Is that in Airplane Mode? Photo by Jorge Quinteros.

By Tom Meyers—

If you’re an American iPhone user getting ready to take a trip to Europe, you’ve likely been warned about using your iPhone abroad. After all, AT&T’s rates for international data use can be confusing, and misunderstanding your usage or iPhone setup could be a very costly mistake.

I just returned from two weeks in Europe, one spent in Paris and one in Venice. This was a work trip, during which I visited about 90 hotels for EuroCheapo. I brought along my laptop, but what to do with my iPhone? Was there an economical way to use it in France and Italy? Should I pay for one of the international data packages offered by AT&T? Should I just leave the thing in New York?

When taking a pleasure trip, I usually turn off my phone before blast-off and leave it off until I return to JFK. (This has become increasingly inconvenient, however, in recent years as connecting with friends abroad is obviously aided by sending text messages. Those, however, don’t always work with American cell phones and require international roaming, which puts you at risk of receiving phone calls from home — which will cost you.)

In any case, I realized that my iPhone could be handy. It’s nice to stay on top of emails, download the latest news from the New York Times, and be on my way. But how to do it without going broke?

Advice from AT&T

AT&T, the exclusive US carrier for the iPhone, offers a number of international phone and data packages for Americans taking their phones abroad. The day before take-off, I called and spoke to a customer service representative about my options.

Two weeks later I’m still “processing” that conversation. Let’s just say there are a lot of variables at play, including whether or not you expect to use your iPhone abroad to a) place international phone calls, b) receive international phone calls, c) send and receive emails, d) browse the web, and e) use iPhone applications. Each of these points carries its own possible traps and, of course, AT&T offers a “package” to address each issue.

Just want to make calls on your iPhone from abroad?

If you plan to use your phone to make and receive calls, you can opt for the AT&T World Traveler feature (currently $5.99 month), which gives you a discounted price for making and receiving calls. Using this feature, placing or receiving a call from France and Italy would drop from $1.29 to $.99 per minute. Not exactly cheap.

Don’t forget that receiving a call will also cost you – even if you don’t answer it. If the call connects to your phone, it’s billable.

Important: If you choose to only make and receive calls abroad, don’t forget to deactivate your data roaming. But we’ll get to that…

Sending and receiving emails and browsing the Web from abroad

For sending and receiving emails, browsing the web, and using applications, AT&T advises you to purchase an international data roaming package. Stay with me here. These packages are available in four sizes, from 20 MB of international data transfer (for $24.99) to 200 MB of international data transfer (for $199). (Prices current as of March 2010.)

So, say you go with the $24.99 package. What exactly does that mean? How many emails can you send and receive with 20 MB of “data transfer”? How many web pages can you browse? Which applications can you use? That, of course, depends…

Hence, my headache. I had read horror stories of travelers buying a data package only to find that they surpassed it early in their trip by opening some “heavy” email messages or browsing image-rich websites.

AT&T’s tips for avoiding a billing “surprise”

In AT&T’s customer service center, the carrier offers tips for avoiding these sorts of surprise. The tips, which are quite helpful, include:

1) Turn off data roaming.

You’ll find this under Settings > General > Network > Data Roaming. (To make it easy, the iPhone even says “Turn data roaming off when abroad to avoid substantial roaming charges when using email, web browsing, and other data services.) If you’re using your iPhone to simply make and receive phone calls, make sure you do this.

2) Turn fetch data “Off”.

This prevents your iPhone from automatically checking for emails. To access this, go to Setting > Mail, Contacts, Calendars > Fetch New Data. Switch “Push” to “Off” and click “Manually”. Once switched, you’ll have to manually tell your phone to send and receive emails.

3) Consider purchasing an international data package.

As I mentioned above, AT&T offers four data packages, ranging from $29.99 to $199. If you are planning, at any point during your trip, to use a data network to access the web or use emails, you are strongly advised to get some sort of plan. 

4) Reset the usage tracker to zero.

This is interesting. Under Settings > Usage, you can see how many MB of data you’ve sent and received since you last reset the statistics. Theoretically, then, you could reset your statistics, and then track your subsequent bandwidth – perfect for those who have purchased an international bandwidth plan, right?

