Using Technology Abroad

I do not—nor will I ever—pretend to possess a great deal of knowledge when it comes to technology.  However, I am always willing to learn.  On this trip, I got quite the education.

First, I learned that the iPhone 6 is unlocked and ready to use a foreign SIM card.  Of course, this meant I had to call Verizon to confirm that info, and then learn how to eject the card already in there.  That last bit required a touch of Google research.

Now, this is not the first time I’ve gone abroad.  However, it is the first time I’ve ever used a foreign SIM in a US phone.  When I studied in Ireland, I just bought a local phone and learned how to use it.  When I wanted to talk to my family and friends back home, I just jumped on my laptop and used Skype or Yahoo! Messenger (which makes me feel old).  And during my 2014 trip to Budapest, I was given a local phone to keep in touch with the church people.  Communicating with family friends was once again done on my laptop through either email or Facebook.

Once I learned I could use my phone on this trip, I rejoiced in knowing that meant one less bag to carry.  That's right, I left the laptop at home and relied solely upon my phone.  Unfortunately, this meant writing down any blog ideas and rough drafts by hand before getting to type them out (oh, the old-school horror).  Then again, that also meant I got to feel especially artistic on the occasion I sat writing whilst drinking a Guinness in a Welsh pub (and yes, I'm well aware that was an Irish beer I was drinking in that Welsh pub).  To be honest, I feel that if I were to actually live in the UK or Ireland, this would be a regular occurrence for me…though I would probably choose tea if I became a regular.  

So, while I was in Budapest I could use my 1 GB of data to call or text people within the country, and I could still post the occasional pictures to Facebook.  I even sent a few Snapchats to friends…mostly because I like casually tormenting them :P  I even got the occasional WiFi signal, so I didn’t have to constantly worry about using up my data package for the week.  I turned the cellular data off for some of my apps so I knew they wouldn’t run in the background, and I could still use them when WiFi became available.  As I discovered, I could even have my phone in airplane mode and manually turn the WiFi and Bluetooth features on to prevent any chance that I’d use my cellular data.  This came in particularly handy once I gave my Hungarian SIM back and had my US SIM back in place.

However, once out of Budapest, I became entirely dependent upon the fickle nature of WiFi signals.  Throughout my trip, only the Heathrow Airport gave me the best and most reliable service.  The added benefit of their service was the fact that the first four hours were free.  Thankfully none of my layovers were nearly that long.  Even their underground train to the other terminals and Paddington Station offered a wonderful signal. 

Once I left the purview of Heathrow, however, I struggled to find a reliable signal.  Though one was offered on the train from Paddington to Cardiff, I got nothing but the spinning wheel and a message that “the connection has been lost.”  That turned out to be okay though, because it meant I had time to work on my (handwritten) blogs as we sped along to Cardiff.  The city of Cardiff itself was rather sad in its signal reliability.  Though I applaud their city council for offering free WiFi in certain parts of the city (mostly the city centre), I had a lot of problems even getting connected--let alone having access to anything online once I got connected.  My hotel was another source of disappointment.  While the man at the front desk kindly got me onto their network, I would occasionally lose signal while simply sitting on my bed.  What made this even more frustrating was the router sitting not five feet away, blinking merrily at my scowls.  I began to suspect my router wasn’t networked with the hotel (though I have no idea if that’s even technically possible).

By the time I got to Bath, I sort of gave up caring about any of it.  I must say there is something absolutely calming about that city.  Maybe it’s the Georgian architecture, or perhaps walking the streets Jane Austen and other classic writers have walked, but I suddenly didn’t care to be connected.  That doesn’t mean I completely gave up technology.  As always, I had my camera clicking away to capture the sights, and even brought my phone out on occasion in anticipation for when I would be back in Heathrow and could upload more photos onto Facebook.  Technically, my hotel in Bath did offer free WiFi, but I never bothered to ask for the password.  Instead I chose to end my days sitting quietly in my room and reflecting on the day (admittedly, I only spent two nights in this kind of quiet.  I think that’s a record for me). 

Overall, I learned some new things about technology, and especially learned some of the quirks of my new phone.  While I appreciate being connected when overseas, it was also nice to be unplugged once in a while.  I think I’ll have to do that more often when I’m home as well.

Tell me about some of your adventures with technology in the comments below!