Traveling with a Smartphone: Cut Costs Overseas

independenttraveler.com

On a recent trip to the U.K., I turned on my smartphone shortly after clearing customs. Almost as soon as the phone booted up, a text popped up on the screen:

International data rate of $19.97/MB applies. Unlimited domestic data rate plan does NOT apply in this location. Details: att.com/global. AT&T Free Msg

Twenty bucks a meg is a pile of money for a trickle of data. If you are not up to speed on data measurements, consider that the average iPhone camera photo is just under two megabytes in size. So if I take a photo and send it over my cell phone, it will cost me nearly forty bucks -- that had better be one good photo. (At least AT&T's notification text message was free...)

Simple phone call costs aren't much better -- if you can figure out the tortured packages offered by most cell phone carriers, you are way ahead of the game already. As for pricing and plan variations from carrier to carrier, it's a bit like the first line from Anna Karenina: "Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way." Every carrier offers a very different but also very reliably muddled and expensive plan.

Editor's Note: In October 2013, T-Mobile announced that it will be eliminating roaming charges in more than 100 countries for its customers traveling abroad.

Muddled and Expensive Is Right

One serious problem facing consumers is that the Web sites of these companies are almost impossible to figure out. Even for a simple calling plan, AT&T's "World Traveler" program appears to any reasonable person to cost $5.99/month at this page. But when you keep clicking, you discover that the $5.99 just lowers the per-minute cost for each call, usually by about 20 - 40 cents per minute. In the end, in addition to the $5.99, you are still usually paying $0.99 or more per minute when you make a call while overseas.

It just gets worse for the international data plans; I spent a couple of hours on the AT&T Web site, with multiple browsers open -- and in the end, I had to call them to fill in the gaps in both the information they posted and my understanding of that information.

The truth is, the carriers like it this way. They know they have you by the wallet, and they're not inclined to loosen their squeeze when you go overseas; rather, they see your attachment to your smartphone as a unique profit opportunity. They know no one wants to have a different phone number while overseas, or to spend their trip haunting Carphone Warehouses trying to unlock their phone, buying SIM cards, and losing access to all the contacts, information and apps on their smartphones.

 Focus on the Smartphone

For information on figuring out the basics of making and receiving international mobile phone calls, see our International Cell Phone Guide. From here out I'll focus on smartphones, which folks use for a lot more than phone calls, especially while traveling. Indeed, for many, their smartphone is never so critical than while traveling, as we have replaced paper with data in almost every respect while traveling. Confirmation numbers, flight times and notifications, maps, car service phone numbers, hotel reservations, restaurant searches, coffee shop locations, the length of lines at Disney World -- more of this stuff happens on smartphones than even on computers these days, for many travelers.

But when you go overseas, all of those things that you count on from your smartphone instantly cost $19.95/megabyte as soon as you get off the plane. Assuming that none of us is interested in these predatory prices, here are my suggestions for workarounds and data plans for the smartphone-reliant traveler.

My Recommended Strategy

Before going into all your various options, in hopes of saving you some time and money, I want to share my recommended workaround for all this stuff. One important caveat -- my system depends on occasional to frequent access to Wi-Fi. I almost always travel with my laptop, and need access anyway, so this really works for me.

I will outline this in bullet format, as I think it is simple enough on the face of it. The very short version is: "Get a mobile VOIP phone number, forward everything to that, and then access that number over Wi-Fi."

1. Get a U.S.-based voice over IP (VoIP) phone number of some kind, whether it be Skype, Google Voice, Tango or Line2 (I use Line2 and occasionally Skype; I recommend choosing one that forwards voice mail to e-mail and/or converts to text, merely for another layer of convenience).

2. Forward your "regular" cell phone number to this number; do this while still on your home network, or the system may track you wherever you actually are.

3. Turn off cellular data, 3G and roaming, and even put your cell phone in airplane mode.

4. Investigate Wi-Fi options where you are traveling, whether it be in your hotel room, at an Internet cafe, in a coffee shop, from pay services like Boingo or BT Openzone (I used this in the U.K. last month, as it worked for both my laptop and phone for three pounds/day), or from a MiFi account. Check out JiWire.com for international Wi-Fi spots; searching by your destination makes it really easy to figure out what companies offer Wi-Fi services where you are headed.

5. Consider an international text message package from your carrier if this will be important on your specific trip (although services like Line2 do allow texting over Wi-Fi).

6. Do your calling and texting on your VoIP number over Wi-Fi.

7. Accept that the occasional essential "normal" call will cost some money, but it shouldn't be too much, and will be only about 30 - 40 cents more than if you paid for an international plan.

8. Done.

There can still be some costs involved; for example, if I call a landline in the international country using Line2, the cost is two cents per minute; if I call a cell, it is 38 cents per minute. However, a call to any U.S. number is free so long as I have a Wi-Fi connection, even if that person is physically located outside the U.S. The same applies to text messages; it costs 10 cents per text to international numbers, and no charge for texts to U.S. numbers. Also, there's a monthly fee ($9.95) for Line2, though the company does offer a free trial period that you could use for a short trip.

As I suggest above, a very similar approach can be used with Google Voice; a nice feature of Google Voice is transcribed voice mail, which is even easier to deal with on your computer. Google Voice international calls start at a couple of cents per minute, and go up to approximately $0.25/minute.

Skype is free for computer-to-computer voice and video connections, and has a few different pricing options for other types of connections, starting at 1.2 cents/minute.

If you have a special circumstance that requires you to be accessible (your company needs to contact you, your kids are at home with grandparents, your wife is expecting, etc.), turn your phone on, turn all roaming services off, and use caller ID to let you decide which calls to take and which to ignore. This will let you see if an important call is coming in.

I know this scheme balances entirely atop the potentially wobbly point of reliable Internet access, but if you don't need to be always-on during your trip, batching your calls and contacts at times that you have Internet access works extremely well, and saves you heaps of money. Still, if this is still not convenient enough for you and you need an always-on smartphone plan, read on.


First Off, You Need a GSM Phone

It is important to understand that not all phones are capable of connecting to international cell carrier systems. You specifically need a GSM phone, which is the standard for international cellular networks. Of the two biggest U.S. Carriers, AT&T has the edge here, as most of the Verizon network is on the CDMA system, although Verizon does offer GSM/CDMA dual phones.

If you are on Verizon but have a CDMA phone, look into its Global Travel Program; Verizon will provide a GSM-capable phone that will use your same phone number, just for the charge of shipping, and of course any applicable calling and data charges as well.

