Going to France

[crazyplace]

Hi all, we are in the UK and off on the holidays to France so thought I would do a bit of Caching. I have searched on computer and found lots in the area. But how do I translate into English? and once there how does the Iphone app work ? Thanks in advance

[Blue Square Thing]

You can translate into English just in the same way you'd translate any other language into English. If you speak a bit of French then it should be easy enough to get a grasp of it, otherwise you'll have to go with an online translator or use a dictionary and so on.

 

Your app will work in exactly the same way, assuming you have roaming turned on. If you want to you can save the caches you plan to do first and then it'll work just fine with roaming turned off as well.

[AZcachemeister]

Take a look in this thread for some tips.

Be sure to check the pricing for data roaming before you go...you may get an ugly surprise on the bill after you get home. Some of the (more experienced than I) world travelers in here have suggested getting a SIM card from a local provider to use while in their service area.

[+whh0]

As others have said, be really careful you don't get lumbered with a really big roaming bill!

[+Oxford Stone]

In April and May I have work trips in France (where I speak the language) and a holiday in Italy (where I don't). In both cases I'll store a maximum of caches on c:geo (android app) before leaving. It's only since my last 2 trips abroad that I've found menu | navigate | static maps on c:geo, which give 3 scales of map and 2 aerial views. These are extremely useful, working offline or online.

 

I'm never quite sure if hooking up to "free" wifi abroad is going to get me a roaming charge - roaming and wi-fi are different buttons on my phone so I hope I'm OK?

 

As for the language, when storing the caches I'll also translate all the hints (with whatever it is that Goolgle Chrome uses) and hopefully give myself a small vocab if in/on/under/behind, bridge/bench/tree/fence/gate etc. Might tackle a multi in Grenoble but some of the puzzles in Paris look very involved - for me at any rate, it's good to be selective.

 

Here's a quick start on a GC Fr-EN dictionary:

sous = under

dans = in

derriere = behind

pont = bridge

banc = bench

lierre = ivy

poteau = post

barriere can be gate or fence

magnetique... I'll let you work that one out

boite = box

moldu = muggle

inondé = flooded

interdit = forbidden

panneau = signpost

pierre = stone / rock

sentier, piste = path

lampadere = lamp-post

arbre = tree

 

Let me know if anythin glinguistic is blocking you on any other French caches.

[AZcachemeister]

... on c:geo (android app) ...on c:geo...

 

Bummer, MAGOR LOSS of friendly points there...

[+Oxford Stone]

Am I missing something - does c:geo usage put me in the leper colony? (not that I really go geocaching to be In The Club)

 

Back to the languages - would there be a sensible place on the forum to add to my ENG-FRE GC hint dictionary to give a multilingual resource for travelling cachers?

[+stijnhommes]

c:geo isn't officially approved by Groundspeak, but still accesses the API to obtain cache info, basically leeching data traffic.

[+Oxford Stone]

.. or webscraping according to a review I've just read.

 

Groundspeak have already got my annual $30 for (IMHO) fairly nominal extra functionality - and in general I'm a free apps person. I'll renew premium membership mind you, cos I'm a statto and along with mygeocachingprofile (am I allowed to mention that one or not?) it gives me a lot of numbers and maps to drool over.

[+The A-Team]

c:geo isn't officially approved by Groundspeak, but still accesses the API to obtain cache info...

Actually, the problem is that it doesn't use the API. As Oxford Stone later posted, the app "scrapes" the website. That is, the app will load up an entire cache listing webpage, including the maps, menus, images, and all the other stuff it doesn't need, and then digs out the small amount of cache info it wants. This is extremely wasteful of Groundspeak's bandwidth compared to using the API, which will only return the data you need.

[AZcachemeister]

c:geo isn't officially approved by Groundspeak, but still accesses the API to obtain cache info...

Actually, the problem is that it doesn't use the API. As Oxford Stone later posted, the app "scrapes" the website. That is, the app will load up an entire cache listing webpage, including the maps, menus, images, and all the other stuff it doesn't need, and then digs out the small amount of cache info it wants. This is extremely wasteful of Groundspeak's bandwidth compared to using the API, which will only return the data you need.

 

...and so the more people using it, the more unnecessary load is placed on the servers...causing loss of site

performance.

 

If you are comfortable with (at least potentially) degrading every one else's enjoyment of the site, by all means continue using c:geo.

 

Let's hope the OP won't be using it on their holiday to France!

[+Oxford Stone]

Consider me educated!

I would imagine that Groundspeak would find ways to stop the app from working, if it was that much of a problem? Or is it too difficult to either a) quantify / do anything about?

[+FunnyNose]

Check the list of French cell providers and pick one that works with your unlocked phone. Get a SIM card, You can usually get 500megs of data for around 20 euros.

 

If you don't have an unlocked phone you can rent an Mobile Wi-fi Access Point.

Edited April 6, 2013 by FunnyNose

[AZcachemeister]

 

If you don't have an unlocked phone you can rent an Mobile Wi-fi Access Point.

 

I like this possibility!

I had no idea they rented those things.

[+FunnyNose]

 

If you don't have an unlocked phone you can rent an Mobile Wi-fi Access Point.

 

I like this possibility!

I had no idea they rented those things.

 

I don't know if they are everywhere but a friend of mine rented one for I think 6 Euros/day from Budget Car Rental at Edinburgh in Scotland.

I had an O2 SIM chip in my phone (which cost me 15 pounds) and I think her mobile wifi was from Vodaphone.

We had about the same coverage but my signal seemed better and faster.