The magic of Skype…

Posted by worldwide-admin on with 0 Comment
Willie waiting to Skype with his “aunt” when we were in Nevada for business.

As a kid, I remember fantasizing about being able to “see” using the phone. In the 1950s there was talk about such technology eventually existing, being referred to as Phone-A-Vision (or something like that).  Here we are many years later and this technology not only exists but works rather well.

With the advent of cell phone service providing free long distance in the US, we weren’t frequent users of SKYPE in our old lives.  

For a period of time, I had worked in Nevada, leaving my husband and family behind. (Knowing I’d be gone for several months I brought along our precious little dog WorldWideWillie). With the ease of calling family members on my smartphone, there was little need to use SKYPE. Shortly after I arrived in Nevada my little sister Julie suggested we talk via SKYPE rather than on the phone.

For those of you unfamiliar with SKYPE please click here for a detailed description.

Julie and I began to use Skype on a regular basis.  Willie, a huge fan of Julie, went nuts when he’d hear her voice coming from my laptop while seeing the live video of his “aunt” who had often visited our home.  After only a few occasions, he’d anxiously wait by the computer for me to Skype Julie. He’d bark at my laptop looking up at me with pleading eyes, to make the call.

With both voice and video turned on while talking to Julie, I was able to walk around the house with my laptop showing her where I lived, the inside of the refrigerator, a new gadget I’d purchased, or the bruise I got on my leg when making the bed;  lots of “sister” stuff.

Since leaving the US we’ve talked to family members and friends using Skype.  As soon as we moved into our villa in Laru Beya, I immediately called Julie to “show” her our new place while we giggled in awe of this amazing technology. 

It was necessary to work out a few glitches with Julie to ensure a clear connection.  Discovering that turning off the video aspect along with her calling me using the Skype app on her iPhone, I was able to answer for perfectly clear reception on either my Android phone or on my laptop using the Skype app installed on both devices.

You may wonder, if we no longer have cell service, how can we make a Skype to Skype call using our smartphones? LaruBeya has free WiFI throughout the resort. Our unlocked smartphones (meaning we aren’t locked into a cell contact, our phones are classified as unlocked GSM and thus enabled for SIM card use) don’t currently have SIM cards but are able to pick up a WiFi signal wherever it is available: at this resort, at a Hotspot or any other location that offers free or a pay-for-use wireless Internet connection.

Using Skype, we have no bill to pay and no account to maintain.  All we need is a Skype name for others to easily reach us.  As long as the computer or phone’s sound is turned on, an incoming Skype call rings to a familiar musical tone.

What if both the computer and the phone’s sound is on and a Skype call comes in?  Whichever device we use first, to “pick up the receiver” via clicking on the old fashioned phone handle icon, is the device on which we will take the call.

Since arriving in Belize, we’ve discovered a vital fact about Skype that has saved us a considerable sum. We can call any US toll-free numbers at no charge.  This enables us to handle business matters back in the US calling a landline.

However, if one is calling a non-toll-free number, for instance, a friend’s regular cell number, as opposed to their Skype name using Skype, it is necessary to place funds into a Skype account using a credit card and to pay per minute use. For example, while here in Belize, if we call the local cab company for a driver, we’d have to pay for the call on Skype.  Why?  They don’t have a toll-free number.

We deposited $10 into my Skype account for this purpose which remains intact in the account, less $2.10 for one local call we made at the end of January when inquiring about a golf cart rental. Were we to call family or friend’s landlines or cell phones without their using Skype on their end, the call on Skype would be approximately $2.89 per minute.  As you can see, this adds up.

Back in Minnesota with a shared cell service plan, our average minutes use was a combined 800 minutes per month, resulting in approximately 22 minutes per day for each of us. While outside the US, if we each used the 22 minutes per day, our monthly cost through SKYPE (or through our old Verizon account which we’d investigated) would be $2312!

You may ask, why don’t we have SIM cards installed in our phones for use in Belize?  Simple.  We can use Skype for free.  Why use up minutes on a SIM card when we can use Skype at no expense?  If we had SIM cards, we’d suddenly find we’re frequently loading minutes onto the card while spending huge amounts a month in cell calls.  Plus, we’d eventually end up with dozens of unused balances remaining on SIM cards from all over the world.

