I remember doing a road trip across the USA, I’m going to sound old now, but our phones could barely hold a few photos, we struggled to get internet outside of hostels and the world of apps was in its infancy. The world has very much changed now and it’s easier than ever to get on a plane and explore the world with the help of your pocket-sized supercomputer.
The Death of the Bureau de Change
For younger folks, they might not have had to do this, but before any holiday we always had to walk over to a bank to take out the cash for the holiday and then to a bureau de change to get it swapped over. You would get hustled on the exchange rate, then when you had some left over at the end of the holiday, you would trade it back at another bad exchange rate.
Nowadays, you can load the money onto an app like Revolut, Monzo or Wise and then change it to the currency you want at no charge and a good rate. You do have to keep an eye out for weekend mark-ups, potential ATM fees while abroad or limits that might be in place.
But even better, you don’t face an extra charge for using the card before, whereas traditional banks will offer a poor exchange rate and often add a fee. I love being able to see on the app how much I’ve spent so far and what I have left, without having to count through notes in a wallet.
Remember if you do use a card machine while on holiday, to choose the local currency over GBP, as the exchange rate is almost always better.
Google Maps Goes Offline
Alright, we all know how to use Google Maps, but did you know you can download entire cities, so if you have no connection when you’re there, you can still easily navigate around.
I’ve suffered with mobile signal issues a huge amount of times while travelling, so if you’re prepared, you can download the maps for the city you’re visiting, or even the entire country, so that you can see it offline. This is also important if you’re not planning on using your data while abroad.
I should highlight that despite being offline, the navigation will still work, the GPS will connect and you’ll still move on the map as you move in real life.
Airport Alerts
I only did this for the first time a month ago, but I put in my flight on Gatwick’s website and agreed to updates and notifications around my booking. Basically it would message my phone if my flight was delayed or cancelled.
I therefore didn’t have to worry about constantly checking the board or not knowing until I arrived whether my flight was on time.
This might be one of those things that has been around for a good while, but it’s new to me and I’m going to utilise it every single time, as it’s a completely free service.
Make Sure To Protect Yourself On Public WiFi
We go into a cafe or a museum and we don’t bat an eyelid before turning on the available WiFi, but public WiFi has a huge number of risks, as your connection is unsecured.
I’ve seen so many scammer videos where they explain how easy it is to see your personal data while on a public WiFi. You might think “oh I don’t use those public ones”, but what about in an airport? How about once you check into your hotel? You’d be surprised how often you probably are.
If you’re using an iPhone, a dedicated vpn for iPhone can add an extra layer of security when connecting to these networks.
A VPN will encrypt your internet traffic via a secure server, so they can’t see what data is going through the encrypted tunnel.
Regardless of what you do, I’d recommend avoiding logging into a banking app while on public WiFi. If possible, you’re better of waiting until you’re back on mobile data or have a secure network.
Travel Documents In Digital Wallet
It wasn’t that long ago that you had to know someone with a printer, or you cheekily printed off your tickets while at work, but nowadays you can use your phone’s digital wallet to keep all your boarding passes together.
If your phone dies, you can still get your ticket printed at the airport, but this really does speed everything up.
It’s not just your boarding passes though, you can keep train tickets, entry receipts and confirmations for hotel bookings all within your phone, which is so useful.
Google Translate Can Do So Much More Than You Think
Get your phone camera up and then aim it at something containing foreign words, whether that’s a menu in a restaurant or a sign at the train station. Google Translate will change it into English (or your preferred language) directly on screen.
You can also have people speak directly to your phone and record them and then it will repeat it back to you in English. So if a bus driver in Spain is explaining the different tickets, it will then quickly change his words into English for you and then you can do the same back so he hears the Spanish for what ticket you want.
Don’t forget to download the language of where you’re going to visit while at home on your WiFi for optimal results.
