Traveling abroad is one of the most enriching experiences of our lives. As long as we are away from our family, friends, and co-workers, it’s essential to stay connected with them. Back in the day, staying connected was not easy due to lack of technology and poor Wi-Fi signals. Today technology has evolved and it’s never been any easier to communicate with our loved ones. Here are the 5 simple ways to stay connected on your travels.
Buy a Local SIM
Local SIM cards are the go-to options to make calls and use the internet on your travel. They offer good quality voice and good internet speed and local minutes as well. If you’re traveling to a single such as the USA, Thailand, China, Canada, Australia, etc. local SIM cards are really cost effective. You can obtain a SIM after arriving at the destination from the airport. Registration of the SIM generally requires your passport. You can discard the SIM on your return.
International SIM cards
An alternative to buying a local SIM is to purchase an international SIM card in advance. TSIM offers really good SIMs at very low prices. Many of the SIMs are cheaper than what you get at the airport. International SIM cards come handy when you’re traveling to multi-country. For e.g., Europe SIM card and Global SIM card. This helps you to bypass the hassles of activation and documentation at the airport.
Portable Wi-Fi device
If a SIM card isn’t your thing, then you have an alternative to it. Traveling with a portable Wi-Fi device makes sense if you have heavy internet usage, and if you’re carrying your laptop. Countries where public Wi-Fi isn’t reliable, this device comes across quite handy. This is an excellent option if you’re travelling with other people and have multiple devices to connect.
Activate International Roaming
The most pain-free way to stay connected on your travel is to activate international roaming on your existing number, though it comes with a price. The bundles offered by our home network carriers are very expensive and the bills are likely to give you a heart attack. However, if you can’t afford to change your number and need to make frequent work-related calls then this is the only option you’ve got to stick to.
Lastly, you can say no to all the above option and rely completely on Wi-Fi in your hotel and public spaces. Wi-Fi is pretty widespread in most countries like the US, Thailand, Canada, and Australia. While there are countries such as Brazil, Sri Lanka, Egypt, and Turkey where Wi-Fi isn’t accessible as easily. Don’t forget to Google the Wi-Fi accessibility in the country you’re traveling if you’re considering this option.
The following apps will let you stay in touch when you have access to Wi-Fi: Skype, WhatsApp, Viber, Google Duo, FaceTime (for Apple users), and Facebook.
