First foreign holiday in a while...

downhillfast

Hi all

We're heading off to Gran Canaria in a couple of weeks and neither of us have been abroad for a few years with one thing and another so I have a couple of questions that you guys may be able to answer...

1) We're flying with Ryanair from Birmingham - I know that seating isn't allocated but I remember reading a while back that the strategy for getting on the plane quicker depends on whether boarding is from the tarmac having been on a bus... or... on the tarmac having walked across to the plane... or...access via one of those tunnel thingies..? Does anyone know what is likely for this flight from Brum?

2) We both have iphones - do we just need to make sure that data roaming is turned off to avoid any horrible charges? Which are the best networks to hop onto - memory escapes me a bit but don't you get a choice when your phone powers up in a new country?

3) Are there any/many free wifi hotspots in Play Del Ingles? Our hotel has free wifi but it would be good to have it on the move too and then we may be able to Skype eachother if we're off doing diffferent things and need to get back in touch rather than paying for phonecalls?

4) We've gone for a Travelex Passport Globe pre-paid card for currency - we're assuming there are plenty of bank machines that serve Mastercard users without levying extra charges???

5) Does anyone know of any good places to get a few 3-5 mile runs in of a morning in the resort... would love to not have to cross busy roads and weave in and out of flip-flopping tourists!?

I know some of them are a bit weird but, like I say, it's been a while!

TIA :beer:

zagfles

Re mobiles - be VERY careful as there are plenty on the Mobiles board who've come back off holiday to a bill in the hundreds or even thousands. Probably best posting on the Mobiles board. One thing I always do is turn voicemail off as well as data, since you get charged twice for any conditional diverts.

EDIT: In fact there's a thread there now about dodgy iPhone data charges.

feelingblue

Don't know much in response to your questions either except have done research about taking mobiles abroad and have decided to leave mine at home - mine even connects at midnight every night with everything switched off!! Was getting bills for data roaming (not included in package) so certainly not going to risk it abroad!

As for seating on planes - all I have found when researching is be first in the queue at check in, smile nicely at the steward/ess and ask for seats together. You could check with your airline - mine shows that a week before there are plenty of non-booked seats but really depends if you prefer to sit in a particular area. My flight is all booked up at the front of the plane but loads free at the back so going to risk it as there are only two of us.