The only hiccup with this, unfortunately, is that the stats aren’t always up-to-date. It turns out that AT&T can have substantial delays in reporting international data usage (as international carriers are actually providing you with the network and then, later, reporting it back to AT&T). This means, well, that you certainly can’t rely on this metric for tracking your use in real-time.

5) Switch to Wi-Fi instead of data networks.

Bingo.

Airplane is my answer

Having discussed the options to the point of delirium, I basically threw in the towel and chose the most extreme option. Unfortunately, I had this sneaking suspicion that even with an international roaming package in place, I’d carelessly open an email with a dozen photos of my cats and wind up with a $4,000 phone bill.

Thus, frustrated and paranoid, I opted for “Airplane Mode.”

Airplane Mode blocks phone and data networks from going into and out of your iPhone. Wi-Fi networks, however, are accessible. It basically turns your iPhone into an iPod Touch. Airplane Mode is accessible under Settings > Airplane Mode.

Flying solo

The decision to use my iPhone for two weeks in Airplane Mode meant, of course, that to send and receive emails I needed to access a free Wi-Fi network. It also meant that I wouldn’t be able to send and receive text messages or make phone calls. In a separate post, I’ll explain how I went about finding free Wi-Fi networks in Paris and Venice.

Of course, my simple “Airplane Mode” solution won’t work for everyone. Some travelers will obviously need to use their phones to send and receive calls and texts. Others will need predictable email and web service. For these users, I’d suggest calling AT&T, adding some international services, turning off “fetch,” and still using “airplane mode” whenever possible.

However, for Cheapos like me who simply need an occasional connection, consider flying on “Airplane Mode” during your trip. You’ll relax about charges and still have basic services.

Tell us: Have you taken your iPhone abroad? Do you have any tips for avoiding surprise charges? Do you think I’m a big wimp for relying on Airplane Mode for two weeks? Tell us about your experience in the comments section.

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Piazza San Marco, February 25, 2010. Photos by Tom Meyers.

By Tom Meyers in Venice—

February 26, 2010: I awoke this morning at 5:55 to the sound of an alarm. It wasn’t my travel alarm clock, however. It was more of a siren, it was moving in the street, and it was loud. Once I remembered that I was in a hotel in Venice, all worries were cast aside. This could only be one thing: The flooding had begun!

Although excited (a bit like a child on Christmas morning), I had no difficulty falling back asleep, lulled by the steady rainfall. At 9 AM, when I went downstairs to breakfast, I headed straight to the hotel’s front door to check out the scene. Sure enough, the water had come, turning my street, the Calle de Botteghe, into a stream.

A metal water guard.

My hotel is the charming, 10-room Locanda Art Deco just off Campo Santo Stefano, in Venice’s San Marco district. Last night before heading to bed, the receptionist had warned me about the water’s expected arrival. “It should start in the morning and peak at 10 AM, when it hits 1.15 meters [above the water table],” he explained. They really have this down to a science.

I’ve been in Venice all week, visiting about 50 hotels for our Venice guide, updating reviews and scouting out new picks. In between rooms, I’ve had a chance to talk water with the hotel owners. Yesterday, one owner showed me a text message she received during the day warning her of today’s expected flooding. They’re high-tech!

The water hits the city unevenly, depending on elevation. The Piazza San Marco is one of the lowest points in the city, and is thus constantly flooded. I took the photo at the top of this post yesterday in the piazza, while hardly any other streets were flooded. Note the pedestrian walkways the city constructs to help tourists cross the most heavily-trafficked areas.

This morning, I approached the hotel’s front door to find a metal guard secured in the doorway, locked against the front of the building to keep the stream at bay.

The Calle de Botteghe, this morning.

The morning receptionist explained that, in fact, the water wasn’t as bad as expected. “They told us to expect 1.15, but it turns out it will only be 1.05,” she told me, with a bit of a smile and a shrug. That’s nothing, in fact. If it goes over 1.2 meters, the water will enter the hotel’s lobby, forcing them to move all of the furniture (and there’s quite a bit!) up a staircase to the second landing.