As for the magic…my eldest sister, Susan, living in Boulder City, Nevada has been unable to use a computer these past years due to a medical condition. We last spoke on January 3, 2013, the day we left the US. 

In her career she owned a successful travel agency, traveling the world experiencing many cruises, mostly on upscale cruise lines.  How fun it would be to share our experiences with her!  She educated us on cruising when we visited her in Nevada over Christmas, tips that we’ve treasured from the moment we boarded the ship.

Without a laptop and only recently receiving a Kindle Fire, a gift from her daughter, Susan had yet to load Skype. I wanted to speak to her!  While “Skyping” with sister Julie a few days ago, an idea hit me! 

What if I call Julie on Skype at a prearranged time.  She picks up the Skype call on her iPhone verifying that we have a clear connection, (without using video which requires more bandwidth). With her landline next to her, she dials Susan’s landline while pressing the SPEAKER button. 

She sets both phones down on the desk and says to Susan, “I have a surprise for you on the phone!”  Susan cringed.  She doesn’t like to talk to people she doesn’t know on the phone.  Who does?  She made the assumption that whoever was on the line was a stranger. 

Speaking in a normal voice, I said, “Susan, it’s me, Jessica!  I’m calling from Belize through Julie’s Skype!”  

The three of us squealed with delight. Once again, we were together! The sound was clear, free of background noise or static.  It was as if I had called her directly on Skype.  We chatted on endlessly in our usual way with an enthusiastic interest in one another’s lives and well being. 

Well, of course, I can’t expect Julie to be an intermediary on all future calls to Susan. But now, she is highly motivated to take the easy steps to install Skype on her Kindle Fire, making it possible for us to chat anytime we’d like at no cost, anywhere in the world. I’m looking forward to that!

Another “workaround” worked for us in our world travels!

Last week, while talking on Skype with son, Richard in Henderson, Nevada, he was using his smartphone and I was using my laptop, both voice and video were clear. His funny pug Monty, heard my familiar voice, snorted, and licked the phone. See, dogs like Skype, too!

Thanks, Julie!  Thanks, Skype!

On April 9th we board a Carnival ship…Should we be worried?…

Posted by worldwide-admin on with 3 Comments
This is the Carnival Liberty, the ship  on which we’ll embark on April 9th.

With the influx of news regarding the horrifying nightmare for over 4000 passengers on the Carnival Triumph, we watched intently, wondering what we should do.

The likelihood of another such incident on the two back to back Carnival Liberty Cruises we’ve booked is unlikely.  We’ll be staying in the same cabin on both cruises, sailing from April 9, 2013 until April 20, 2013.  Upon disembarking the Liberty around 10:00 am, we’ll change ships at the same pier, on the same day, to board the Norwegian Epic at 4:00 PM to sail across the Atlantic Ocean to Barcelona on our first transatlantic cruise.

For the heck of it, we contacted our cruise guy, Joaquin at Vacations to Go inquiring as to what options are available, if and only if, a passenger wants to “jump ship” to another cruise line.  (Keeping in mind we’re cruising as a means of transportation as much as possible. Plus we love it as opposed to flying). 

Not to our surprise, Carnival is not offering refunds for future cruise passengers on other ships.  This would bankrupt them.  Based on the fact that we can’t get a full refund within 90 days of a cruise departure, diminishing on a scale the closer it gets as taken directly from our Cruise Confirmation documents.

Cancellation Charges If you cancel, the following charges will be assessed by the cruise line (per guest):

Cruise Length Days Prior To Sailing Cancellation Charge
2, 3, 4 & 5 nights 61 days or more

60 to 46 days
45 to 30 days
29 to 15 days
14 days or less

 None (except for Early Saver, Easy Saver* and
Super Saver fares**)
Entire deposit
50% of total fare or deposit, whichever is greater
75% of total fare or deposit, whichever is greater
100% of total fare
6 nights and longer (including Alaska & Hawaii) 76 days or more

