BDH Posted May 23, 2007 Share Posted May 23, 2007 Well, I guess this is the year for me to break out, as it looks like I'll be heading to both Ecuador and to France this year. Does anyone have any website references that will point me in the right direction with all the questions like ... will my cell phone work?... will the charger from my electronic devices work??... and other stuff like that? Any help would be appreciated... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D.Hayden Posted May 23, 2007 Share Posted May 23, 2007 Cell Phone - sorry can't help. I now some people rent them for a short term, roaming charges are probably the killer. For the chargers, see if they're marked 120/240V and 50/60Hz or something like that. I have one in front of me AC100-240V, 50-60Hz Those just need the right adapter (Travel Stores sell kits, good about anywhere). They're small, light and cheap. The adapters just allow the US type plug to plug into the outlets overseas, there's no electronics in them. Think about bringing something to carry change in. You tend to use a lot more coins than in the States. They usually have higher denomination coins rather than $1 or $2 bills, etc.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mistral404 Posted May 23, 2007 Share Posted May 23, 2007 Remember that Europe is on a 50 cycle while US is 60 cycles. So unless your electronics have a switch for both you will have problems. Most people buy a converter and use it. Better to buy it here than pay tourist prices there if you have room. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe4d Posted May 24, 2007 Share Posted May 24, 2007 call or email cell phone carrier and tell them you need the lock code for foriegn travel, when yu arrive goo to a cell phone booth in a mall or street, buy a prepaid sim card, usually they go under the battery. you will then have a local phone number, you can switch sim cards back to original. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edwin garcia Posted May 24, 2007 Share Posted May 24, 2007 call or email cell phone carrier and tell them you need the lock code for foriegn travel, when yu arrive goo to a cell phone booth in a mall or street, buy a prepaid sim card, usually they go under the battery. you will then have a local phone number, you can switch sim cards back to original. FYI, make sure your phone will have the same band as ecuador's. Tri-band phones usually will cover it but just make sure it does. When i went to guayaquil, I found it more convenient to get the rental/prepaid than tweaking my own cell. Same with the other shooters i'm with. Europe's power, mainly 220, but most of my chargers for my gadgets were auto voltage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricW Posted May 24, 2007 Share Posted May 24, 2007 My Cingular GSM worked fine...at a price. FWIW, Euros don't talk on the phone, they text. Make sure you have international text enabled and test it before you leave. I can get text from Europe on my Razr no problemo via Cingular. I *cannot* get texts from Europe on my Moto World Phone with Verizon (which is highly annoying). If you have Verizon has a carrier, you have two phone choices: a Blackberry or what's called a "World Phone." I have the World Phone (motorola). It's OK, but my Cingular Razr runs circles around it. Buying a SIM card is a mixed bag. Yeah, it's kind of cheaper, but the minutes are use 'em or lose 'em, so in the end it can end up being just as expensive as using your existing phone sparingly. Most chargers are auto-switching now (check the label to be sure). So, what you'll need in La France is the round prong to blade prong adapter. You will also want some type of extender block for things like battery chargers as most of the european receptacles are recessed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shooter Grrl Posted May 24, 2007 Share Posted May 24, 2007 BDH - your cell phone will work - but you need to call your carrier and have their world plan turned on. Cingulars is $5.99/mo for the access to international roaming and you can check the per minute price on their website. Israel is $1.49/minute, Italy is $.79/minute and the UK is $.49/minute. That's all the places Dave's been to so far There were no additional roaming or access charges. YOu will need a travel adaptar, they do vary by country - call me and I'll loan you one Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shred Posted May 24, 2007 Share Posted May 24, 2007 Ecuador uses US $ which is convenient, but you'll want to bring a whole stack of $1 and $5 bills-- and reasonably nice ones-- sometimes they object to ratty bills for fear of counterfeits (yeah, who would copy a $1?, but whatever). If you just want a phone for emergencies, you can verify yours has the right stuff to talk to their phone system (mine did at the WS), but you usually have to 'activate' international usage with your provider as well. If you're bringing one, pretty much every laptop charger these days handles any voltage and frequency you care to feed it, so long as you have the right metal prongs to plug into the wall. