When you’re showing off your vacation photos to friends and family, everyone always wants you to explain the cool photos. Where did you see that sunset? What was the church inside? What is X called?
No one is going to ask you about your travel preparations or plans. People might ask about your flight if you found a cheap one, but other than that, no one will be coming to you begging that you should them your packing routine.
But, that’s not to say that packing and preparation isn’t incredibly important. It’s the backbone of your entire trip and what made it all possible. With so many people travelling these days, you want to be ahead of the curve.
So before you can start showing off those photos, you need to start prepping. We’ve covered some packing tips elsewhere and we’re going to be focusing on how technology can make your trip as enjoyable and stress-free as possible.
Take a Screenshot
Maybe the most boring section of your phone’s photo gallery, screenshots rarely has anything fun inside. What screenshots lack in enjoyment, they make up in functionality and help.
Before you head out, make sure to take a screenshot of anything and everything important. Snap a shot of your hotel reservation, addresses, tour reservations, meeting times, meeting places, airline reservations, emergency numbers, and more.
You never know when your phone coverage may die out on you, so make sure you have a hard, digital copy of it all. Pulling up your hotel’s address out of your gallery is much easier than scanning through your email to find where you’re supposed to go.
Download the Area
When heading to a new location, you’re probably not going to know the streets and corners like your hometown. That’s why everyone loves Waze and Google Maps!
One thing to do before heading out is download the destination city into your phone’s map application. That way, you can have it saved onto your phone for the time you’re there.
The best part about this is you can turn your phone on airplane mode to save battery but still use your GPS setting. You’ll be able to save your phone for all the important activities, like taking photos and recording your friend trying to surf a wave.
If you’re going some place international, download the host country’s language pack just in case. You might be fluent in weird hand motions and pointing, but it helps to be able to throw in a few words here and there.
Have a Photo Backup Service
Every person’s worst nightmare is having their phone lost, stolen, or damaged. Not only is it a headache to recover all of those contacts, but it also means you may be out of luck when it comes to photos and videos.
Before you travel, make sure you have your photos being backed up somewhere. It could be OneDrive, Google Photos, or Apple’s iCloud but just make sure you have them backed up.
Your phone will usually automatically send these photos when it’s connected on WIFI, saving you the time and hassle to manually back them up or make sure they’re staying safe. Don’t lose out on your precious memories!
Watch What You Want Where You Want
Streaming services are fantastic but their one flaw is being restricted by their geographical location. We’ve all had one of those nights during vacation when a quick dinner and early night sounds better than walking around the streets.
Make sure you have an option to watch content anywhere so you’re not limited to your region or current country. So many streaming devices are quite small, meaning you’ll be able to take them with you without any hassle.
Change Your Phone Plan
If you’re heading to an international destination for a few weeks, consider switching out your SIM card for a local one. 99% of the time, this option will be much cheaper than advising your mobile phone company you’re traveling.
Your phone will also connect to local networks much quicker, making any calls or texts less of a headache and more of an instant thing.
If you’re going for a short period of time, less than a week, it might not be worth it to change your plan. But if you’re there for the long-run, it’s a must.