Ah, joy holiday. Relax and lift your feet for a moment. Or, if you have kids, you have a chance to moan in the new time zone. Before my family left the airport on our last holiday, naked and didn’t relax.
“Dad, my internet doesn’t work.” “Dad, where can I charge?” “Dad, what is a Wi-Fi password?” “Dad, are we there?”
Fortunately, I plan to plan ahead this year and you can also use our best travel tech guides to spend a harmonious family vacation. Disclaimer: I will show you how to keep everyone online and fully charged, but I cannot accept responsibility for family arguments related to non-technical ones.
internet
In theory, leave your phone and tablet behind, immerse yourself in a vacation experience, and put your own way “live, laugh, love” all over the world. In fact, travel has dull moments and downtime, and teenagers cannot be separated from the internet for a long time. By making sure everyone has access to the internet, you can save a lot of trouble.
Travel router
My most important tip is to set up a travel router forward you go. Plug it into your existing router and connect all the devices you are on vacation, but most importantly, the phone number of you, your partner and your child. Now when you arrive at an apartment or hotel, you can plug in, connect your travel router to public Wi-Fi, and even connect your phone to your router and use it as a hotspot, so everyone can connect securely without any login details. This is what I recommend in the guide to the best Wi-Fi routers.
Connect to a smartphone
You should check the roaming options based on where you want to go, but it’s certain that when you go home, the roaming fee will be an unwelcome extra fee, especially if you allow your kids to connect to a foreign network. You have some options to avoid this problem.
- Use your phone as a hotspot: My wife and children don’t have travel allowances on the mobile contract, so my wife and children don’t, so it makes sense to use my phone as a hotspot for them to connect to when we’re out. Check your contract before doing this, but even if you don’t have a specific benefit, you will find that getting a device has more data than you can. This is how to use your phone as a hotspot. It will drain your battery faster, but I have a tip below the charging section. Remember to turn off mobile services or mobile data for family members’ other mobile phones.
- Buy a Travel Simulation or ESIM: You can grab the international SIM card when you land abroad and switch to your phone. This may be a cost-effective way to ensure you have a lot of data and can connect to a foreign network, although it does mean using different numbers during your stay. We provide a guide on how to use ESIM for international travel.
- Buy a hot spot: Instead of using your phone as a hotspot, you can always capture dedicated phones for everyone to connect. These portable devices require a SIM card or ESIM, allowing you to connect multiple gadgets over Wi-Fi. Some portable hotspots even include services. I recently tested the excellent but expensive Netgear Nighthawk M6 Pro ($800) and the cheaper but lower Acer Connect Enduro M3 5G ($356).
Download in advance
To prepare for your journey, you should download the map in advance and draw the route. If using Google Maps, you can click on your profile icon in the upper right corner (if using Apple Maps) and select Offline map start. Downloading a map of the area you are visiting is a great way to save data and use it as a backup in case there is a connection problem when you arrive.
Simon Hill
Simon Hill
If you are looking for a route in Google Maps, say public transportation from the airport to the hotel, remember that you can click leave Pull down box (Now In Apple Maps), select the day and time to get the correct instructions for arrival.
It’s also a good idea to make sure you and your kids have some entertainment in front of your phone. Pick a few movies or plots of your favorite show and download the night before. This is how to download videos to watch offline. Some of the best mobile games can also be played offline (I recommend Mini subway).
entertainment
Speaking of entertainment, you should carry some with you. At the end of a busy sightseeing day or roller coaster ride, you might want to relax for an hour on TV, and if you don’t speak the language, the novelty of a Spanish soap opera or a French debate show will soon disappear. I always pack our Chromecast, but any option in our best streaming device guide will do. This Roku Stick is our favorite and can easily plug in any available HDMI port.
Just make sure you are logged in to all streaming services and connect them to your travel router before you leave. This way, you will have all the shows you like and the right next episode in line. If you’re blocked by those annoying login screens of hotel Wi-Fi, you can always connect to Wi-Fi on your phone and log in and then use it as a hotspot for streaming stick connections.
Travel charging
Packing charging equipment when traveling is crucial. You need a travel adapter, charging cable and power bank. Make sure you have an adapter that suits the country you are visiting, make sure that each device you are using has a charging cable and test it before leaving your home. Don’t forget your smartwatch, fitness tracker, or smart ring. I also recommend taking at least one backup travel charger just in case. I’ve browsed the options in the guide to the best travel adapters, but the top choice is ideal for family travel.
The first choice in our best USB-C cable guide will charge any device with a USB-C port, but this nomadic cable is a handy option for people with an Apple Watch.
You can also find several options for different devices in our guide to the best portable chargers, but here are my recommended trips.
Safety
One of our favorite password managers 1Password has a travel mode that enables you to remove any sensitive data from your device before traveling and click and restore it after crossing the boundary. This prevents anyone, including law enforcement on international borders, from accessing your full password vault. You may also be interested in how to protect yourself from phone searches on the U.S. border.
If you live in a campground or rented accommodation and are worried about anyone flipping through your stuff, or you feel at risk of theft, it may be worth packing a portable security camera. For Airbnbs and Wi-Fi places, try the camera with our guide to the best indoor security cameras. Our top choice is compact and affordable.
If you need something that can be done outdoors or connect to a mobile network due to no Wi-Fi, I recommend using this ARLO camera in my best outdoor security camera guide. But this is expensive and requires unit service planning without Wi-Fi.
Reward Travel Tips
Here are some bonus tips to help your family trip go smoothly. Bon Voyage!
While it’s always a good idea to carry a little cash just in case you come across a store or service that doesn’t accept a card, you can also get widely accepted plastic and allow you to trade several faucets for money. I love the wise card and use it for all my travels as it provides instant e-currency exchange in the app and offers a decent price for many major currencies. You can also get a contactless visa card while traveling. Remember that it is usually best to pay (cheap) in local currency as long as you choose.
Photos and videos can help you retain the highlights of your holiday to keep your extended family and friends with your extended family, but they are also excited to review it in the years to come. The best cameras are the ones you use with your phone, but if you want to step up the game, consider our guide to the best compact cameras, the best 360 cameras and the best action cameras.
We always travel with lights because it means there are no waiting bags at the airport and it is easier to jump on buses and trains. Check out our best luggage guide for advice, but be sure to check the airline’s rules before departure. On my last trip, I used the Ekster Travelpack vacuum kit ($129) to compress my clothes and squeeze in more. If you live in Airbnb or rented apartment, you can always do laundry so you don’t need to pack it.
