, especially internationally. There is an App for just about everything! For a list of the Top 10 Travel Apps that I used and that totally rocked, go here.
International Power
I've already covered the converters I recommend here. However, I have to say that the Apple World Travel Adapter Kit and this Adapter/USB universal Power adapter really shined.
Getting online
I really didn't have any major issues getting online during this trip. There was either hotel or office WiFi or in a worse case scenario I had my MiFi with 3G coverage. My company has us signed up with iPass, which is a single service that allows you to get on hundreds, if not thousands of the various paid Wi-Fi services. So I had one single point of contact that didn't require me to pull out a credit card every time I wanted to connect. There's also an iPass Global Wi-Fi iPhone app and it worked great. Also check out Boingo.
The di-GPS Pro Mini
I ended up using my di-GPS Pro Mini for geotagging my photos when the Solmeta (see below) broke. This was the first time that I got the chance to put the "mini" to the test and it worked GREAT!
By the way, the people in Paris were friendly
I didn't run into a single rude person.
What didn't work?
Like I said, there wasn't anything that all out failed me. However, there are definitely some things I will be doing differently on my next long trip. Let's start with packing less! I had too many clothes. Not only that, but I had the WRONG suitcase. I had a large suitcase and the problem with it was that there was no comfortable place to hang my laptop bag off of it. So this meant having to either drag both or sling the laptop bag over my shoulder. This was a pain multiple times on this trip and let's just say, I'll never use that suitcase again. The other thing I would do is pack at least one change of clothes in my carry on since my luggage missed the connection. Luckily I got it back that afternoon, but it could have been a lot worse. As luck would have it, my bag was also lost on the return trip home and didn't show up for 3 days. I was home so it didn't matter.
The cables were too long
I'm now a big fan of short cables for travel. For example, I used a OWC portable Firewire 800 drive quite a bit on this trip and my FIreWire 800 cable was 6' in length. I have already swapped it out for a short one as well as my USB cables too. I'll share my choices for short cables in an upcoming post.
More power to the shields Scotty!
Although I had all the right adapters to power my gear, I could have simply used a couple more of them. As it turns out each night I wanted to simultaneously charge my MacBook Pro, my iPhone, my Jawbone ICON headset and my Apocket battery. There were also a couple of nights where I had my AirPort Express plugged in too. So I just didn't have enough adapters to go around I've already ordered/received a second Apple World Travel kit. I should be good to go now.
Did I really need the HyperMac battery?
I brought my external HyperMac battery with me for the long flights and honestly I only used it during the return trip. Most times I was either too tired to work on the plane OR the plane seats had laptop power. So the added weight and hassle of taking out of my bag at every airport security check point could have been avoided. Now keep in mind that with a MacBook Pro you're going to need 85W power and I don't know of any planes that will let you power AND charge your battery. So if your intent is to get work done while flying then the HyperMac battery IS the way to go!
Too many electronic devices
While I've got this great new Skooba bag, which worked GREAT, I still ran into delays with having too many other little hard to x-ray things in my bag. I've already covered what I would do about this here. I did have a change to use my new Think Tank cable/electronics case on a domestic trip last week and it worked perfectly. I had all of my little electronics, cables, accessories in the one bag for easy separation from the rest of my carry on. I had no TSA issues at all with this in a bin by itself.
Solmeta GPS for Geotagging
I had just received my Solmeta GPS for my Nikon camera the day before I left and I took it with me on this trip. The device did break after one day of use, but as it turns out I had the wrong cable. So I can't really blame the device and the day it was working, it worked well!
Lenses
Although I took my Nikon 18-200mm VR lens and my NEW 10.5mm Fisheye lens, I was jonesing for my higher quality glass. It's hard trying to juggle between carrying too much and having what you want/need, but on my next international trip (which is coming up soon), I will be bringing some of my better lenses.
The Bottom Line
There is no science to always having just what you need on every single trip and I quite fortunate that I have made the right purchase decisions more often than not, but I do want to get better at this as I travel more this year.
Doesn’t it cost a fortune to use the iPhone for GPS when international?
Bob, your GPS chip in your iPhone 3G or iPhone 3GS has no cost associated with it at all. It doesn’t access the cellular network in any way. The high cost comes in when you do data roaming (which is OFF by default). So for example if you use the Maps app and you have data roaming ON, then the costs could be staggering.
I have a 3GS. How do you use the gps chip without using the maps app? Or maybe the question should be what good is the chip without a map?
Bob, the Maps app requires that the maps be loaded in real time over a data connection, and that’s why you would be dinged for high roaming costs. The 3rd party GPS apps like Navigon are complete with the maps built-in and DON’T require a data connection.
Gotcha. Thank you.
I wonder the same thing Bob, I was sadly disappointed when my iPhone 3GS was practically worthless as a GPS device on a trip to europe last fall. It will work in a WiFi zone of course, but walk 150 feet and your lost again since data roaming is $19.99 for just a few minutes.
