I hum and haw about taking my cell phone with me to Australia. Since I am visiting family, I don’t really need a phone. Who am I am going to call? The only reason to take one is to communicate via Whats App with the Canadian family members and my group of neighbourhood ladies (via WIFI). Ah, I don’t really need to do that……so I left it at home and only take my WIFI only iPad.
I feel like I am missing an appendage. I want to send Murray a text or two or three, but I have to use email. Then I couldn’t get a WIFI connection at the Edmonton airport, so I couldn’t even do that.
Air Canada was very efficient and sent an email (there was also an option to receive texts which I unchecked, of course) informing me of the gate for my Brisbane flight. If I had my phone, I would have gotten the text right away, but the whole connecting to WIFI gig when I was speed walking through the airport, because our flight was late, wasn’t going to happen. So I got the email once I was sitting at the proper gate, having used the old fashion method of checking the Departures Screen in the terminal.
After this experience, I think I would like to travel with my phone just for the convenience, at least for the Canadian portion of journeys. I know, there are SIM cards and Travel Plans. But unless cell coverage phone calls or texts are needed for travel, is it REALLY necessary. My sister and her husband are traveling in Greece and England right now and they both bought SIM cards for their phones. One to be able to contact AirB&B folks and one to communicate with the folks that arranged a walking tour to confirm pick up and drop off spots. This is a logical use of SIM cards. Our impending trip to Africa is a different type of trip and I cannot see a use for SIM cards, so every trip is different.
I arrive early to the spot where my son is picking me up. No WIFI, so I sit and wait. Not a terrible thing, but I am wishing I had my phone and it had an Australian SIM card.
I do think that the cell phone is becoming a tool that everyone assumes everyone has and uses. I am sorely missing my appendage.