Encryption Is the Way to Travel

It's called Road Warrior.  Well, it's definitely suited for the Road Warrioress, too.  It's an encryption service from Cryptohippie, and considered the top of the line for encrypting the long-haul traveler's computer, email, communications, etc.

It's not cheap.  What do you expect for military-grade technology in easy-to-use form?  But Cryptohippie gives you a money-back guarantee if you are not satisfied with their encryption and secure email account included in the Road Warrior package. 

Cryptohippie says: It creates a strongly encrypted connection from your computer to the Cryptohippie anonymity network. From there, your traffic passes through at least two national jurisdictions, loses all association with your identifiers and emerges from our network at a distant location. But, even with all of this going on, you can surf, check your email, use Skype, and everything else exactly as you have been. Unless you reveal it yourself, no one can see who you are or what your data may be.

Features of Road Warrior include, according to Cryptohippie:

Easy to install and use software

Available for Windows, MacOS X, Linux

Works in almost any environment

High speed (3.5Mbit/s median)

All protection methods enabled

Protects websurfing, email, VoIP

Closed group network access

Includes secure email account

Includes secure network disk

Includes secure instant messaging

Install on multiple computers allowed

25 GB of monthly traffic included

Telephone and email support

And the cost is USD275 per year. 

I'm no techie.  Don't ask me to explain all the technology.  While I've had and used my own computers for three decades now, and consider myself fairly proficient, I still use my 'puter like a toaster: I put in my "bread" and expect to get out "toast."  You're better off researching this one yourself to get whatever details you need.

But you certainly want to take a look at this.

And if you have any suggestions for other top-notch encryption services, pass them along here so we can all take advantage.  After all, most of us Road Warrioresses are working, running computer-based businesses while we play Perpetual Traveler, and need to protect ourselves and our data.  Certainly everyone deserves to be able to say "I love you" to Pop, Hubby, Darling Daughter or Whoever without half the rest of the world listening in.

May your road rise to meet you (without spies stalking you!)
Ann

If You Want More Privacy. . .

Since the explosive revelations last month regarding PRISM, NSA's monumental worldwide invasion of communications privacy, people are changing a lot of computer habits.  Goodbye google, hello StartPage.  The number of queries on the DuckDuckGo search engine doubled in less than three weeks.  Cryptocat's volume doubled within that time.

Steven Spielberg's Minority Report is alive and well and living in the White House, in NSA, and in their inconceivably voluminous facility under construction in Utah.  It's worse than Orwellian.  1984 might have been the wrong date, but certainly the right prescient track.

Here are some changes you can make to your internet habits:

DuckDuckGo does not store personally identifiable information about search queries on its servers. You can see exactly how your Google search information is saved and sold, thanks to DuckDuckGo's simple diagram found on its website: http://donttrack.us/.  Check out duckduckgo.com.

StartPage is a non-US based third-party search engine. When you search with StartPage, they remove all the identifying information from your online query and then submit it anonymously to Google themselves. They get the results and give them to you, keeping your information completely private. Your IP address is never stored… your visit is not logged and they don’t place any tracking cookies on your browser.  They make it clear on their website that anyone seeking to subpoena data on users can forget it - there is no data!  Set StartPage as your homepage!  Simply go to startpage.com.

You can keep your intranet chats private by using Cryptocat. This site encrypts all of its users’ messages so that notes between you and family, friends, colleagues or employees stay off the radar.  It might not be available for all browsers, but check out https://crypto.cat/

Besides governments which copy your inbox, hackers, identity thieves, advertisers, and others are after your personal information.  An offshore email account is not free, though the fees are generally reasonable.  Here are some reputable, relatively inexpensive options to consider.

http://www.SwissMail.org/ Based in Switzerland.

http://www.neomailbox.net/ Based in Switzerland.

https://secure.runbox.com/ Based in Norway, which has strong privacy laws. Runbox is generally considered a cheap and quality option.

https://www.jumpshipservices.co/ Parent company is incorporated in Hong Kong with servers located in Switzerland. JumpShip Services - Jumpmail - www.jumpshipservices.co/jumpmail
 

Instead of a US-based cloud storage or data storage company such as DropBox or Google, consider free alternatives based in a friendlier jurisdiction.  Perhaps the best offshore data storage option is Switzerland-based Wuala. Wuala encrypts and stores your files on servers in Switzerland and offers 5 GB of free storage space.

More to come on some easy-to-access, easy-to-use alternatives for the Road Warrioress!

May your road rise to meet you (without spies)!
Ann

L'Audace, L'Audace, Toujours L'Audace!

I was just talking with a fellow attendee at a workshop about business travel.  Yes, loads of women managers and execs at his large company travel.  "They only travel in packs," he says.  Not one of them travels solo - unlike us Road Warrioresses.  Company conferences, training, even sales calls on customers - everything is done as a team.  Same flight, same hotel, same car or shuttle.  And heaven help one if dinner is not scheduled en masse.  They'll order room service before they'll venture into a hotel coffee shop alone.

