Many women who travel with The Women’s Travel Group have smartphones; however many are not phone smart.
Recently I was introduced to Whatsapp.com. Whatsapp has been free since the beginning of 2016. I personally hate catchy names for phone jargon and have very few applications on my smartphone. However, Whatsapp has really helped as I travel.
Keep in touch with others in wifi areas (they must be subscribers but you will know, immediately with their phone number). Call someone, it sounds as if you are around the corner. Text and photos move fast as does audible information like a Sicilian fruit seller singing opera. Whatsapp has some not all encryption features. Send files, video calls, voice notes and your location which is a bleak situation can save your life.
Whatsapp.com is owned by Facebook and some of our travelers are opposed to social media intrusion like Facebook. Moreover, Whatsapp has also been hacked. Since my local Chase Bank dumped client files into regular trash on the corner, I worry less about electronic hacking and just accept hacking as part of modern life, like polio was before the vaccine.
Be smart about private information, stay vigilant. But consider Whatsapp if you travel. The Women’s Travel Group likes to share simple but helpful hints. PS what fun to sit in a hotel room chatting with friends who were too timid to join— so you went solo with us anyway!
For more information about our trips or to get one of the last spots on Berlin in the Spring, here we are:
Phyllis@thewomenstravelgroup.com
646 309 5607
