2018
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Comparison of PlansInternational Roaming

How to avoid International Data Roaming Charges outside of the USA?

Can you live without internet? I mean, literally yes, but figuratively no, right?And are you used to having handy mobile phone data? I am sure, yes. Since, you are most likely visiting this on your phone or even maybe a laptop or an Ipad, I am sure you agree that it has sort of become necessary to have internet with you at all times. And while travelling, well let’s just insert a heavier word that is a synonym for necessity. Now, when you pay for these internet charges at your home country, you incur charges that are fixed. But when you step outside of your state and especially of your country, these charges become nebulous and start eating your pocket little by little without you knowing. This is probably where you ask the question ‘What is Data Roaming’?Data Roaming is the usage of your data service when you step outside of the boundaries of your telecom operator’s network coverage area. It is charged both domestically and internationally. International data roaming charges or global roaming charges are incurred because your network operator has a tie up with other network operators that give you services on their behalf and hence the cost extra. How Does Data Roaming Work?Once you are outside your telecom operator’s network coverage area; any action that involves the usage of your phone data (when not using any WiFi) will incur charges. These charges are incurred as your telecom operator ties up with international telecom operators to facilitate your activity outside your home network operators’ area and hence that costs more. These are the charges that are technically referred to as interconnect charges. So, whether it is sending that mail you started to write last night or trying to look for navigation, you will be charged for everything.

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Company

Trabug - how it all started

This story is being narrated purely from my (Sunali, Co-Founder) perspective and my journey so far.You can expect to get the following answers from this post: How did the idea come into existence? How was the brand name decided? How did the current founders collaborate? Where are we now, i.e. May 2018? Before talking about the history of idea, I would like to tell you that it has changed considerably from the time it was first conceptualised and prototyped. Now, we can see it in real flesh and blood, with all its nuances solved. My partners Gautam and Gurpreet have played a pivotal role in making this dream a reality. Ideas have no value without execution, and you need partners, who have the ability, to look at all its flaws and work towards solving them and making it a viable business. And that is what we have achieved as a team. 1. How did the idea come into existence?The idea came from my visit to Dubai… I was carrying a Matrix simcard ( a service for outbound travelers, very expensive by the way.) and an old feature phone, which I used only for voice and text message. Being an iPhone user I had to carry an additional phone. I assumed I would get wifi everywhere I go and so things should pan out. This trip was not actually planned or lets say I was not prepared for this trip. I did not have the time to do my research online about Dubai and what I could do etc. But since I was travelling in a group I figured it wouldn’t be a problem.Anyways, to my complete dismay, wherever the tour operators took us, there was no wifi. So unless we came back to the hotel in the evening I was totally disconnected with the world (my office). The mistake that I made was, taking an old obsolete phone instead of a smart phone. But my old smartphone did not have a good battery life hence I avoided the burden of charging it etc. In retrospect not such a bad decision.I could not access my office or my team. I couldn’t speak to family or share pictures on the go. Even though I had a great time but this particular problem, kept bothering me. I faced a similar problem in Sydney too.When I came back to India, I decided to give this some more thought. I worked on a mind map, attached here. A typical design thinking exercise starts with defining a problem and then looking at probable solutions. After much deliberation the idea of “A Travel Phone” seemed viable!“What if you could get a phone that has all the information you need and also has data connectivity anywhere you go”?I bounced off the idea to a friend of mine, Lotika, who I thought would be able to look at it more critically. She too found it to be an interesting thought and confirmed that it could be a viable business model.We started the prototyping and Lotika helped me in detailing of product features and content structure. Within a month we managed to build a pretty cool prototype. Have a look…. And that is how the idea came into existence.

