Simple tips and cost-saving measures to save you from costly iPhone data roaming charges while on holiday outside the UK or EU. Plus: how do new EU regulations (and Brexit) affect you?

Simple tips and cost-saving measures to save you from costly iPhone data roaming charges while on holiday outside the UK or EU. Plus: how do new EU regulations (and Brexit) affect you?

When heading off on holiday, the last thing you need is an extra worry – but if you’re not careful about data roaming charges, you could be in for a nasty surprise when your phone bill arrives at the end of the month. In this article, we show you how to avoid roaming charges when you take an iPhone abroad.

As well as general phone-use tips, we discuss the EU roaming regulations which came into effect in June 2017, and explain how they affect your phone bill, and the differences between travelling inside and outside the EU. And we talk about Brexit, and how that affects things now and in the future.

EU regulations

Thanks to the latest incarnation of the so-called ‘Eurotariff’ EU roaming regulations, roaming regulations are a thing of the past – within the EU’s borders, at any rate. After years of work to lower roaming charges, the EU finally voted to abolish them entirely back in December 2016, and the regulation changes came into effect on 15 June 2017.

Right now, in other words, you won’t and legally cannot be charged any more for data used in (non-UK) EU countries than in the UK itself. You also cannot be charged to receive a call. The new system has been called ‘Roam like at home’.

Here’s the gist:

“Your communications (phone calls, SMS, data) made from another EU country will be covered in your national bundle: the minutes, SMS and gigabytes of data that you consume abroad in the EU will be charged or deducted from the volumes of your national tariff plan exactly as if you were at home (in the country where you live, work or study).”

Your provider is allowed to impose a ‘safeguard limit’ on roaming data, beyond which it is then allowed to levy a fee capped at €7.70/GB plus VAT (and decreasing gradually until it reaches €2.50/GB from 2022). So contact your provider, or check its site (we’ve found explanations from Plusnet, BT, GiffGaff and Virgin) to see the exact details of how it is implementing the new regulations.

There are of course some complications and caveats to bear in mind, and you should check out the European Commission FAQs page on the subject for more information (the paragraph quoted above was lifted from that page), but in essence it is pretty simple.

What about Brexit?

Britain has voted to leave the EU, and Eurotariff regulations won’t apply to Britons once the Brexit process has been completed. Of course, it’s likely to be some years before that happens, so we can benefit from the lack of roaming charges for now.

It’s possible that the Brexit negotiating team will attempt to secure some kind of roaming agreement, but with so many other elements to be covered we doubt this will be a priority. We’ll update this article once we know when and under what terms the EU roaming regulations will stop applying to British citizens.

What about countries outside the EU?

Roaming charges continue to apply as before. The advice in the rest of this article, therefore, is likely to be of use to those travelling to non-EU countries.

How to avoid data roaming charges abroad

One of the easiest ways to avoid data roaming charges outside the EU is to connect to Wi-Fi whenever possible. Unless the particular Wi-Fi hotspot charges for access (you will probably have to sign in or register to access Wi-Fi of this kind, so you’ll be notified if any charges apply) you won’t be charged for downloading data over that connection.

Change your settings

Before you head off abroad, check your network settings. To do this, go to Settings > Mobile Data. Next to Mobile Data Options it will say either Roaming On or Roaming Off. If it says On and you want to make sure you don’t spend any extra cash on data while you’re abroad, tap this and then set the Data Roaming toggle to off (white).

 

 

 

The 12-year-old had used his phone to unwind and watch a few videos while at sea between Germany’s northern city of Kiel and Oslo.

Shortly after he came home from vacation, a hefty bill from the family’s telecommunications provider arrived. It stated that about €12,500 was due for usage of just under 500 megabytes of data while at sea.

The boy apparently connected to the cruise ship’s own phone network which connects to the internet via satellite, said Dirk Hundertmark, managing director of Norwegian cruise operator Color Line.

The network is only really intended to be used by the ship’s crew to communicate with other vessels, even though anyone can join it. Similar to aircraft, high roaming charges apply when using such networks.

