These days we live in a world where communication is constant and easy. We have become spoiled by the ubiquity of the internet and texting and expect to be able to talk to the people we love for free wherever we are in the world. That’s why so many people are searching for ways to talk to Europe for free or to phone Europe free from the US – when our friends and family head to Europe for their holidays and business trips we expect to be able to talk to them still and don’t want to pay the high charges that our mobile service providers expect from us.

But is it possible to talk to Europe for free? Have we come to the point where technology genuinely allows us to talk to anyone from anywhere in the world? Or is that one step too far?

The good news is that yes, you can call Europe for free from the US and they can call you; the only problem is choosing which of the myriad methods is best for you. Read on to see some of the ways you can make free calls to Europe and choose the one that best suits you.

How it Works

The reason there are so many ways to call Europe for free, is that it’s now so easy to find WiFi connections. Using WiFi you can call friends and family over an internet connection rather than having to use your mobile network and this will then immediately allow you to call smartphones and computers using a range of software.

The best programs and apps for this are as follows…

Vonage: Vonage is an app that can be installed on most Android and iOS phones and allows you to call anyone else with the same app for free. This works by looking at your address book and requires a phone number (much like WhatsApp), which means that you can’t call someone on a computer. For smartphone users though this is a convenient method which allows you to receive calls without agreeing a meeting time just as you would using a normal phone (it will even work over 3G and 4G – though the quality will be considerably worse). On the downside however, it also has a lot of lag and a rather tinny quality to it which means you might not have quite the same natural flow of conversation that you’d be used to.

Line: Line is a similar idea to Vonage, allowing you to call people wherever you are by using WiFi. In some ways it’s actually a superior way to talk to Europe for free as the quality is a little better. That’s why more people are heading over to Line. Line also has a PC version and decent support for messaging (and picture messaging). The best solution for now? Download both apps and that way you’ll be able to speak to Europe for free regardless of which apps your friends have

Face Time: Face Time is the much-vaunted video-calling feature available on iPad which makes it easy to not only talk to your European friends, but also see them allowing you to include body language and props to make your point. If you’re on a business trip in Europe and missing your children, then using Face Time is a brilliant way to be able to chat to them on a beach with WiFi.

The only downsides? First: you’ll likely need WiFi unless you have a 3G iPad and don’t mind paying. Second: you’ll need an iPad…

Skype: Skype was Face Time before Face Time existed and it’s still a great option across multiple platforms. If you have an Android phone and your family have a PC then Skype is a great way to chat with sound and video. You hear about Skype a little less these days, but having been recently purchased by Microsoft one might expect that to all change soon.

More Tips

Using these methods, you can call your friends in Europe using a smartphone or tablet with no need to pay extortionate rates. However there are some limitations here – they do rely on a WiFi connection being present and you won’t get the same kinds of features and versatility that you would get from a phone. Read on then for a few more tips on how to talk to Europe for free…

WhatsApp: If it’s just messaging you’re interested in, then Whatsapp is a great little application that can be found on almost all smartphones (but not tablets). Again this allows you to send messages and picture messages but is a lot more popular for this use than apps like Line.

Kindle: If you just want to use e-mail and are right out in the sticks with no WiFi and don’t want to use expensive data roaming, then a good alternative option is to use a Kindle. Kindles have free 3G all around the world and the experimental browser will allow you to check your Gmail and Hotmail for free. If you get the Kindle with the built-in keyboard you’ll even be able to respond to messages – though don’t expect this to be a quick or convenient method.

Reversing Calls: If you’re stuck in the middle of nowhere with no connections and you desperately need to call home, then a good options is to try reversing calls. Your recipient will have to ‘accept’ the call, but this way they’ll pay instead of you. Useful in an emergency if you have no local currency and are in a bit of a pickle…

Packages: Another option is to try and get a ‘bolt on’ for your mobile phone package. This way you can pay a little more up front and that way get some free calls and some free internet access – or at least significantly reduced tariffs. Different mobile providers offer different options and not all will have this option at all, but it’s at least worth asking yours to see if there’s something you can use.