Things to Do Right Before Leaving

From experience I know it is very easy to leave off changing your phone settings until you are already abroad -- at which point voice mail, texts and other data that is automatically "pushed" to your phone will start downloading as soon as you have signal. These can cost you a lot of money pretty quickly -- I paid more than $20 for a photo of my nephew playing in a plastic swimming pool a couple of weeks ago. To avoid these instant charges, before turning off your phone stateside, you should do the following:

• Turn off 3G (or 4G)
  
• Turn off cellular data
  
• Turn off data roaming
  
• Reset all your usage statistics

The first three changes will prevent you from running up data charges without even knowing it; the last will allow you to track how many minutes/how much data/how many texts you have used during your trip. You can usually find these in the Settings section of your smartphone.


Dealing with Text Messaging

While traveling so far this summer, I found I did not much miss making regular calls; however, on these particular trips, where a large group of folks had a lot of different and very fun things going on, I did miss texting, as this was the best way to decide on meeting places, find each other in crowds or public spaces, and notify folks of fun activities.

Most companies offer a package that includes a finite number of international texts; AT&T, for example, has a $10/month package that includes sending 50 messages while outside the U.S. That's 20 cents per text; inbound texts are "free," in that they are simply charged against your normal domestic text account. If you text without having purchased a package, each outgoing text is 50 cents, and each incoming text is 20 cents.

On Verizon, the international plan costs 25 cents per text for outgoing messages, and 20 cents for incoming messages.

In most cases, you will need to arrange for these packages to be added to your plan before you leave home; you can provide both a start and end date for your package, but be aware that there may be some billing anomalies that could cost you, as I will explain below.

Big Data Requirements: Web Sites, E-mail, Attachments, Mapping and More
If you want full access to all functions of your smartphone with or without a Wi-Fi connection, you will need an international data plan. On AT&T these typically cost a little more than $1 per gigabyte of data, which is expensive, but still a whole lot less than the $20 per megabyte. Verizon's costs are quite a bit higher, starting at $30 for 25 MB/month.

One challenge is understanding how much data you will actually need. This Data Calculator can help you estimate what you will need based on your typical usage patterns; for a different (and slightly more limited) look, try Verizon's calculator. Even veteran smartphone users will find these to be very handy little applications.

Mapping apps in particular can be essential while traveling, but they are definitely data hogs; you will want to use them sparingly. Some inventive folks are figuring this out; for traveling in major cities, check out Offmaps.com, an offline mapping app that uses a phone's always-on GPS without needing a data connection.



Other Gotchas to Beware

When you make a connection overseas, you are typically not connecting to your own carrier's service, but to a third-party carrier, which then bills your carrier, which bills you. Some of these carriers will not bill your account in an entirely timely manner, such that data connections made in July might show up on your August bill. As such, you will want to make sure the dates for your data package extend long enough after your trip to cover these late-billing companies, and you will want to watch your account to make sure all charges have been applied before turning off your international package.

How likely is this to happen? Well, in the U.K. alone, your iPhone is likely to connect to four different carriers at some point: Hutchison 3G, O2, Orange and Vodafone. Each of those will bill your account on its own schedule.

On the same point, your own carrier will often sell packages according to your monthly billing dates, so if you are traveling in overlapping billing periods, you may be required to purchase part of a plan for part of one month and part of the next. Add to that the straggler carriers billing you well after the fact, and let the invoice juggling begin.

Even at a time when mobile phones and smartphones are booming internationally, and mobile costs are dropping on the whole, no one will argue that phone companies are making this easy, oof. However, if you combine a modest data plan with a small battery of Wi-Fi tactics, you should be able to contain costs and hassles alike.

Nine Things to Do When No One Speaks English

independenttraveler.com

You've always gotten by with your high school French or Spanish overseas, but what if you're in a place so remote no one speaks anything but the local language and you haven't taken the time to learn more than "hello" and "thank you"?

English is a common second language in many countries, particularly those that see lots of tourists or international businesspeople. But go off the beaten track, and English speakers aren't as easy to find. In the jungles of Ecuador you'd be hard pressed to find anyone who spoke anything other than Spanish. What if you're in rural China or Russia, or even a major city in Asia like Tokyo that has very few signs in English?
Below are nine tips that can help.

1. Don't panic.

 

Logic and composure are your best friends. You might fret if it's getting late and you can't find an ATM or your hotel. Don't worry; eventually someone will help. Stay positive.

2. Write it down.

 

Before you leave for the day, ask the front desk or concierge to write down the name of your hotel in the local language, or get a business card with the hotel's details on it. That way if you get lost, anyone can point you in the right direction, and a taxi (your safest bet at night) will return you to the front door in a heartbeat.

3. Get an app.

 

If you'll be using your smartphone abroad, download a translation app. Our favorite is Google Translate, which covers approximately 70 languages. You can have a local speak into the phone or even take a picture of written text, and the app will translate it into English for you. The app will work offline if there's no 4G or Wi-Fi available. It's free for iPhone and Android.

4. Buy a phrasebook.

 

Remember that your smartphone may not work everywhere in the world -- and if your battery dies, you may need a backup plan. If you're headed to a place where power is limited and English speakers are hard to find, it's worth investing in a phrasebook. Even if you can't pronounce the words, you can show a local the page of the book with the phrase you're trying to convey. Many guidebooks also have a list of common words if you don't want to carry a separate phrasebook.

5. Go to a hotel.

 

Wherever you are, look for the nearest lodging, preferably a luxury or business hotel (which will be most accustomed to international guests). Hotels almost always have a person on staff that can speak English or will find someone for you who can. In the worst case, you can rest in the lobby and gather your thoughts.

 

6. Find a tourist office.

 

As with hotels, tourist offices are used to interacting with international visitors and will likely have multilingual people on staff.

7. Look for familiar franchises.

 

IndependentTraveler.com Editor at Large Dori Saltzman offers an unexpected tip: "Go to McDonald's or another chain that you recognize from home. Because these places attract Americans, the staff often will know a little English -- and even if they don't, some of the diners might."

8. Look for young people.

 

IndependentTraveler.com Senior Editor Sarah Schlichter recommends reaching out to younger locals: "I've found that people in their 20s tend to be more likely to remember the English they studied in school than older folks who haven't practiced their second language in a few decades."

9. Draw a picture or sign it out.

 

Hand gestures, sketches or even just pointing to a map can all get your point across if words fail. Be careful, though; seemingly innocent hand gestures in your own culture could prove offensive elsewhere in the world. We recommend reading up on taboos and hand gestures before your trip at CultureCrossing.net.

The main thing to remember is that people worldwide are generally helpful. Remember your charades and try to act out what you need. If nothing else, it will give the locals a good laugh, and when they are laughing they will be more inclined to help.

What strategies have you tried in a situation when no one spoke your language? Post your suggestions in the comments below.

Telephones in Mexico

gomexico.about.com

 

Calling Mexico

The country code for Mexico is 52. If calling from the U.S. or Canada, dial 011 + 52 + area code + phone number.

Area Codes
In the three largest cities of Mexico (Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey), the area code is two digits and phone numbers are eight digits, whereas in the rest of the country area codes are three digits and phone numbers are seven digits.