75 to 56 days
55 to 30 days
29 to 15 days
14 days or less

 None (except for Early Saver, Easy Saver*
and Super Saver fares**)
Entire deposit
50% of total fare or deposit, whichever is greater
75% of total fare or deposit, whichever is greater
100% of total fare
Europe, Panama Canal and Transpacific sailings 7, 9 & 12, 14 and 17 nights in length 91 days or more

90 to 56 days
55 to 30 days
29 to 15 days
14 days or less

 None (except for Early Saver, Easy Saver*
and Super Saver fares**)
Entire deposit
50% of total fare or deposit, whichever is greater
75% of total fare or deposit, whichever is greater
100% of total fare
All cruises purchased under the Instant Saver Fare Any time after booking 100% of total fare

Timetables and rates are subject to change, and exceptions may apply for holiday sailings. *Early Saver & Easy Saver fares: The deposit on bookings made using the Early Saver & Easy Saver Fares program is non-refundable/non-transferable. No name changes will be permitted. There is a $50 service fee per person applicable on ship and/or sail date changes outside standard penalties.**Super Saver fares: The deposit is non-refundable.

With 51 days until we sail, we’d lose our deposits, in these cases, over $1000.  Thus, the question posed:  Are we willing to lose $1000 in deposits to cancel these cruises?  Secondly, there are no specific dates that coincide with our planned dates of departure which would result in losing money leaving here early and paying for hotels and meals on the other end.  it makes no sense monetarily.

Does it make sense emotionally?  Not really.  When we decided to travel the world we knew there would be risks and bumps along the way.  Here we are, almost five months since leaving Minnesota and without a doubt, we’ve already had a few bumps.

1.  Our luggage going on the wrong van when we arrived in Belize City on January 29, 2013, to be recovered an hour later, after a lot of foot stomping after we had specifically stated several times that they ensure the luggage goes on the tender boat with us, not ahead of us.
2.  The ineptness of guest services on the Celebrity Equinox when they only arranged a one week visa for our stay in Belize when we needed 30 days (to be renewed soon when we have to go by boat to immigration in Mango Creek).  It was straightened out but again, only with observation of the error and persistence in getting it resolved.  Had I not checked our passports when the on board immigration officer handed them back to us, we’d have been forced to go to Mango Creek while we were living in that unsanitary water-free zone only 12 days ago.
3.  The water-free house down the road, Little Cottage, with an occasional dribble of cold running water, cold dribbling showers and a mostly non flushable toilet resulting in a horrible unsanitary situation.  Hot water and soap is a great sanitizer.  We had soap but no hot water.  We boiled it as often as we could accumulate it at a dribble’s pace in a huge pot on the dangerous gas smelling stove.  (Oh, listen to me go on!).

Yes, we are uninjured.  Yes, we are now safe from disease.  We ask ourselves, what have we learned? 
From comments above in order:
1.  Incompetency prevails
2.  Incompetency prevails
3.  Don’t rent a marginal house with only two reviews on the website, both of which were outdated and one of which referred to another property the owner rented.  I should have been more suspicious when booking the property.  Lesson learned.  (Bless Tom’s heart.  He never blamed me!)

None the less, we are grateful we found LaruBeya by a fluke.   We are grateful to have water and to be in a sanitary environment.  We are grateful that we are able to walk to or be driven to (for only a tip) to a total of five restaurant in our area.  Yes, we are grateful that Estevan picks us up every Wednesday to go to the grocery store for a $10 round trip (plus tip).  In addition, we are grateful that we find food we can eat, although the selection is limited and the fact that its grass fed, free range and organic.

As for the upcoming cruises, we’ll continue on as planned on the Carnival Liberty.  If something does go wrong, we have our portable solar charger that is powerful enough to fully charge our phones.  With our phones charged we’ll be able to use the Blogger app to continue to keep our readers informed.  As for Internet connection (which was not fully functioning on the Carnival Triumph, we’ll have our XCOM Global MiFi with us which works independently of the ship’s data when close to land). 

See…there may be a use for all the gadgets we’ve packed which are consuming space in our bags!

Smartphones may not be so smart for world travel…

Posted by worldwide-admin on with 0 Comment

Many months ago, while researching smart phones for world travel I discovered that no-contract unlocked phones were the way to go.  What is an unlocked phone you may ask?

