This turtle farm is located at Madrid’s Atoche Railway Station. It’s housed in the center of the old arched station which is now the main terminal as the tracks have been moved to a larger area further out.

It’s bright, beautiful, and green, and a perfect place to await a train or take the kids after dragging them around the Prado.

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Rush hour, downtown La Fortuna.

Thames commuter ferry between Tower of London and Westminster Bridge…

From a suburban office parking garage in Amsterdam.  Great way to light up a dull space…

The handheld technology that’s evolved over the past seven to ten years is astounding. In the early to middle part of the last decade I could never imagine I’d have access to global maps (down to street detail), transit schedules, hotel and restaurant reviews, flight schedules check-in, travel apps and so much more right in my hand.

In fact when I visit a new city in the U.S. I never even pack a map. Google maps functions perfectly everywhere, and even includes transit schedules in many major cities. I can land in a strange city and plan my route from the airport to downtown while the plane is taxiing to the gate.

The downside is you can become very dependent on it. Or at least I have. When I travel outside the U.S. I’m forced to give up my constant web access unless I uprade to an expensive plan that includes data roaming. My budget says no thanks. Like most of my friends my data roaming is always turned off upon landing outside my home borders. With data and downloads at $19.95 a megabyte I don’t care to come home to a $25,000 phone bill.

But my smartphone is still extremely useful overseas thanks to the prevalence of public and private WiFi . I use Skype for my calls, which has an iPhone app so well integrated you forget you’re using Skype and not just making standard calls. (It even incorporates your contact lists.) I do admit to texting at 50 cents a text, but do so sparingly. (That is useful for maintaining contact when traveling with friends.) But above all, any WiFi signal for an iPhone or any smartphone opens the same access doors you have back home. In most major cities WiFi is extremely easy to find and use, so long as you know and take precaution against connecting to unsecured signals.

When abroad and opting out of data roaming, one feature I often use is the iPhone screenshot feature. This takes a photo of whatever is on your iPhone screen, then saves it to your photos for future reference. You simply hold down down the center button while quickly pressing the top (power) button. Your screen flashes as the screenshot is saved. I didn’t know about or use this feature until a year ago, and find some people who aren’t aware of this marvelous tool.

It’s a phenomenal tool if you want to retrieve an important document on your iPhone, but won’t have web access. For example an email with directions; rather than printing and carrying paper, or copying and pasting it to the “notes” app, simply take a screenshot and look at the photo.

My most recent and most useful example: A week ago I did a couple road trips in the Netherlands. Unable to find a decent map at my Denver library I planned to just purchase one at a gas station there. Before leaving I Google mapped the route from Amsterdam to Zeeland, which involved several busy and congested freeway interchanges around Rotterdam. I simply took screenshots of the route, and close up shots of the important interchanges, and saved them one by one to my phone. (Fortunately I was the passenger and able to fully concentrate as navigator.) I never even needed the a paper map.

Scrolling through the photos of the maps it reminded me of the old days when AAA would create a “Triptik” for their members – a small rectangular booklet with maps and turn by turn directions that you’d leaf through while driving. Even without web access this proved to be an amazingly easy way to not get lost and save money on maps or car rental GPS.

As shown below I’ve also used it for other maps – by taking a screenshot at the apartment with WiFi, then referencing it while out on the town.

With that disclaimer, my limited and pleasant experience based on two easyJet flightst:

I purchased a round trip from Madrid to Marrakesh, Morocco for about $70 USD. easyJet’s competitor Ryanair was offering fares for a mere $35 US. Obviously I wanted to avoid Ryanair and its atrocious reputation, so I opted to pay a little more. But seeing as these to fares were rock bottom, and Ryanair’s flights were scheduled an hour AFTER easyJet, I bought the Ryanair flight too as my own unique type of travel insurance.

easyJet has a small to medium size operation at Madrid Barajas, in the old terminal 2 and 3.  Efficient once there with clean gates and nearby amenities, but like the U.S. gates it’s a very long walk from the Metro Station, located at the other end of Terminal 3

easyJet’s seating is similar to Southwest – No assigned seating and first come first choice. You may purchase the “Speedyboarding” option for about 10 Euros, which I thought a good deal. It netted me first in line with about 10 other early boarders, and I managed to get exit rows on both flights.  In boarding the aircraft there are no numbers or order like Southwest, everybody just lines up like they’re waiting at the Post Office.    Oddly, in Madrid, no one line up in advanced and all stayed seated.  As soon as they announced pre-boarding only THEN did everyone rush to the door.

