Welcome to the Podcast with Dr. Mary Travelbest:

 

FAQ is:  Should I bring a cellphone when I travel?

Today's Destination is: Hong Kong

Today's Mistake- Losing my cell phone in Mexico City

Travel Advice:  Try Reddit for some travel advice channels. 

 

List to the end to hear about the Reddit feed called "solo travel". No one uses their real names, so it's free flow. It is like anonymous social media, with different priorities and postings than on FB or IG, or even YouTube. 

 

FAQ: Should I bring a cell phone when I travel?

Answer: Yes, at least one. Ask your carrier if they have service in the countries where you are traveling, and if so, what are the fees, if any. Ask about special plans if they offer them.

You can also get a second service and buy a cheap phone when you get abroad.

Wifi you will get in most hotels, but it is not always a guarantee. If you have a hot spot, maybe you can use that when you travel. Also, consider using a VPN for more privacy than not having one. VPN is Virtual Private Network. 

I had two cell phones the last time I was in Mexico City, but I lost the extra one. I'll tell that story later in the Lessons Learned section.

Today's destination: Hong Kong or East Asia

What is there to do in Hong Kong solo? It's ideal for your first Step 5 trip because you can absorb as much culture as you like, still being in what was a British colony for a long time. They have traditions like high tea here you will like.

On my first trip here, I did not have any reservations, back in pre-cell phone days. That was adventurous, admittedly. What was the worst part of the trip here? Probably a bad haircut. But that's ok. because hair grows back.

The other downside was that I booked a cheap flat for a few days and as I recall in January, neither the heat nor the hot water was working.

On another island, Lantau Island, you will discover a cable car that will amaze you. 3500 people per hour is the capacity, with more than 100 cabins.

 

https://www.np360.com.hk/en/cable-car

Today's Mistake-  Losing my cell phone in Mexico City

 

I'm glad you held on to it here. So I had a backup cell phone, just for emergencies. I was in a dressing room at a store trying on clothes and I took a minute to send a text. I was using the new phone. However, I did not have them connected, and so I had to look up the contact info on one phone and use it on the second one. Well, this got complicated and eventually, I lost the new phone in the dressing room. I went back and it was not found. I contacted the store manager and no one turned it in.

 

Today's Travel Advice-Get good travel advice from others on social media like Twitter and Reddit.

 

I've got an active Twitter feed, in case you haven't been there. My sign is @drtravelbest  Are you following me? Here's another example:  Reddit.com/solotravel has a lot of good q and a on it. I'm seeing a lot of questions about sim cards in Europe, and it may cost 25 euros for 50 GB of data in Europe. Some recommend Vodaphone. 

Get educated here and join me. Discussions are public. It's not "owned" by me, just see good posts and skip the garbage posts. No one uses their real names, so it's freeflow. It is like anonymous social media, with different priorities than on FB or IG, or even YouTube. 

Let me know if you like this platform. It's popular with millennials.

 

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