 

Posted under Europe

Thinking about a trip to Europe this summer? No doubt you’re attracted by the idea of the varied culture, the amazing history, the delicious food and the Western friendly attitude. While all these are great selling points though, there are also some downsides to Europe which make it a less than perfect tourist destination depending on what you hope to gain from your next holiday. There are a lot of articles out there selling the plus points of Europe, so let’s take a look at some of the reasons you shouldn’t visit Europe this year that may make you reconsider…

The Weather and Lifestyle

The weather and lifestyle throughout much of Europe is not what you might expect from a summer holiday and you should know this going in. The climate throughout Europe of course is very varied seeing as this is a continent rather than a single country, but you’ll still be hard pushed to find the best weather here for relaxing around the pool.

Visit England, Germany, Northern France or most of Eastern Europe for instance and you will be greeted by varied weather and a high chance of rain. Alternatively you could visit somewhere like Rome, Athens or Venice, where you will find that it’s certainly very warm, but that this is actually a bad thing as you spend a lot of time queuing and being jostled around. Tempers also tend to flare a bit in these parts of Europe where tourists aren’t always that welcome (and London and Paris will be the same when it is hot).

For the picturesque beach holiday in Europe then, the best choices are places like Portugal, Spain or Bulgaria. Here though you will face a rather dry type of heat and you’ll find that the hotels and facilities aren’t quite up to scratch compared to say Turkey – which is just a brief jaunt away and is full of amazing all-inclusive hotel deals.

Money Matters

Europe for the most part is not the cheapest holiday, and particularly with the Euro struggling in light of the financial crisis. Head over to somewhere like Greece and you can expect to pay a lot more than you would in many similar countries outside of Europe, while prices in England or Germany have always been relatively high. With so much to see and do right in the US as well – all of which available by car (and with much lower fuel costs) – you could always stay back and save a lot or money…

There are cheaper places to go in Europe of course. Bulgaria is still rather cheap as is Poland, but here you will face the opposite problem. Though both countries offer a lot in a number of ways, they are also a little worse off when it comes to finances which is why you’re more likely to be pick-pocketed or to find beggars asking for money. Again, you could avoid this to a large degree by going to a nice holiday resort in many countries outside of Europe. This is also something that is worse currently thanks to the economic climate, so this may not be the best year to visit.

Culture and Scenery

Yes, Europe is a brilliant continent in terms of diversity of cultures, people and scenery. Here you can meet all kinds of different people and experience a range of different sights and traditions, but you are still going to be limited in some ways. The simple reason for this, is that Europe is mostly very Westernised and is thus not all that different to the US. While it might be exciting to experience a traditional German market, or to marvel at the gothic architecture in Karkow, this isn’t quite the same as exploring the pyramids in Egypt, going on a Safari in Africa, or trying to get by somewhere as alien and different from home as Tokyo. In fact you could even say that many European destinations are a little clichéd – if you want to go somewhere really different that will wow your friends and give you a completely unique experience, then you will need to go farther afield. If you want to really experience an adventure, then Europe might not be quite the right place for you.

 

Of course my intention here is not really to cast a shadow over Europe or to prevent you from visiting. Rather it is just to help you make a more balanced judgement. All of these ‘downsides’ of visiting Europe can be countered by planning ahead (there are many ways to live more cheaply in Europe for instance, and many lesser known destinations that really will amaze). Still though, Europe isn’t perfectly suited to every kind of holiday and if any of the above points spoke to you, then you may occasionally want to venture farther afield.

Posted under Europe, Travel

When it comes to European history, World War 2 has to be the biggest and most infamous chapter and the one that we are all most familiar with. This was industrial war on a global scale that left almost no country untouched, and that ravaged much of the geographical and political climate. At the end of it all, when all the dust had settled, the world would never be the same again and we can even thank this catastrophic event for many of the inventions we now take for granted.

But things could have been more different still. Had the Nazis won WW2 instead of the allies, then we would have seen a completely new regime in place and there would have been nothing to stop the persecution of the Jews and other ethnic minorities. But how different would it really have been? Let’s take a look…

The Age of Hitler

Had the allies surrendered and Hitler not have committed suicide, then it can be presumed that he would have continued the expansion of Germany and enforced many of his ideals on the rest of the world. It’s unlikely that Germany would ever have been likely to ‘take over’ the US, and would probably have stopped with dominance of Europe. Still though in order to have stopped intervening, the US it can be presumed would have to be in pretty bad shape.

This means that Nazis would occupy everywhere from France, to Poland to the UK and most likely most other countries in Europe too. The regimes here would likely be somewhat similar to Hitler’s own regime in Germany, with an emphasis on indoctrination and efficiency (the kind of efficiency and industry only possible under an autocratic regime). Most likely Europe would have become very wealthy and very powerful, and would probably have launched many subsequent military campaigns. You’d also likely see some ‘Germanification’ of those countries now under German rule, resulting in the language and customs becoming more widespread – some of which would undoubtedly trickle its way back to the US.