Lousy way to travel if you ask me.  Yes, I've done it for corporate quarterly sales meetings and such.  It's nice to have company at dinner, develop coworker relationships.  It can be rather comfy, or a severe trial of overload and no privacy.  Yes, I always managed to strike out on my own somewhere along the schedule of events.

But practically all of my travels from the moment I set off to college barely days after I turned 18 (not even a week after my birthday!) have been solo.  And while I have needed or wanted room service on occasion, it becomes very dreary very fast.  Waits can be long, food often arrives cold, the menu is very limited to start with.  And the costs are frightful - one dinner can consume an entire per diem allowance.  Neither riding with the herd some 16 hours a day nor hiding in my hotel room are much fun.

Remember George C. Scott as Patton?  "L'audace, l'audace, toujours l'audace," was General George's advice, as memorably quoted by Actor George.  Where's your audacity?  Guts, gumption, or simple - and elementary - modicum of confidence?  Criminy, you hardly need much brains, talent, hutzpah, experience, or anything else to walk into a restaurant, sit down, order something, and eat it.  You've been eating something or other since the day you were born.

Most larger hotels have more than one restaurant.  Pick the snack bar or coffee shop rather than the exclusive and formal restaurant.  Who knows?  You might strike up an interesting conversation with a fellow traveler, even make connections for a better job!  It's easy.  It's a lot more fun.  And you will get better food selected from a wider variety of options.

Surprise!  You'll probably find out you are not the only person dining alone.  You might even run into me.  Even though I really am quite shy, we'll strike up an interesting conversation.

Oh, by the way.  This guy clued me in on something, if you're ambitious.  Those women hit the glass ceiling because they can't - or won't - travel solo.  Top executives don't travel in packs.  They only have a peon trailing behind if anyone at all accompanies them.

May your road rise to meet you - and may you meet it with audacity!
Ann

What to Know Before You Go

When I got the phone call at 3:35 a.m. informing me I was going overseas on the possibility of a job, I headed to the library to read up on Bali.  That’s where I thought the caller said I was going.  Bwa-ha-ha!  Joke was on me.  I was headed to Balikpapan (BTW, nothing in those pics existed when I lived there).  Instant freak-out at the Indonesian consulate in Singapore when I obtained my visa.  The Jungles of Borneo?

I went.  Still glad I did!  Very, v-e-r-y strange life, however.

It pays to do some research (I eventually got to Bali, and good thing I’d done my homework).  Wherever you’re going, get some data in a hurry.  It’s incredibly easy to learn a lot in a few hours these days.  Hurray for the internet!

So what do you most urgently need to know?  Where to spend your research time most fruitfully (especially if you have to leave in the morning!)?

        *  Visa types and requirements: every country has a website with visa details.  Get your info straight from the authorities or reputable visa agents.  Beware some “agents” which have not updated their website in three years.

        *  Climate/weather: what clothing and supplies will you need to pack?

        *  Safety issues: better to be safe than sorry.  Check US Department of State advisory bulletins, and google city, country, crime rate.  Of course, you practice personal safety and security measures at all times everywhere!

        *  Cost estimates: kayak.com, hotels.com, cost of living index sites, even craigslist can give you quick ideas as to price ranges on hotels, housing, food, sales taxes or VAT, and more.

        *  Courtesies and culture: avoid making a complete idiot of yourself.  E.g. in Indonesia, do not “wave bye-bye,” especially to a child.  They freak out since that motion is identical to their non-verbal signal for “come here.”  No bare shoulders, no shorts or mini-skirts, no first name basis introductions, or similar cultural taboos could cost you a great deal of unnecessary trouble, complications, or plain old embarrassment.  This is something you can intensely study for years and still not get it all right.  At least make a stab at some of the more overt behaviors which can generate major misunderstandings.

        *  Business culture and attire: suits or dresses or skirt/slacks with blazer?  How to present a business card?  “Get to know you” before you get down to business?  If you work, run your own biz, whatever, this one’s the deal killer.  Find books on international business etiquette or do some internet research on city/country + business attire, business etiquette.  When in doubt, ask what the proper procedure and form is, explaining you’d like to adhere to their customs but don’t know them all “yet.”

        *  Something special: take some time to treat yourself to a popular local food, museum, sight – something unique which interests or intrigues you.  Who in their right mind goes to London without taking in at least one play?  Somewhere in your research, even quick-study, you’re bound to come across something, so cram it into your schedule somehow.  This is the feature which makes all travel worthwhile.  All the rest is necessary, but this is the item which matters.

 

May your road rise to meet you - with very few bumps!

Ann

LUG-Lugging It All Along

When my old wheeled computer bag died, I promised you a review of new wheeled computer cases/attaches.  Newest addition to my luggage collection comes from LUG, a quirky-but-trendy collection of colorful luggage, totes and bags.