Mexico City 55
Guadalajara 33
Monterrey 81

Long-distance calls from within Mexico

For national long-distance calls (within Mexico) the code is 01 plus the area code and phone number.

For international long-distance calls, first dial 00, then the country code (for the U.S. and Canada the country code is 1, so you would dial 00 + 1 + area code + 7 digit number).

Country Codes
U.S. and Canada 1
United Kingdom 44
Australia 61
New Zealand 64
South Africa 27

Calling Cell Phones

If you're within the area code of the Mexican cell phone number you wish to call, you should dial 044, then the area code, then the phone number. Mexican cell phones are under a plan called "el que llama paga," which means that the person who makes the call pays for it, so calls to cell phones cost more than calls to regular phone numbers. Outside of the area code (but still within Mexico) you would first dial 045 and then the 10 digit phone number. To call a Mexican cell phone from outside the country you would dial as if to a land line: 011-52-1 then the area code and number.

Phone cards

Phone cards ("tarjetas telefonicas") for use in pay phones can be bought at newstands and in pharmacies in denominations of 30, 50 and 100 pesos. Pay phones do not accept coins. When buying a phone card for pay phone use, specify that you would like a "tarjeta LADA," because pre-paid cell phone cards are also sold in the same establishments.

Calling from a pay phone is the most economical way to call, though all long-distance phone calls are more expensive from Mexico than from most other countries. Other options include calling from your hotel, or calling from a "caseta telefonica," a business that has telephone and fax service.

Emergency and Useful Phone Numbers

Keep these phone numbers close at hand for any emergencies that might occur. You do not need a phone card to call 3-digit emergency numbers from a pay phone.

• Emergency 066
• Red Cross 065
• Police 060 
• Directory assistance 040
• Tourist protection and information 01 800 903 9200 or 01 800 987 8224, from the U.S. and Canada 1 800 482 9232 or 1 800 401 3880

20 Tips Before Traveling Internationally

travelzoo.com

If this is your first time traveling abroad, or maybe you just need a refresher here's a list of 20 tips you should do or bring before your trip.

Security & Health

• Check-in with your doctor and insurance carrier. Double check and make sure that you have all of the proper vaccinations and that you have renewed all essential prescriptions. Also, ask you medical insurance provider if your policy applies overseas for emergencies. If it doesn’t, and you want to add extra coverage, consider supplemental insurance. Learn what you need to know before buying travel insurance.
• Bring copies of your passport. If your passport gets stolen or lost you want to be sure that you can still get back into the country, or be able to prove your citizenship.
• Leave a copy of your passport. For extra backup, leave a copy of your passport at home or with someone you trust. Consider making an electronic copy you can store in your email account as well.
• Register with your embassy. If there’s a problem in the country, this will make it easier for your government to contact you and get you to safety. U.S. citizens can register here.

Money

• Look up the monetary conversion before you go. Finding out that one Danish Krone is equal to just 19 cents … bad surprise. Make sure you do your math before you travel to get a sense of where the conversion rate is at.
• Make sure your credit card will work in the country you're visiting. European banks have switched almost completely to the more secure chip-and-PIN technology, and fewer businesses abroad are accepting the outdated magnetic-strip cards.
• Go to a bank or ATM in the country you’re visiting. The conversion centers in the airport or around the city tend to be huge rip-offs. You won’t get charged as many fees at the ATM or the bank, and the conversion will be exact.
• Always have local cash. Not every place takes credit cards. Especially important places like trains or buses.
• Call your bank or credit card provider. Sometimes banks think that fraud maybe occurring if transactions are suddenly happening in Bali when you’re from Jersey, and they will turn off your card as a security measure. 
• Check the country’s entrance/exit fees. Some countries require travelers to pay in order to enter or leave the country. These fees are not included in the price of your airline ticket, and can range from $25 to $200.

Local Research

• Buy tickets now for places you know you want to visit or see. By buying in advance you’ll be able to skip more lines, and find more deals targeted toward you.
• Get guidebooks. Guidebooks usually include maps, key words or phrases, and give you enough detail on certain sites that you won’t need to purchase the pamphlet at the venue.
• Download apps before you travel. Avoid downloading charges from your wireless carrier and get your apps before you leave.
• Research events going on while you’re there. This will help you make sure that you’re not missing be events going on in the city. Fun things like festivals, ceremonies and natural events. Also be sure to research as a few national dishes to try. You don’t want to leave the country without experiencing what its known for.

Electronics

• Bring a charger adapter. Countries have different size plugs and voltage. So if you want to use your iPod, make sure you can charge it.
• Check the voltage of your electronics. From my own experience I know that nothing is worse than having an adapter and still not being able to use a blow-dryer or a straightener because the voltage isn’t high enough for that country.
• Activate your phone’s global capabilities. There's usually a charge we doing this, but it is much less than the roaming charges you’ll get if you don’t.
• Download Travelzoo app. The Travelzoo app can help you find great deals in a variety of countries, and has options from local deals to transportation options.

Luggage & packing

• Pack an extra set of clothes in your carry-on bag. Don’t be one of those travelers decked out in J’adore Paris apparel because the airline lost your luggage and you have nothing else to wear.
• To check a bag or not to check bag. Each airline has its own set of guidelines as to how many bags can be checked or carried on for free. Make sure to look up what your airline’s rules are to avoid any incremental fees.
• Bring snacks. Traveling abroad is fun, but eating in a foreign country can sometimes become a task. Bring small snacks that will tide you over until you find that perfect restaurant or food cart.

Cell Phones in Mexico

 mazatlansource.com

Mexico loves cell phones! There are probably two or three times more cell phones in Mazatlan than regular ‘land-lines’, partly due to the fact the Mexico’s phone system was in a shambles until about a decade ago, the same time that cell phones began to see wide-spread popularity. Many residents, Mexicans and ex-patriots alike simply use a cell phone and don’t have a normal land-line at all.

Whereas most cell phone calling plans in the USA and Canada require a long-term contract and a monthly calling plan, a majority of the cell phone plans here are ‘pay as you go’, which makes it especially attractive to people only spending a few months here or those who don’t have a fixed residential address (such as vacationers who may move from one place to another occasionally). While the monthly calling plans are available here, most choose the pay-as-you-go method, so that is what we’ll cover here.

The most widely-used network is TelCel, followed by MoviStar and USACell. Here in Mazatlan, TelCel seems to have the most towers and best reliability, and also allows you to hear and read important messages from the provider in English (such as warnings when your credit is nearing depletion). There are cell phone stores literally EVERYwhere..inside every supermarket and at least two in each mall, on street corners, in stores literally no wider than an alley. You can buy phones starting at about 300 pesos and running as high several thousand, with as many or as few of the bells and whistles as you like, from manufacturers like Motorola, Nokia, LG, and more.