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Company

Trabug Branding

We are extremely happy with the way Trabug’s logo shaped up. The word “TRABUG” is a combination of 2 words “Travel” + “Bug”. We were lucky to get a dot com domain for Trabug. To be honest, sometimes, the availability of a certain dot com domain may influence branding decisions. Even though we had other names shortlisted and we liked them more than “Trabug”, having a brand with a dot com URL, would be beneficial for us in the long run. We didn’t want the brand name to be very long and also to be difficult to pronounce. Since we were targeting mostly English speaking foreigners, we felt this name would be most suitable. This had about 0.1% chance of being mispronounced or misspelled. A good and easy recall is very important for the brand. Anyways, when we shared the name with the team, everyone was very happy. To our surprise, one of our designers did not think of it as a BUG (insect), but for her BUG was equivalent to a DEVICE. We had never thought of it. For one of my UI developers, BUG meant an ERROR. Again, something we had not thought of. But for him it also meant that we were fixing “Errors in Smooth Travel”. So, eventually it all made sense and we decided to go ahead with the design of it. I shall share some early sketches of the logo with you in a bit. We were sure about a few things from the very beginning: We definitely wanted to use the location pin as the base of the logo. We wanted to use tentacles to make it look like a bug We wanted have max 2 colors in the logo, but we did experiment with a 3rd color as well We wanted to use colors which would be vibrant and stand out. I personally love the yellow and black combination. When we were thinking about the logo, we wanted to have something which would look great in outdoor branding. We got the yellow and black from standard signage colors. You can notice signages from a distance. We also wanted the text to be Sans Serif, to keep it fun and informal. This is what we eventually came up with: Let me share with you what each element symbolises and why did we choose this over others. The head of the Bug. In our design exploration this actually came at the end. The logo was looking good but not complete without the head. You shall notice this when you see older versions. The tentacles make the Location Pin look like a bug. I specially like these tentacles because they also remind me of the famous 3D animation character Shrek. Look closely, bug’s tentacles look like Shrek’s ears. We modified to suit our logo. The shape of the “Bug” was debated for quite sometime. But being a boss has some advantages ;). I personally liked this shape of location pin as opposed to some we sketched in our earlier explorations. This particular shape gave a cool and elegant feel to the logo. The “Location Pin” represents, the location of sites, things to do etc., the heart of our concept, quite evidently. The dots represent the diverse set of information and services we have. The font for the logo was quite a struggle, we wanted to have a different Sans Serif font that did not look too casual. Found this one after days of searching. Here are some early explorations of the logo and then what we eventually put together.

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Tips on Medical Treatment in India

There could be various reasons why people travel to India for medical treatments. But the main reason is the cost of medical treatments is significantly less than western countries. So, if you have decided to travel for medical treatment, then there are few things to consider before travel: – Research thoroughlyMedical treatment in India or any part of the world can be daunting. Therefore, being prepared is the best way to get stress free experience. First thing to check is the type of treatment you are planning to get treated. Research is the key to a successful medical experience. So, research as much as possible about the treatment facilities and hospitals, also post-op care. Shortlist the hospitalThere is no dearth of hospitals in India that serve all kinds of medical ailments. But not all hospitals are qualified enough to provide you best care that you need. Choosing a wrong hospital can be dangerous and can cost you your life. So, read reviews of previous patients that have undergone same treatment and see their satisfaction level. Check the success rate of the treatment and the staff is educated enough to converse in English. Check Surgeons backgroundsYou may have chosen the best of the hospital for treatment. But if the doctor is not proficient, then it can be life threatening. Take a special look on the qualifications and experience of the surgeon to ensure you are in safe hands. In this internet age, you can easily find all information about doctors on the internet. Keep your local doctor in loopYour local doctor is the key in preparation for your medical travel. They would not only advise you about the complications and risks, but would also help you in your post-op care once you are back. So, always keep your doctor in loop at all stages.

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hidden destination

Jodhpur: The Blue City

Jodhpur is a city where Brahmin-blue houses stand cheek-by-jowl with 21st century architecture. The Blue City is literally Blue! It’s filled with glittering, winding, medieval streets, which do not lead you where you expect to go. The scent of roses and incense hangs in the air, with bazaars selling everything from bangles to saris to temple decorations to trumpets. Most tourists visit Jodhpur to take in its imposing forts and picturesque lakes. But whether you’re here to shop, stare, or soak in the atmosphere, you won’t leave Jodhpur without the city having made an impression on you. Top things to do in JodhpurExplore Mehrangarh Fort The mighty and wondrous Mehrangarh Fort tops our list. Use Trabug’s audio tour and spend the rest of your day exploring one of the largest forts in India. The sprawling complex includes many royal apartments, charming rooms, and delightful balconies, but one of these is special. Take a peep inside Phool Mahal – the Palace of Flowers. It is believed that this was a room dedicated solely to the pleasure of the Maharajas – where they watched dancing girls perform, enjoyed the rich art of their paintings, and had a royally good time. For adventurous tourists, the Flying Fox activity is a must. A zipline tour that sends you flying around Mehrangarh Fort’s moats and ramparts, the Flying Fox attracts customers from all walks of life, including, it seems, Boris Johnson, London’s erstwhile mayor and current British Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs.

