Planes, trains, buses, vans, and automobiles...

[Samster]

Yesterday we were traveling over 18 hours (including international time zone changes) and a flight over the Atlantic. We took all the transportation types in the subject line above.
Our mobile phones did not work until we arrived here back at our destination. Then, had to be turned off until we got through customs and homeland security. (btw - we had the same type of travel situation going to our overseas destination and our phones do NOT work over there and public phones are difficult to find nowadays.)
Just a little something to remember when you think about how guests are coming to you and might be late....

 

[Copperhead]

Learned that the hard way ourselves when we traveled abroad a couple of years ago. Usually our international guests (being more savvy than me) send me an email prior to their departure stating their flight times and that they will not have cell coverage until they purchase one when they get here... Those pay as you go phones are very popular with the international guests.

 

[Samster]

Learned that the hard way ourselves when we traveled abroad a couple of years ago. Usually our international guests (being more savvy than me) send me an email prior to their departure stating their flight times and that they will not have cell coverage until they purchase one when they get here... Those pay as you go phones are very popular with the international guests..

iPhones are really the phone that works most places, with International roaming fees of course. You can have a different SIM card put in some of the US phones in the various phone stores in the UK. This trip, we were together most of the time but any future trips to the UK we'll buy some of the cheap "top off" phones that they sell over there.
The problem now is that mobile phones are so prevalent over there in the UK (along with phone boxes being subject to bombs) that it's actually quite difficult to find a public phone. Free WiFi can even be found in a lot of the smaller towns in the pubs so you can use email if you bring a laptop.

 

[Joey Camb]

Also every macdonalds has free wi-fi now (and they are everywhere) and most coffee shops to. You can buy a cheap mobile - they call them pay as you go and then you only spend as much as you want to. Also could use Skype if you have a laptop with a camera for free.

 

[Proud Texan]

We were in Florence Italy a few years ago, and of course, we chose to stay at a bed and breakfast. We took a cab from the airport and he dropped us right at the front door. There was a note (in Italian) pinned to the door telling us to call the innkeeper when we arrived and he would come and let us in.
We were not in the business district and had to walk several blocks until we found a small store that had a pay phone. This was NOT like our American pay phones and we had to have help figuring out how to use it. We finally reached the innkeeper and he came to let us in.
BTW, this is not how you should welcome overseas guests.