Meanwhile, outside on the Calle de Botthege, Venetians sloshed by in their rubber boots, unfazed. A delivery man pushed a cart past the hotel stacked with boxes headed for the wine shop next door. Life goes on.

The water is set to peak at 10 AM (which is, by the way, right now as I write this in my room), and then subside over the next hour. The rain stopped about two hours ago, but it will take that long for Venice’s drainage system to do its work.

As for the city’s tourists, you either stay put and wait, or shove off. A British couple sitting at the breakfast table next to me decided to go for it. With the rest of us watching from our tables, they stood a bit apprehensively at the door, behind the metal guard, “Lonely Planet” in hand, sporting their heaviest shoes (decidedly not rubber boots). And then they took the plunge. The water went up over their feet, and they pushed off down the street.

As for me, I’ll give it a few minutes to drain before I set sail. But alas, the rain just picked up again.

Hmmm. Which pair of shoes do you think…

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We’re proud to announce the Finn-tastic launch this week of EuroCheapo Helsinki, our 29th city guide!

The new guide to cheap hotels in Helsinki takes us into exciting new territory, farther north and east than any of our other guides.

Sarah Silbert, a contributing editor who covered the city following her update of Copenhagen, was initially surprised by the high rates of hotels in Helsinki while planning her trip. “I had expected that, like other cities covered on the site, there would be a wide variety of budget sleeping options. But ‘budget’ in Helsinki is different than ‘budget’ in Berlin,” she explained.

While Helsinki has a few hostels and pensions to accommodate the most budget-minded of travelers, even these are a bit more expensive than the same type of lodging in other European cities. A dorm at the Hostel Erottajanpuisto, for example, costs $36 a night.

“In Helsinki,” Sarah said, “that’s really cheap.”

Bumping up a notch, a double room with shared bath at the Eurohostel runs $72-$84 a night. Despite its name, the property only offers private rooms, not dorms. ”I stayed at the Eurohostel and found it to be a good option, especially considering the steep rates at other hotels in Helsinki.”

EuroCheapo’s Helsinki guide also includes a number of three-star hotels, as well as travelers’ apartments and even one four-star pick. The city guide articles cover basics like Helsinki city transportation, expect to spend, and budget tips to keep it cheap.

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Sarah relaxes at Copenhagen's Viking Bar. Photo: Derek Van Gorder

We were very pleased to update our Copenhagen hotel reviews yesterday, adding several new budget hotel picks, and refreshing our existing listings. Sarah Silbert, our “listings guru” in the New York office, visited Copenhagen last month to tackle the job. We sat down with her this morning to learn more about her trip.

As a first-time visitor to Copenhagen, what did you find surprising about the city?

I didn’t think it would be so compact! All the main attractions are roughly in the same area, so it’s very easy to cover the city on foot.

Did you walk everywhere?

Nearly. I never needed to take public transportation, aside from getting into the city from the airport. I would have loved to rent a bike, but the weather was pretty miserable and rainy so I opted out.

Did you find Copenhagen easy to visit for budget travelers?

With a bit of effort, it can be. Hotel rates themselves are probably the biggest expense, though there are certainly deals to be had. Dining can be reasonably cheap if you forgo touristy restaurants (especially around Tivoli and Nyhavn) for meals at the pizza and kebab joints popular with the locals.

Mmmmm… Pizza and kebabs. Did you have any memorable meals?

In an effort to keep expenses down, I ate meal after meal of falafel schawarma sandwiches. With good reason, too—they’re delicious and cost around DKK 20 (about $4). After my last day of visiting hotels, however, I did splurge on some tasty Japanese fare at Kung Fu Izakaya Bar in Vesterbro.

You deserved it, after visiting dozens of hotels in the city. Which hotel was your favorite?

It’s a tough call, but the Avenue Hotel in Frederiksberg won me over with its lovely rooms and warm hospitality. Hotel Alexandra, which boasts guestrooms outfitted with the work of famed Danish designers, is a close second. However, these are just two of many hotels boasting sleek Danish design and central locations.

Where did you stay?