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Destination

Lansdowne; A Lesser Known, Must-Visit Travel Destination In Uttarakhand, India

Lansdowne is the untouched bit of beauty resting in the lap of the mountains in Uttarakhand, the land of mountains and Gods.It is silent yet mind blowing. It is green, gorgeous and great in all senses possible. Lansdowne is best described as a journey and not a destination. Lansdowne has an evident British touch as it was a hill station for the Britishers before the India independence. The name too is inspired from Lord Lansdowne who was once a Viceroy. The town is now an army cantonment. Lansdowne stands tall at 1700 metres above the sea level. It is less crowded, clean and just about 250 kilometres from Delhi. Here are a few facts more about Lansdowne: Best Time To Visit: Summer and WinterNearest Airport: Jolly Grant Airport, DehradunNearest Railway Station: KotdwarIt is well connected through roads.Best way to explore: By FootLanguages Spoken: Garhwali, Hindi Image Source: Trawell Next, we bring to you some handpicked blogs to read on Lansdowne. This Travellerachin’s blog titled ‘ A Road Less Travelled: Lansdowne’ will introduce you to the town and will give you all the information required on the topics such as Accessibility, Things to see, Places to stay, time required and eating places. The blog is a first hand experience and therefore a very well concised and trustable source of information. The writing is to the point and reader friendly. Read it here://travellerachin.wordpress.com/2010/03/22/a-road-less-travelled-lansdowne/

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ItineraryUseful Information

When In India For 21 Days - Three Week Suggested Itineraries

If you have time of 3 weeks on your hands and you have a fancy for India, here are some itinerary suggestions to pick one from. The first pick we have for you is 3 Weeks in India Itinerary: Delhi, Kerala, Goa and Mumbai itinerary by Vicky Flip Flop. This itinerary highlights Delhi and The Golden Triangle, Kerala, Goa and Mumbai. This itinerary is a famous one as is gives you a bit of both North and South India. You start the trip in Delhi, proceed to Agra and then eventually explore various cities in Rajasthan. From then on you explore Kerala and then Mumbai and Goa. Click this link to learn about the detailed itinerary.//vickyflipfloptravels.com/3-weeks-in-india-itinerary/ Image Courtesy: Pexels The next pick is for those of you who are into backpacking trips. The itinerary is called India Backpacking route – Three to four week itinerary by Evy Ven Kan. This itinerary will help you for your perfect low budget backpacking trip and cover all the famous spots. The cities included are Delhi, Agra, Jaipur, Pushkar, Jodhpur, Udaipur, Mumbai and Goa. Click this link to learn about the detailed itinerary.https://www.reisjevrij.nl/en/backpacking-route-india-three-to-four-week-itinerary/ Image Courtesy: Flickr This third pick is called India itinerary. Best Ideas for two, three and four weeks. The itinerary lets you pick for three different time periods. The two week itinerary with the golden triangle ( Delhi - Agra- Rajasthan) is extended to a three week one by adding Aurangabad/Hampi and Goa. Click this link to learn about the detailed itinerary.//www.travelsauro.com/india-itinerary-two-three-four-weeks/’’

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Knowledge

Mi teléfono celular funcionará en la India?

Esta es una de las preguntas más comunes entre los viajeros que quieren ir a la India. Los teléfonos inteligentes y el internet son la esencia de la vida hoy en día, por más que lo quieras negar! Sin embargo, la respuesta a esta pregunta es ambigua. Primero hablemos de todo lo que puede salir mal. Por qué mi teléfono celular no funcionará en la India?Es probable que tu teléfono celular no funcione en la India con ninguna tarjeta SIM local a menos que esté desbloqueado. En la mayoría de países en el mundo, los teléfonos celulares están bloqueados por las compañías telefónicas para para que sólo se los pueda usar dentro de su red y sólo ellos (tu compañía telefónica) puede desbloquearlo para que los puedas usar. No podrás insertar ninguna otra tarjeta SIM, ni usarlo con otra compañía telefónica a menos de que los criterios de la compañía permitan que ellos te lo desbloqueen. Una vez que logres que te lo desbloqueen tendrías que realizar todo el procedimiento correspondiente, que te puede tomar tiempo y dinero si lo alguien lo hace por ti particularmente. Por lo tanto, si piensas llevar contigo un iPhone 6s, iPhone 6 Plus o 6s Plus desde Estados Unidos, asegúrate de que esté desbloqueado antes. A pesar de que desbloquees tu teléfono celular, este podría seguir sin funcionar a menos de que la banda GSM de tu móvil sea compatible. En la India, la bandas GSM compatibles son las siguientes:Capacidad de 2G: GSM 900, GSM 1800Capacidad de 3G: UMTS 900, UMTS 2100Capacidad de 4G: LTE 850 (5), LTE 1800 (3), LTE 2100 (1), LTE 2300 (40), LTE 2500 (41) Algunos puntos clave para explicar la necesidad de esto son: Las bandas de menor frecuencia proveen mayor cobertura. Las bandas de mayor frecuencia proveen mayor velocidad para datos. Se requieren bandas apropiadas para VoLTE (Voz sobre LTE) ya que es un estándar requerido para la comunicación inalámbrica para teléfonos móviles y para terminales de datos.