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G-ManBart Posted May 24, 2007 Share Posted May 24, 2007 This brings back memories...for a while I had to give travel briefings to military personnel and government civilians heading overseas....woo hoo...big fun. One thing that you never see in print concerns hotels. In the rest of the world you always want to avoid staying in a room any higher than the 6th floor. Why? That's the highest that most fire engine hook and ladders are capable of getting to in case of a fire and you need to evacuate out the window. That would be less of a concern in France, but it would probably depend on exactly where you're staying. For obvious reasons, do what you can to avoid looking like an American....everyone hates us If you're going to rent a car and drive, definitely research the driving rules as that's an easy way to get in trouble. If you have to bring prescription meds, make a copy of the prescription and keep it either on you or in a carry on so it doesn't get lost if your luggage disappears. It's also a good idea to make a photocopy of your passport and other ID so that if it gets stolen or lost it'll be easier for Embassy folks to help you. Write the phone number for the Embassy on the copy as well so you won't have to look for it if you need it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricW Posted May 24, 2007 Share Posted May 24, 2007 I had no problems with "American-itis" in France this last trip. You'll have issues in Paris, but Parisiens are a-holes. (Don't believe me, ask a native.) And from what I could tell when I was there, there were no shortage of obnoxious American a-holes. The two deserve each other IMO. So...don't go to Paris, and don't be an a-hole, and you'll have a great trip. I had problems at first with the driving because I did exactly zero pre-arrival learning of what certain symbols meant both on the roadways and on the maps. Once I got that figured out...smooth sailing. Driving in Europe is an absolute blast! I highly recommend renting a car just for the fun factor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skywalker Posted May 24, 2007 Share Posted May 24, 2007 (edited) ... will the charger from my electronic devices work Brian, there's a huge difference in electrical power distribution between US and Europe. US AC is 110V 60Hz, while Europe is 220/240V 50Hz, so Berkim is spot on: check your chargers like he suggested. My take is that, if they're relatively new, they were manufactured for both (manufacturing standardization for global market wonders). Older units might not work. Driving in Europe is an absolute blast! I highly recommend renting a car just for the fun factor. Provided you get updated maps and don't get lost ... Edited May 24, 2007 by Skywalker Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BDH Posted May 24, 2007 Author Share Posted May 24, 2007 Thanks for all the pointers! I did turn on International coverage on my Blackberry, so hopefully I will be good on that cell phone front. BTW, does anyone have any idea whether my Blackberry email will work overseas?? The last thing I would want is to be answering email after working the EHC all day long, but I cannot imagine coming home and having to deal with more than two weeks of unread email.... I'll have to double check all my chargers, and Kathy, thanks for offering to loan me one. We can talk about it at the MRPC match this weekend. So...don't go to Paris, and don't be an a-hole, and you'll have a great trip. My original plan was to fly in to Paris, and spend around four days there. However, that changed once I started looking at airfare. Now the plan is to fly into London Gatwick... hang in the UK for a few days... then grab a train to Paris... and the TGV down to Avignon, and then find my way to Cavaillon. I'm going to 'try' to avoid renting a car if possible, but I am not sure yet what arrangements the match will have for carting staff around (plus I have to get to Marsailles at the end of the match for a flight back to Gatwick, and back home... On this note, does anyone have any tips on dealing with the local cultures? I'll be in Guayaquil, Ecuador in July, and in the UK and France in September... BTW, I really hate to miss the USPSA Nationals in September, but sometimes 'you gotta do, what you gotta do...' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BritinUSA Posted May 24, 2007 Share Posted May 24, 2007 If you fly into UK then the gun cannot leave the airport. Guns are banned in England. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricW Posted May 24, 2007 Share Posted May 24, 2007 Travel tip for France: Fly into Lyon. Lyon is a *great* airport to get into and out of. Not a lot to do there, but for sheer convenience, it's my first choice. Rent the car. If you're not going to be sitting in the same spot for four or five days in a row, it's by far the most convenient form of travel. I went through all the goofy ass fly here, train there, bus there, hitch a ride from there logistics with the place I went skiing at. I rented the car and was much happier for it. You're not going into a black hole over there like everyone wants you to believe. It's really not a big deal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neil Beverley Posted May 24, 2007 Share Posted May 24, 2007 If you fly into UK then the gun cannot leave the airport. Guns are banned in England. Just to clear up a potential mis-understanding - most handguns (small firearms) are banned. We have conventional shotguns, high capacity shotguns, and rifles. We also have long barrelled revolvers (defined as carbines by some) and Shield Shooting Centre recently ran a handgun training course with these very same beasts. There will be further courses in due course. Every UK slot (22) for the forthcoming IPSC European HG Championships is taken and there's a waiting list. So, guns are not banned en masse, only handguns and semi-auto rifles. Travel tip for France: Fly into Lyon. Lyon is a *great* airport to get into and out of. Not a lot to do there, but for sheer convenience, it's my first choice. Rent the car. If you're not going to be sitting in the same spot for four or five days in a row, it's by far the most convenient form of travel. I went through all the goofy ass fly here, train there, bus there, hitch a ride from there logistics with the place I went skiing at. I rented the car and was much happier for it. You're not going into a black hole over there like everyone wants you to believe. It's really not a big deal. Hi Eric And the skiing's damn good too! Martin and Deidre say, "Hi!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neil Beverley Posted May 24, 2007 Share Posted May 24, 2007 (edited) Brian I'm not far from Gatwick but unfortunately I'm away on business for a few days before I set off for the match. I'm still working out my travel details but I may end up taking a van down to the match because I have a load of stuff to get there on behalf of IPSC, I'm still working on the details. What are your planned travel dates? There may be a possibility of a tie up? I can also post something on the UKPSA forum to see if there are any spare seats heading out to the match. Quite a few guys will drive. It's about 1 hour to the Channel Tunnel from London, 1 1/4 hours to cross including check-in and then 9-11 hours of driving from Calais to the match. Edited May 24, 2007 by Neil Beverley Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BDH Posted May 24, 2007 Author Share Posted May 24, 2007 BrianI'm not far from Gatwick but unfortunately I'm away on business for a few days before I set off for the match. I'm still working out my travel details but I may end up taking a van down to the match because I have a load of stuff to get there on behalf of IPSC, I'm still working on the details. What are your planned travel dates? There may be a possibility of a tie up? I can also post something on the UKPSA forum to see if there are any spare seats heading out to the match. Quite a few guys will drive. It's about 1 hour to the Channel Tunnel from London, 1 1/4 hours to cross including check-in and then 9-11 hours of driving from Calais to the match. Neil, Thx! PM on the way... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BDH Posted July 18, 2007 Author Share Posted July 18, 2007 (edited) I decided that I owe many of you an update from my trip to Ecuador, and thanks for the help that you provided in not only encouraging me to venture out, but also for the little tips you gave me! This community never ceases to amaze me!! Since I am not sure that the experience fits well inside this thread, I will start a new one soon. Thanks all!!! Edited July 18, 2007 by BDH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Boudrie Posted July 18, 2007 Share Posted July 18, 2007 My original plan was to fly in to Paris, and spend around four days there. The IPSCDRL report from Paris warns that (a) if someone offers you the "gold ring you dropped" it's not gold, but a very nice highly polished brass ring, ( this person will pester you for a reward unless you duck into a high end hotel where this person dare not enter and © There is an excellent chance another person seeking a reward will hand you another "gold ring" you just dropped later in the day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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