Purchase of a phone usually comes with some free airtime to get you started, and it’s not unusual to spend 300 pesos for a phone and get 300 pesos in airtime free, hence, a basically free phone. Once you’ve depleted your calling credit, you buy more at any other store and even in many ‘mom-and-pop’ type corner stores all over Mazatlan.

Calling credit is available in 100, 200, 300, 400, and 500 peso increments and at various times of the year promotions offer, for example, 450 pesos credit when you purchase 300 pesos worth. The card you purchase for credit has a scratch-off strip (like a lottery ticket) which will reveal a long string of numbers…dial these numbers into your phone (usually preceded by a couple other digits, depending on the provider), hit ‘send’, and listen for the voice telling you you’re credit has been added.

IF YOU ARE BRINGING A CELL PHONE WITH YOU FROM THE USA OR CANADA, you may be able to use your cell phone here for inexpensive calls back home. Check with your provider BEFORE you depart for details. If so, you’ll probably be able to use it here for ‘local’ calls as well, though it’s likely to be expensive.

20 Things I Learned From Traveling Around the World

huffingtonpost.com

Clayton B. Cornell

SpartanTraveler.com

Posted: 10/09/2013 10:40 am

Travel for long enough and one day you wake up to realize: This is no longer a vacation, it's your life.

Over one year ago I quit my job and decided to travel around the world. This was both a dream 10 years in the making and one of the best decisions I've ever made.


Night train from Belgrade to Sofia.
In the last 12 months I learned a lot about long-term travel, what I need to be happy, and how to survive outside of the U.S. Many of these things can't be learned at home or in a book, and while reading about them on the internet can only get you so far, a lot of people have asked me to explain how I've done it.
Well, here's part of the answer.

"There's no substitute for just going there."
-Yvon Chouinard

My trip hasn't been about sightseeing (although I've done that) as much as just being somewhere. The simple challenges of daily routine can be overwhelming: trying to eat, drink and sleep in a place where nothing makes sense, you don't speak the language, and where none of the basic comforts of home are available. It's not easy, but if you want a fast-track to personal development, get on a plane.

When I was younger my dad often said, "The hardest part is just getting out the door." And that may be the most important lesson of all: it's too easy to get complacent at home and if you aren't at least a little uncomfortable, you probably aren't learning anything.

If you've already traveled extensively, you may get a kick out of this. If you haven't, here are some reflections, tips, and advice about long-term travel on my one-year anniversary of life on the road:

#1) Most of the world's people are friendly and decent.

 

Except for the French*.

Some stereotypes really hold up, but on average, most of the people I've met around the world are extremely polite, friendly and helpful. They are generally interested in why I chose to visit their home. They are eager to assist if it's obvious I'm lost or in trouble. They'll go out of their way to try to make sure I have a good stay in their country. And, contrary to what most Americans tend to think (see #3 below), they often don't know much about the United States (or necessarily care).

Don't be convinced before leaving that "everyone there is _______". Show a modicum of respect to people and their culture and you'll be blown away by what you get back. Try picking up a little of the local language. Just learning how to say "thank you" can make a huge impact.

* Sorry, I couldn't resist. To be fair, France is like everywhere else: most people are decent. It's just that France has a particularly large proportion of bad apples that give the place a well-deserved reputation. I've met a lot of wonderful people in France, but also a disproportionate number of a**holes (not travelers generally, but residents of France). This isn't based on a single trip nor is it restricted to Paris. Almost every non-French local in Europe agreed with me on this one.

#2) Most places are as safe (or safer) than home.

 

I remember confessing to my mother recently that I had a big night out in Budapest and stumbled back to my apartment at dawn. Her reaction was: "But don't you worry about being drunk in a foreign country?"
Ha ha, not at all mom! I've never felt so safe!

The only place I've been violently mugged was in my home city of San Francisco. Many of the people I know there have been robbed at gunpoint, and on more than one occasion there were shootings in my neighborhood.

In one incident just a block away from my apartment (Dolores Park), a man was shot five times and somehow escaped, only to collapse about 10 meters from our front door. You can still see the blood stains on the sidewalk.

Turns out we actually live in a pretty dangerous country.

In over 365 days on the road, staying mostly in dormitory-style hostels and traveling through several countries considered 'high-risk,' the only incident I had was an iPhone stolen out of my pocket on the metro in Medellin, Colombia. I didn't even notice and deserved it for waiving the damn thing around in the wrong part of town. Most people think that in a place like Colombia you'll still get kidnapped or knocked off by a motorcycle assassin, but that's not true. According to the locals I talked to (who grew up there), things have been safer there for at least 10 years.

Caveat: This doesn't give you a license to be stupid, and some places really warrant respect. Guatemala and Honduras, where there are major drug wars going on (and the Peace Corps recently pulled all of their volunteers), or Quito, Ecuador, where everyone I talked to had been robbed, are reasonably dangerous (I had no trouble in any of them).

In reality, based on the sort of mindless binge-drinking that happens in most travel hot spots, you'd expect travelers to get knocked off a lot more often. But if you pay attention and don't do anything stupid, you'll be fine.

#3) Most people don't know (or care) what America is doing.

Despite the occasional eye-rolling, and complete inability to understand why anyone would vote for George W. Bush, people from other countries don't hate us either. In fact -- and I know this is a really sobering realization for us -- most people in the world don't really think about us or care about us.

I've met people that didn't even know that San Francisco (or California even) had a coastline (now there's a sobering conversation for you. So much for thinking that's the center of the world eh?).

One thing is true: Americans are not well represented on the travel circuit. It just doesn't seem to be culturally important to us, unlike say, the Australians, who never go home.

#4) You can travel long-term for the price of rent and a round of drinks back home

My favorite question from friends at home has been: "how the hell are you still traveling?"

Well, for what you spent at lunch I can live on for a whole day in Indonesia. That's all there is to it.

- Monthly rent for a shared apartment in San Francisco could be: $1,100 per person.
- My average monthly expenditure during the last year of travel: $1,200 / month*.

That's $40 / day, and includes some ridiculous and totally auxiliary expenses. For example:

• 10 days of Scuba diving in Utila, Honduras - $330
• Kitesurfing gear rental in Mancora, Peru - $100 for two days
• Flight to Easter Island (50 percent subsidized by my dad) - $400
• Acquisition of 4 Surfboards, + Repairs and Accessories over the year - $750
• Purchasing a bunch of gear, like a new netbook ($380), wetsuit ($175), boardshorts ($55), camping gear ($100), a SteriPen water purifier ($125), summer sleeping bag ($55)
• Riding the NaviMag Ferry through the lake district of Chilean Patagonia from Coyaiquhe to Puerto Montt ($200).
• Taking a total of seven nearly cross-continental flights (like Brussels=>Greece) during my four months in Europe.

And so on. I also went out, a lot, and spent way to much money on alcohol.

