By Jessica Oaks
Like most people, then you use your smartphone on a daily basis. It connects you with friends and family, helps you keep up with current events, is a pleasant distraction while waiting in line or riding public transportation, and provides invaluable real-time information on everything from weather to driving directions and more. So it should come as no surprise that one of the single most helpful tools you can have in your pocket, purse, or bag when traveling abroad is your smartphone.
Are you traveling abroad or overseas this summer? If so, ditch the old-fashioned paper maps and pocket dictionaries, and instead, bring your iPhone 6S with you – it’s not as hard or as expensive as you may think to do so:
Purchase an International Roaming Plan
If your service provider doesn’t offer free unlimited text and calling where you intend to travel, consider buying an international roaming plan for the duration of your trip. Even carriers like T-Mobile are now offering plans with unlimited data and texting in 95% of the places Americans travel most, making it easy for you to stay connected while you travel the world. And if you don’t yet own an iPhone 6S, they make it fairly easy to switch! Simply purchase the plan that best suits your needs.
The additional cost of the international roaming plan is sure to be less than the cost of roaming and overage fees should you not get the plan in advance. Why not go prepared? Take comfort in the fact that you’ll be able to use your iPhone when abroad. These plans can help you stay in touch, navigate foreign cities with confidence, and share photos with loved ones back home – they’re truly a no-brainer and should be your first priority.
Purchase a Travel Adapter
You don’t want to run out of batteries when abroad, especially if you have no means of recharging your iPhone once you arrive back at your hotel room or rental. Purchase a travel adapter kit so that you can be certain you’ll always have electricity at hand. If you own an iPhone, Apple carries a convenient kit specifically for world traveling.
Download City Guides
Simply because you’ve purchased an international roaming plan does not mean that you can’t take steps to limit your data usage. One of the easiest ways to stay offline when traveling abroad is downloading resources in advance. Find public transportation maps, routes, and timetables for the cities you’ll be visiting and download them as PDF documents; this way, you can access them from your iBooks app without having to connect to the Internet. You may also look for city guides, travel guides, food guides, and other offline resources that may prove helpful.
Sync Your Contacts and Music
Before you hop on your flight or make your way through customs, be sure that your phone is fully updated and synced. If you intend to use your iPhone as a camera while abroad, you may also want to consider freeing up your phone’s internal storage for photos. Transfer them to an external hard drive, computer, or iCloud account, and remove them from your device. Travel overseas with an “empty” phone (as empty as is reasonable) and all of your contacts and music up-to-date!
Get the Right Gadgets
Remember, your iPhone is much more than a phone – it’s a camera, a music player, a multi-media device, and a GPS. When you’re abroad, these features make even more sense. To get the most out of your device, whether on vacation or a business trip, consider buying some accessories. Bluetooth headphones can give your city walks a particular melody,a personal GPS tracker can keep you in touch with your family or friends,” Olloclip 4-in-1 lens can transform your iPhone’s standard camera, and battery cases like the Anker Ultra-Slim can ensure you never run out of juice. Buy the gadgets that suit your lifestyle and you can’t go wrong.