Cellular phone networks in Germany can charge as much as €30 per megabyte of data downloaded through a satellite connection. At sea, the EU’s abolition of roaming charges does not apply.

 

Color Line has said that it tries to inform passengers on its website about possible roaming costs. The cruise line operator also offers wifi packages on board for certain fees.

“This is really an extreme case that the family has experienced,” said Hundertmark.

It is very rare that passengers dial into the satellite network unnoticed, the managing director added, stating that they would be informed beforehand from their provider via SMS about possible costs.

As a gesture of goodwill, the phone network has agreed to reduce the family’s bill to €5,000, reported broadcaster NDR.

But the Berlin-based family has since employed a lawyer in an attempt to take action against a bill which they consider to be “immoral.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Barcelona has a complicated relationship with Airbnb. City officials require all Airbnb and short-term vacation rental hosts to register with the city and display their permit number online (it begins with HUTB, followed by six numbers). They’ve also had a moratorium on new licenses since 2014, according to Quartz. In fact, Barcelona is one of the biggest cities known for limiting Airbnb’s growth—but that doesn’t mean you can’t stay in a top-notch rental, it just means you need to do so responsibly.

We’ve rounded up the best Airbnbs in Barcelona9 so you can feel like a local and stay in the midst of it all without breaking any rules. All of the rentals below have their permit numbers listed in the description and are run by Airbnb Superhosts, who each have a rating of 4.8 or above, a record of zero cancellations, and at least a 90 percent response rate, meaning they’ll get back to you ASAP. Even better, some of listings are Airbnb Plus

homes, which means they’ve been inspected by an Airbnb rep and have all the basics: An ironing board, closet and drawer space for guests, a well-lit entry, easy check-in, comfortable mattresses, a coffee maker, a bathroom free of the host’s personal items, and toiletries like shampoo and conditioner, making it ideal for a first-time Airbnb guest used to hotel amenities. Buena suerte!

 

For the Solo Traveler

Whether it’s a short road trip or an 18-hour flight, our phones are now essential travel companions. No longer do we need a GPS unit, maps, cameras, camcorders, or even boarding passes. However, not all phones are created equal in this regard. Some are more suited for traveling, no matter the duration.

LG V40 ThinQ

While easily the most unpopular phone on our list, the LG V40 ThinQ has a lot to offer for travelers. Thanks to its deep integration with Google Assistant, including a dedicated Google Assistant button, you can easily translate a menu or figure out what someone is saying to you. With its IP68 rating and MIL-STD 810G certification, it has the highest chance of surviving any environment. And with its focus on videography, you can capture pro-quality video to edit on the plane ride back.

• GSM frequencies (MHz): 850, 900, 1800, 1900
• LTE bands: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 12, 13, 14, 17, 20, 25, 26, 29, 30, 38, 39, 40, 41, 66, 71

With the V40 ThinQ, the benefits start as soon as you leave. As you travel on your vacation or business trip, you can take advantage of the 6.4-inch QHD+ display. This is a POLED panel, but the second iteration and not plagued with the same burn-in issues as the Pixel 2 XL and LG V30. You can storage quite a bit of video for the trip as well thanks to its microSD support. With 1 TB memory cards now an option, you’ll never have to worry about running out of space for your favorite movies or TV shows.

 

With its 3.5 mm headphone jack, you won’t have to charge a Bluetooth headset. This is also an enhanced headphone jack, thanks to its Quad-DAC, which improves the listening experience as it can drive more powerful headphones. For those looking to watch videos, there is support for DTS:X Virtual Surround Sound, a feature which emulates the effects of a 5.1 surround system using your headphones.

When you reach your destination, Google Assistant is one button away. With one click, you can pull up Google Assistant for directions, information, translation, and much more. Prefer to use your voice? The LG V40 ThinQ includes Super Far-Field Voice Recognition, a technology which allows your phone to detect your voice even in noisy environments up to 16 feet away.

Machu Picchu Pueblo has become the first city in Latin America to be 100 percent sustainable.

