Category: lessons learned

Pocket Wifi

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Pocket Wifi has got to be one of those things that you would consider a life-saver.

Previously, I did a blog post on apps that require data and how you could use those apps without being afraid of coming home to a ridiculously expensive cell phone bill.

Interestingly, a country that is known for its cutting-edge technology, wasn’t so wifi friendly. Especially when it came to free wifi at places of businesses. We rented a pocket wifi device at the airport, and this helped us traverse through unknown territory.

A few things you need to remember when renting a pocket wifi:

  • Have a credit card. Although, your debit card has a Visa logo, it doesn’t work as a credit card. The company we rented our pocket wifi’s from required this.
  • There is a mobile wifi router rental agreement that you have to sign, so plan to take a few minutes at the rental booth. We had to run to our train station because we didn’t realize how long the process would be. I would at least plan for 30 minutes – 1 hour. Especially when traveling with a group.
  • Keep your passport handy for they will need it to identify you.
  • Don’t lose anything. They give you a small bag that will house the charger and the pocket wifi.
  • Don’t forget to return at the same kiosk (we rented ours in the arrival terminal of the airport.) My brothers remembered to return their’s since they took the train back to the airport the same way we arrived, however, my husband and I decided to take the limousine bus back to the airport which drops you off directly at the departure terminal. Because of that, we completely forgot to return our pocket wifi until we were near our gate, and had to mail it back. They charge a fee to your card, for not returning it on the date you said you would, but upon receiving the pocket wifi they refunded the fee.

A few things to remember when using the pocket wifi:

  • Don’t upload videos using the pocket wifi because you will drain, not only the battery, but also the ability to keep your speed connection at 4G. I made this mistake and had to deal with 3G for the entire trip..which isn’t so bad, but when you’ve gotten so used to 4G…there’s no going back.
  • If you have a long day planned, keep the charger with you and have a standby battery pack. Unfortunately, with constant use, it goes for eight hours but very hardly anything longer than that. We almost didn’t have a way to find our way back to our hotel at 11:30pm. Thank goodness for taxi cabs.

I hope our experiences with the pocket wifi will help you on your next journey. Happy Travels!

Making a Dinner Reservation…Overseas

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With today’s technology and sites like opentable.com, you barely ever need to speak to a human being to reserve a table for two at a nice and fancy restaurant. However, the challenge arises when you try to make a reservation for two at a small (as in 10 seater small) sushi joint in Japan and the only way to do this is to call on the 1st business day of every month to reserve for the following month (ex call on Feb 2 for reservations in March.) And may I add that this sushi joint is extremely popular that President Obama himself had to have a piece of it.

How to overcome this obstacle? You can either:

A) Have friends who speak the language and call for you. I had two friends doing this for me. One lived in Texas, the other in Tokyo. Or…

B) Use Visa Concierge. This service is free and usually comes with all major credit cards that have the Visa logo. They have agents all over the world that can make reservations for dinner, opera shows, concerts, etc.

If I can relive this experience again, I would go with option B and call Visa Concierge at least 3 months before scheduled departure. Yes, it can be beneficial to have friends that come from all walks of life and speak various languages, however, it does get old for EVERYONE to be glued to their phone, calling a restaurant, only to always get the busy signal. Not cool! Save yourself time, stress, and friends by going with Option B.

Lessons Learned in Overpacking

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My husband and I took a trip from Nov 1st to the 26th in Italy. It was my first time to travel in Europe, and I had no plan of attack when it came to my wardrobe. I packed a large 29″ suitcase full of clothes and shoes. Our adventure looked something like this: Rome-Naples-Positano-Venice-Padova-Milan-Florence-Cortona-Rome. We traveled between these cities mainly by train; we took a plane once from Naples to Venice, and a bus from Sorrento to Positano. The experience of lugging a heavy suitcase between these cities is what prompted me to write a journal entry of things I didn’t need. I now share these with you, in hopes you’ll learn a lesson or two. Happy Viewing!

Didn’t need:

  • 4 pairs of shoes. I survived mostly with my chestnut colored tall riding boots and Nike running shoes.
  • Faux leather pants. Only wore it once. We didn’t have anything on our itinerary that called for such attire.
  • Short sleeved shirts. Only wore one once and froze to death. The others were never worn.
  • So much makeup. All I needed were concealer, eyeliner, and one eyeshadow compact.
  • My Raybans. It was so cloudy the entire trip that I never once busted out the raybans.
  • 2 songbooks. My husband and I shared songbooks on all meetings.
  • Liquids. I learned from this trip to invest in clay soaps/shampoo from Lush.
  • 2 Large Luggages. I learned that less is more. Carry on suitcases are the way to go!