Carryon: Like other European carriers they’re far stricter than the U.S. carriers, where many agents turn a blind eye to giant bulging bags some drag down the jetway and bounce between the seats. You’re allowed ONE carry-on, and one means one. I usually have a book/laptop and a small messenger out before boarding, so as not block the aisle retrieving things.  Prior to boarding I was to consolidate them all into my rollerbag and prove it could fit in the sizers.

Both flights were uneventful.  Flying across the Straight of Gibralter this hazy day I could just as easily been on a flight from Albuquerque to Vegas.   On board service consisted of drinks and buy on board snacks, and a pass through of the duty free cart.

Departing Marrakesh was a little less organized as we boarded via dual airstairs (which I enjoy) but we were first queued up outside on the ramp.   Again no complaints – it was a beautiful day and I love planespotting, especially when I have the opportunity to be this close and see some foreign (to me) carriers.   However this could be uncomfortable for some in the Moroccan summers.

I would easily fly easyJet again, and their fare were far below Iberia, Royal Air Moroc and other carriers that served that route. Note the crummy stairs that Ryanair boards with. (lower right photo)

Quick Euro tip:  In Europe the overhead bins are called “lockers.”

A few tourists have had less then stellar experiences, but if you were to pore over those internet accounts you’d imagine yourself backed into an dead end alley with dozens of kids grabbing at your wallet while emptying your pockets and cutting your camera off your neck. I chuckled at Rick Steve’s guidebook describing Spain daytrippers to Tangiers appearing “like hostages, clutching their bags and big purses in front of them.”

That said each city has its own unique minor warnings. Morocco is a very safe country, and crime against tourists and travrlers is minimal and mostly opportunistic. One of these hustles involve the ease of getting lost. Even for the geographically skilled the streets and alleys of Marrakesh can prove confusing, with literally mazes of streets leading to forks and dead ends. If you make time it can be fun to explore, but if you’re trying to get home or be somewhere you’re best served to leave a trail of mental breadcrumbs. To get to my Riad I had a list of checkpoints, including a large mosque and this restaurant sign I called the “McDonald’s” sign because it had a large M in the center.

My first jaunt out I saw a sign for a cafe on a main street, followed it around some corners and found myself peering into a lady’s kitchen, thinking it was the restaurant. She pointed me in the right direction, but I found it closed. Retreating back down the alley that same lady asked if she could cook me something. Obviously my tourist dollars were a goal, but the gesture was memorable. After all I don’t think she’d invite just anyone into her home.

Getting lost however proves an opportunistic scam for some, a popular trick being to act as a guide to help you to your hotel or location, then leading you in circles or extra blocks for more money. It’s best to turn down offers of help when you’re studying and rotating your map. When a local’s directions are a must, the solution to this is to ask people in a store, or one who’s behind a counter or stall, thus having no incentive to misguide you.

While walking to the central market and back daily I passed by a restaurant and one morning stopped in for a bottle of water. One younger gentleman in particular spoke English well, and I liked the food, so I wound up returning two more times for lunch and dinner. During a late lunch we were chatting and I was showing him some photos on my camera screen. He recognized a nondescript man pushing a bike – then explained to me he was an undercover officer, patrolling to watch for any shenanigans against tourists. Obviously the city has an incentive to keep tourists safe from scams, but this was above and beyond in my opinion.

I can only recall one single instance, in the souk, where after declining to view some wares the salesperson followed me longer than I cared for. I switched my polite pleasantries to a firm “NO” and that was the end of it. One annoying instance out of hours and hours among vendors, but easier to escape him than leave a car dealership here in the U.S.

I wouldn’t say all the warnings I read go overboard, but excessive worrying and reading can taint a city’s image and the way you approach it. I met plenty of friendly locals and had a great introduction to the city during dinner with a local. More to come…