It doesn’t take long to assess bag basics, although durability tests might take years (as with my DayMakers handbag).

So here’s the Good, Bad and Ugly – what I like or not about using this particular wheeled computer bag I got.  (Note that it was a gift, so I don’t have model name or number.  No, this was not sent to me by the company for product review purposes.)

Like: that it holds a lot!  Laptop, accessories, files and legal pads, more.  An ingenious side-entrance pocket is perfect for CD/DVDs in their jewel boxes.  Since I have an expensive set of brain entrainment CDs which cannot be downloaded (or play on my ’puter), the whole set and portable CD player fit into that pocket.  There’s a water bottle holder on the other side.

Dislike: vertical design means digging deeply, and stuff gets lost in the bottom.  The office supplies pocket has pen loops and pockets, but is a bit too tight for a real collection of doodads: paper clips and clamps, earbuds, phone recharger, Post-It Note pads, and that wild assortment of itty-bitty stuff in need of organization and accessibility.  The old wheelies did better on that score.  Zipper pulls have no holes to accommodate luggage locks, and there always comes a time when you need to zip up more securely.

Open for Debate: the extendable handle seems a bit flexible, which could be a worry.  Too early to say.

On the whole, it’s working for me at the moment.  For daily commuter use, it’s a cute, stylish, functional office on wheels.  For the really long haul, I just don’t know.

May your road rise to meet you – and your wheelies rise to the occasion!

Ann

Oh-Bummer, Bummer Care

California has just released its Obamacare health insurance plans: four levels.  Silver is the second-cheapest, $321/month, plus $2000 deductible, plus $45 copay per doctor’s visit.

You can get a full year of health insurance other places for less than one month’s of California’s low-budget plan.  Local insurance in Panama runs about $100/month.  Uruguay reportedly has plans cheaper than that.  Mexico runs under $500 a year!  All-inclusive, no copays.

You can obtain international traveler’s insurance, which includes coverage in the US, for about $300/month.  And it’s better than California’s cheapskate coverage.

So now a reader reports to an expat newsletter that she received a letter from her state’s senator, Sen. Nelson, stating that all US taxpayers, including non-residents and expats, are required to obtain health insurance or pay the tax for being uninsured.  Despite the fact that US insurance policies are worthless in foreign countries!

Errant nonsense!  US Congress has totally run off the rails here.  If you are reasonably healthy, your total medical bills for a year can run less than a month's premium for the far superior insurance plans available in many countries.

What a bummer!  Worse, not even Senators and Representatives have read their own healthcare bill.  According to that, non-resident US citizens are supposedly exempt from US Obamacare requirements.

Be careful!  Study the law, and study the regulations.  Or find a Legal-Eagle expert to sort out this mess.  Alas (or thank goodness?!), I am not an attorney.  I do my homework, do the best I can finding sources, but it seems even the law as enacted might not be the final word.

 

May your road rise to meet you!

Ann

Hotel Security Is a Major Concern for the Road Warrioress

In Taipei, I stayed in a newly renovated hotel – until I learned renovations were due to a major hotel fire in which a number of guests were killed.  The sprinkler system did not look particularly trustworthy, and the smoke detector had no little light, which had me concerned that it might not work or even be hooked up!  In Houston, some man followed me to my room.  Fortunately, with key already in hand, I was able to slip in and, throwing my full body weight against the door, slammed it on my stalker's hand.

For the solo woman traveler, it pays handsomely to pay attention!  Your security is your first responsibility to yourself.  And all too often, you cannot wait to be bailed out.  Here are some tips for your safety in hotels:

1.   Never open your door!  First, check through your peephole (if you’re tall enough to see through it – they are often set to man- or tall-person-height).  If you are not expecting anyone, call the front desk or housekeeping to ensure they really have sent [name] with more towels or whatever.  Verify Name – ask who’s there!

2.   Beware posting your breakfast menu on your doorknob before retiring.  It can alert Bad Guys to a lone traveler unless you disguise that fact by ordering two cups with a pot of coffee, or two juices, or something.

3.   Check room security when checking in.  Is there a good deadbolt lock with a long throw (part that goes into the door jamb)?  Smoke detectors?  Sprinkler system?  Annunciator system for emergencies?  Is your door hidden from traffic through the hall?  That’s not a good thing as Bad Guys are out of both camera range and sight of people walking through hallways.

4.   Never prop your door open, even if you are expecting housekeeping or room service.  Either shower before you call, or hold off on the shower until they’re finished.

5.   If there’s an adjoining room, ensure there’s a deadbolt lock and safety chain or security bar YOU lock from your side!

6.   Poolside or patio room?  Be especially careful about security for those sliding glass doors!  In fact, poolside rooms are often noisy, so why pay any premium rate for an insecure room with less privacy?

May your road rise to meet you – and may your road be safe!

Ann