Before I left home, my original budget projection was $50 / day, which I would consider lavish in many parts of the world. In some places, I spent as little as $20 / day (including lodging, all meals and booze) while living in relative luxury right on the beach. Generally, I shot for $30 / day which gave me a buffer of $20 for travel and miscellaneous or one-time expenses.

Countries visited on this budget: Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, Chile, Easter Island (Chile), Argentina, Uruguay, Santa Cruz (California), North Shore of Oahu, Belgium, France, Spain, Germany, Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, Austria, Serbia, Bulgaria, and Turkey

Totals: Six months Central/S. America, two months U.S., two months Western Europe and two months Easter Europe).

Obviously, some places are cheaper than others, like Guatemala, where you can get a room for $4 per night. You have to be a lot more careful in Western Europe, where I got a little bit loose with my budget and spent $2,000 per month for two months. But I also spent less than $900 in the month that I biked (pushbike) through France.

You might be blown away by how cheap some "expensive" places can be. The second cheapest hostel I stayed in (after Guatemala) was in Berlin, Germany, at €6 / night (~$7.43 USD). Beer in Prague was as cheap or cheaper than any other country I've been to (it was $1.43 for 0.5L in ultra-touristy downtown Prague). You can rent a decent downtown apartment in Budapest for $200 / month.

Bottom line: If you're careful, you can travel on $1,200 per month or less. Rolf Potts, the author ofVagabonding (highly, highly recommended whether or not you're planning to travel) claims to have circled the globe for years on $1,000 per month. Budget $1,500 per month and you should be totally covered. You can do this even in Europe if you go slow, stay with friends or in cheaper hostels, fly on discount airlines (as opposed to taking the train), cook or eat street food, and don't buy booze at the bar (which I did and somehow survived).

The best budget rule of thumb I've learned (can't remember the source) is to take the price of your nightly accommodation and triple it. That will be about your daily minimum to survive, so $30 per day where a hostel runs you $10 per night.

*Note that my monthly total budget does not include transcontinental airfare (like U.S. to Europe) which was free. Since I typically travel overland and all flights are one-way tickets I haven't flown as much as you'd expect.

 

#5) Saving for a big trip is not as hard as you think.

 

Most people think I'm rich because I've been traveling for a year. What they don't realize is that, although I didn't leave at the time (this was five years ago), I was able to save enough money for this trip within a year and a half of graduating college.

My first salaried job paid $29,000 per year -- not exactly ballin' by U.S. college-grad standards. But by pretty ruthless budgeting , I was able to save $1,000 a month for the 15 months I worked there.

Guess what? That's $15,000 or 12.5 months of travel at $1,200 per month.

Are there sacrifices to be made? Of course. But it's worth it.

Btw, I am by no means the first person to discover or write about travel budgeting. This post is from 2009: Travel full-time for less than $14,000 per year. Don't think it's just us either, because all of these people are writing about it.

I plan to write more about how to save money in the future

#6) In most places, moving around is incredibly easy.

 

I rode buses from Honduras all the way to Uruguay. With a surfboard. And it was a cinch.



Unlike the independent car culture of the U.S., people all over the world rely on some kind of bus service to get around.

In most places you can get from anywhere to just about anywhere else, and most of the time it doesn't take more than a few minutes to figure out. Generally (outside the middle of peak tourist season in popular places) I haven't bothered with reservations or pre-planning transportation routes. I just show up at the bus or train station and go.

I've ridden buses for hours into the middle of the Costa Rican jungle as well as through BFE in the Northern Chilean Andes. There's almost always a group of locals who needs to get to where you're going too. And if there's no bus you can always hitchhike (this only happened once or twice on my entire trip).

It's an eye-opener to see how some of the poorest countries on earth can still provide better public transportation than San Francisco.

In places like Europe and South East Asia you also have the opportunity to take advantage of discount airlines like RyanAir and EasyJet. I flew across Europe seven times in two months for less than $120 that way.

#7) Every pound over 20 makes life worse.

 

There is virtually no reason to carry more than 20lbs (~9kg) of gear unless you're going on a major trek or you have some serious sporting event in mind (like multi-day backpacking or cold weather sports). If you're traveling in the summer you can get by on even less.





 Here's the first key: Try only to do one thing on your trip. If you are hiking, just hike. If you are surfing, just surf. If you're party backpacking and staying in hostels, just do that. Packing for every possibility is suicidal. You just can't carry street clothes and backpacking gear in the same pack and expect to not have a million tons of crap.

I've traveled the last year with a carry-on sized 30L day-pack made for climbing (this means it's made to properly handle weight). Right now, it's only 2/3 full and loaded with exactly 20lbs of gear (which in my opinion is still too heavy). But I have some serious accessories in there including 3lbs of surfing equipment (for Indonesia), a 3lb laptop, as well as a GoPro video camera (0.5lb).

When most people pack for a trip, they make a list of things to pack and then try to figure out how to fit it all in. But the best way to choose a backpack is to find the bag you want to carry and then see what you can fit inside. Make sure the pack doesn't weigh more than 3lbs by itself.

If you can get to less than 15lbs (~7kg) it will change your life. Imagine getting to a location and being able to walk around and site-see with all your gear. Incredible.

This is the other key: pack the 20 percent of gear and clothing that will cover 80 percent of possible travel scenarios (yet another manifestation of the 80/20 rule). If you end up saying "I might do _____" then get rid of it. Don't take anything you won't use with relative frequency unless it's really expensive or hard to find on the road.

Get rid of everything you possibly can before you set out, and don't be afraid to donate things or send them home along the way. Oh, and the easiest way to figure out your pack weight? Buy a cheap fish scale from Amazon.com.

A small pack also allows you to have a carry-on bag, even on super small planes. I can't understate the importance of this.

Bottom line: Trust me, the longer you travel the less you want to carry.

 

#8) Long-term travel is not a vacation (it's a full-time job).

After my first six months of traveling I went home for a break. To the surprise of my friends, I was completely spent, exhausted, and didn't want to do much of anything.

"But you've been on vacation, you should feel great!"

Right. I guess you missed the 22 hour bus-ride where we took turns puking in the back because of altitude sickness and pisco-induced hangovers. Or maybe you didn't make it to the last 15 hostels where sleeping before being black-out drunk is just not an option. (Sounds glamorous, doesn't it!)

Planning and logistics also take an incredible amount of time and effort. Most downtime spent in a place when not sight-seeing is typically sucked up in researching the next destination, making reservations, planning logistics, and going through the dreaded 'time budgeting' process where you decide what you can reasonably see in the time available (and what you have to cut out).

Overall, it's exhausting, and a great reason to consider traveling slowly (more on that later).

If you move quickly, don't have any illusions about all the things you're going to "get done" in your down-time. Take a good book and just travel, that's it.

 

#9) 'Travelers' and 'Tourists' are different.

You know what I mean.

