[Gocamino] - Ultreya rental cell phones

[hme347 at aol.com]

"Assisted GPS"?  What happened to the Scallop shell Camino markers and arrows?  Guess the environmentalists removed them since I was there.


"hours arranging return flights"?  What about round trip tickets that you purchase in advance?  Maybe the airlines stopped selling them.


"two cents a minute to call home"?  To let everyone know that you are alive and well?  Perhaps to make sure that everyone back home is alive and well, or they have not forgotten you in the weeks you are gone.


Cell phones are a real necessity!


Howard Mendes, NYC





-----Original Message-----
From: Grant Spangler <gaspangler at hotmail.com>
To: †Yahoo Ultreya <ultreya at yahoogroups.com>; †GoCamino OakApple <gocamino at oakapple.net>; †Yahoo Santiagobis <santiagobis at yahoogroups.com>; †Yahoo Saint James <saintjames at yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Wed, Aug 4, 2010 12:02 pm
Subject: Re: [Gocamino] - Ultreya rental cell phones



Bob,

I Strongly advise against using PlanetFone as a carrier. My Winter Camino 
companion used them on her previous Way, ending with > $1000 phone bill when she 
got home. It is a UK phone number, a +44 Country Code, which means you will 
always be in roaming, and paying a ridiculous dividend in Spain and France. I 
took an unlocked iPhone this winter, and it was too much hassle for the system. 
I do recommend getting an unlocked GSM phone in the USA, getting all your ducks 
in a row in the comfort of your home, then making passage. Buying too cheap of 
an unlocked phone is not a good idea. Some of the cheapos you find on eBay are a 
dual band phone, you need a quad band for it to work outside of North America. I 
recommend a Nokia 5230 straight from the Nokia USA Website, see 
http://www.nokiausa.com/find-products/phones/nokia-5230 . There is a 15% summer 
discount, you can fill in ' ffsummer2010 ' in the appropriate box. One of the 
better features is the Assisted GPS and built-in world wide walking/driving 
maps. I'm ordering one, and will let you know how it works out. I'd research and 
load any detailed maps before leaving home, so you should have close to a zero 
data demand once you are on the French or Spanish system. It also has Skype as 
an available download, which we relied upon heavily last Camino. Skype needs to 
access a Wi-Fi network, but you will find these in bars and restaurants along 
the Way. Two cents a minute to call home is not a bad deal. We ended up calling 
US 1 800 numbers and camped out for hours arranging return flights, where it 
proved an absolute Godsend. Also free.

Buen Camino,

  
Grant
 
http://www.ElCaminoSantiago.com
Resources for the Pilgrimage Road to Santiago 




                      
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