Ryanair debuts in-flight cell phone service shortly

Florence is hugely popular with the study-abroad crowd, which makes it tough to break away from packs of fellow American students. It’s easy to get by speaking English; bars ply foreigners with drink specials and hip-hop nights (pronounced rather comically as “ip-op” by Italians); and low-fare airlines tempt students to zip off to a new European city each weekend. But with some extra effort, you can begin to live like a local. To help others hit the ground running, The Florentine, a bi-weekly English-language newspaper, has enlisted former students to share advice for making the most of a semester or two abroad. One useful column covers how to navigate the city’s library system, buy a bike, and get bargain haircuts. In others, writers recommend becoming involved in community service and offer tidbits like theories behind the city’s classic unsalted bread and ways to blend in. #1: Ditch the flip-flops. Curiously, the Supermarket Smarts column leaves out some key differences that surprised me when I arrived in Florence as a student: There are scales for weighing and pricing produce before you get to checkout, there’s a minimal charge for each plastic bag (busta), and many supermarkets are closed on Sundays and cash only. Learn from my mistake! I was mortified years ago when a cashier at La Coop by Piazza Beccaria tallied my purchases—only to call a coworker to restock them when I discovered I had 5,000 lire (worth only about a few dollars) in my pocket and credit cards that didn’t mean a thing. Have any study-abroad tips of your own? PREVIOUSLY IN BUDGET TRAVEL What to Ask Before Studying Abroad A Pre-Departure Checklist for Parents (opens as a PDF)

We love a good deal, so naturally National Geographic Traveler's list of free things to do in Prague hit a chord. Along with the worthy-but-not-shocking days and hours when museums are free, the capital of the Czech Republic also offers walking tours, music performances, and even a few places with free snacks. If you like to multitask your vices, head to the Golden Prague Poker Room in the Hilton—gamblers get free drinks and cigarettes as well as a free buffet after 9 p.m. [via Cheapest Destinations]

No matter how you like your blues (Chicago, Texas, Delta, Electric), you'll find something to like at the 36th-Annual San Francisco Blues Festival, which is widely considered to be the longest-running blues festival around. This year's edition kicks off on Friday with a tribute to the late John Lee Hooker. The music continues on Saturday and Sunday in the Great Meadow just outside of Fort Mason Center. Some of the show's 15-plus performers are The Delta Groove All Star Blues Revue, accordion legend Buckwheat Zydeco, singer Denise LaSalle, and guitarist Johnny Winter. The blues comes from a long oral tradition, and there will be plenty of your blues brethren at this event doing call-and-response with the artists. (Upwards of 20,000 visitors are expected.) In addition to the music, you can munch on barbecue, oysters, and rice and beans. So bring a cooler and a lawn chair for a little blues by the bay. If you arrive early, you may snag a great spot to view the Golden Gate Bridge in the distance. Friday's event is free, from noon to 1:30 p.m. at Justin Herman Plaza, 1 Market Street. Saturday and Sunday's events are at the Great Meadow at Fort Mason, Marina Boulevard, and Laguna streets. Tickets are $35 per day in advance, $40 per day at the gate. Gates open at 10 a.m.; the festival hours are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. sfblues.org

James Madison lived at Montpelier—an estate in Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains—for most of his life, yet until recently the fourth president of the U.S. wouldn't have recognized the place. That's because the house changed hands several times after his death, and each owner had a different vision for the mansion. "It was a home, but it wasn't the Madisons' home," says architectural historian Mark Wenger, who was part of Montpelier's recent five-year, $24 million restoration. Today, you can see the property in its original 1820s glory—and watch conservationists at work in the Archaeology Lab. montpelier.org, $14.