Tourists exchange money for pre-packaged experiences. They consume experiences and move on without engaging with the local culture.

Travelers are there to see things, not buy them.

Travelers tend to be more involved. They may stay with locals, hang out with locals, try to learn the language, or just plain move slowly enough to really live and be where they are.
Sometimes I play "tourist" but that doesn't mean I see myself as one.

#10) Don't worry about traveling alone (it's better).

 

Although I'm a solo traveler I haven't spent much more than a handful of days on the road alone. That's because you meet people everywhere: in hostels, on buses, trains, planes, restaurants, trail-heads, monuments, etc. If you're doing a standard travel circuit you'll see the same people over and over again (most people don't leave the Lonely Planet itinerary), and it isn't uncommon to fall in with a large group of people who are all going the same way.

It's so easy to meet people that I'm often stuck with the opposite problem: trying to get away from everyone. While I love all my new friends I need some downtime every so often.

Most travelers are uncommonly interested in meeting new people. That's one of the big reasons they're on the road. A simple "where are you headed" has often turned into a new travel partner for weeks. And when it stops working you simply set off on your own again.

Afraid to go it alone? Don't be. Go the the first big city in your destination country and hang out in the hostel lobby for a few days. I promise you'll make new friends. This is why you should also stay in hostels. Don't be afraid of sharing a room. It's a small trade-off for the amazing people you'll meet.

#11) Movement can be addictive (and this is not necessarily a good thing).

 

The "traveler's rush" that hits you upon arrival to a new place is like a drug. And like a drug, the more you expose yourself to it the more you want.

This can mean moving too fast or skipping out on places just to experience the ecstasy of arrival again. The results are obvious: less time in places you thought you wanted to see and ultimately, burnout. The tendency to try to cram more places into an overpacked schedule is often hard to control.

One trick I've found to deal with this is to have a minimum stay: Three nights in every destination. This is enough time to see the place, relax, and get sorted before the next stop. It also means you'll have to cut out some places if you're tight on time. While I've had great one-night stops before (I'm looking at you, Belgrade) it isn't sustainable or desirable to do too much of this.

Of course, some places aren't what you expected either. If that's the case, get the hell out of there and spend more time in a place you want to be.

#12) Don't bank on paradise.

 

Keep your expectations in check.


This isn't easy, since you really want that place you've been dreaming about to be paradise. But like anything else, high expectations are a recipe for disappointment.

I spent five years in office jobs dreaming about getting back to Utila, the magical Scuba party-island off the coast of Honduras. When I finally got there, I was ready to leave after a week.

Turns out I didn't really care about Scuba-diving as much as I thought, and there's only so much you can do on a tropical island before you go nuts. At that time I also had new aspirations and a new skill: surfing. I ended up heading to El Salvador to surf some of the best waves of my life.

Expectations can also make or break a place. Most of the places I knew nothing about before arriving blew my mind. Most of the places I had high expectations for utterly failed to impress me (except for Chicama, the world's longest wave, and Rome).

The other thing is that as you go through life the rules are always changing. By the time I arrived here in Bali -- which has been a dream and one of the pinnacles of the trip -- I had a small but growing online business that had become my number one priority. Instead of rushing off to some deserted beach hut and surfing all day I'm obsessed with trying to find a place to live where I can get to fast internet at least a few times a week. Say what you will, but my priorities have totally changed (at least for the moment).

It also turns out that a lot of Bali is a tourist nightmare from hell. Or maybe it's just getting harder for me to be as impressed by anything.

Also: Take recommendations with a grain of salt. Another person's paradise might be your personal hell, and vice-versa. A close friend of mine thinks tropical beaches are the reason for existence. Well, unless there is wind or waves on them I'll crack up after three days. Getting stuck on a deserted tropical island is my definition of hell-on-earth.

#13) Traveling doesn't get 'traveling' out of your system.

If you've got this bug, it's not going away (sorry), but the obvious question is: why are we trying to get traveling out of our system, anyway?

Rolf Potts did a great job in Vagabonding of justifying not just travel as a lifestyle, but also a lifestyle that makes travel a non-negotiable ingredient. Whether that means saving for a big trip or just taking a few weeks a year the important thing is to make room in your life to keep traveling.

I was actually told on this trip (if you're reading this) that I needed to stop screwing around and: grow up." I think in our culture that means going back to the "real world" of office jobs, succumbing to general complacency, and trying to enjoy two weeks off a year.

If that's the case you can count me out.

The world is just too big and interesting to not be exploring.

#14) Eventually, you will need something real to do.

Most people think that I've spent the last year sipping Mai-Tais on the beach somewhere. Well, I tried that and after four days I started to lose it.

The sad and somewhat surprising truth about the myth of the deserted tropical island paradise is this: there is nothing to do on a deserted tropical island. As Harrison Ford drunkenly slurred once in that terrible but entertaining movie, 'Honey... it's an island. If you don't bring it you ain't gonna find it here."

Despite popular belief, most people can't just sit around doing nothing for an extended period of time. Especially Type-A American folks who I've been told are "goal-oriented"and always trying to "get things done." It might be a cultural thing, but it's more likely just human nature to want to be involved in something larger than yourself.

The point of quitting a job to travel around the world is also not to do nothing; it's to do something else. As Tim Ferris points out, "idle time is poisonous," and believe me, when you've cut your ties with conventional society you're going to have a few moments of serious self-flagellation. The endless 'what I'm doing' and 'why am I doing this' loop.

It's true that the feeling of wanting to build/create/be a part of something can be deferred since traveling itself is a full-time job, and that simple fact can keep you satisfied for a long time. But after six months of moving around I was astonished to discover I was actually bored. I mean, really bored. There are only so many days that you can walk around looking at things, go to the beach, and party all night without starting to think that something's missing.

What it boils down to is that eventually you'll need need a project. Whether that means studying, concentrating on a sport, volunteering, working somewhere, starting an online business, or whatever, eventually you'll have to find a creative or intellectual outlet to keep yourself sane. Which brings up the next point:

#15) Long-term happiness is a pretty complicated emergent property that has little to do with money.

I will probably kick myself later for publishing this, but what the hell, here goes:

If you studied any chemistry in school you may remember the concept of emergent properties: the difference between the dining-room table and this computer screen is simply the right mix of a bunch of elements. Put together the right pieces and the product spontaneously emerges from the matter it's composed of.

Similarly, in my experience happiness is not derived from a single point source (although it can be temporarily) like a sudden infusion of cash or arriving at your dream destination. Instead, it takes a lot of things working in concert to keep me happy: it's really the emergent property of a network of variables..
Unfortunately, most people seem to forget the network effect and focus on a single variable, like money. Sure, money can allow you to do things, but once basic needs are satisfied the correlation between money and happiness seems to drop off a cliff.