The achievement was announced by Inkaterra, a hotel group focused on sustainable tourism and hotel development. Working in partnership with beverage distribution company AJE Group, Inkaterra has succeeded in helping the pueblo manage 100 percent of its solid waste.

“Continuing their initiatives for the conservation and environmental care of Machu Picchu, AJE Group and Inkaterra presented the first organic waste treatment plant to the city,” according to a statement issued by Inkaterra.

“Through the process of pyrolysis, in which the waste is decomposed at high temperatures without oxygen, seven tons of trash is processed per day, generating bio-coal, a natural fertilizer that will be used to restore the Andean cloud forest and contribute to the agricultural productivity of Machu Picchu.”

In addition to the organic waste treatment plant, Inkaterra and the AJE Group previously delivered a plastic compactor plant, which will be used to recycle trash found along the Inca Trail, the most famous trekking route in South America.

The plant was donated in 2017 and helped ensure that the ruins of Machu Picchu were not added to UNESCO’s list of Heritage at Risk. The facility processes about 14 tons of polyester plastic each day.

What’s more, in 2018, a biodiesel and glycerin plant was brought online at Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel. By processing used vegetable oil from Machu Picchu’s homes, lodges, hotels and restaurants, 20 gallons of biodiesel are produced daily from nearly 6,000 liters of used oil each month.

The glycerin obtained as part of the process is also used by the municipality to clean stone floors, thus replacing chemical products.

This long list of efforts to turn Machu Picchu into a model of global sustainability is being applauded around the world. Already the work has received the Peruvian “Líderes + 1” prize and, in Germany, the prestigious “Die Goldene Palme” award in the category of Responsible Tourism.

“The strategic alliance between Inkaterra, the AJE Group and the Municipality of Machu Picchu aims to change the perception of our wonderful city into a sustainable destination and become an example of management for ecotourism worldwide,” said aJosé Joechlin, Inkaterra’s Founder and CEO. “We have managed to awaken the ecological conscience of the local community, which now segregates waste from homes and establishments.”

COPENHAGEN, Denmark — Pilots for Scandinavian Airlines on Friday launched an open-ended strike following the collapse of pay negotiations, forcing the company to cancel virtually all its flights — 673 of them, affecting 72,000 passengers.

The Stockholm-based carrier said talks on a new collective bargaining agreement with the SAS Pilot Group, which represents 95% of the company’s pilots in Sweden, Denmark and Norway, collapsed early Friday.

In airports throughout the region, SAS staff in yellow vests were assisting stranded passengers to rebook or obtain refunds.

Mina Kvam Tveteraas and her friend Bettina Svendsen were stranded at Stavanger Airport in Norway after their flight to Copenhagen was canceled.

“We have booked a hotel for three nights and the rooms are not refunded,” Kvam Tveteraas told Norway’s TV2 channel. “I have no idea what to do and I’m mad.”

The pilots’ negotiations that started in March mainly centered on salary increases and working hours.

Details have not been released but the pan-Scandinavian union says it wants salaries to be in line with the market rate, while SAS negotiators have called the requests “unreasonable and extreme.” SAS spokeswoman Karin Nyman said the pilots’ demands “would have very negative consequences for the company.”

Wilhelm Tersmeden, chairman of the Swedish pilots association, said SAS employees are facing “deteriorated working conditions, unpredictability in planning work hours and insecurity for their own job.”

“Almost one in four SAS flights is flown by subcontractors and we want to know what our future looks like,” he told Sweden’s TT news agency.

Jacob Pedersen, an analyst with Denmark’s Sydbank, estimated the strike in average would cost between 60 million and 80 million Swedish kronor ($6.3-8.4 million) a day.

The strike “makes it clear that SAS is more vulnerable than we previously expected,” he said. “Competition is tough, and with a European economy moving at a slower pace, SAS may also fight harder for profits this year.”

The company said the strike doesn’t include flights operated by SAS partner airlines, making up approximately 30% of its departures, and is not expected to affect other airlines’ departures and arrivals.