So your parents have just booked a ‘family trip of a lifetime’ to some remote area of the world and are insisting you join them, or your boss has planned an active 'team-building’ camping trip for a week and skipping it isn’t an option. Your only solace is knowing that wherever you are – you have your smart phone handy to keep you entertained and connected.
While the prospect of sending your friends photos or checking your email might seem like a great idea before your trip, coming home to find a bill of sky high data roaming charges is highly likely. But there are steps you can take to avoid these unwelcome charges and still enjoy using the applications.
1. Ditch data roaming for Wifi
iPhones, and most other smart phones, include a Wifi option that lets you piggyback on local wireless connections. The trick is finding a free hotspot, which is where the brilliant Global Wifi Finder application comes in handy. This nifty utility maps the locations of more than 250,000 free Wifi locations in 140 countries around the world. All the data is stored locally on your iPhone, or can be accessed online via JiWire’s website, meaning that you’ll never be far from free internet access. Don’t forget to deactivate data roaming first, though: turn it off at Settings > General > Network.
2. Turn off automatic updates
For those of you who steadfastly refuse to switch off data roaming, streamlining your iPhone’s update facility is an absolute must. Go to Settings > Fetch New Data and switch off ‘Push’. Then change ‘Fetch’ to ‘Manually’ – this stops your handset from checking your emails every few minutes, which would otherwise run up a hefty bill over the course of any holiday.
3. Travel prepared with virtual backups
Make sure you set off on your holiday as well prepared as possible. With the smart phone’s camera you can back up vital documents such as your passport, credit card statements and even luggage tag.
Another prudent measure for iPhone users is to make use of the built-in screen capture facility by saving relevant images from Google Maps and other online resources. Simply navigate to your desired image, hold down the ‘Home’ button, and then hit ‘Power/Sleep’. The screen will flash, and a screenshot will be instantly saved in your Photos app for later reference.
4. Pack light with eBooks
Here’s a novel idea that will save holidaymakers money on excess baggage charges. Ditch those bulky paperbacks for an eBook. In fact with the excellent Stanza app, developed by Lexcycle, you won’t even have to pay for your book. The programme’s online catalogue features more than 100,000 titles – all of which can be downloaded for free and then read on the iPhone’s generously proportioned screen. Avid bookworms will also appreciate Amazon’s Kindle, which sells more recent bestsellers.
5. Check your network provider’s tariffs
O2 users presently have the choice of two ‘Data Abroad Bolt Ons’ - the first tariff gives you 10Mb of overseas data roaming for £20 per month, while the other ups your available bandwidth to 50Mb for £50. (Well worth the investment if you’re anticipating some heavy-duty surfing.)
6. Explore offline alternatives
Technophiles will be only too aware how addictive gadgets can be, but if you’re trying to stick to a budget then frivolous spending has to be cut out. Sure, you’d get a kick out of taunting your friends back home with that photo of you floating in the Dead Sea, but is it really worth it?
What’s more, as impressive as Google Maps is, try to remember what holidaymakers did in the days before the internet. Just pick up a street map – it won’t kill you.
7. Make the most of flight apps
Remember that you don’t have to be online to check your flight info. TripIt is a useful app for the iPhone, Blackberry and other smart phones that generates an itinerary of your upcoming trips. All you have to do is forward your booking confirmation email to the TripIt website, which then filters out the relevant information and sends a personalised itinerary to your phone.
For last-minute developments, like flight delays and cancellations, look no further than iPhone’s FlightTrack. With this handy app you can check real-time flight info until the moment you board the plane. Just watch out for those data roaming charges once you’ve taken off...
Martin Rivers
© Cheapflights Ltd
Updated April 2009
