It's a whole new world traveling with a smartphone. Gone are the days I traveled Europe with no more knowledge than could be gleaned from an out of date "Let's Go" tour book.
In addition to normal things one uses a smartphone for like reading the WSJ, checking bank/credit card accounts for any possible discrepancies, checking email, taking pictures, emailing pictures, etc., here are a few other things I have used my Iphone for during this trip:
- logging on to TripAdvisor to find out about and sometimes book the best hostels (most all of which have been excellent)
- using the google maps function to navigate in Ukraine when I could not read street signs or communicate effectively
- daily calls home using Skype and the wifi connections that every hostel/hotel makes available, and
- using google translate to enter words, have them translated, and then let whomever (from Polish train passengers to Ukrainian border agents) read the translation in their native language
Most of the countries I have been traveling in are covered by my phone's international plan, which makes things easier, as a 3G network is obviously needed in some situation like the translate and gps functions...can't always rely on wifi being available. I have to be careful to choose the right carrier, as not all are covered, but after that it's simple to use the local network without having to buy/exchange sim cards. Getting sim cards would be a pain, as I'm traveling through so many different places so fast that it just would not be feasible all the time. Of course, I only get so much data and it is a little expensive, but so long as I'm only using the 3G sparingly I can make the MB's I have paid for last.
In short, the Iphone has never been more of a help than now and I continue to be amazed at the things one can do with it.
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