Everything You Need To Stay Connected While Travelling
What if one of those unexpected emergencies happens? What if I’m missing out on something amazing back home? What if I have something incredible that I need to share with my people?
But more than that, what do we do when we’re in desperate need of directions or information in a foreign country where we don’t speak the language?
Just a few short years ago this was a real issue, but today it’s easier than ever to act like you’re at home from just about anywhere in the world … and you don’t need to juggle SIM cards, carry multiple phones, and tether to coffee shops to do it!
When It All Went Wrong …
There have been a few times where even the best laid plans have left me feeling helpless and hopeless. But they make for great stories later … once you’re able to talk about it! Here are a couple of my personal examples:
- The Australian Connection: In 2007 my then-girlfriend (now wife) and I headed to the other side of the world to visit our friend in Australia. We had emailed her our flight itinerary, but in the weeks leading up to our departure we were unable to connect to confirm arrival plans. We landed in Sydney with no idea where to go or where we were staying aside from the name of the town our friend was living in.
- The Train That Didn’t Exist: In 2010, on my honeymoon, we needed to travel from a small town in mid-Austria to Basel Switzerland to catch a river cruise we had booked. The night before I re-confirmed our travel route online to ensure we arrive in plenty of time to enjoy Basel and have a nice dinner before boarding the ship for our week-long cruise. Unfortunately 1 of the listed connections was out of date, leaving us stranded in Germany frantically trying to find help!
- The Escalating Cold: In 2016 my wife went to a conference in Las Vegas. When she left she had the beginnings of a cold, but we thought nothing of it. Be the end of the conference she had lost her voice, could barely hear, and had a massive headache. There was no way she could fly home in that condition!
- The Pregnant Sister-in-Law: In 2018 we planned to take a 2-week trip to New York City that allowed us to return home with 4-6 weeks until my sister-in-law’s due date for her first child. About a week into our trip she needed an emergency C-Section … the baby wasn’t waiting any longer!
What Do I Really Need?
Staying connected while travelling used to required a bag full of electronics, documents, guide books, and maps. Right now, it’s easier (and lighter) than every to have everything you need in the palm of your hand … maybe 2 hands.
Essentially all you need is a Smartphone, and Wi-Fi. With those 2 things you can communicate with anyone and find just about any information you desire at any time.
Sound too simple? That’s really all there is to it!
Gimme the Details!
Did you know we can do this without having to be tethered to coffee shops and hotels?
Enter the SkyRoam Solis! This amazing device has made it possible for me to work while exploring the Swiss Alps, taking a bus tour around London, and even while cruising the Marlborough Sounds in New Zealand!
The latest version, Solis X, has been upgraded to include a 720p HD remote camera and Smart Assistant. With no contracts to sign, you can purchase WiFi plans by the day or month, or Pay-Per-GB.
Pro’s
- Solis X fits in your pocket for super eacy transport
- Both the app and website provide user friendly GUI’s to get you connected quickly
- The rate plans are VERY affordable, usually much better than you’ll find with a celular provider
- No more SIM card juggling in every new country you visit
- Great customer support
- Works everywhere there’s a celular connection, even some remote locations!
- Provides the WiFi speeds I’m used to sitting at my desk at home
Con’s
- The WiFi connection is limited by the celular reception, so if you don’t have “full bars”, don’t expect great WiFi speeds
- The “unlimited” monthly plans are actually capped. Once you reach 3Gb of use, your speeds will be drastrically be reduced until the next 24-hour period begins – so don’t expect to do a lot of video-related work.
The Vital Apps
- Google Maps: never get lost again, and find those hidden points of interest along the way
- Waze: make sure your taxi or Uber is always taking the best route
- Google Translate: don’t let foreign languages stop you (hint: download language packs before you head out)
- Transit / Citymapper: plan your route using public transportation
- Facebook Message / What’s App / iMessage / Marco Polo: stay connected with anyone, anywhere using the method that best fits your communication style (text, video, chat)
Once you’ve got these apps working for you, you can expand your list to include those other apps that help you take care of business like social media, email, photo/video, web browsing/searching, and note taking.
Consider This…
When we were in New Zealand my wife was unable to browse to her bank’s website, and unable to use her banking app. A pretty huge problem when you’re away fro an extended period of time. Calling the bank only confirmed that it was a known issue, but that they didn’t have much they could do other than perform the banking activities she needed on her behalf. For these reasons, it’s a good idea to have some sort of VPN available for your use. A VPN can help masek where you’re logging in from to get around some of those location-specific restrictions.
So What Happened?
So what did we do when we were faced with those 4 events above?
The Australian Connection happened when Facebook was in its infancy, but we’re so thankful it existed! When we landed we found an Internet kiosk and messaged our friend that we had arrived and were headed into the city to a hotel we just booked. It turned out she was at a different Internet kiosk at the airport searching for us! We met up and had an amazing trip!
The Train That Didn’t Exist was by far the most difficult issue because it was before we had smartphones, and before the apps available were what they are today. We made some phone calls to the cruise line to determine our options should we miss the boat, then we worked with the train staff in a combination of broken English and broken German to find 1 potential connection through 3 stations … we arrived at the boat with less than hour to spare!
The Escalating Cold was resolved thanks to my wife and I being able to chat using iMessage and Facebook Message. I was able to gather the information needed from our travel insurance and send her everything she needed directly to her smartphone. After a visit to the emergency room, she was able to get the medication needed to help her ear infections and allow her to board her plane home!