While many locals in these countries would probably come to accept the new status quo, there would still be pockets of resistance resulting in unrest and ‘terrorism’ in much the same way that you have separatists causing terror across Europe today (but the scale would be much greater). What you would essentially see would be a ‘tyrannical’ EU that would probably result in the continent quickly becoming the dominant power, but at a terrible cost. German cars would be even more unbeatable…

Weird Science

Of course what you’d also see in ‘Nazi Europe’ would be a continuation of the Holocaust and we can presume that this would only have expanded at first to take on wider ethnic groups and a wide range of political enemies and prisoners of war. Of course this would result in less genetic diversity throughout Europe which in turn would result in more disease, and of course the mass exodus of many Jews and other groups to countries like the US. It’s unlikely that the global superpowers would ever be happy to turn a blind eye to such genocide though, so it would cause considerable political tension between the Nazis and the rest of the world (though possibly not enough to call for a ban on trade seeing as the Nazis would have control over so much of Europe and have powerful allies in Japan).

Hitler also had a fascination with Eugenics and the Nazis in general conducted a range of terrible experiments on their prisoners that pushed the limits of human biology. Many scientists that worked for the Nazis during WW2 in the fields of communication and physics would go on to be responsible for many incredible breakthroughs that shaped the world we live in today, so we would likely have seen an accelerated rate of technological progress during this time.

Dark Mirror

But fast forward to the current day and likely many of these big differences would be undone by the sands of time. While Hitler and the Nazis would have had a stranglehold over Europe for a time, there’s no way that this could have lasted indefinitely. Political regimes come and go, and particularly when they are so extreme and unpopular. Undoubtedly this Nazi rule would have ended with an assassination or further war across Europe until the countries responsible regained their independence. This in turn would have left its mark too, and the geopolitical borders between countries would probably be drawn differently than they are today while the political systems in place would all have been different too. Of course there would still be a lot of dissidents for these new regimes that would come into place too.

Where we would find Europe now would be a similar place to the one it’s in today, except with a more raw and sensitive history, greater devastation and less cultural diversity. America would be far more populated and financially crippled, while there would be far more civil unrest and a much larger power vacuum across the world.

 

Did You Know? This article technically depicted what’s known as an ‘allohistory’, or an ‘altered history’ – a word with obvious German origins. Like it? We’d have a lot more like it if Hitler had has his way…

Posted under Europe

‘Ello there mucker! ‘Ow are you? Just been on the old dog and phone? What’s that? You haven’t a clue what I’m talking about…? Ah right, sorry…

Problem is, I was writing in English, but perhaps not the English you’re familiar with. As you are no doubt aware, there are multiple different dialects of English meaning that just because someone says they speak English… well that doesn’t mean you’ll necessarily know what they’re talking about…

In Europe there are a particularly large number of English speakers seeing as England is a European country. Of course this can be rather confusing if you’re a traveller and you don’t happen to understand every regional dialect of English, so here we will look at a few of the different kinds of English you may encounter in Europe and how to decipher them…

BBC English and Other Forms in England

BBC English is a colloquial term often used to describe the ‘official’ language of England itself. This is the Southern English that most people know and that you’d hear on TV. If you’re in the US then let’s put it this way: it’s what Doctor Who speaks.

This is the language that you will find across the majority of Southern England, but there are a number of exceptions. Of course if you’ve ever caught the Queen’s speech then you’ll know that she sounds particularly English and… well let’s face it, posh. This kind of English is rather unimaginatively known as ‘the Queen’s English’ and is most notable for its over-use of one. ‘One has had quite enough of this nonsense!’.

That’s one version of posh English that you might also hear some people speaking, another is ‘Eton’ or ‘Cambridge’ which is the kind of language you may associate with posh grammar school boys who go on ‘gap yah’. This isn’t an official dialect of course, but it’s well known in England.

