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HLX TO COLOGNE
Rather than fly back to London, I took Olbia’s other low-fare carrier HLX (Now called TUIfly), which serves Cologne, Germany. Checking in with HLX could not have been any easier, and going through security could have not been quicker. There was no line, and no one made me take my shoes off or my computer out of my bag. Instead of purchasing drinks and food on the plane, I bought a delicious mozzarella and tomato panini in the airport for $3. HLX does not assign seating, so Anabel and I had to check in early to get early boarding cards. It turned out that didn’t matter, because they loaded every passenger on two buses that departed and arrived at the same time. The ones who boarded last were the first to get off the buses and onto the plane, but it didn’t matter because Anabel and I still found seats together on the 737-800 series plane. Flight time was only 1 hour and 40 minutes, and because we came from an EU country I didn’t have to go through customs.

INTERNATIONAL CELL PHONE
Many people ask me what phone service I use when I am abroad. When I travel I always bring my international (GSM ) cellular phone with me. Most U.S. cell phone companies don’t even have GSM tri-band phones, and the ones that do (T-Mobile) charge way too much for incoming and outgoing calls. Instead of paying their high rates, save money and get your own GSM phone. It’s not expensive, and there are a couple of options (renting is one). But before I leave the country I get the local SIM chip (Subscriber Information Module) for the place I'm headed to. The SIM chip gets inserted into the phone, and serves as the brain (it contains such information as the cell phone number, voice mail and call logs). The SIM gives me a local number, so no one needs to dial long distance. Best of all, when my friends and family back home call, it’s free. That’s right: All incoming calls are free in most countries! Another huge plus is that when I call them, it costs me at least half what a U.S. cell company would charge. Of course, I travel with my laptop, and try to use Skype (more info on Skype) as much as possible. Still, it’s nice to be able to access home just a phone call away wherever I am. A number of cell companies provide these phones, but I use Cellular Abroad. I wholeheartedly recommend them -- and even talked them into offering a $10 discount to all JohnnyJet.com visitors. Be sure to mention Johnny Jet when ordering over the phone (1-800-287-3020) or online (CellularAbroad.com).

VIDEO
Here’s a 2-minute Johnny Jet Video of my incredible vacation to Sardegna. To view past videos, here’s a link of all JohnnyJet Videos ever made. With high-speed the video takes about 1 minute to load; with dial-up, it could be 3 weeks.

NEXT WEEK
Germany. Stay tuned.

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Happy Travels,
Johnny Jet

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Pictures From

The Trip

Costa Smeralda

Olbia's Airport

HLX

Sardegna

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