A lot of people defer things they might otherwise pursue for the big payout dream. The "if I only win the lottery" or "when I sell my company for $10 million" routine. The problem with the fantasy, besides the obvious deferral of really having to come to terms with what you want to do in life, is that while a big payout would certainly increase the options available to you, but that is not necessarily a good thing. I won't elaborate on this too much further here, but having more options has actually made me less happy in the past, as was so well articulated in The Paradox of Choice.

And here's another punchline: most people whose luck or life-stage has allowed them to not be required to work seem to choose to anyway. I know a guy who retired at 26. What does he do now? Runs a firm for fun.

Think $10 million in the bank is going to make you happy? Well, good luck with that.

While I can't speak for everyone, I've learned that I need the nearly perfect concert of three to four major variables before I can say that I'm "really happy."

These have very little to do with money:

1. Health: Not just injury or disease-free but fit and functional for everything I want to do. That could mean anything from just feeling good in the morning to being able to easily run five miles.
2. Wealth: I'm not talking about money, but the reinterpretation of wealth as the free time and means to do what you want to do. In my experience, control of my time is the key, and as long as I have enough money to cover basic expenses I'm happy.
3. Relationships: In major cross-cultural studies published by the WorldWatch Institute, happiness has often been primarily attributed to breadth and depth of social connections.'Nuf said.
4. Productive/Creative Outlet: As discussed above, I need something to learn, to do, or to build.

If this sounds cliche or too simple, try sitting on a beach somewhere and wonder why you're not happy for a few weeks. It's easy to forget the most basic things in life.

(The funny thing about having four simultaneous requirements is the violation of Sun Tzu's Art of War: Never fight a battle on multiple fronts. Maybe you've figured it out already, in which case I'd love to talk to you about it, but whenever I get two things in order the third one drops out of the sky.)

#16) When you challenge a person's assumptions it can really piss them off.

People get angry when I tell them you don't have to buy into the system, that you can travel the world and do anything you want if you're up for it.

The problem is that this statement challenges the basic assumptions that people have invested in over their entire lives-every decision, every action, every goal has depended on the stability of this conventional framework.

As I understand it from my limited study of neuroscience, these kinds of assumptions are firmly rooted in the brain's neural network, and our cognitive framework (borrowing heavily from George Lakoff here) really doesn't like being fucked with.

Just think about how hard it was the last time you tried to change a serious habit. The first day you try something new it can be physically painful because there's a strong emotional response to resist change. Think also about the last time you had an argument about politics. Why is so much anger involved? Because you're both challenging thought patterns that are too well established to change easily (it's not air in there, but a real physical network of cells) .

Lakoff at one point wrote that the neural framework is like a net: if you offer something up radically different from what a person expects it might just slip through. It's almost like they can't even process what you're saying to them.

It's also hard for people to imagine anything different from their experiences. Take the notion of precedence (hat tip to Dan Andrews): before the four-minute mile was broken it was thought to be physically impossible.
That is, until Roger Bannister ran a mile in under four minutes. Within two months two more runners had achieved the same feat, and whole slough of runners soon followed.

When you defy the status quo (even when you don't make a big deal out of it. *cough*) you implicitly (although unintentionally) suggest to people back at home that their lives are based on a faulty assumptions. Don't expect people to take this well, or to care or understand what you're doing if you decided to cut out. They might get pissed off, the might act like you don't exist, or they might actively call you out.

You can't convince them that it's the right thing to do either, because in all honesty, we all have a different idea of what the good life is.

#17) Travel slowly: Save money, avoid burnout, do more.

 

Going slowly is the key. The more time you have the more money you can save, for two major reasons:

1. Large expenses like airfare get averaged out over the course of cheap days staying in one place, and
2. You can take advantage of special opportunities, like cheap flights or sleeping on a friend's couch.

I talked to one girl who flew around Europe just on discount airlines like RyanAir and EasyJet. She'd simply log in and see where the cheapest flight next week was. "Guess I'm going to Romania!" Not something you can do easily on an itinerary.

The most expensive part of traveling for me has typically been moving from point A to point B. Traveling like a maniac can be a lot of fun, but you'll save money and get to really know places if you take your time.

#18) You can't work and travel at the same time.

 

For the remote-work inclined...


Ok, you sort of can, you just won't ever get nearly as much done as you want to.

Let me clarify this for the uninitiated: obviously, you can work in the places you travel to, e.g. working as a SCUBA Divemaster or a Kiteboarding instructor, but my focus here is on location-independent internet work.

At this point I've worked all over the world on my laptop, and in order to get shit done I have to hunker down in one spot for at least a week. Try building/fixing things/growing an online business on the road and you're going to just get irritated when you can't finish anything in the two to four hour block you've set aside.

You also have no continuity if you're constantly moving around. Dan Andrews of the Lifestyle Business Podcast nailed it when he said 'you've got to find your 5 hours.' All 4-Hour Workweek fantasies aside, if you want to build something you'd better find that five hours (or more) each day.

If you're going to travel, then just travel. There are sights to see, spontaneous adventures to be a part of, and all kinds of unexpected things that happen. Aren't you traveling to take advantage of those?

But when you're going to work, just work. I think Tim Ferris really hit it with the concept of mini-retirements: the idea of focusing 100 percent on one thing at a time is the only way to make significant progress. Work for one to three months, then take a mini-retirement for one to three months (depending on what you've got set up for yourself. More on this later).

#19) When everything gets irritating, it might be time to head home.

 

I've had this experience more than once: a nice local is trying to help me but can't understand what I'm asking for. I can feel my impatience rise and I notice my voice gets that "what the fuck is wrong with you" tone.
Then I remember: this isn't home. People don't speak English. Don't expect anything to operate on your schedule. It's not your country anyway, jacka**.

This is usually the first sign of burnout, and usually means it's time to find a cheap place to relax or time to book a flight home.

If you start really missing hot showers, strong coffee, Mexican food, or climate control, it might just be time, but....

#20) Long-term traveling can teach you more than almost anything else

 

About yourself, about life, about what you need to be happy. It also really highlights just how different home is from everywhere else, especially when you start to get a large sample size to compare it to.
For some, this can mean going home with a heightened perspective. For others, it may mean never going home. For everyone though, long-term travel will change your life.

Read more on Clayton's blog, Spartan Traveler, where this post originally appeared.

What to Take on a Mexican Vacation

traveltips.usatoday.com

Robin Thornley, Demand Media

Don't let an oversight spoil a Mexican vacation.

 

 

 

 

Overview

 

Nothing spoils a vacation like losing an essential document or twisting an ankle scrambling over ruins. Mexico holds the promise of a relaxing time in a country rich with history and culture, where skies are generally sunny and restaurants offer a groaning board of new delights. But it is always pays to be prepared for a sudden inconvenience or a larger problem that can turn a vacation into a nightmare. Packing a few essential items can help avoid a disruption or a disaster.

