I'm going to put this on my posts until election day:
No shame if you haven't made a plan to vote yet, but today would be a great day to do it! Is there early voting in your state? If you got a mail-in ballot, can you drop it at early voting instead of relying on the mail to get it there in time? Or do you want to go on the day itself? That's November 5, a week from Tuesday! Why not look at your schedule now and see what works best for you?
A long while ago, back when she blogged frequently, I read something by the Yarn Harlot in which she mentioned that she was talking about something with her husband and he said, "Did you ask the blog?" Once in a while, I too "ask the blog" for suggestions--and sometimes, y'all know answers to something I'm just venting about, which is cool, too. So here I am.
I haven't been out of the US in recent years, which coincidentally means during the years I have owned a smartphone. It occurred to me that when I go to Curaçao next February---wait, did I mention that yet? No? Okay, back up!
Back in 2022, I took a trip with the Newcomers Club, to Sarasota, Florida. The club plans a "spring fling" trip every year, and as this is my last year in Newcomers*, I was interested to know what the destination would be. And the answer was, Curaçao!
*As a club designed for new people to meet other new people, you can only be a member for five years. My group and some others got an extra year because for a while during the pandemic, nothing much was happening. But we will "spin out" in April.
My experience in that part of the world is limited, especially if you don't count where we lived before Boston, which we moved to when I was about two and a half. That means I don't remember Brazil, Grenada, Guyana...we did go to Barbados twice when I was in high school, but I think that's it.
Gratuitous high-school-me photo, taken with my Kodak Disc camera in the mid-80s:
So I am excited to go to Curaçao, and I will add that if there isn't a planned trip to the ostrich farm, I will be going to that on my own, because how can you not?
Anyway. My original point here is that I haven't been out of the US with a smartphone, so I need to find out if mine will function there the same way it does here. Before I do actual research, does anyone know offhand? Not Curaçao specifically, but in general? Or do I actually have to (ugh) call AT&T?
I don't plan to spend a lot of time using my phone, btw. I will take plenty of photos, guaranteed. I don't plan to be worrying about keeping on top of my email or reading blogs, etc. But based on previous trips, I will want/need to be able to text and/or chat, for meeting-up purposes, and perhaps will need the map feature, too. Completely unplugging won't work.
Canadian here, so will defer to the US-ians among us, but mine functioned without a blip in Saint Lucia, the Dominican and, well, the US, ha ha. Depends on your plan, I guess?
ReplyDeleteKodak disc camera! I love seeing the old photos. I drank some gin with blue curacao last night (halloween party, dice roll drinking game, long story short), which is as closest as I've come to Curacao, so, jealous and excited for you!
And excellent idea about the blog voting reminder. I wish I could, or that my NC-dwelling son could.
I just can't wait for the election to be over, though of course that isn't going to end the craziness, I know. Sigh. This country is so weird in recent years.
DeleteI'm not sure since the last time I went I used apps to text via internet. I don't think texting or calling internationally is free otherwise although there may be plans out there that allow a certain amount of it for a fee. I'm Verizon and not AT&T so take everything I say with a grain of salt.
ReplyDeleteI appreciate you weighing in!
DeleteIf I ever travel internationally I'm going to come back first to this post to read your friend Kyria's response!
ReplyDeleteI don't have an answer, but luckily you have Kyria! She knows everything.
ReplyDeleteShe really does!
DeleteThis is such a good question and I am bookmarking Kyria's answer for later! Also woo - Curacao!!! how fun!
ReplyDeleteI'm very excited about it! They haven't given much detail yet, so I look forward to that.
DeleteYou are welcome! I just checked and if you do go with Airalo, you can get $3 off with my referral code (I also get $3 full disclosure!) KYRIA0085. So then it would only be $5! Good luck!
ReplyDeleteI researched all of this before I went to France in 2022, and the solutions I found sounded like Kyria's but I was too overwhelmed by them, so I just went to the Verizon app and signed up for international coverage, I could text and use my phone all I wanted, which was nice because I was there with my cousin, and my husband and daughter were at home, and our dog was going through chemo, so I really needed to be in touch. It was $80, so about 10x Kyria's solution.
ReplyDeleteYou lived in Guyana???? My husband's family is from Guyana! (Though they left before he was born, he was born in Canada and they emigrated to California when he was 1.)
I totally get the overwhelmed thing! Sometimes it's easier to move on than spend more time on looking into a thing.
DeleteWe were in Guyana for about six months, around about the time I turned 2, so I have no memories of it at all! My dad was a civil engineer, and we went to Brazil for what was supposed to be 5 years and ending up being about 5 months, so we went to Guyana after that. All those interesting places I don't remember!