The Pregnant Sister-In-Law was by far the most interesting when it comes to staying connected while travelling. Not only were we able to stay completely up-to-date on what was happening, but we got to video chat with the new parents and our brand new niece via Marco Polo a few hours after she was born!
Was this helpful for you? If so, please share it with a friend who you think would get value!
Be sure to comment below and let me know what you do to stay connected while travelling!
P.S. If you’d LOVE to start Your Own Blog with “Just 3 Clicks”, check THIS out!
Was this valuable for you? If so I’d really appreciate your comments below and shares on social media.
Resources
Here is a list of the resources mentioned in this post:
Skyroam Solis – World-wide personal WiFI hotspot, charging bank, and remote camera!
Freedom Seeker’s Passport – Download my FREE step-by-step workbook to finally ditch your desk and see the world!
Blogger’s Jumpstart Guide – Download my FREE guide outlining how to successfully start your own blog!
What a cool post to read! Thanks for sharing <3
So glad you enjoyed Manahil!
Being a full-time traveler, I no longer have a mobile phone contract tied to one location because I move around a lot. Instead, I just pick up local sim cards wherever I go. The internet is a great thing and Wi-Fi can be found pretty much everywhere these days.
Thanks Arunas, great tips!
OMG. You are so right. I don’t know what I would do if I didn’t have google maps. That app is a miracle in general. I haven’t had to use the google translate yet but i’m glad it’s there too.
No more getting lost!! Definitely one of my faves
This is so helpful! Internet while traveling makes everything so much easier.
It really does; and having it on you instead of having to find it is life changing!
Having a portable wifi hotspot would make traveling so much easier for me! haha I’ve “worked” from the car on road trips before but I usually have to do everything offline on my laptop until we get to our destination. Similarly, airport wifi isn’t always reliable. I definitely need to look into the Solis X.
It’ll change you work/travel life! I can literally work from anywhere I want to now, and it’s amazing
I absolutely agree, it’s really helpful on the road!
Glad it’s helped you Lukas!
Wow great points! This is really helpful especially to the all first timer travelers nice post!
Thanks so much Mayse! Can’t wait to see where you’re off to next 🙂
We love to travel and this would have been great to use in many of the countries that we have been to! It would also be helpful at home. Thanks for all your good information!
You’re very welcome! And yes, i’ve used it at home too with great results. No need to be on data all the time 🙂
We travel a lot and this post was super helpful! Thank you.
You’re very welcome Aminta! I hope it makes your travel even better
Thanks for the recommendation. I always make sure to stay connected, even when traveling. Especially since we need maps, Google, and messaging apps. Also, it helps to keep me connected with my assistant and my patients, even when I am away.
I often get the MyPAL Roam. It’s quite reliable too. But I will consider this for next time. Thank you.
Thanks for the additional recommendation! It’s amazing to have the ability to work from anywhere … whether or not we actually do it.
These are definitely must-haves. It is essential to prepare for any scenario when travelling because things do go wrong and if you are prepared then you can easily sail through.
Absolutely agree Kevin, thanks for spotlighting the importance!
useful tips for travels to have. gotta stay connected and what better way than apps which allow you to translate languages and maps to know where your going and for easy access to transportation!
Absolutely! Those are some of the biggest reasons I need to stay connected while travelling
Traveling and staying connected is a must. Everything now can be accessed online. Thanks for the tips!
So true Agnes! You’re very welcome 🙂
well, I usually travel to get disconnected. But maybe one day I will need this 😉
Completely valid point Mila!! But it’s nice to know the connection is there if you need it
I def agree with all these. I work in a Telecom company and these are the common tools that are in demand based on my convos with foreigners/traveler subscribers.
Thanks for that Lea! Always nice to know i’m not alone in these recommendations 🙂
google maps are such a help, so thankful for it when travelling
I definitely agree Melissa! 1 of those things we can’t travel without anymore!
Great post, something I have used in some countries I have traveled to is an app that is a static map that can just use the GPS feature on your phone without being connected to the internet. While it can’t give you turn by turn directions it works really well when you are in a strange city and need to figure out where you are.
Great tip, thanks Michael!! I can totally see this being super useful
These apps sound great, I’ve head of a couple of them but not the others. We are hoping to travel more next year so I’ll bookmark this page to come back to.
Hopefully next year will be full of travel for you, and I’m sure these apps will help
Great Article!! Your article is really helpful for traveling and I am glad to read this great article! Thanks for sharing such a helpful article.
Thanks so much Susan, I’m so glad it could help you out.
Stay connected is important while traveling. I can hear the excitement in your voice as I read this blog 🙂 We have enjoyed so many wonderful trips and I don’t think I could pick a favorite, as they are all favorites in some way. Loved Italy and the Amalfi coast. And visiting the Greek Isles by boat with day excursions was so much fun. I’ve enjoyed the five-star hotels as well as the holes in the wall–all have created fun experiences, stories, and a lifetime of good memories. Go create those memories!! Looking forward to creating some more with you soon.
These really sound like some amazing experiences, Judy! Let’s get back out there 🙂
Thank you for sharing this article.
Thanks for your support Saki!
Yep, I do agree fully that Stay connected is important while traveling. I love to use timz.flowers while traveling. It’s a great tool for meetings with workers, colleagues, etc. By the way, I appreciate the reading. Thanks and keep it up!
Thanks Caroline, i’ll have to check out that tool!
Hey there! Great tips, Bruce!
Thanks for sharing!
You’re so welcome, happy you enjoyed this post 🙂