Life without a cell phone

Warning: This is a geeky diversion.  Feel free to move on if you're not obsessed with your devices.

Is the cell phone a blessing or a curse?  Well, both of course.  In planning for this trip, I assumed that I would just get a local SIM card in each country so that we didn't have to ransom a child to pay for roaming fees.  I would not, of course, go naked sans cell phone.

As it turns out, local SIMS are not so easy to get - deciding on a local carrier, finding a retail store where the staff speaks English, reconfiguring the phone without breaking it.  For 3-5 days of stay?  Once on the ground, it didn't seem worth it.  Ok, fine, I'm lazy.  And ransoming a child started to look more reasonable.

So here are a few notes for the lazy American cell phone addict:

* In London, we used OneFineStay which, in addition to setting us up in a lovely Notting Hill flat, provided a complimentary iPhone.  Exactly what we needed for the basics of making local calls and using the maps and search features.  (Yes, MAPS - the Google-powered ones.  Take note, Mr. Cook.)  Why don't more hotels/apartments with international clientele do this?

* In Istanbul, there is a sheaf of paperwork involved in getting a SIM card and bunches of personal information, including your passport number, given to TurkCell.  Ick.  Overcome with paranoia, I decided to just eat the roaming fees and use the phone for emergencies only.  Well, the "emergencies" (defined as urgent needs) are surprisingly frequent.  Phone use to find our landlord and straighten out transport to our apartment.  Maps and texts to find my friends on the other side of the Bospherous.  Search to find the correct ferry terminal.  Suffice it to say, emergencies are not rare and not cheap.

* It is critically important to have wifi access where you're staying if you don't have the local phone.  You might be able to get wifi access on your phone, but I found that to be more difficult than it should have been.  We traveled with a laptop, iPad, 3 Kindles AND the phone.  Without wifi at our place of rest, there would have been no outlet for the pent-up cravings for email, Tweets, video entertainment and photos.  And, of course, you have to blog.

* So, bottom line and in order of importance when traveling abroad without a local cell phone: clock (no connection needed), maps, phone/txt, local search.  If you can find a good replacement for those functions (e.g., a watch), then you might get to keep your first-born.

Ok, but here's the important discovery: I really only needed those 4 functions from the phone.  On the go, it's all about those real-time, location specific needs.  My random grazing on new Tweets and emails that I usually do at home isn't actually necessary and wasn't really missed.  When it's not available, the girls and the local scenery get my full attention.

But don't ask me about my T-Mobile bill.