An unlocked phone is a phone that doesn’t have its system locked to work only on a particular cell phone service’s network.  Thus, no contract.  However, on its own, a mobile phone won’t work.  It requires a method of receiving a signal from the towers and satellites all over the world.

That method, when one doesn’t have a mobile phone company such as Verizon, AT &T or T-Mobile, providing the signal directly to the locked phone, requires that the phone be unlocked (and set free from any service provider.) Then, it requires that a SIM card, a subscriber identity module, be installed enabling the phone to grab onto local cell signals.

In addition, each country operates their own signal on a specific band, not unlike radio signals, requiring the phone to be no less than a quad-band with frequencies that it can access bands of 850 and 1900 MHz commonly used in North America and 900 and 1800 MHz used in other parts of the world. A quad band phone can work in all of these situations.

Our plan was to buy the Nokia Lumia 920 when it hit the market this November.  Patiently, we waited.  We were sorely disappointed, last week, once we began the laborious process of searching for an unlocked version, to discover that finding it reliably unlocked was impossible. 

The only option was to buy it locked from AT & T, who has a monopoly on this model without a contract for $449 and try to find a way to unlock it ourselves since AT & T refused to unlock it for any price.

Unlocking a phone can be easy when given the proper code.  Unfortunately, due to AT & T’s pre-established criteria with Nokia, there was no readily available unlock code.  Many web sites, suspicious and otherwise, claimed that they had the code, offering to sell instructions to unlock it for prices ranging from $29.95 – $199.00. Very risky. 

Also, trying to unlock it under these questionable circumstances could result in damage to the phone rendering it useless and unable to be returned.  Very risky.  We gave up on the Nokia Lumia 920.

After no less than five visits to phone stores in the past three weeks both in Scottsdale and in Henderson, we were almost at a point of giving up being prepared to pay the horrific charges to keep the two Android phones we  currently have for international roaming charges which would be upwards of $500 a month.

Again, this morning we decided to try one more time.  We found our way to a Verizon store, saw another phone we liked that was supposedly unlocked, only available for full price (without a contract) by purchasing online from Verizon’s global department. (All along we were prepared to pay the “full price” for whatever unlocked phone we purchased.  The lower cost options are only available when one commits to a new 2 year contract with the carrier).

Returning home, we finally had an opportunity  spoke to a knowledgeable representative, who explained that the phone we in liked in the store, the LG Intuition, was CMDA, not GSM (GSM is Global System for Mobile, the international standard, required for use with SIM cards and global use). 

“Please,” I asked, “tell me which smart phones you have today that are GSM and unlocked, suitable for world travel. We are ready to purchase right now.”

With the sound of her fingers flying across her keyboard, I waited patiently, almost holding my breath.  Tom and I looked back and forth at one another, hopeful.

Moments later, she said, “Oh, you already have a GSM unlocked phone that works globally.”

WHAT???? My phone was on speaker.  Tom and I looked at each other and gasped at the same time.  We already had such a phone!  She confirmed that Tom’s 11 month old Motorola Droid Razer that  I had purchased for him last year for his birthday in December, was both CDMA and GSM, unlocked and ready for world travel.  My older Droid X was not compatible.

She proceeded to explain how to remove the Verizon SIM card and use the slot to install a micro SIM card in another country, without having a Verizon contract.  Buy one more of these, cancel our existing expired contracts before we leave the US and we’re good to go.

Moments later, we had purchased the Motorola Droid Maxx with the 8 MP camera we wanted, also unlocked, GSM, and ready to use internationally!  In two days we’ll have our new smart phone in hand, activated,  awaiting the installation of the SIM cards we are now going to find and purchase.

The day before we leave the US on January 2, 2013, we will terminate service to our phones and install our new SIM cards.  We won’t have to worry about “roaming” charges on the cruise since we won’t have a contract. 

Our smart phone technological issues are almost completely resolved. Now we begin the search for the most cost effective data and call worthy SIM card that will work seamlessly with our two phones.  Whew!

Why two smart phones when we are together 24/7?  Safety. 