I stayed at the Absalon Hotel. I had booked a room at the Absalon Annex (which I reviewed), but upon arrival was upgraded to a room at the hotel’s three-star sister property.

Really? Did they know you were reviewing them?

No! Of course not. I told them during check out–and then asked to see a bunch of rooms!

—

Thanks for the great job, Sarah. To read her work, check out her Copenhagen hotel reviews and city guide articles.

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Pardon the interruption to our regularly scheduled “Daily Cheapo” programming, but we have an exciting announcement: We’ve unveiled a new release of our budget hotel search engine and think you’re going to love it!

Our new search engine includes all the Cheapo “bells and whistles” we could dream up to help budget travelers find the best hotel. Here’s a short list of what’s in store:

More Cheapo-Filters
We’ve added all sorts of nifty filtering technology to help travelers easily narrow down search results. Now you can filter by proximity to popular landmarks, user ratings, neighborhood, room rate and property type.

Looking for a three-star hotel this summer in Paris, near Notre Dame with at least a 7.5 user rating for less than $200? We have several suggestions!

Trusted Travel Advice
Can’t decide where to stay? Our editors have inspected thousands of European hotels and provide recommendations in 28 popular cities. Read editor reviews and check out our candid hotel photos. Need help choosing the right neighborhood? Roll over neighborhood names to read detailed descriptions.

What’s Your “CheapoFactor?”
Our search results rank budget hotels by their “CheapoFactor,” the site’s super top-secret algorithm that pushes the most interesting, central, highest rated, and lowest priced hotels to the top. Check out the creme de la (cheapo) crème!

Handpicked Hotel Listings
Our editors select every hotel that shows up in our search results. To be included, hotels must be central, have satisfactory user reviews, and always have budget-friendly prices. We don’t let just any hotel show up!

Hotel Price Comparison
Our search engine compares hotel rates from multipile reservation websites, allowing travelers to easily find — and book — the lowest rate out there.

Tell Us What You Think!
We’re proud of our budget hotel search engine and always want it to be as helpful as possible. So try it out and tell us what you think. What are we missing? Leave a comment below and let us know your thoughts, Cheapos!

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The Troitskiy Most, a bridge spanning the Neva River.

I’ve been back from St. Petersburg for nearly six weeks, but I’m still combing through my photographs, trying to make sense of it all. Today I thought I’d post some of my favorite photos of St. Petersburg at night. Talk about drama!

As you can see, walking along the canals–or anywhere, really–in St. Petersburg in January can be hazardous. The sidewalks might simply look wet, but they’re often covered in ice. Check out the frozen Moika  Canal.

But when you do venture a look up from the sidewalk, behold the city! I took this photo along the Moika Canal heading toward the Hermitage. The beautiful canal is one of three that winds its way through the heart of St. Petersburg.

Along the Moika’s banks are 18th and 19th-century government buildings, offices, museums, restaurants, apartments, and palaces. As you can see, during my visit there weren’t very many tourists walking along the canals. It was very, very cold outside.

St. Petersburg’s canals are crossed by 313 bridges, many of which are works of art. Many incorporate statues, most involve intricate metalwork, and almost all are photogenic. This bridge is crossing the Moika.

Continuing westward along the Moika, we cross another bridge and spot St. Isaac’s Cathedral. The day after I took this shot, I climbed to the top of St. Isaac’s and circled the giant rotunda in whipping winds.

Returning home along the Neva River, we pass the Peter and Paul Fortress, with its illuminated cathedral glowing through the falling snow. Under that shining spire rest nearly all the czars of Russia, including Peter the Great, himself.

Good night, St. Petersburg!

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I awoke this morning to hear a story on National Public Radio about the financial crisis affecting certain Eastern European countries, especially Latvia, Hungary, and the Ukraine.

Edward Lucas, of The Economist magazine, pointed out that Latvia’s situation is pretty dire: a bank recently collapsed, the nation’s debt is swelling, and the country’s economy shrank by more than 10% in 2008. Furthermore, violent protests this year led to the collapse of the coalition government in February.

Difficult times

I noticed this myself last month, when I spent six days visiting Riga.

