SIM Card Query

[Evader]

Hi all - just registered today as I have a few Qs to ask. My wife and I are travelling to the USA in about 2 weeks time and will be taking our 3G iPad 4 (or course). We will be flying into Chicago and driving across to Santa Monica on Route 66 for about 30 days

Q1 We have an O2 SIM Card for Web access and Data use in UK - will we still be able to connect to wifi (free, or otherwise) in hotels and bars - or do we need to get a new SIM (like we will for our phones) for use in USA? I know we will not get any conectivity via O2.

Q2 Are there any settings that we need to change to enable usage in the USA?

Q3 If we do have to get a new SIM, are our contacts, etc stored on our current SIM or are they held within the iPad memory?

Any other comments or advice will be greatly appreciated.

Many thanks and regards

Evader

 

[Kaykaykay]

For 3G/4G access, you'll need a SIM card and data plan unless your plan has international roaming access, which usually can quickly add up to the price of a car, lol.

The carrier store people should be able to get you set up. If not, have them call the corporate 800 number for help.

Your contacts, content, etc., wouldn't be affected at all. They're on your iPad or in the cloud, depending on how you store stuff.

If you just want to use free wifi, you don't need any SIM card. Just make sure you turn off your 3G/4G and have the pass code for the wifi network if one is needed. Normally you don't have to turn off anything and iPad will default to wifi, but you might want to turn off your 3G/4G just in case your UK SIM would start roaming (if you plan to keep it in your iPad).

Personally, I avoid all public wifi, free or otherwise, because I wouldn't want to risk exposing my personal data, email, social network, etc., to whomever might be trolling the wifi network. Unless you have VPN, you're at risk. That's why I prefer to pay for 3G/4G. Nothing is uncrackable if someone really wants in, but with free wifi, the door is usually wide open.

 

[Evader]

Many thanks for your response and the info - much appreciated and will be implemented.

Regards Evader

 

[Kaykaykay]

Many thanks for your response and the info - much appreciated and will be implemented.

Regards Evader

Have a great time.

If you're not familiar with this site, I highly recommend it: RoadTrip America - Road Trip Planning for North America

Besides all the terrific info, there's a forum on which you can ask specific itinerary questions.

If you're interested in exploring road food beyond chains, this also is a good site: Roadfood.com - Your Guide to Authentic Regional Eats

I love road trips and think they're a great way to see the US.

 

[Newfydad]

Evader, will you be driving a Corvette, by any chance? I have often thought of making that drive in mine, just haven't got around to it.

 

[Evader]

Hi and thanks for your interest, but even if I had such a vehicle I think the cost of shipping from UK would be rather high

My wife and I fly into Chicago on 14 May and will drive the entire Route 66 through to Santa Monica over the next 30 days - kinda looking forward to the trip. It will be our first time in the USA.

 

[Kaykaykay]

My wife and I fly into Chicago on 14 May and will drive the entire Route 66 through to Santa Monica over the next 30 days - kinda looking forward to the trip. It will be our first time in the USA.

It will be a unique way to see the US -- many towns that don't get many visitors between Chicago and Santa Monica.

I've been to most of the towns at one point or another. It's fun to imagine what would've happened to them if the freeways hadn't passed them by.

If you're renting a car, try to get one with a trunk, instead of say a hatchback, so you can stow your baggage and anything valuable out of sight. With some tourist places, there are smash and grabs of cars when valuables are left visible.

 

[Newfydad]

Just wondered. I've met several grey-hair Corvette enthusiasts who intend to drive Route 66 'some day' because of the Corvette-driving heroes of the 1960s TV series by that name. As an old Manchester boy, I can tell you that a short side trip and a couple of days in Las Vegas would be a worthwhile and very memorable eye-opener.

 

[zstairlessone]

There is a nice English pub and restaurant in Santa Monica. It is Ye Olde Kings Head, on Santa Monica Blvd about a block and a half in. There is a store right next door that has a lot of British and Scottish treats if you get lonely for a little home after a long enjoyable trek across the country.

Don't forget to spend a little time at the pier, they have a ferris wheel and a couple of other things to do right on the pier.

Hopefully you will have time to see a couple of areas, like Malibu and Venice (always an unusual treat) maybe even Santa Barbara if you have a bit of time. Try to take a drive into the canyons or up Mulholland drive or just walk around Santa Monica and enjoy it there.

 

[Evader]

Hi all - many thanks for responses and apologies to moderators if we seem to be going off at a tangent and no longer discussing iPads. I would, however like to respond to some of the contributors :-

Kaykaykay - I have been using another Route 66 Forum The Mother Road: Historic Route 66 with great success, but did also take a look at the 'foodie' website you mentioned. We will be using 'local' roadside diners as and when we can, but will need to watch to portion sizes as we are not into large meals.

We are renting some sort of SUV - could be a Ford Escape or a RAV 4 type of vehicle - don't really want anything tooo big, but sturdy enough to survive the road surfaces.

Newfydad - we did consider a side trip to Vegas, but our intention is to concentrate on the old road - not really into flashing lights and prefer to go for the historic aspects and the natural beauty of the country. We will be taking a couple of days off-route to see the Grand Canyon.

Zstairlessone - many thanks for the 'heads-up' on Santa Monica - we will definitely be checking it out, although we are actually spending our 3 nights at El Segundo (a couple of miles to the south). We will also be taking a look around and had already thought about going up the coast a bit.

Many thanks to you all - we are really looking forward to the trip and our first experience of the USA. We have previously been to Australia, New Zealand, Sth Africa and Canada a few time, plus many places in between.

Regards

Evader