If I leave Tom at home in Cajarc, France, while I walk to the health club down the road, tripping on a cobblestone street (possible) and spraining my ankle, I’ll want to be able to call Tom to come walk me home. 

Another less important reason, we both are in the habit of “playing” with our phones. When we have WiFi available, we’ll still want to play.  When WiFi is not available, we can read KINDLE or NOOK books on our phones while lounging in a lawn chair on the deck of the cruise ship neither of which require an Internet connection once the books are downloaded.

Oh, good grief!  How spoiled we are with our technology!  You may say, people traveled the world without technology for centuries.  But…were they able to upload a photo for you to see of a baby elephant walking behind its mother, holding its mother’s tail with its trunk, in a matter of seconds!

Cell phone issues resolved…

Posted by worldwide-admin on with 0 Comment

Technology is an integral element of our ability to experience life “on the road” for a period of years.

When one travels to a hotel for a two week vacation, technology is relatively easy:
1. The hotel provides Internet access for free or for a charge.
2. The cell phone service provider allows phone calls for a roaming fee or not, depending on where one is vacationing.
3. Smartphone data is provided by the cell phone data plan at increased rates if outside the US or on a cruise ship. (We’ve all heard the Internet legend where a kid played games on the phone during a cruise after which the dad got a bill from his cell service provider for $20,000. Not so unlikely).

Over the past several months, I have been researching international cell phone options for us once we leave the US. Coincidentally, both of our contracts will have run out by November 1, 2012. The timing couldn’t have been better!

iPhone users have been saying, “You need an iPhone for international travel!” This is not our best or only option. We will need an UNLOCKED phone which simply put is a GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) which is not associated with any specific cell phone carrier and thus, no contract is required.

An unlocked phone doesn’t have any service until one inserts a SIM card (Subscriber Identity Module), purchased in the country in which it will be used, providing both phone and data, with time and usage limits.

When the time runs out on the card, one either purchases another SIM card or buys additional time through an online account attached to a credit card. SIM cards each have their own phone number, not the handiest aspect when buying new cards from country to country. (Our old phone numbers won’t work).

Unlocked phones are considerably more expensive than purchasing a cell phone through a carrier and committing to the usual two year contract. By signing a contract, the carrier makes enough money from the subscriber for them to be able to sell the smartphone at a reduced price or, in some cases, for free.

How do we purchase an unlocked phone? We could buy one from Verizon, our current carrier for about $800. Other web stores such as Amazon sell unlocked phones. It is imperative that the phone be GSM or the SIM cards won’t work.

Upon reading some reviews online, it appears some customers did this to later
discover that the phones were not unlocked and had to figure out how to unlocked it themselves which may be as easy as flipping a switch or as complicated as hours online following complicated instructions.

In the worst case, one could send the phone to an unknown technician to have it unlocked, paying a hefty fee. This is the primary reason consumers hesitate to purchase an unlocked phone: Will it really be unlocked and if not, what do I do? Most people prefer to buy a two year contract and not mess with SIM cards which are also available in the US.

When we purchased our new unlocked GSM smartphones, we may consider buying two of the SAMSUNG GALAXY S III I9300 UNLOCKED GSM QUAD BAND SMARTPHONE from the company in this link by recommendation from CNET, a company that does reviews for technology and offers technical support, a company I have followed since the early 1990’s.

Why buy two unlocked phones when the cost is high at a minimum of about $700 each? We have a few good reasons:

1.  In the event of an emergency, we will always have one charged phone handy and time left on one SIM card.
2.  There are times we won’t be together for short periods: I may grocery shopping on my own or work out at a nearby health club. If something happens, we can phone each other. Piece of mind is worth a one time cost of $700.
3.  OK, here’s a frivolous reason: We can both play games on our phones at the same time and, with each other and read books on the Kindle app.
4.  Based on the specs of this particular model of smartphone (new as of a few days ago), it has a decent camera, perhaps all the camera we will need (we shall see). We can both be taking photos or videos at the same time while on safari!

By no means, are we experts on this topic and through research we’ve found varying opinions. And, this cell phone issue has been nagging at us for awhile. Finally, we feel we have a handle on it and can look forward to our new purchase this upcoming October, among with other digital needs!