Interestingly though you also get another version of English right in London – that being cockney. Cockney is basically what Ray Winston speaks – a kind of ‘gangster/lad’ version of English. It’s kind of the polar opposite of the Queen’s English and is also where the infamous ‘rhyming slang’ comes from. Here you need to decipher what on Earth your conversation partner is talking about by considering the context and which words rhyme with the second word. ‘Dog and bone’ is phone, while ‘apples and pears’ means stairs. Making matters worse is the fact that cockneys will sometimes leave off the second part and tell you to ‘get up those apples’. Which is just nonsense to be frank…

Then you have the North of England which is the colder and slightly more intimidating part of the country. Here you can expect people to talk very fast, to sound angry all the time and to use lots of abbreviations where it’s really unnecessary. Apparently ‘the’ is too long for example, so up North they shorten it to ‘t” or leave it out entirely. ‘I’m going t’pub’.

Go further South on the other hand and people start to talk like pirate-farmers, and that’s not even mentioning Liverpudlian (Beatles-language) or Brummy (Jeff-Lyne-language).

Scottish

The Scottish speak something akin to ‘extreme Northern’. They speak even more quickly and tend to say things like ‘wee lass’ a lot (actually they don’t that often, but that’s the perception anyway). They also say ‘yuuu’ instead of ‘you’ and ‘tharts’ instead of that. The best example for you is Billy Connelly. I hear he’s very funny… if you can understand a word he’s saying.

Irish

If talking was a race, the Irish would win Olympic gold. They also have a tendency to sound a little ‘breathy’ (I’m doing the best I can here okay…) but at the same time lilting and musical. They use phrases like ‘top o’ the morning to ya” – think Father Ted…

Welsh

There is a Welsh language but most also speak English, generally as their first language. While a select few don’t have much of an accent, most have quite a strong accent which sounds almost ‘sing song’ with drawn out vowels, and lots of ‘eh’ sounds. Example: Charlotte Church.

Others

There are several other countries and regions that speak English in Europe such as the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar which generally speaks ‘BBC English’. Others areas include: Malta, Gibraltar, Guernsey, Isle of Man and Jersey – all of which speak a similar BBC English. Ironic that Gibraltar and Guernsey would sound more English than much of England…

 

Posted under Europe

If you’re currently thinking of permanently relocating to from the US to Europe, then there are many things that may be motivating you. Perhaps it’s the slower pace of life offered in some European countries, maybe it’s the views and the scenery offered by a particular spot, or maybe it’s the idea of free healthcare. Whatever your motivations though, the unfortunate reality is that you can’t so easily just up and leave for the Europe with a polka-dot bag thrown over one shoulder – you will need to make sure that you handle the move legally and this will involve a number of stumbling blocks and processes. It is possible to move to Europe, but it’s not going to be easy.  Here we will look at what you will need and how you can get it. If you’re lucky then you may just qualify and find that you can make your dream of living on the continent a reality.

The Trouble With Immigrating to Europe

Staying in Europe for up to 90 days (3 months) is something that anyone can do easily and that doesn’t really require any paper work. Unfortunately though, staying longer is much more difficult. To move anywhere in Europe you will need to apply for a visa/permit. Often this will need to consist of a separate residency permit and work permit. Usually you can do this by simply applying for a visa, but that’s when the problem comes – it may just be that you get rejected and there will be a lot of confusing paper work to handle.

Unfortunately, most countries in Europe are currently struggling with under-employment and stretched resources so they aren’t going to want to let anyone in who is going to exacerbate that problem and they aren’t going to make it easy. You need to be an asset to the economy of the country you are moving to, unless you have some particular claim to live there, and you are going to have to be prepared to deal with a lot of confusing paperwork.

Increasing Your Chances

The easiest way to move to Europe is through your work. If you work for a company with foreign offices in Europe, then you may find you can get transferred overseas and in this case your company should take care of applying for a work visa on your behalf and you will be considerably more likely to be accepted into the country. Alternatively, you may decide to try and find work in your desired country first by applying and then handle getting a visa with a job ‘lined up’ – though you may find this is difficult as most companies would rather hire without the hassle of having to deal with immigration documents.

If you don’t have the option of moving with work, there are still a few things that might make it easier for you and increase your chances of a successful move. For one, if you have any European relatives you may find that you’ve actually inherited their citizenship which will count greatly in your favour when you apply for a visa. Another option of course is to get married, in which case you will need to fill out a questionnaire and prove that you are living with your partner and legitimately married. If you were planning on moving for this reason anyway though, then it might just be a viable option. Finally, you can try and improve your chances by getting a good education. With a PHD or a qualification as a skilled labourer you can prove an asset to the local industry and will be more likely to get a visa – particularly if you got your qualification from a European institution and if you find out what kind of work is in demand in the country you want to live in. This may sound like a long-winded plan, but note that you’ll be able to live abroad while you get your education too (though it will cost you a lot).