This article does mention a MiFi, so that’s perhaps how it was done, but it does mention making calls, so was this a jailbroken iphone? or did Terry have AT&T international roaming? The article is not clear on that… Hum…
Ted,
Let me be perfectly clear: My iPhone is NOT jailbroken, Yes I do have corporate international roaming. However, that’s not the point. As I answered above: the Maps App requires a data connection. The 3rd party GPS apps DO NOT. They use your built-in GPS chip AND their OWN built-in Maps!. So no data or roaming required to use them. I used the Navigon app regardless of a data connection.
Hi Terry,
many thanks for your great travel report and the good hints!
The picture of Hamburg is really great, it really expresses the winter mood well.
Right now the snow is about to melt (which is about time!).
In case you come to Germany again, drop me a mail if you like. Maybe i can
help you with more photo locations.
Have a nice day,
Marc
Thanks Marc! Will do.
Some questions about the iPhone 3GS.
So, you are saying in your replies above, that the 3rd party GPS apps access the satellites and data with no fees? This is accessing it even if you are traveling without any cell phone service (i.e. let’s say you don’t have a AT&T International plan, you can still access the GPS 3rd party apps for free)?
I have been looking to get an iPhone, but I just do not see how it will work for me. I am an expat living in Russia…so most of my time is in Russia, then there are months at a time when I am in US…there is no way I want to pay for a AT&T contract….but only solution (except of course jailbroken which I do not want to do).
Does anyone know what Apple does? I could but one here in Russia, but then I will have zero service in the US when I am there and NO WAY to get service I assume. BTW, iPhones in Russia cost a MINT! So I am not rushing out to do that either.
1. Buy a 3rd party GPS app (my fav is Navigon) with built in Maps.
2. Pay NO fees to use it.
Thanks Terry!
Hi Terry! Hopefully we can share some more technology stuff on our upcoming trip to Europe đŸ™‚
I recently traveled to Sweden, and also had a layover in the UK, so in the end, I found myself in 3 European cities — London, Copenhagen, and Lund — over a course of 4 days. In the past, when traveling abroad, I would buy a cheap unlocked phone and buy a local SIM but decided to take my iPhone. The experience was great.
I started by signing up for the AT&T World Traveler — it costs $5 a month and you get discounted calling rates to and from the US when abroad — basically it was .99 a minute. Then, I also purchased a 20MB data plan for $25. My phone worked perfectly in every city, and I was able to use the data. In fact, over the 4 days, I only used up 10MB of the data plan (the iPhone lets you easily track your usage, so you’re always in the know). Of course, where possible, I always tried hopping on a WiFi network (which also let me use Skype for cheaper calls).
When I came home, I cancelled the World Traveler and the Data Plan (so I basically paid for just a month), and AT&T even pro-rated the data usage and refunded me for close to 10MB of data. I would certainly use my iPhone again when I travel abroad. The only issue is that since it’s the same number, all my friends call it not knowing I am in a different time zone, and they end up calling me at crazy hours. If only there was an app that would automatically answer with a message that “Mordy is in XX time zone right now, please call during daylight hours…” đŸ™‚
Mordy thanks for those tips! We’re taking the family to South Africa in a few months and this posts plus comments is helping a lot. We’re a family of two iphones and three ipod touches and I know we’ll rely on them all greatly on our trip.
When you call AT&T, be sure to verify that the countries you plan to visit are included in their plan. I too did world traveler with a prepaid 20mb data plan on my last trip to Southern Africa, only to return and learn that some countries are not included (translation = VERY expensive to use it in Botswana).
Terry- Very interesting post! I know this is a tech blog, but hopefully you will continue to explore other scenarios. For example, if I wanted to spend 2 weeks in Europe photographing landscapes and did not need Internet (laptop), how would I best back up the images? Epson, Digital Foci, Jobo, or Wolverine? Or, say I wanted to spend 4 weeks in Europe and wanted to bring 1 carry-on, what would I pack? I have a friend who actually did it. He used REI travel clothing, which you can wash in your hotel sink, and it will be dry in the morning. I realize this is getting away from “tech” but tech guys and gals travel, so who better to test this stuff than you?
My wife prizes the photo she got with you Thursday evening. It’s getting framed and going up on her Wall of Fame!
I’ll do my best to cover more travel stuff as I’m going to be doing more travel in the coming months. As far as photos go, search my blog for the HyperDrive Colorspace review.
Great meeting you and I’m honored to be framed in your home đŸ™‚
Hi Barney,
i used the Epson Pxxxx (don’t know the exact number right now) for that purpose in
quite some vacations.
You can even attach a second USB drive for further backup security.
The price is hefty but the quality is worth it.
In case you look for a site on photography and travel you may want to look at the blog
from Steven Frischling:
http://boardingarea.com/blogs/flyingwithfish/
Kind regards,
Marc
You mean there isn’t an app for that already!!! I am surprised đŸ˜‰
Terry:
FWIW, your web site has been very slow in loading for the last two days and I’ve not noticed any other sites running particularly slow. I’m using Verizon’s FIOS at 16 Mbs.
Hmmm..didn’t think of that when I got my MotionX GPS app. Great app, but it’s only 8MB, so no built-in maps. They use Bing maps.
When I travelled to China I paid the $25 for 20GB. It was worth it to be able to check email, browse the net, and look up maps while out and about and not have to look for wifi. Then again, it might be nice to be able to use GPS without having to watch my data count.