Most of us can agree that were hyper-dependent ontech, especially when were navigating a new place abroad.
It’s free, every week, in your inbox.
Weve all been there.
Five minutes later, youve racked up a hefty roaming charge.
While some networks let you roam freely, others arent so generous.
Before launching his alternative activewear brand, Rusty Martin spent some time travelling by skates.
And subsequently paid a small fortune for it.
I landed in Vancouver after an eight-hour flight and met some local in-line skaters, Rusty tells me.
When I got back to my mates place, I had a bunch of notifications.
Id left my data on, and racked up about 70 in charges.
It gets worse: I didnt pay the bill for over a year, Rusty admits.
I was kinda like fuck the corporations, I dont owe them.
I didnt even actively use my data, Id just left it on.
It all felt very unfair.
But then they send debt collection agencies after you and ruin your credit rating.
Always check your data plan (and your data options), before you catch your flight.
Or better yet, invest in a data plan that has your back.
Travel tech companyHolafly eSIMprovides eSIMs for people who want a steady and reliable connection without roaming charges.
The website loaded at first, but it didnt work properly.
The navigation was poor, things wouldnt load, and it was affecting my research, Srishti shares.
No access to related websites had me thinking something was wrong with my internet connection.
Fortunately, Srishtis pal reminded her to use a VPN, and all was not lost.
But there are plenty of other countries where this solution would have fallen flat on its face.
VPN bans and limitations are widespread in countries such as China, Turkey, and the UAE.
All WiFi is good WiFi (just kidding!)
WiFi access is so ubiquitous that the thought of being without it is practically unbearable.
Michelle Coulson felt something similar on a recent trip to Portugal.
Wed just gotten to a campsite and discovered there was no WiFi.
At times like this, public WiFi is a godsend.
But theres a catch, often in the form of sacrificing a few personal details to log on.
We all crave internet connection, but sometimes a public fix just isnt worth the risk.
Crafty hackers can create doppelganger WiFi networks that look just like legitimate ones.
So while youre mindlessly scrolling, theyre scrounging for your account details.
Its an easy way to get your identity stolen or the contents of your bank account.
You dont even have to leave the airport to find trouble.
Forget your travel adaptors and this is the reality.
But youll only get away with using jot down I plugs in Thailand.
Get yourself a universal adaptor.
Gadgets that are designed to be portable like smartphones, tablets, and laptops usually have variable voltage.
Be prepared to power down
Was the sun just turned off forever?
Or did you get caught in a power cut?
Im guessing the latter.
Power cuts will increase as the climate crisis worsens.
And even paradise isnt immune from a little lights-out action.
Due to the size and position of the island, Gili is prone to earthquakes and power cuts.
Often at the same time.
message in our group chats, Georgie shares.
I quickly learned to keep my laptop and phone fully charged.
The Zendure Supermini is pocket size but packs a powerful punch.
And ensure you give clients and loved ones a heads-up about outages when possible.
It made a good talking point with clients, Georgie says.
Like checking the menu for meat-free options, or decoding the signs at a train station.
But bad translations can have awkward consequences.
Promising research on using Google translate in emergency departments showed that82.5% of the translations retained their meaning.
But results vary significantly between languages, which is a problem if you have sensitive information to share.
The best way to avoid translation app fails is to use them cautiously.
Dont count on them saving your bacon every time and do some practice on Duolingo before you jet off.