Of course, I mostly concerned myself with inspecting hotels and visiting the city’s historic sights. However, one couldn’t escape the signs of economic strain: I saw very few tourists (granted, it was early February), restaurants were empty (or closed), and prices were cheap.

Here was a city that poured millions of euros into reinventing itself as a magical, tourist-friendly destination–and hardly anyone was there. That wouldn’t normally be a major cause for concern in February. But this year was different. There seemed to be an uncertainty about whether or not tourists would return.

Across town, I visited beautiful hotels, freshly renovated (or newly constructed), often with sizable rooms and lovely bathrooms. Many sported eclectic, “boutique” decor. In almost any of the other cities we cover, these hotels would have been out of our Cheapo price range.

Yet, they were quite affordable in Riga. When I asked hotel owners for rates, they often frowned. Should they give me last summer’s rates? The off-season rates? What are this year’s rates? The prevailing attitude seemed to be, “we’ll see.” There was, after all, a big difference between the posted hotel rates and the bargain rates being offered online by the same hotels.

A great time to travel?

I found it all a bit unnerving. To encourage budget travelers to visit Latvia because of ever-discounted prices exploits a nation grappling with an economic crisis. Yet, tourism plays an incredibly important role in the nation’s economy, and it would follow that Latvia would benefit from an influx of tourists, eager to pump their euros (and lats) into the nation’s struggling economy.

Hotel owners, waitresses, the cashier at the opera… people were very friendly to me and seemed hopeful that more tourists would return to the city as the weather heats up.

Upon my return, I’ve raved about Riga. I had a great experience and found it fun, educational, delicious, and, yes, a bargain. Despite my sensitivities, I find myself bragging about what a good deal the city is for visitors.

And yet, I’m cautious when describing the budgetary benefits of visiting Riga.

Something strikes me as distasteful about choosing a destination based solely upon what you can “get” for your money. That may be a great way to purchase a beach resort getaway or a family cruise, but it strikes me as an un-thoughtful way to choose a travel destination.

Isn’t traveling about learning and experiencing? Doesn’t it call for a little more compassion and a little less consumption?

What do you think?

I’m eager to hear from our readers on this issue. Have you every traveled to a foreign country while they were experiencing difficulties? Did that affect your decision to go there? Would you consider going to a country with a shaky economy in order to stretch your travel budget?

Let us know in the comments section below.

For more information about Latvia’s financial troubles, also see an article in this week’s Der Spiegel (in English).

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Over the last several months, we’ve been quietly toiling away at redesigning the EuroCheapo homepage. After many revisions, tweaks, testing, more tweaks, bug testing and pulling solid patches of hair out of our collective heads, we finally took it live late last night. Hallelujah!

What’s with the redesign, you might ask?

Well, we loved the way the previous version looked, but we felt it didn’t feel particularly “alive.” Given we’re constantly updating hotel reviews, city guide articles, blog posts and other content, we wanted this constant activity to be reflected on our homepage as well.

Our new design allows us to showcase five featured hotels every day, highlight each day’s newest blog entry from our editors and writers, and promote a new featured article from our city guides. Every day you return back to EuroCheapo you’ll see a fresh batch of selected hotels, blog entries, articles and maybe - just maybe - a few more surprises we have up our sleaves here at EuroCheapo HQ.

Also, we’ve received lots of great feedback over the past year from fellow Cheapos who just discovered how helpful our search engine is in quickly finding budget hotels. Many of them, though, hadn’t previously completed a search on EuroCheapo out of concern that doing so would take them away from the site or not allow them to view our search results.

To address this, we also redesigned our search box and gave it a little more “front and center” prominence on the page, to help other Cheapos discover and experience its magical budget power!

Bug zapping

While we tried to catch each and every bug prior to launch, we’re sure we missed some. Heck, we just realized our blog entries aren’t formatted correctly (this will be taken care of shortly!) However, if you do come across anything that seems, well, weird, confusing or broken, please email us and let us know.

Special thanks

We’d like to say a special thank you to a few of the Cheapos who helped us with this big project. To our tech wizards, Mike and James, thanks so much and we’ll do our best to rid the world of Internet Explorer 6. And to the many EuroCheapo Insiders who provided so much feedback and comments throughout development, thanks for taking the time to help us out!