Paperwork

 

Make copies of your passport, airline tickets, and hotel and rental car reservations. Leave one copy with a family member or friend at home, pack another in your suitcase and a third in your carry-on bag. In addition, register your trip at the U.S. State Department web site just in case there is a emergency situation in Mexico or family members need to locate you. Also, make a note of your credit card numbers and customer service telephone numbers, and pack two copies in separate places.

Communication

 

Chances are your cell phone will work in Mexico, but check with your carrier before you leave to see how much it will cost. Opt for for an international plan that will save you money and be sure to check the likely costs of data transfers and instant messaging. Take along a small phrase book, also. Many Mexicans speak English, but telephone information operators and residents of smaller towns may only speak Spanish. Plus, it is always a sign of good manners to attempt to say a few words in the local lingo.

Packing Tips

 

Pack a small raincoat or travel umbrella, especially during the summer when afternoon showers are short, but likely even at resort areas. Sunscreen is vital year-round, even in the cool air of the mountains where the skies are clear and the sunlight intense. A hat is always a good idea in Mexico, whether climbing pyramids or horseback riding on the beach. Sturdy shoes are a must for exploring ruins, and plan to dress modestly touring religious sites. In the winter at beach resorts and year-round in Mexico's high altitude areas, which includes most of the country's popular colonial cities, evenings can be chilly, so take along a sweater or light jacket.

First Aid

 

Mexican pharmacies are well-stocked, many hotels and resorts have a doctor on call, and city emergency rooms are well-prepared, but an accident can happen at any time, atop a pyramid or on a quiet beach, so pack a small first aid kit. Be sure to include over-the-counter pain and stomach discomfort relief, alcohol swabs, and adhesive bandages designed for blisters. Hand sanitizer and small packets of tissue also are handy, since some Mexican bathrooms can be less than perfect.

Extras

 

There is a good chance you will bring souvenirs home from Mexico, so take along an extra collapsible bag for your haul. Textiles are easy to pack, but those ceramic treasures can be a challenge. Consider stuffing sections of bubble wrap in your shoes inside your suitcase if you think you likely will succumb to the charms of Mexican pottery. Pack a few plastic zipped bags, handy for packing wet swimsuits after that last-minute swim before you fly home.

Tourism certification system created

Tuesday, 18 February 2014 00:10
BY ROCÍO ZAYAS
The News


MEXICO CITY – The Tourism Secretariat (Sectur) is hammering out the final details of the National Tourism Certification System, a qualification that seeks to improve quality and services of tourist destinations.

Tourism Quality and Regulation Undersecretary Francisco Maass Peña attended the 2014 Mexican Treasures award ceremony along with Tourism Secretary Claudia Ruiz Massieu, where he talked about the federal government’s vision to increase competitiveness in different sectors of the economy, including tourism.

The Mexican Treasures award was created as a Sectur effort to lift the quality of tourism services offered in Mexico, in a bid to promote Mexico as a world-class vacation destination. He explained that consideration for the award is based on three different criteria: H (hygiene), S (sustainability) and M (modernization).

Maass Peña said that tourism is a service-based industry where competition is driven by quality, and that responsible and innovative policies and regulations are needed to not only increase tourism activity, employment and investments, but also to ensure environmental compliance and to gain the confidence of national and international tourists in the nation’s tourism destinations.

The certification system has the expressed goal of elevating the quality of service by adhering to the highest standards possible.

He also said that improvements to infrastructure, telecommunications and connectivity by land, air and sea are all conditions for the competitiveness of a destination, region or country.

Security, immigration facilitation and the easy and opportune access to visas, according to Maass Peña, are also conditions for competition, and that these criteria need to be secured so that those in the tourism-services industry only have to worry about welcoming tourists and providing them with a one-of-a-kind experience.

How to Call the United States From a Mexico Vacation

ehow.com

Instructions 

 1. Contact your cell phone company to set up international calling. Fees for this service vary depending on your cell phone provider. Costs per minute for phone calls may be about 99 cents. Carriers that provide this service include Verizon, AT&T, Telus and Nextel. Check with your phone carrier to see if you can update your phone to work in Mexico.

2. Purchase a global phone. With a global phone, you can make international calls and send text messages from other countries. Global phones already have international calling plans built into them. Contact your cell phone provider for global phone availability.

3. Rent a cell phone. Cell phone rental in Mexico allows you the convenience of using a cell phone that allows you to make reduced price calls back to the United States. You can even have a U.S. number for ease of people trying to call you. For more information visit the Cellularabroad.com website.

4. Purchase a calling card. Calling cards allow secure international calling at reduced rates. Calling cards provide a toll-free number as well as a PIN number. Once you dial the toll-free number plus the PIN, you will be able to enter the United States phone number you are calling from Mexico. For more information on purchasing calling cards, visit the Callingcards.com website.

5. Download Skype. Skype is a free Internet calling service that allows you to call anyone from your computer to their computer for free or purchase a pay-as-you-go plan allowing you to call a U.S. phone number for a few cents per minute from your computer. Visit the Skype.com website for more information.

Spanish Phrases to Learn Before You Go to Mexico

about.com

By Suzanne Barbezat

If you don't speak any Spanish at all, don't worry, many people who work in the tourist industry in Mexico speak English. However, any effort on your part to speak Spanish will go a long way towards creating a rapport between you and the Mexicans you meet. You don't have to take an intensive course - these few phrases will communicate the most important things you need to say.

Hola

Hello
Mexicans tend to be quite formal when it comes to greetings. A simple "hola" is fine among friends, but in other situations, you should change the form you use depending on the time of day.

• Before noon: Buenos días (Good morning, Good day)
• From noon until dark: Buenas tardes (Good afternoon)
• At night: Buenas noches (Good evening, Good night)

 

Gracias

Thank you.

It's always polite to thank people who are providing you with a service - and even better to say it in their language. The correct response is de nada. You should also learn learn to say please: por favor.

¿Cuanto cuesta?

How much is it?

Of course, if you hope to understand the answer, you'll need to have some knowledge of the numbers in Spanish. In a restaurant, ask for la cuenta.

¿Donde está...?

Where is...?

Perhaps the most essential one is ¿Donde está el baño? (Where is the restroom?). But knowing how to ask where things are can come in handy in many circumstances. Hopefully the person answering you will point so it won't matter if you don't understand their reply!

Me llamo...

My name is...

The best way to learn Spanish is to talk with people, and the way to begin is by introducing yourself.

Disculpe

Excuse me.

There are different forms to say this depending on the situation, but this is the one which works in most situations - if you're trying to get by someone and you want them to move out of your way, if you've made a faux-pas or if you're trying to get their attention.

¿Puedo tomar una foto?

May I take a photo?

Some people don't like to have their picture taken, so to avoid conflicts, it's better to ask first.

No hablo español. ¿Habla usted inglés?

I don't speak Spanish. Do you speak English?

As a last resort!