@ClassicMom98 your expensive cereal reminded me of the sailing trip to the BVI when the kids were young. My son talked us into an expensive $6 box of sugar cereal in a small market. He proceeded to lose the almost full box over the side of the boat when he was playing around. The fish were happy his siblings were annoyed.
1 Like
D1 has been traveling through Europe. Before she left I checked with ATT about international pass. I was pleasantly surprised that it is $10/day for the first line and $5/day for other lines and the maximum charge for one billing cycle is $100. She has been using her phone for 3+ weeks and we all have our phone on.
2 Likes
I was listening to a podcast recently where someone mentioned wearing a fanny pack to travel and said that it was a “sneaky” way to get a little more on the plane with them - did not count as a personal belonging since it was on their body and maybe not even seen if under a tunic, s weather, jacket. Also makes it easy when sitting on the plane to get to your phone, chapstick, snacks….
8 Likes
Thanks, this is good to know. In the past it may have been $10 per day per phone, with no maximum charge. Going to Scotland in the fall, and will go on the website to verify all this.
Being in Canada last month and being able to use our data as we saw fit was quite useful.
There’s all kinds of hacks out there about buying European SIM cards and European burner phones, etc., all that may add up close to the $100.
I will admit T-Mobile’s data access in all countries is making them attractive.
I paid £10 for a SIM card in UK, and similar in Austria. But lately I just skipped buying them. Too much of a hassle. I was able to use WhatsApp in Zurich when I realized I missed a date by my own booking, I had to rebook with British Airways, it’s ok. So no more SIM card now.
We used the ATT pass also. It’s actually $10 bucks/day for each day you use it and $5 for another line each day it is used (so if you don’t use it one day then no charge). Can’t remember the max but I think 150 for the month (2 lines). So much easier than messing with sim cards. If you are in Europe for extended period (son was there 3 months) then SIM cards are cheaper but a hassle. So nice to just use phone in Europe just as you do at home.
1 Like
My daughter just did 6 weeks in europe with a T-mobile plan (6 countries, I think). She used the unlimited data and I think something like What’s app for the phone, but hardly used that. It would have been nice to have calling, but that isn’t really necessary. She even had to authorize me to go on her student billing account to pay her tuition, and was able to get the texts/email from the school and respond to the school, different time zones, and it was all fine She had to rebook some B&Bs and was able to do so without calling.
We are so spoiled now. I went to China 20 years ago and only had the email at the hotel front desk to communicate with my sister who was watching my 3 year old. I got an email about every third day. We all survived.
1 Like
I am going on a river cruise in Sept. The ship has WiFi but I always buy an eSIM from Airolo. The 5GB eurolink is only $20 and will act as a supplement when we are on land for a few days. I also deposit $5-$10 on my Skype account to make global calls for calls not available on What’sApp. I always value instant communication as lots of things can come up when I am overseas.
1 Like
Did anyone travel to Italy on Lufthansa with carry-on only? I am reading that they might have country-specific regulations. Do they allow carry-on bag AND backpack or not?
@seal16 They allow a carry-on bag and a personal item (which can be a backpack) as long as they both fit the size & weight requirements:
https://www.lufthansa.com/us/en/baggage-overview
https://www.lufthansa.com/us/en/baggage-calculator#/
Edited to Add: We’ve always found that Luftansa doesn’t weight the personal item (though they are very strict about weighing the carry-on).
2 Likes
We went on a Viking cruise and were limited to 2 devices per cabin. Be aware or ask to clarify.
I’m not sure what you mean. We will each have a phone and a laptop but will only connect 2 devices simultaneously.
Honestly, I cannot remember the details, maybe they politely asked us to only use two. It’s hard for me to find a clarification online. Oh, found this: “It’s one device per person per cabin. So if you want to use Wifi on your tablet or laptop, you need to disconnect your phone from it.” So, yeah, that makes sense. Just disconnect your phone from wifi while using the laptop. Phew. Thought I was losing my mind.
2 Likes
Be very careful with carry-on sizes if taking planes within Europe. Their sizes are smaller and weight requirements stricter than US airlines.
5 Likes
I just flew domestically and found Clear to be worth the free trial 
It’s $189 a year, more than Pre-Check, but I could sign up on the spot when I saw the hundreds of people stuck in a huge line in Seattle.
It is different from Pre-Check, in that it gets you past the first hurdle - the first TSA agent checking your documents.
I was whisked to the front of the line immediately after sign-up.
Still had to go through the rest of it, but I was an hour ahead of the game at that point and dizzy with joy.
Pre-Check/Global Entry, as I understand it, get you better treatment in the luggage/person examination.
So a combo of both programs seems totally worth it if you travel a lot.
I envision traveling a bit in the near future, and was ready to sign up for Pre-Check - but there are only three - THREE - sites in the entire country that are accepting interviews right now; closest to me was Minnesota, I think (I live in PA)
We have pre-check and would rather have had Global entry but the TSA set up a couple trailers at our local airport making it super easy to sign up.
Years ago in Shanghai, Ss GF made me eat at KFC as they had Beijing duck style friend chicken wraps. They were wonderful. I often appreciate the local adaptations American restaurants make overseas as more interesting than stateside offerings. I do appreciate the Golden Arches for the bathrooms overseas, and buy something in gratitude.
2 Likes
Yeah Hahn Airport can be quite out of the way. I have a German co worker who said that no one in Frankfurt would consider Hahn to be a convenient airport to fly in and out of if you’re going to Frankfurt.
Guessing this has been said in this thread somewhere but perhaps timely in the summer as we all maybe take off for long or short travel jaunts….even if you are spending just one night somewhere, pack some Covid tests! It’s one of those things if you need it, you’ll want it at hand and not want to go out and find some!
Edited to say, that I especially like the Covid tests that came from the government. The boxes were nice and small, good for packing.
8 Likes
That’s an excellent tip!!