I made a poor decision once.

Correction.

I made a poor, costly decision once.

Ok, let’s be real. I’ve made many poor, costly decisions. I’ve bought stupid-expensive shoes online without having the ability to try them on. I’ve signed up for what I can only imagine is now a dozen recurring magazine subscriptions. I decided to take four months worth of cake decorating classes and buy every. single. gadget. possible. along the way.

But none of these, I repeat, none of these were as costly (and therefore idiotic), as the decision I made to traipse across Europe with my iPhone in tow. Now, I’m not a complete nimrod. I called my provider to set-up some ludicrous, prorated international plan that knocked off a nano-cent for each minute I talked, and I knew that I needed to keep my roaming feature disabled unless, and I can’t stress this enough, it was ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY to turn my phone on. I was granting myself permission to turn the phone on only if I somehow managed to separate from my group, and wind up in a seedy part of town in which my mere survival relied on my phone’s GPS. So only in that instance, and that absolute exception alone,would I turn my phone on. I’m golden, right? Color me a Techno World Traveler.

So… I had just starting dating this guy. No, not ANY guy, he was THE guy. Not to mention I was gone for a whole ten days! A text or two, here or there, would be fine right? And, well, I left out the part that I was meeting up with a few friends for drinks in Munich. So naturally, we have to confirm our times with a quick phone call. And then there was work, I do have responsibilities after all. An email or two really couldn’t be that bad, right?

I made a poor, costly, travel-related decision once.

$700 later I would never make that mistake again, right?

Then I had to lead a travel research trip to Cabo.

So Europe is REALLY far; much further than say, Mexico. I mean, Mexico is just our neighbor to the south and I go there all of the time – it’s my favorite! That should mean something, right? Plus, I’m only going to be there for a total of 4 days. How expensive could it really be? I’ll REALLY limit myself this time. I’ll only respond to the most necessary of messages. One call – max, texts are preferred. And I won’t update my Facebook status… constantly. I’ll be really, really good. Then, someone we met at Squid Roe had JUST run into Dustin Hoffman in the restroom at the Westin.

Dustin. Hoffman. I HAD to Tweet that!

I made a poor, costly, travel-related decision. Twice.

Another $400 later, I vowed that my phone stayed off while outside of the country. Period. And I miserably stuck to it. Until now.

In both of these instances, my problem wasn’t that I didn’t know I would be charged. My problem is that no matter the amazing time I am having, no matter how much I may want to disappear while on vacation, my iPhone’s there with me, no matter the charges I face. I travel constantly (poor me), and I like to keep my friends and family updated through Facebook and messaging. I need to be able to get in touch with the office. I need to be able to make a phone call and not be charged a small fortune. I simply need to stay connected. Well, we now have a solution for our passengers in Cancun and the Riviera Maya (with more destinations on the way).

Apple Vacations free On The Go app and corresponding Traveler Connect calling plan helps to keep our passengers connected. Not only can you tweet and update your Facebook status, you can also app-to-app message and make phone calls all using participating hotel’s WiFi connections\. Now we know, there are other apps out there that can offer something similar, but do they also provide you with vital travel information, one-touch calling to your Apple Rep, and allow you to check your flight status, book excursions and get discounted local offers at vendors like Starbucks? All within one app?

Didn’t think so.

Best yet, you get all of this for $4.99 during our current promotional period. That’s the same price as the free drink you could get at Starbucks on Kukulcan Blvd.

There. The calling plan just paid for itself.

 In fact, many hotels are offering the app, the calling plan and their required WiFi connection completely free of charge. You have to hurry though, it’s not going to last long. Right now the app is available for download in the iTunes App Store and the Android Marketplace, just search for Apple Vacations On The Go. Once you’ve downloaded the app, check it out, and when you are ready you can contact us to add the Traveler Connect calling plan. This will allow you to make unlimited calls to US numbers using the hotel’s WiFi. Blackberry users, don’t worry, we’re working through the Blackberry app now. It should be out very shortly, so hang tight.

So, I guess the good news is, the only costly travel decisions I make now are in the boutiques of Fifth Avenue in Playacar. Happy travels, and technology.