What do you think? We’d love to hear any additional comments and feedback about the new homepage design in the comments section below!

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If any Cheapos will be in Los Angeles this weekend (February 14-15, 2009), make sure you take advantage of the budget-conscious offerings at the Los Angeles Times Travel & Adventure Show, taking place at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

If you stop by at noon on Sunday, you can join me, as I represent EuroCheapo in a panel discussion on the “10 Best Destinations for Traveling on a Budget.” The timely discourse will be moderated by Jen Leo, travel writer and blogger for the LA Times. I’ll be joined by travel writers Rolf Potts of Vagabonding, and Johnny Jet of JohnnyJet.com. The panel will be held at noon on Sunday, February 15, in Petree Hall C.

Some star-studded offerings

The travel show will also feature several presentations by well known travel personalities. Rick Steves will speak on both days about “Budget European Travel Skills,” father and daughter duo Arthur and Pauline Frommer will discuss “Traveling during These Troubled Times” on Saturday and Sunday, and the Travel Channel’s Samantha Brown is scheduled to speak on Saturday morning.

In addition, numerous panel discussions will be populated with travel writers and editors discussing topics such as “10 Hot Tips for Getting Travel Deals Online” and “When a Good Deal Isn’t: How to Avoid Getting Scammed.”

Join me! And give me suggestions!

I’ll be taking notes — and running from one discussion to the next. If you’re planning on coming, join me!

Also, please send me your suggestions (or leave them below). What do you think are the best budget European destinations? Do you have a favorite? Do you know of a destination that’s often overlooked and underrated? Please share below!

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The little green pirozhki hut in St. Petersburg, Russia.

Afternoon delight

About ten days ago, during my last day in St. Petersburg, Russia, I experienced an afternoon snack attack. I had spent the day visiting churches, climbing to the top of St. Isaac’s Cathedral, and doing last-minute shopping. I wanted to stop for a coffee and treat, but I needed to get home to pack for Riga.

I took the metro to Chernyshevskaya Station, which was a ten-minute walk from my friend Carl’s apartment. Leaving the station, I walked along the lovely Furshtatskaya Boulevard (home to the US and German consulates), watching my every step as I maneuvered ice, slush, and salt.

A vision of…fried dough?

And then I saw it! There was a  little green hut, steaming in the cold, and a powerful smell of fried dough. A squat woman inside the hut handed two policemen what appeared to be hot donuts, wrapped in wax paper. But they weren’t exactly donuts, as they were flatter, much larger, and didn’t have a hole. The officers took their dough, nodded and hurried off, stealing bites as they hustled into their parked car.

An afternoon donut sounded ideal. I approached the window, smiled, and pointed to the stack of donuts draining inside on a paper towel, fresh out of the grease. “One,” I said, holding up my finger and then pointing to the stack.

“Which one?” the woman gestured, pointing from one donut to another.

Was there a difference? They all looked like sugar-coated fried dough to me. But there were three stacks of them. There must be some variation I wasn’t noticing.  

I pointed to the first stack. She picked it up with tongs, thrust it in a wrapper, grabbed a napkin and handed it over. She held up a calculator to show me the price… 30 rubles (a little less than US $1.00).

I walked five paces around the corner, pulled back the wrapper, and bit into the donut, bracing for a sweet and greasy sugar rush.

Surprise!

The “donut” was filled with savory minced pork! It took a few seconds for me to register the taste, and then, my expectations adjusted, I devoured the rest of the hot pocket.

Turns out, I was eating pirozhki, meat-filled doughy treats that are fried or baked. Fillings vary, but they’re commonly stuffed with minced beef or chicken, mushrooms and potatoes, or sweeter ingredients (cherries, apples). My version, minced meat, was spiced up with a variety of seasonings.

(Note: Don’t confuse pirozhki with pierogi, which are smaller, stuffed dumplings that are fried or boiled and popular in Eastern European countries.)

Thus, dear reader, when in Russia, I’d recommend indulging in a pirozhki. They’re cheap and tasty. Just don’t expect a sugar rush.

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