Being insanely rich is also an option… Bill Gates would have no problem moving to Europe…

The Paperwork

If none of this applies to you, then you need to be ready to deal with reams of complicated paperwork only to potentially be disappointed. Hire the help of an immigration attorney if you want guidance and be sure to start collecting documents as early as possible to get a head start. Do your homework too – the immigration laws vary between European countries so what applies for the UK may not be the case in Germany etc.

Even if you manage to get a visa, it’s important to recognize that life may be difficult once you get out there. It’s important that you remember practical considerations such as where you are going to live and how you are going to afford your lifestyle and remember that living without the safety net of friends and family can be more daunting than it seems at first.

If you can manage it though and if you’re willing to take the chance, a great adventure might just wait for you across the pond…

Posted under Europe

Terrorism is a constant fear for many Americans and one that we have been trained to be constantly aware of. The war on terror is not something that only exists in the US though, but instead a global problem that every country in the world is currently facing. So what is the situation when it comes to terrorism in Europe? How does it compare to terrorism in the US? And is it on the rise or on the decline? Here we will look at some figures and come to some conclusion.

‘All Terrorists in Europe Are Muslims’

Ask the average Joe what a terrorist looks like and they’ll no doubt draw you a picture of a guy in a turban – even in Europe. The fact of the matter is that terrorism in the Western world – not just the US – is largely considered to be caused by extreme Islamists. The reality though is actually quite different and if you look at the statistics in Europe as illustrated in the ‘EU Terrorism, Situation and Trend Report’, you’ll find that only a miniscule 0.4% of terrorism in the continent is caused by Muslims. In fact in 2008 the EU only suffered one EU attack (a bomb in the UK).

So who are these European terrorists? Well the most common culprits are Separatists in France and Spain, and the extreme left wing (less so) in Greece and Italy. In the UK the main trouble comes from dissident Irish groups which include the RIRA and CIRA.

So who are the Separatists? Well essentially ‘Separatism’ is a blanket term for any group (usually defined by race, religion or politics) that wants to be separate from the rest of the state. In some cases the goal is full political secession, while in others it is merely segregation.

Individual Terrorism in Europe is on the Rise

So now the big question: is terrorism going up in the EU? Or is it decreasing? The bad news is that the same report for 2012 seems to suggest that, at least when it comes to ‘lone wolf’ attacks, the numbers are going up. Now more than ever, Europeans are at risk from individuals working alone – such as in the case of the tragic killing spree in Norway, July 2011.

Another trend that came to light in this more recent report was the use of the web as a means of communication among terrorists and extreme groups. This could explain the increase in solo acts as more extreme ideas are able to spread and propagate internationally.

The Gulf Between Perception and Reality

So most terrorist acts have nothing to do with Islam and are now carried out by lone individuals, so why is the perception so different?

One reason for this is of course propaganda. This is particularly true in the UK which is actively involved in the Middle East – in order to get the general public behind those actions a degree of propaganda is to be expected. At the same time, Islamist attacks have received more media attention partly for being more unusual and more dramatic. Of course 9/11 in the US received huge coverage in Europe simply due to the unprecedented scale of the attack – nothing like it had really occurred on Western soil before. In July 2005 the UK experienced a similar attack on a much smaller scale which is often referred to simply as the ‘London bombings’. The nature of these attacks and the damage caused sets them apart from other terrorist attacks and results in them receiving a lot more attention. The EU themselves also focus more heavily on Islamist attacks and have a separate set of sanctions for Al-Quida, the Tabliban and ‘associates’ – despite acknowledging 24 other terrorist groups.

Another thing to consider here is the definition of terrorism. Many people wouldn’t consider the Norway attacks as terrorism for instance, due to the fact that it was carried out by a loan and mentally unstable individual. The official definition however describes terrorism as ‘the use of violence and intimidation in the pursuit of political aims’ which covers a much wider range of acts – including the recent riots potentially even.

And therein lies the real problem we face in our ‘war on terrorism’. Terrorism is simply far too broad and vague a term to really describe a legitimate target. Terrorism is unfortunately an aspect of human nature and one that can never be fully extinguished, as well as a term that is too easy to manipulate for potential political ends.

Posted under Europe