God bless the iPhone.
Image by FunkyFocus from PixabayWe all set out on our travels, ready to escape normal lives, seeking adventures and revel in the thrill of the unexpected. Some adventures, however, are a little too unexpected. While I am a strong proponent of being spontaneous and taking risks, the fact is, you never want to plant yourself in harms way with no escape route. Enter the smart phone. Whether it’s your Droid, iPhone, Galaxy, or whichever new super phone they’ve invented lately, a smart phone is a fantastic thing to have when traveling in exotic lands. I can hear all of you out there indignantly grumbling numerous reasons why you wouldn’t bring your smart phone to a foreign country, chief of which is, it’s really expensive!
This is true. Keeping your data plan turned on full-time when outside the country is expensive. That is why I am NOT suggesting you do this. Take it from someone who has made this mistake, returning home with a good guess where your paycheck will be going for the next two months. I am, however, suggesting that turning on the data plan is only fit for major emergencies, such as: getting completely lost, losing a passport or getting thrown in jail, although hopefully that doesn’t happen.
My brother and I had just landed in Hanoi, Vietnam and were in a taxi, supposedly on our way to the Sheraton Hotel. At the airport, my brother had ushered us into a cab not listed on the Lonely Planet guide for recommended cab companies (mistake #1). The driver nodded his head vigorously when we instructed him to take us to Sheraton Hanoi. I settled into my seat, comfortable that everything was playing out alright after all. Forty minutes later the taxi came to a stop on a deserted street in front of a dilapidated warehouse. Clearly not the Sheraton Hanoi. My brother repeated the instructions, gave a street name and showed the driver a full address on paper. The man started yelling in Vietnamese. Apparently, he didn’t know where the street was. We tried to tell him to take us back to the airport. He didn’t speak English. My brother, the self-proclaimed “Asia Travel Expert,” flopped back in his seat, at a complete loss for what to do. The driver sat in silence, huffing. I started to panic. I realized, despite that I was in a developing country, it wasn’t the 18th century. I pulled out my iPhone, took a deep breath, and switched on the data plan. I went straight to Google Maps app and typed in the name of our hotel. I handed my phone to the driver. He turned the phone back and forth, nodded his head and handed the phone back to me. I turned the data off, trying not to think about how much the last 8 minutes had cost me. But, my worrying ceased when, lo and behold, the taxi came to a stop, in the carport of Sheraton Hanoi. Thank Goodness for the iPhone!
Now, those 8 minutes may have cost me $70. As it turned out, our driver couldn’t find the road because the name had recently been changed. This story is a special case. Clearly not everyone is going to get lost in midst of non-existent roads or encounter language barriers. Next time, when heading out on a journey, think of unbelievable, random situations you may possibly get into (if you’re anything like me, it happens on a regular basis). Then consider how great it will be to handle anything that comes your way, safely in the palm of your hand.
