10 days until we leave for Las Vegas to get on the plane to London for our UK and Ireland adventure. A map of the trip and the initial planning was discussed here. Planning is now complete. We have made the final payment on our Renault automobile; we have booked all our hotels and B&B’s; the ferries to and from Ireland are reserved and paid for; and we even have a couple of sight seeing stops and restaurants on reserve.
There will be some new gear and technology making the trip with us:
WEP Portable Wi-Fi
The cottages we are renting in Northern Ireland and South Wales do not have wi-fi. It’s really a pain to have to run out to Internet Cafes or other connected commercial sites (like Starbucks, MacDonalds, and Tourist Offices) to check email and update the blog. So we will be trying a new device on this trip: a TEP Pocket Wifi. I have reserved one and will pick it up at London Heathrow (rather than have them FedEx it to me to arrive one day before we leave for Europe). These devices get mixed reviews, but the bad reviews tend to be from people who are trying to max out the device’s capabilities. I will be using it for fairly limited and very reasonable purposes. Hopefully it will work as advertised and save annoying trips to the local internet cafe.
Canon G16 Camera
I have abandoned my trusty old Canon Powershot A710 IS point-and-shoot camera. I am not sure why as it was a reliable friend for a lot of years and took most of the photos you have seen on this blog, our old travel blog, and our (lately unused) photo repository. I guess I just want to keep up with technology. So I have a new Canon G16 camera. (Actually it’s not entirely new as I used it for my photos on the Oregon trip in June.) The G16 is still technically a point-and-shoot, but it’s a connoisseur point-and-shoot with added capabilities. I was a long time SLR camera user back in my younger days and the new digital SLRs are remarkable, but they are just too big to make them convenient to tote along wherever you go. Aside from a lovely case and an extra battery, there are no other accessories that I want or need.
If you’re interested, you can read a review of the camera here. I love this camera! And I love the case that I bought separately (described here) too! One feature that I demand in a camera is a viewfinder, and they are increasingly difficult to find. This camera has one. It’s true that the view through the viewfinder is not through the lens like the view on the LCD screen that you usually use, but it is close enough (especially with editing software so readily available). The problem with the LCD viewer, no matter how good and bright that it may be, is that it is difficult and sometimes impossible to see in bright sunlight. That’s when the viewfinder becomes invaluable. My new case is a SNAPR 20 from Black Rapid. It’s wicked!
Moto G Phone
Many of you know that I have a new cell phone number. I also have a new cell phone. It’s the delightful and highly acclaimed Motorola Moto G. With some trouble I managed to get an unlocked dual-sim card version from an Australian web site that shipped the phone to me from Hong Kong. Remarkably, after ordering it on one Friday afternoon and immediately receiving a FedEx tracking number, I began to track the shipment. On Saturday morning it was picked up from the warehouse by FedEx in Hong Kong. On Sunday it arrived in the USA. BY 2 PM on Monday it was in my hands.
If you’re interested, you can read a review of the camera here. I love this camera! And I love the case that I bought separately (described here) too! One feature that I demand in a camera is a viewfinder, and they are increasingly difficult to find. This camera has one. It’s true that the view through the viewfinder is not through the lens like the view on the LCD screen that you usually use, but it is close enough (especially with editing software so readily available). The problem with the LCD viewer, no matter how good and bright that it may be, is that it is difficult and sometimes impossible to see in bright sunlight. That’s when the viewfinder becomes invaluable.
The phone has become my day-to-day US cell phone with a sim card from H2O Mobile (which uses the AT&T network). I don’t use my cell phone a lot, and I refuse to pay $50 and up a month for service. With H2O, I buy $25 worth of credit every four months, and that is plenty for my needs. I am just using it for phone calls and texts. I don’t use it for heavy data and internet usage unless it is connected through wi-fi. I have a second sim card installed that has both a US and a UK phone number associated with it. That will be what I use on our upcoming trip. I put $25 worth of credit on it, and that will easily get us through the trip for the occasional calls for restaurant reservations and the very infrequent calls back to the USA.
New Suitcases
Elaine needed a new suitcase. She decided to go first class and get one that will last (with a lifetime warranty). She bought a Briggs and Riley Endeavor Series 24″ bag and a matching B&R carry on. My Kirkland (Costco) suitcase has been a workhorse and probably would have lasted through this year’s trips. But I liked what Elaine got, so I got one too. (I got just the suitcase, not the carry-on as I am happy with my Tumi carry-on for the time being. The Endeavor Series has been discontinued by B&R, so we got about 20% off the price. One reason it is being discontinued is a major plus in our minds: it is the old two-wheel drag-along type, not the new in-vogue twister type. The four-wheel twisters seems much more likely to break. Even with free repairs under the lifetime guarantee, it would still be a major inconvenience it the wheels broke mid-trip.
Love the camera and your new luggage! Interested in the wi-fi and how it will work, as we don’t want to miss any day’s action and need our daily ‘fix’ on what you two are doing!! So we need you to have 24/7 access!